Burma contact thread - TAKE ACTION!

[frogwoman]

Just got this reply from Lonely Planet:

Dear Froggy,

Thank you for your comments on our Myanmar (Burma) guide, and apologies
for the delay in responding

Our aim in publishing this guide is to provide objective information to
help travellers make informed decisions about whether or not to visit
Myanmar (Burma). No one reading our guide could be in any doubt about
our opinion of the current regime, which we describe as "abominable".
Lonely Planet fully supports the restoration of democracy in Myanmar
(Burma). We do not however, believe that you create new freedoms by
stifling information or banning books.

Lonely Planet's Myanmar (Burma) guide extensively outlines the arguments
both for and against visiting the country: without such information it's
entirely possible that travellers will make the decision to visit Burma
without even being aware of the boycott.

Once a traveller has made the decision to visit Myanmar (Burma), Lonely
Planet's guidebook is one of only a very few resources that will enable
them to maximise their support for the local population, and minimise
the prospect of any money which they might spend going to the military
regime.

When travellers return, we encourage them to speak out about what they
have seen, to write to the local Myanmar embassy and to share their
experience with others, perhaps by participating in Lonely Planet's own
discussion forum, the Thorn Tree.

If you have any further questions please visit our website:
www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar

Best Wishes,

Lisa Knights
Talk2Us
Lonely Planet Publications

 

[frogwoman]

And this email from Total:

Dear Madam,
Dear Sir,

Thank you for your email about Total's presence in Myanmar in which you express
your concern for the
people of Burma and their situation. We would like to confirm that Total has
taken note of the
issues and that our answers to them can be found on our website at the
following address
http://burma.total.com .
With best wishes,

Jean-François Lassalle
E&P Vice President Public Affairs

 

[Streathamite]

Total's website is a disgrace.

 

[frogwoman]

yes i know

 

[rollinder]

This thread is both inspiringh and fucking depressing -

those people/companies are scum

Sites claiming to pass money on to the protesters (no idea if they're genuine)
http://www.givetoburma.org/
http://madnomad.com/ysb/

"With the current protests inside Burma (see BBC website), we have established a small committee - Youth Solidarity of Burma - to do fund raising for the brave monks and others inside Burma. We started our committee with 7000 baht (US$ 220) on 25 September 2007. Our main aim is to support basic needs for the brave protesters such as food, drinking water, medicine and robes, meanwhile letting them know that we are with them.

We need money for these very basic needs. We would appreciate it if you contribute some money to support these protesters. We will send all of the money to people inside Burma and will keep updating the amount that we get."

 

[gnoriac]

Just got this reply from Lonely Planet:

What a coincidence, Lisa Knights sent me a reply too and it reads exactly the same! Although she didn't refer to me as 'Froggy'. I bet she's been rather busy over the last few days

I spent some time writing a rebuttal on my blog. I'd love to get into a bit of a scrap with their PR dept.

 

[gnoriac]

Mark Thomas's response to the Lonely Planet drivel

Lonely Planet are squealing like stuck pigs, retorting that we’re censoring information just like the military. Lonely Planet’s publisher, Tony Wheeler, has written back to MPs saying ‘I was deeply shocked to receive your letter aligning yourself with people who believe in censorship and suppression of information’- meaning us – the campaigners! Huh? So we make children work on railway lines? So we torture people in prison for telling political jokes? We force people to labour on cleaning up temples for tourists sites?

 

[teqniq]

And this email from Total:

I got the same reply. No surprises there really.....

 

[frogwoman]

+971 4 301 7777 - this is apparently the dubai number for the hotel where tayza and than shwe's daughter are ... someone on a burmese news site just called them and they are in fact staying there apparently...

 

[purves grundy]

+971 4 301 7777 - this is apparently the dubai number for the hotel where tayza and than shwe's daughter are ... someone on a burmese news site just called them and they are in fact staying there apparently...

that's fuxcking brilliant well found

 

[frogwoman]

does someone want to make an enquiry about booking a room?

 

[purves grundy]

im gonna call the diamond wedding cunt now

 

[purves grundy]

got through to the suite but the butler said i have to call back in 5 minutes

OK

 

[frogwoman]

i guess someone must already be giving them their good wishes then

 

[purves grundy]

They're sleeping now. A message has been taken.

 

[frogwoman]

nice one ... what did you say?

 

[purves grundy]

gave them my number and told them to phone me back tomorrow morning as i need to speak to them urgently about a charge of stealing, and requested that the butler spit in their breakfast.

 

[purves grundy]

shit, I wonder how much that cost

 

[TAE]

And this email from Total:

I've sent them this comment:

You say:

"Unfortunately, the world’s oil and gas reserves are not necessarily located in democracies"

Who does that oil and gas belong to? Is it not the population of the country concerned? In that case you should only be buying oil and gas from countries where the population controls the sale of their own oil and gas.

I expect I'll get the same response as you did.

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

I've sent them this comment:



I expect I'll get the same response as you did.

Total are a bunch of bastards, they aren't just buying oil and gas, they basically are the junta, they are far more than a company operating in Burma.

 

[gnoriac]

Letter from my MP, hope he doesn't mind me quoting it:

Dear Mr Gnoriac
Thank you for your e-mail regarding the situation in Burma.
I do not sign Early Day Motions. You will find that ministers do not as these are methods for back bench MPs to express their concerns. [ooops ]
However, rest assured I am fully aware of the appalling situation in Burma. The government has pledged to do all it can to bring about a peaceful resolution to a democratic state. As I write this letter the Foreign Secretary is in New York with Burma at the top of his agenda.
We need to capture the full support of China and India if we are going to make progress and this we are trying to do.
Yours sincerely,
Bob Ainsworth

Probably hasn't done much good but perhaps it lets them know we think about more than just the lottery and Coronation St.

 

[frogwoman]

Is it a good idea to email Ibrahim Gambari with some of the information on the blogs (that the junta are setting up fake demonstrations to show that they don't shoot people, that he needs to go to rangoon to see the extent of it), or do you think he would already know/have been told?

 

[frogwoman]

Professor Ibrahim Gambari
Undersecretary General for Political Affairs
United Nations S-3770A
New York . NY 10017
USA .
Tel: +1 212 963 5055/ 0739 ,
Fax: +1 212 963 5065/ 6940
(ATTN: UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS)
E-mail: [email protected]

 

[frogwoman]

I'm writing to him now. I'll let you know if I recieve any reply.

 

[frogwoman]

sent it (it might not be any good though)

 

[rollinder]

http://uscampaignforburma.org/action/action.html
"Be a part of our 88,000 signatures campaign. I am asking people to collectively gather 88,000 signatures from around the world, calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to compel Burma towards valid national reconciliation."

 

[frogwoman]

bump

 

[newharper]

http://uscampaignforburma.org/action/action.html
"Be a part of our 88,000 signatures campaign. I am asking people to collectively gather 88,000 signatures from around the world, calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to compel Burma towards valid national reconciliation."

Wont accept my zip.

 

[gnoriac]

The BBC's bought Lonely Planet.
link

I know some don't agree with trying to get LP to drop their Burma guide, but it looks like we'll have the Beeb to lobby now.

 

[teqniq]

Lobbied.