29 November 2012 Immediate Release

Burma Crackdowns: Letpadaung Anti-Copper Mine Protest Camps under Fire About 500 riot police stormed protest camps near Letpadaung copper mine project at 3:00 am local time today. Police used tear gas, water cannons and baton rounds to disperse anti-copper mine protesters. Hundreds of peaceful protesters including Buddhist monks are seriously injured while dozens of them are arrested in this early morning raid. Protesters in six Letpadaung General Strike camps demanded the shutdown of the copper mine as it caused forced relocations of villages, unlawful confiscations of more than 7,000 farm lands and environmental concerns. Approximately 1,000 protesters from nearby villages and towns participated in this peaceful resistance. Another protest was also organised in the former capital Rangoon on Monday and six of the protest organisers were arrested and detained in Insein Prison. The opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is due to visit the area today and it is not known whether she will be allowed to travel. Letpadaung copper mine project is operated by a joint-venture between the military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. and Wan Bao, a Chinese company. We strongly denounce this brutal suppression of the government despite its promise of irreversible and democratic reforms. This incident points out that the foreign investors with an interest in Burma needs to think twice before they make a decision to invest in Burma. We call for the Burmese government to release the protesters who have been arrested during the raids immediately and unconditionally.
Burma Independence Advocates Park House 111 Uxbridge Road Ealing London United Kingdom W5 5LB
The Burma Independence Advocates (BIA) is a London-based advocacy organisation and think tank working for the restoration of democratic values in Burma. The organisation is registered as a private company limited by guarantee and was founded in 2009 with the aim of helping the people of Burma achieve the full enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Company number: 7111145.