Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-04-Speech-4-256"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-09-04"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Burma2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030904.12.4-256"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-09-04-Speech-4-2572
lpv:speaker	lp:Geoffrey Van Orden2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, before the House today is a resolution on Burma, drafted with the support of all major political groups in this Parliament and therefore backed by representatives of all fifteen countries within the European Union. It is absolutely unequivocal in its demand: the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi. I hope this message is now being heard by the Burmese regime. Aung San Suu Kyi is a symbol of resistance to tyranny and personifies the hopes of the people of Burma for freedom. She has spent eight of the last thirteen years under some form of detention or restriction and on 30 May 2003 she was seized again and has been held virtually incommunicado, to all intents kidnapped by the regime in a military barracks in the Ye Mon district of Rangoon. Four days ago it was reported that she was on hunger strike and that she was in a serious condition. The International Committee of the Red Cross must be given immediate access to her in order to assist in the provision of emergency assistance. Given the policy of the ICRC not to reveal the detention conditions of those that it visits, Aung San Suu Kyi should also be seen by Italian Ambassador Miniero, on behalf of the European Union, or by Her Majesty's Ambassador to Burma, Vicky Bowman. These should be just the preliminaries to her release and to the release of scores of other National League for Democracy members and organisers, elected Members of Parliament, senior Party officials and students detained following the violent attack on opposition elements on 30 May 2003. Each member of the State Peace and Development Council that runs Burma must be held personally responsible for the health, safety and wellbeing of Aung San Suu Kyi. They must be put on notice that action will be taken against them. General Khin Nyunt, the newly-appointed Prime Minister, has talked about a roadmap to democracy. Let him show that he is serious, lift the barrier on that road, respond to our calls for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and recognise the results of the 1990 elections which gave a landslide victory to the National League for Democracy. To encourage him, much more needs to be done to increase the pressure on his military dictatorship in Burma. Action should now be taken to strengthen the EU sanctions with moves to deny Burmese dictatorship the hard currency it uses to fund its repression. As we have seen in other countries such as Zimbabwe, quiet diplomacy does not work. Neighbouring ASEAN countries need to do more to bring about change in Burma. I call on the Council presidency and the Commission to take urgent action, to visit Aung San Suu Kyi, to bring about her immediate release and, in case the SPDC does not respond in a positive way, to draw up new measures that can quickly be taken against the Burmese regime."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; Delegation to the EU-Hungary Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-03-13--2004-04-30)3 member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (2002-01-22--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Conservative and Unionist Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Van Orden (PPE-DE )."1

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