Last week Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty of breaking house arrest terms after an American man, John Yettaw, swam to her house and refused to leave.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention for more than 11 of the past 19 years, and the latest trial held on the 18th May has sentenced her to another 18 months of house arrest. This latest sentence will keep her in detention during the next set of rigged elections taking place in 2010.
The United Nations has ruled that her detention is illegal under international and Burmese law.
The Burma VJ coalition is calling for the release of all political prisoners in Burma. Click here to sign the petition to Ban Ki-Moon.
It’s been just over a week since the “Saffron Premiere” of the award-winning Burma VJ, when cinemas in 40 locations across England, Scotland and Wales were satellite-linked live to BAFTA in London.
Thousands of Co-operative members and cinema-goers rubbed shoulders with the many celebrities that had lined up to offer their support for the Burma VJ premiere.
The London BAFTA event was attended by special guests including actors Dexter Fletcher and James Purefoy, and leading human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who were treated to Co-operative Fairtrade wine and Burmese-style food featuring top-quality own-brand Co-operative ingredients.
After the showing in London we caught some reactions to the film, you can see Dexter Fletchers thoughts above, click here to see all.
Hundreds of signatures have already been received, and the Burmese VJs have expressed what the campaign means to them: “I would like to express special thanks to you and your organisation for all efforts put to Burma VJ. We all often talk about it and all feel so grateful that your organisation has made huge publicity for Burma VJ and DVB (Democratic Voice for Burma).”
You can add your voice to our calls of support by signing the petition online at http://burmavjmovie.com.
Last night was the nationwide screening of the movie Burma VJ, a film about revolution in the oppressed Burma.
Cinemas across the UK were satellite-linked LIVE to BAFTA in London where the film was introduced by our very own head of Social Goals Paul Monaghan and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
Tickets were available exclusively to co-operative members before general release on 17 July, so I booked two tickets to attend the screening at the Odeon in Manchester.
Getting there early we began to worry we might be the only ones not wearing something orange. The invite it asked if everyone could wear something orange in support of the oppressed population of Burma. Everyone had really made an effort and I was particularly impressed with the social goals and membership teams array of orange accessories.
Before we went over to London Russell Gill who is head of Co-operative membership gave a brief introduction to the film and the co-operatives’ involvement in the campaign. It was great to hear someone who is obviously passionate about working for the co-operative and the work we do. We then went LIVE to BAFTA in London.
The film was absolutely brilliant, a definite must-see. It’s filmed by undercover journalists that live in Burma and who risk their lives to film footage and send it out of the country. The shots of the monks protesting and the people cheering really is a site to behold, and you spend a lot of the film with your heart in your mouth because you just know if something terrible is going to happen.
I recommend you go and watch the film and after you’ve seen it I defy you not to sign the petition to help free the Burma VJ political prisoners. I signed the petition this morning and here’s how you can sign it too. Visit the http://burmavjmovie.com/takeaction/free_the_vjs/letter_page site or simply text ‘FREE THE VJs’ to 87103.
I find it really hard to imagine what it must be like living under such a harsh military regime and why it’s so difficult to do anything about it.
If you’ve been to see the film, why not tell us what you think?
After weeks of momentum-building, tonight will mark the premiere of the award-winning Burma VJ, brought to life in the UK by The Co-operative.
Tickets are still available for the event, which will feature an introduction from Dame Vivienne Westwood, a special message from Richard Gere and a panel discussion featuring an undercover Burmese journalist. Visit http://burmavjmovie.com/watchthefilm/ for a list of screenings and to book tickets. Don’t forget to tell friends and family across the country by clicking on ‘invite a friend.’
As part of its support for the film, The Co-operative has launched a worldwide Free the VJs campaign urging the release of five political prisoners imprisoned in Burma for their involvement in the 2007 Saffron Revolution. As documented in the film, The Burma VJs (video-journalists) have risked torture, imprisonment and even death to document the incredible story behind the 2007 uprisings and they now face up to 65 years in prison for simply recording the events in the film.
You can add your voice to the call for their release by signing the online petition at http://burmavjmovie.com/ or by texting ‘FREE THE VJs’ to 87103 (texts charged at standard network rates).
Actor and humanitarian Richard Gere has called on the U.N. and business leaders to support “Free the VJs”, a worldwide campaign launched today by us urging the release of five video journalists (VJs) imprisoned in Burma for secretly filming the 2007 Saffron Revolution.
The VJ’s remarkable story has been captured in the award-winning film, Burma VJ, which we are launching at 40 cinemas across the UK on 14 July. The Burma VJs risked torture, imprisonment and even death to document the incredible story behind the 2007 uprisings and they now face up to 65 years in prison for simply recording the events in the film.
Explaining The Co-operative’s support for the campaign, Head of Social Goals and Sustainability Paul Monaghan said: “People put their lives on the line to get this footage out of Burma in the hope that the world would take notice. News stories come and go, but the oppression in Burma is as bad as anywhere on the planet, and we mustn’t turn a blind eye.”
“Burma VJ is not just a cracking watch, it is a challenge to us to get off our seats and do something – that something is ‘Free the VJs’”
With only one week to go until the 14th July Saffron Premiere, the Burma VJ campaign is gathering momentum.
View the new Burma VJ viral above, composing of footage from the film and striking saffron images. Get the viral here, and forward to friends and family.
Free Saffron Premiere tickets for members of the Co-operative are going fast, and tickets across the country are now available to buy – visit www.burmavjmovie.com/watchthefilm to find your nearest screening and book tickets.
It’s two weeks until the nationwide Saffron Premiere of Burma VJ. On Tuesday, 14 July cinemas all across the country will be satellite-linked LIVE to BAFTA in London, creating a nationwide “Saffron Premiere”. You can view screenings and get your tickets here.
Don’t forget to wear something saffron (or orange) to symbolise your support for the monks, journalists and general public who took part in the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma.
To help promote the film an iPhone application has been created to give background and context about the film, as well as a taste of the movie itself (trailer, clips etc).
The application is now available for free download from Apple’s Appstore here.
The clip above shows Burmese Monk Ashin Sopaka calling for people to support Burma VJ and for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, symbolises the struggle of Burma’s people to be free. She has spent more than 11 of the past 19 years in some form of detention under Burma’s military regime. Last week Aung San Suu Kyi spent her 64th birthday in prison awaiting trial.
Last week the film Burma VJ, supported in the UK by The Co-operative, became the first ever film to have an official screening at 10 Downing Street.
Sarah Brown, wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, invited a select audience to the screening, including three delegates from our Social Goals team, celebrities Mariella Frostrup and Dexter Fletcher, Amnesty International, and Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis.
The opportunity was unmissable, and the film was screened on the evening of Thursday 19th June as part of a reception on Burma. The film’s director, Anders Østergaard, took part in a post-screening Q and A session, where he praised The Co-operative for its pioneering support of the film.
The event marked the 64th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s imprisoned pro-democracy leader. The Co-operative is supporting the film as part of its on-going campaigning on Burma, which is now in its tenth year.
A limited number of free tickets to The Co-operative’s ‘Saffron Premiere’ are available to members via the film’s website www.burmavjmovie.com. For more information about The Co-operative and Burma visit our ethics in action website.
We have recently announced our backing of the film Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country, the award-winning story of the continuing fight for democracy in Burma. The film tracks the brave new breed of young ‘video journalists’ who, using hidden cameras, put their lives on the line to tell the real story of the 2007 Burmese uprisings and the subsequent repression by the ruling military regime.
The movie will be launched on 14th July with an exciting film event where cinemas across the country will be linked live to BAFTA in London to create the “Saffron Premiere”– named after the distinctive orange robes of the Burmese monks.The evening will include a full film screening, as well as a one-off chance to join a live debate with the makers of the film.
Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals and Sustainability, explains our motivation for supporting this film: “People put their lives on the line to get this footage out of Burma in the hope that the world would take notice. News stories come and go, but the oppression in Burma is as bad as anywhere on the planet, and we mustn’t turn a blind eye”.
Check back soon for further information on the film.
Since 2005, we have been steadily increasing our commitment to international development and poverty alleviation. Our new global co-operative development fund is aimed to alleviate poverty in some of the world’s poorest communities.
In April ‘09 in conjunction with the new goodwithmoney website we re-launched our new and improved good with money blog to encourage greater dialogue with our colleagues, customers, members and anyone else who is interested in the ethical, social responsible and community work that we do. Read on…
