The killing in Burma continues. Send this letter to your Congressman.
Dear
I am writing to you regarding the situation in Myanmar/Burma.
On 1st February the military held a coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government. They have introduced sweeping restrictions on freedom of expression and on the internet, arrested more than a thousand people including elected MPs, and are shooting and killing peaceful protesters.
The people of the country are resisting military rule, protesting every day despite the dangers, and they are calling for international help.
So far that help has not come. Please write to the government asking them to take the following step.
Three things that every government can do now to help:
- Sanctions on military companies need to be introduced now. International companies have not yet been stopped from doing business with the military and so helping the military make money which pays for their crimes.
- Arms Embargoes. Only 41 of the 193 UN member countries have imposed an arms embargo. Every country should stop selling weapons and equipment to the Burmese military. Those countries with arms embargoes should ask other countries to join them.
- Support international justice. Only Canada and Sweden are on record as supporting referring Burma to the International Criminal Court, so the crimes of the military can be investigated and members of the military face justice for their crimes. Every country in the world should be supporting accountability for the violations of international law committed by the military.
This military coup is just the latest atrocity by the military. For decades they have been oppressing the people of the country and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity against ethnic minorities.
The international community must not stand by and ignore the calls of the people of Myanmar who are asking for international help. Please write to our government asking them to take these three steps to support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for freedom.
Burma is in turmoil. The military coup has plunged it back into the repression of the past. The eyes of the world must remain on Myanmar as it is now officially known. International diplomatic pressure must be maintained at the strongest level and sanctions applied against the military.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/corruption-accusations-03112021185741.html
The Liberal Democrates Overseas have now appointed a Peer to act as a representative for long term British expats abroad. People overseas who cease to be on the electoral register have no MP to act for them when it comes to the many issues that concern them such as problems with state pensions. Lord Stoneham leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords has ageed to take to the role.
New organisation launched in Brighton.
Nothing is permanent in this world,everything is subject to change as the Buddhists say. So it seems. The end of the Liberal Democrat News is nigh.
I first started reading Liberal News in 1966. I remember the sometimes uneven print and David Steel’s column.I was lucky to be able to receive the Liberal Democrat News abroad from the early 1990s.
I just hope the new magazine that replaces it isn’t called New Horizons.
That august publication The Independent carries a report that the NHS is trying to export its brand abroad.
Britons resident abroad do of course have very limited access to the NHS should they seek medical services while visiting Britain. There was a time when anyone working abroad who maintained Class 2 National Insurance contributions could get treatment without difficulty but this was stopped by the Party of the Workers- the last Labour government.
There was the case of an English teacher in Thailand earlier this year who suffered a heart attack and died because of lack of adequate medical help.Always get some health insurance if you work overseas!
I have experience of both state and private hospitals here in Thailand and I must say the treatment in the state hospitals is better than in the private hospitals. Although Thailand is becoming a centre of medical tourism having as it does world class hospitals.The prime concern of the private hospitals is of course profit but brand NHS won’t be coming to Thailand soon.
The ill informed remarks of Paul Ryan concerning Britain’s NHS has prompted me to send out a reminder to all those Democrats living abroad to register to vote.
The first time I heard the words socialised medicine was from an American hospital administator I met on a train to Penang many years ago. She was working at the Bangkok Adventist Hospital covering for someone on leave and she needed a new visa to cover for her temporary assignment.
The word socialised sounded very strange as at least at the time the NHS was accepted by all political parties in Britain.What ever its shortcomings the NHS was still far superior to what America had to offer.
overseasliberal 