Chiang Mai, Thailand

More than 50 peace activists had a “people’s occupation” outside the US Consulate today to call for an end of the US occupation in Iraq. Standing outside the gates of the US Consulate in Chiang Mai, Thai people along with foreigners read out statements, sang songs and offered flowers for the thousands of lives taken by the war in Iraq and in the South of Thailand.

“We call for an end to all military occupations – by US in Iraq, but also by the Thai military in Narathiwat, Songkhla and Yala,” says Pornthip of EMPOWER, as she read out the statement of United for Peace-Chiang Mai. “In Iraq, over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed and half of whom are women and children. And here in Thailand, over 600 people in the South have died. A significant number of the people killed have been under the hands of the state police and military. And the death toll has kept rising.”

The group encouraged the Thaksin government to find peaceful solution to the problem in the South. “Martial law should be lifted in the three provinces. That can be a good initial step to peace.”

The issue of Burma has also been raised as urgent. “The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in Burma continues to intimidate, imprison, and kill Burmese and other members of ethnic communities in the country,” the group said. According to the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), member of the peace network, the peace in Burma is as important as that in Iraq. “While we join today millions of people calling for the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq, we believe that the call for an end of the military junta in Burma should also be carried by every peace loving person in the world.”

The United for Peace-Chiang Mai, who have been organising peaceful demonstrations since the US invasion in Iraq, commit to continue to raise the awareness of people in Chiang Mai on issues of peace and democracy. “We commit to work for peace until the Bush, Thaksin and other national governments commit to peaceful alternatives.”

for more information:
u4peacechiangmai@yahoo.com
053-404-613 / 016736951
United for Peace- Chiang MaiUnited for Peace- Chiang Mai
a network of organisations, activists, students, migrant workers, sex workers, artists and concerned individuals working for peace and justice