Joe Pitts: “yesterday demonstrations in over a dozen countries, including the U.S., U.K., Thailand and Japan took place demanding…”

“yesterday demonstrations in over a dozen countries, including the U.S., U.K., Thailand and Japan took place demanding that the U.N. Security Council take action to stop the violence in eastern Burma. I join them today in speaking out against the brutal military dictatorship of Burma. The thugs of Rangoon are on an all-out rampage. Since March the Burmese military dictatorship has forced over 15,000 Karen tribal people from their homes. This map shows more than 2,800 villages. All of these dots are villages that have been destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people displaced since 1996. These photos point to the awful plight of the displaced persons. There are numerous reports documenting the systematic tracking, torturing, the killing of many of the Karen tribe in the recent weeks. But ethnic genocide is occurring in Burma. On December 16 the U.N. Security Council held its first-ever briefing on Burma. At the briefing, U.N. Secretary General Annan indicated that the Security Council should get involved in Burma. But mere talk is not enough. The U.S. should lead an effort to pass a resolution on Burma and the Security Council. The world knows what is happening. If the international community does not act, we are complicit in their atrocities. ____________________”