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Church World Service responds to situation in Burma

Buddhist monks of the International Buddhist Center in Wheaton, Maryland, lead a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington September 28, 2007. Photo: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas, courtesy www.alertnet.org

October 24, 2007

In recent weeks, people around the world have followed the news of large, peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrations all across Burma, led by Buddhist monks. The monks have joined Burma's best-known advocate for democratic reforms -- Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi -- as leaders in the struggle for non-violent change in their country. Throughout the world, people of faith often have been in the vanguard of such efforts.

For many years, Church World Service, along with its partner organizations, has ministered to Burmese refugees. While providing assistance to Burmese in refugee camps in Thailand and helping to resettle refugees from Burma (also known as Myanmar) to the United States, CWS and its member churches have learned much about the struggles endured by the people of Burma.

In eastern Burma, government forces have displaced an estimated 500,000 civilians. Just over the border in Thailand, nine refugee camps house 160,000 refugees, whose needs Church World Service is helping to meet through the 23-year-old Thailand Burma Border Consortium. CWS is a founding member of the TBBC.

The U.S. government has recognized refugees from Burma as a population of special humanitarian concern and began resettlement in October 2006. Over the following year, Church World Service, its participating denominations, and its network of local affiliates, congregations, and volunteers have helped 1,188 ethnic Karen and Chin Burmese resettle in U.S. communities.

They are among the nearly 14,000 Burmese refugees admitted by the U.S. Refugee Program during that period, with tens of thousands more expected to be resettled to the United States over the next five years.

Church World Service anticipates that the conditions inside Burma that have made life so difficult for so many will continue to worsen unless substantive changes occur. To that end, CWS urges the following:

That the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary General remain actively engaged in the crisis in Burma

That the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General:
1. Meet with religious leaders and other representatives of civil society in Burma in order to hear their views on the present situation and to understand the conditions of the common people.
2. Continue to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi.
3. Impress upon the government of Burma the need for to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi without pre-conditions.
That the UN Security Council, especially the five permanent members, actively supports the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary General through the measures referenced in Security Council Presidential Statement S/PRST/2007/37.

Church World Service further urges:

Continued and generous support to international organizations and others providing assistance so that they can continue to respond to the humanitarian needs of the people of Burma for food, shelter, medical care and protection.

That the U.S. churches, people of all faith communities, and members of civil society respond to the people of Burma by increasing their awareness and by involving themselves in greater efforts of solidarity and support to them.

Media Contact:
Lesley Crosson, CWS/New York, 212-870-2676;
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526;

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