Press Release: Terry Evans

Burmese "Panties for Peace" Campaign

20 October

A Burmese pro democracy group based in Chang Mai, Thailand have come up with an imaginative way of expressing their disproval against the brutal Burmese junta, by sending womans' knickers to Burmese Embassies.

Embassies in the Thailand, United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia have all been recent recipients of the "Panties for Peace" campaign. Jackie Pollock, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee, said the campaign is aimed at the superstitious Burmese generals "who believe that touching a woman's pants or sarong will make them lose their strength,"

The amusing campaign has a serious side, in that it allows ordinary women to express their anger at the junta's vicious crackdown on the peaceful Buddhist monks of Burma , Ms Pollack said.

"Recent condemnation by the UN and western governments have had no impact on the generals. This is a way of trying to reach them where they will feel it," she said. "The junta is famous for its abuse of women; it is well documented that they use rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities. This is a way for women around the world to express their outrage."

New Zealand is represented by Embassy of the Union of Myanmar, 22 Arkana Street, Yarralumla, ACT 2600, Canberra, Australia.

ENDS

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