The United Nations Has Failed to Take Responsibility to Protect The People of Burma, Who Are Prepared for the Worst

The Buddhist Channel, March 26, 2008
Joint Statement Issued by the All Burma Monks’ Alliance and the 88 Generation Students

Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) — We paid serious attention to the briefing by the UN Special Envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari to the United Nations Security Council on March 18, 2008 on Burma.

Since his recommendations to the Burmese military junta have been flatly rejected on this and every one of his previous trips, we believed Mr. Gambari would report this failure truly. We hoped he would ask the Council to strengthen the mandate of the Secretary-General in pressuring the junta for an all party-inclusive, transparent and democratic process of national reconciliation in our country.However, to our surprise and sadness, he misled the Council. From the perspective of the people of Burma, he altered his mission from “pressuring or persuading the military junta in Burma to create a credible process of constitution writing and engage in a meaningful and time-bound dialogue with our leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”.

Instead, it now appears he is “supporting the one-sided acts of the military junta and suggesting that democracy forces surrender”. We have been 100% supportive of the UN efforts on Burma, but we object Mr. Gambari for misleading the world body in favor of the Burmese military junta.

We are also disappointed that the UN Security Council has failed to take an effective action on Burma. Under the misguidance of Mr. Gambari and due to objections by the governments of China, Russia and South Africa, the UN Security Council is paralyzed and has failed to undertake its major responsibility to protect the citizens of Burma, who continue to be severely oppressed by their own government, as has been the case for decades. We denounce the governments of China, Russia and South Africa for their strong protection of the most brutal military junta, ruling our country against the will of our people.

We are also disappointed with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his reluctance to ask for the UN Security Council to strengthen his good offices role in Burma by a binding resolution.

Over the past 18 years, various UN Special Envoys and Rapporteurs have visited Burma 35 times to try to persuade the military junta to fully cooperate with the democracy forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of Burma’s ethnic nationalities, without success. The UN Charter, Article 99 authorizes the Secretary-General to bring the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

Despite the fact that the situation in Burma has spilled out over the region and become a threat to peace and stability in the region and in the world, Ban Ki-moon has failed to call for the Security Council to take effective action on Burma. From the perspective of the Burmese people, he has made zero impact on the situation in our country. On the contrary, the situation in Burma has grown even worse on his watch.

However, we are encouraged by the continued and persistent support by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, European Union, Switzerland, Mongolia, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ghana, The Czech Republic, Norway and other supportive countries.

We appreciate these governments for standing together with us in our darkest time, sharing our feelings and lending much-needed assistance. We request these countries to continue to support us and continue to apply maximum pressure on the military junta, especially including the implementation of finance and banking sanctions against the generals, their family members and crony businessmen. We also request these governments not to recognize the military junta’s constitution and urge the UN Security Council to do the same.

Nonetheless, the people of Burma will stand on their own feet and confront the injustices and oppression of the military junta by peaceful means. We all are determined to “VOTE NO” on the junta’s sham constitution in the upcoming referendum.

As the military junta is aggressively and desperately pressuring the people to vote in favor of the constitution, our challenge to reject it will surely be met with a bloody response by the junta.

Our vote “No” is not only to the sham constitution, but also to the junta. With or without the help of the UN Security Council, we are ready to determine our own future. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recently told us to “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”. This call echoes the message of her father our National Independence Hero U Aung San.

We are prepared to confront the worst. We are working for truth and justice, and we will prevail.

On behalf of the All Burma Monks’ Alliance
Ashin Aww Ba Tha
Ashin Tay Za
Ashin Pyannya Vamsa

On behalf of the 88 Generation Students
Tun Myint Aung
Nilar Thein
Soe Tun

Note: March 26 is the 6 month anniversary of the bloody crackdown against monks/Saffron Revolution

Uttar Pradesh to boast of world’s tallest Buddha statue

IANS, March 25, 2008
Lucknow, India — Decks are being cleared for the installation of the world’s tallest Buddha statue in Kushinagar town of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was understood to have directed officials to speed up the acquisition and transfer of 600 acres of land required for the Rs 10 billion project to be funded and undertaken by the global Maitryi Group. Provision of land is UP government’s share in the project.

The project involves installation of a 152-metre-tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha along with a giant meditation centre, an international university, a state-of-art world-class hospital and a museum. The project also envisages an entertainment complex in the neighbourhood that would include an amusement park and a five-star hotel.

UP Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Misra presided over a high level meeting of state officials, in which representatives from Maitryi were present here Monday.
A presentation on the project was made. “Since then, it had been hanging fire, so we decided to revive it after Maitryi officials approached us.Of the 600 acres required for the project, we need to acquire only about 300 acres while the rest is government land. The government had already started the acquisition process.

The whole project would not involve any major displacement of people and not more than 70-80 farmers would be involved. We have worked out a handsome rehabilitation package for the farmers who would get displaced on account of the project,” Misra told IANS.

Significantly, the project was initiated during the previous tenure of Chief Minister Mayawati in 2003, after which it was put on the backburner during the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.

Kushok Bakula Rinponche born again in Ladakh

By Jigment Angchuk Nubra, ANI News service, March 27, 2008

Ladakh, India — A two-year-old boy, Thubstan Nawang has been identified as the reincarnation of the Indian Buddhist saint, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche.

<< A 2 year old boy Thubstan Nawang, has been identified as the reincarnation of one of India’s revered Buddhist monk, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (picture)

Nawang who has been identified as the reincarnation of Bakula hails from Kiager village in Nubra valley in Ladakh.

Dalai Lama and a team of scholars from Ladakh chose Nawang as the reincarnation of Bakula.

“Bakula’s reincarnation was confirmed by his holiness the Dalai Lama. When the reincarnation has taken place in Nubra valley, monks of Spituk Monastery, particularly the older members and the masses are overwhelmed and expressed their desire to see the anointed one. But, the monastery has norms where they have to fulfill religious formalities after which they can see the blessed child,” said Ven. Hupstan Paldan, a Buddhist scholar.

Nawang, was born to parents Dorje Tsering and Sonam Dolma. While the father is in the army, his mother attends to the family’s agricultural holdings.
is said that the child’s mother had dreamt of her son being anointed as Bakula.Since the boy is too young to be inducted into the monastic order, he will first be trained in the monastic way of life.

When he grows up, a coronation ceremony will be held where he will formally take the seat of Bakula at Spituk Monastery.

Bakula, the highest Buddhist Lama of Ladakh is considered to be the incarnate of one of the 16 Arahats of Lord Buddha’s time and is not only known for his religious services, but is also the most revered leader of Ladakh of post-independence.

About Kushok Bakula Rinpoche

Bakula Rinpoche was born in May 21, 1917 into a noble family of Ladakh, India. He was recognized by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama as a reincarnation of Bakula Arhat – one of the Sixteen Arhats (direct disciples of the Shakyamuni Buddha).

As a Buddhist leader, he guided his followers through his personal example of a humble life as a celibate monk. He dedicated his life to the core principles of Buddhist teaching by caring for others, especially for those who were less fortunate and in great need.

He was deeply engaged with a number of welfare and minorities’ right issues from remote places like Ladakh to the vast areas of Scheduled Casts and Tribes in India. His support, enthusiasm and determination played an important role in helping the Ladakhi people sustain their ancient Buddhist religion in the controversial political environment of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. As a man with a great sense of practical reality, he was a guiding spirit for Ladakhi people to develop their way of life through a combination of traditional and modern education. This won him the title of “The Architect of Modern Ladakh”.

Though he made no claim to being a Tibetan leader, many of his works, dedicated to mobilising support for the Tibetan refugees when they first arrived in India seemed to make him one in practice. He was highly revered as a Lama and greatly respected as a human rights campaigner by the Tibetan people. To His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rinpoche was a close friend and a dedicated fellow advocate of Buddha Dharma.

Bakula Rinpoche passed away in Delhi, India on November 4, 2003.