Letters needed to protest Myanmar's 45 year sentence for local comedian/poet

[villager]

From an email over the transom today:


I am writing to you, my writing and traveling friends, with the news of a colleague in Myanmar who has been served a grave injustice in that country.

My friend Jane Camens, of the Asia Pacific Writing Partnership, has suggested writing a letter similar to hers (file attached), to the Myanmar diplomatic mission in your country.

Following the address of the Myanmar Ambassador in the USA, her email call to action is copied here in my message to you.

I have written a letter and I hope you will do this, as well. It will be helpful to rally others who are concerned about the freedom of expression worldwide. Thanks... R

Addresses are at the links:

http://www.myanmars.net/bluepages/myanmar.embassies.htm


Jane Camens writes:
Dear Members and Friends,

We have been alerted by PEN to a 45-year prison sentence handed down on 21 November 2008 to poet and comedian Zargana in Myanmar (Burma). I have, on behalf of the Partnership, joined Sydney PEN to condem this arrest on behalf of other writers in the region. I have attached the letter, addressed to Myanmar's representative in Australia.

I urge you to write a similar letter to Burma's representative in your country, if you feel strongly about the need for writers to have a voice that is not necessarily in line with government actions.

You will find background information about this matter on our website, thanks to PEN.

For those who do not know, I rejected a proposal to charge membership fees to join the Partnership. I want to ensure the Partnership's resources are available to all writers in the region.

Jane Camens
Executive Director
Asia-Pacific Writing Partnership
www.apwriters.com

[Loudmxr]

1. Is there any way we can do an exchange for Dennis Miller?

[Winnipegosis]

2. Burma.

Say BURMA.

[hlthe2b]

3. Well, given that the request is going to the Military Leadership

who refer to their country now as Myanmar, I'd suggest NOT calling it Burma in any letters meant to influence a decision on one of their citizens. Sort of like waving a red flag in front of a bull...:shrug: