Canadian
Friends
of Burma
Supporting Democracy and
Human Rights in Burma
www.cfob.org
ON THE OCCASION OF 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Canadian Friends of Burma
This special publication is make possible with the funding of Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA).
The 20th anniversary of Canadian Friends of Burma is sponsored by CIDA and
Canadian NGO Committee (CNC). The CNC comprises the following organizations:
Inter Pares
Rights and Democracy
Canadian Labour Congress
Primate’s World Relief and Development Funds
Mae Sot Education Project
Canadian Friends of Burma
Copyrights © reserved by CFOB - February, 2012
Ottawa, Canada
Design and Layout by Shah Paung
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Contact: Suite 206, 145 Spruce St., Ottawa, K1R 6P1 Tel: 613.237.8056; Fax: 613.563.0017 Email: cfob@cfob.org ; Web: www.cfob.org
20 Years Achievement of Canadian Friends of Burma
Board of Directors:
Advisory Board
Kevin Angus McLeod
Toe Kyi
Sam Cartmell
Nisha Toomey
Elena Kireloff
Ashley Stewart
Bianca Martinez-Alvarado
Tin Maung Htoo, Executive Director and Ex Officio
Murray Thomson
Penny Sanger
Harn Yawnghwe
Bush Gulati
Paul D. Copeland
Soe Thinn
Elizabeth Shepherd
Christine Harmston
CFOB under the leadership of
the following staffs since 1991:
Graduate and undergraduate students
interned with CFOB since 2005:
Tin Maung Htoo (2005- present)
Shareef Korah (2002-2005)
Corrine Burlington (2000-2002)
Christine Harmstron (1995-2000)
Penny Sanger (1991-1995)
Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB), established in
1991, is a non-governmental organization working
in support of democracy and human rights in Burma.
It’s primary objectives are to raise awareness
on the political, human rights and socioeconomic
situations in Burma and to mobilize support within
Canada and abroad. CFOB keeps close ties with
Burmese exiles in Canada and internationally
including the 1990 elected government in exile,
the student and labour movements, ethnic leaders,
journalists, academics and the entire international
movement for democracy in Burma.
1. Hazel Allan, University of Ottawa (2012)
2. Aisha Stambouli Armitage, University of St. Paul (2012)
3. Kevin Curr, Carleton University (2011)
4. Monique Summerfield, Trinity Western University (2010)
5. Melissa Daley, Carleton University (2010)
6. Rebekah Edwards, Carleton University (2010)
7. Humayra Kabir-Faisal, Carleton University (2009)
8. Sowmya Rajasekaran, Dalhousie University (2009)
9. Monique St. Pierre, Carleton University (2009)
10. Sheeba Chandhoke, Carleton University (2008)
11. Saki Nakanura, university student from Japan (2008)
12. Leslie Storeshaw, Carleton University (2008)
13. Karen Storeshaw, Lakehead University (2008)
14. Emily Clarke, Carleton University (2008)
15. Elena Kiriloff, University of Ottawa (2007)
16. Bianca Lillian Alvarado, Carleton University (2007)
17. Aastha Dahal, Carleton University (2007)
18. Anton Ejor, University of Ottawa (2007)
19. Julie Morrigen, Carleton University (2007)
20. Ian Mungall, Carleton University (2006)
21. Ashley Stewart, St. Bishop University (2006)
22. Antoine Nouvet, University of Toronto (2005)
23. Tala Rod, St. Bishop University (2005)
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CANADIAN FRIENDS OF BURMA
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
C
anadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) is a federally
incorporated, national non-governmental organization
founded in 1991 after a visit of Canadian activists in
1990 to meet with student activists and ethnic leaders
on the Thai-Burma border. Its primary objectives are
to raise awareness about the human rights situations
in Burma, to monitor Canada-Burma relations, and
to build a strong network for a free and democratic
Burma. Earlier Canadian activists such as Terry Cottam
are pioneers of the ‘Free Burma Movement’ in North
America and engineered initial materials for the ‘Pepsis
Boycott Campaign’ that became the symbol of solidarity
worldwide.
“Canada is one of those countries which has a special
place in my heart because it is very far away from Burma
and yet consistently the people and the government of
Canada have shown great concern for our struggle for
democracy.”
—
Aung San Suu Kyi
Over the past 20 years, the organization has also devoted
its energies towards achieving political and socialeconomic changes in Burma by continuously carrying
out research, publishing reports, and producing other
educational materials. CFOB also organizes campaigns,
and educational events, while maintaining an on-going
dialogue with the respective representatives of Canadian
government, and with various national organizations.
It has worked closely with Burmese exiles, democratic
movements, and various human rights organizations in
Canada and internationally.
Momentum generated in the early 1990s with a number
of successful campaigns and outreaches eventually
culminated in mid-2000 with a number of achievements
including: the creation of the Parliamentary Friends
of Burma (PFOB), the passing of the historic ‘Burma
Motion’ in the House of Commons, a public petition for
the nomination of Honorary Canadian Citizenship for
Aung San Suu Kyi, and a ‘toughest’ economic sanctions
and successful advocacy for the continuation of Canada’s
assistance to Burmese refugees on the borders of Burma’s
neighboring countries.
Moreover, CFOB also successfully convinced Canada
to support a UN Security Council resolution on Burma
and an UN ‘Commission of Inquiry’ into crimes against
humanity and war crimes especially taking place in
eastern parts of Burma. For these outcomes, CFOB
initially mobilized support from more than 100 MPs and
Senators and several dozens of Canadian civil society
organizations in Canada.
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A demonstration in Ottawa
Over one hundred people have been involved in CFOB’s work
over the past two decades – as staff, board members, advisors
or volunteers. These people have ranged from political science
students to former cabinet ministers, from members of the diaspora
to recipients of the Order of Canada. CFOB was also instrumental
in the founding of a Parliamentary Friends of Burma which at one
stage was the largest parliamentary grouping of its kind.
CANADA-BURMA RELATIONS
Canada and Burma have a longtime relationship since
1940s. Canada recognized Burma as an independent state
following Burma’s Independence from Britain in 1948. A
direct diplomatic relationship was established in 1958 with
Burma maintaining a mission in Ottawa with the exception
of a few years in early 1980s. The Canadian mission was
first assigned to Canada’s High Commissioner of Malaysia,
Thailand, and Bangladesh, and reassigned until now to the
Canadian Embassy in Thailand.
Relations fell to a low-point in 1988 during the junta’s brutal
crackdown on the nation-wide democracy movement
wherein Canada withdrew its yearly bilateral aid worth $15
million. In 1997 Canada imposed the selective economic
sanctions, restricting Canadian exports allowed to Burma.
In 2003 the government further imposed diplomatic
sanctions in response to the “Depayin Massacre,” with a
with Honorary Canadian Citizenship based on a motion
tabled by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the House of
Commons.
In response to Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Canada provided
$40 million to people who were affected. In March 2010,
Canada also renewed its support of $15.9 million over five
years for refugees and displaced persons living in Burma’s
border areas. On diplomatic front, Canadian Governor
General David Johnston accepted the credentials of
Burmese Ambassador Kyaw Tin on April 19, 2011.
In return, Burmese president Thein Sein accepted the
credentials of Canadian Ambassador Ron Hoffmann on
July 6, 2011. The earliest Canada-Burma relations date
back to the Second World War, when several thousands
Canadian soldiers, mostly members of the Royal Canadian
Air Force (RCAF), took part in the Allied Far East
Prime Minister Stephen Harper met Burma’s Prime Minister in exile Dr. Sein Win on May 7, 2008
travel restriction to Burmese diplomats in Ottawa and visa
ban to some military leaders. In 2005, a historic ‘Burma
Motion’ was passed in the House of Commons, which
becomes policy instrumental for Canada’s action against
the junta.
In November 2007, Canada announced the “toughest
sanctions” against the junta. The announcement, after
the ‘Saffron Revolution’ in Burma, is one of the greatest
campaign successes in Canada since Canadian Friends of
Burma (CFOB) took the lead in lobbying the successive
Canadian governments to impose stronger economic
measures against the regime. On May 5, 2008, the
Government of Canada conferred Aung San Suu Kyi
operation, ‘Burma Campaign’, which resisted the Japanese
occupation of Burma and its further penetration into
India. This wartime involvement is commemorated by the
graves of 76 Canadian soldiers at three war cemeteries in
Burma. To recognize the unique sacrifices of servicemen in
the ‘Burma Campaign’, the Canadian government created a
special medal of honor, the “Burma Star”, which has been
awarded to 5500 Canadian veterans as of now.
According to a book entitled “For Your Tomorrow:
Canadians and the Burma Campaigns – 1941-45,”
approximately 8000 Canadians served there and 500 of
these gave their lives in the ‘Burma Campaign’. Indeed, the
RCAF served a vital role for Allies in the ‘Burma Campaign,’
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(L to R) Bo Hla Tint (NCGUB), Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, Corinne Dara (CFOB), Hon. Bill Hartley (at the
back), Speaker of British Columbia Legislative Assembly, Mika Levesque (Rights and Democracy), name
unknown, Dr. Win Myint Than, Dr. Sein Win (NCGUB), Ujjal Dosanjh (former 33rd Premier of British
Columbia and current MP of Liberal Party of Canada) – photo taken in May, 1999
providing air services that constituted the only means to
reinforce troops and supplies for Allied forces. RCAF war
records highlight the significant accomplishments of these
Canadian airmen. For example, the 435th RCAF Transport
Squadron delivered over 24,000 tones of freight and 14,000
passengers, and evacuated 851 casualties during almost
16,000 sorties over Burma.
Canada has provided developmental assistance to Burma
since 1954. This began under the ‘Colombo Plan’, which
facilitated bilateral aid in the form of technical expertise
and material assistance for South and Southeast Asian
countries. From 1954 to 1991, the total assistance from
Canada to Burma amounted to CAD $ 142 million – $3.83
million per year on average. The largest annual flows of
Canadian development assistance to Burma occurred from
1985-86 at $21 million and $18 million in 1986/ 87. Due to
continued political repression in Burma, bilateral Canadian
developmental assistance was finally withdrawn in 1991
and Canadian assistance was transformed into a form of
humanitarian assistance. These assistances now totals
48 million Canadian dollars approximately 3.2 million a
year on average, which has been channeled through UN
specialized agencies and Canadian NGOs.
Moreover, Canada has also accepted Burmese refugees into
Canada since 1990. Most of them are former students who
took part in 1988 democracy uprisings in Burma. After the
brutal military crackdown in late 1988, more than 20,000
students fled to Burma’s neighboring countries, especially
Thailand and India. The first round of the resettlement
program to Canada started with students who came to
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study in Canada with scholarship program provided by
a number of universities in Canada. Since then, several
hundreds – the number close to a thousand - resettled in
Canada between the period of 1990 and 2000. Since 2006,
Canada started a large resettlement program for Burma
with most of the Karen refugees from Thai-Burma border.
More than 4,000 refugees have resettled across Canada
since then.
Approximately 8000 Canadians served there
and 500 of these gave their lives in the ‘Burma
Campaign’. Indeed, the RCAF served a vital role
for Allies in the ‘Burma Campaign,’ providing
air services that constituted the only means to
reinforce troops and supplies for Allied forces.
Canadian crew members of RAF No. 159 night bomber Squadron.
DND, PL 60366
Canadian Friends of Burma:
Recollections By Murray Thomson
My involvement in Burma began in 1959, when I was
involved in organizing an international peace seminar
there for the American Friends Service Committee.
The expected participants were 40 student leaders, 20 to
35 years of age, mostly from the countries of southern
Asia. Ten days before the seminar was to begin, the new
Burmese Defence Minister, General Ne Win, cancelled
the event and I was given a week to leave the country.
In 1990, a national election was held in Burma, won
decisively by the National League for Democracy headed
by Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the military junta
cancelled the election results, kept Aung San Suu Kyi
under house arrest and continued its repressive hold on
power.
Following these events, a small group of Canadian activists
associated with Peacefund Canada founded Canadian
Friends of Burma, providing staff time, information and
financial support for the Burmese democracy movement.
The initiatives undertaken by CFOB over the next few
years included the first-ever CIDA-supported Seminar
on Burma, Penny Sanger and Harn Yawnghwe’s visit to
Manerplaw, the Karen stronghold, before it was destroyed
by the Burmese military and educational campaigns to
free Aung San Suu Kyi from imprisonment.
Other initiatives recalled were:
• the trip to Thailand by Richard Weeks and I to a “secret”
planning meeting with Karen General Bo Mya and his
supporters;
• the many actions taken by Kevin Heppner and Gary
Rozema, working to expose the inhumane and illegal acts of
the Burmese military. When interviewed by the CBC Kevin
described Burma as a burning village, with the rest of the
world standing around it watching it burn.
• the efforts of Terry Cottam,
Soe Thin and others to
persuade Canadian mining and oil companies to leave
Burma, and their efforts to get the Canadian government to
ban the import of teak products.
•
involving other NGOs on Burma issues by establishing
the Canada Burma Working Group, staffed by Penny Sanger,
Nancy Drozd and Corinne Baumgarten and supported by
the Canadian Council for International Cooperation.
• finding funds for the translation of Suu Kyi’s “Freedom
from Fear” into Burmese. In a personal letter, Aung San Suu
Kyi expressed her thanks to those who supported her through
her many years of house arrest:”I would like to express my
gratitude to such organizations as the Canadian Friends of
Burma, who have given both moral and practical support
to the cause of democracy in Burma…May we go forward
together in disciplined strength towards international
understanding and universal peace, compelled only by the
dictates of our conscience.”
• helping
to arrange meetings with high ranking
Government officials, such as Foreign Affairs Minister
Barbara MacDougall with PM-in-exile Dr. Sein Win.
• bringing Kachin leader Brang Seng, Vice Chair of the
Democratic Alliance of Burma together with Dr. Mya
Maung of Boston College and Edith Mirante of Project Maje
in New Jersey, in the all day seminar funded by CIDA and
Rights & Democracy. It was this Seminar, attended by 100
people, which consolidated the legitimacy and importance
of Canadian Friends of Burma at the time.
Kachin leader Brang meeting with dispora community members
in Ottawa. This is the first time a prominent ethnic leader from
providing moral and some financial support to the All
Burma visited to Canada. He also attended a seminar hosted Burma Students Democratic Front and the 2,000 students,
farmers and young professionals who defied the military
by Canadian Friends of Burma.
•
regime by seeking a return to democratic government. They
lived in makeshift jungle camps along the Thai-Burmese
border and ate whatever they could find in the forests.
— Murray Thomson
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Memory of CFOB by Penny Sanger
“we all met General
Bo Mya on the parade
square with his Karen
National Liberation
Army troops. He
had commanded
the KNLA for about
thirty years by then.
After a long lunch he
gave us a half-hour
summary of history
of the struggles of
the Karen people.
He was an imposing
guerrilla leader in his
army camouflage and
rubber flip-flops.”
General Bo Mya and Karen leadership with Canadians - flanked by Penny Sanger and Peter Globwsky
M
y immediate memories of working with Canadian
Friends of Burma in the early days are that it was lots of fun.
The shabby building at 145 Spruce Street in Ottawa housed
Peacefund Canada in a small upstairs office buzzing with
life and action. Started by Murray Thomson, Peacefund
worked with a number of social and international justice
causes, as well as initiating Canadian Friends of Burma. Its
office door was nearly always open….As you climbed the
stairs you’d hear, then see, people crowding around the fax
machine and phone, and the clatter of typewriters vying
with voices in noisy discussion in the front room, whose
huge west- facing windows looked over what was then a
down-trodden area of Ottawa. In the winter these windows
leaked cold west winds and on summer afternoons we
baked.
make a phone call to External Affairs. Did they get our
proposal and would they fund us? And the casual reply was
something like, “Oh yes… haven’t you heard ?.” I’m not sure
what specific Burma proposal it was or how much they gave
us, but it led to great celebration in the office. 145 Spruce
Street is near enough to the Ottawa River that at lunchtime
you could take your sandwich and a relaxing walk or bikeride to the river pathway and watch spring and its wildlife
coming back to its shores. Somerset Street was nearby,
with its good Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants where
we could take visitors, or splurge ourselves. Asian grocery
stores with their barrels of exotic fruit and vegetables, and
the Indian grocery store with its wonderful array of spices
and freshly made chapattis and rotis meant I never had to
worry about what to make for supper.
Those days were exciting. Almost always, it now seems,
there was a deadline or a crisis or anxiety over some project
or other. Where could money be found for that refugee
project? When would we hear whether we had a meeting
with External Affairs? What about that newly arrived
young family from Burma who needed housing? Where
was the copy for Burma Links, due today at the printer?
Nancy Drozd’s calmness and big smile was reassuring. She
had a car and could zip around doing errands like getting
copy to the printer or picking up lunchtime sandwiches
– also, importantly, she could fix things like a jammed
printer or faltering typewriter.
Of course it wasn’t all fun and laughter. Terry Cottam was
a favourite volunteer who lightened up the office on dark
days with laughter, and with his challenges to do more
– sign petitions, join local marches against all sorts of
injustices. We were all shocked and deeply saddened when
he died suddenly in a tragic accident. His mother Jean
carries on the mission he inherited from her, in her pithy
letters to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen urging Canadians
and their governments to take strong, meaningful action
against domestic and international injustices.
The very best moment I remember was stepping into
the inner office, which Murray and Mike Call shared, to
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My tears welled up on another occasion – not of sadness
but of rage-- when we were summoned to a meeting with
an important but mean-minded official at External Affairs
whose line was, ‘What did we think we could do, here in
Canada, to help the Burmese people?’
This changed when in 1992 CFOB found the money to
send me to Burma to help investigate what was going on
in Manerplaw, headquarters of the Karen National Union
under the late General Bo Mya. For some time I was part
of a Canadian team led by Harn Yawnghwe with his wife
Helen, Peter Globensky from CIDA and representatives
from Foreign Affairs and CIDA.
We arrived by longboat, a long slim canoe powered by
outboard engine that took us across the Moie River where
we scrambled up a slippery bank. That evening we were
greeted in a new and beautiful wooden, thatched building
-- the Cultural Centre, with a long programme of songs,
skits, music, sad love songs and much laughter. The centre
was packed with people—whole families and their children
as well as soldiers, some with automatic weapons. Of course
the language was Burmese and Karen but Harn and Helen
whispered translations when they could. Anyway, the gales
of laughter from everyone else carried us along with general
fun. Midway we were offered tea, sticky rice and fish paste
in a plastic bag, with cheroots (Burmese cigarettes) – my
first and last encounter with either fish paste or cheroots.
Four hours after we arrived it was nearly midnight and we
excused ourselves from the still noisy party. In the guest
house I had a bottom bunk, with a pillow neatly crossstitched to promise “Till Death Do Us Part”. A bit ironic I
thought, listening to the booming guns of the SLORC army
fighting eight kilometres upriver on Sleeping Dog Hill.
Like many other Canadians, Kevin had finished university
and after working for a few years decided to take time out
to travel in 1991. Through his adventures, he came upon
a job teaching school in Karen State. It was the poverty
and great dangers of the lives these children and their
families lived that impelled him to write to Peacefund.
While he was there the Burmese military had shelled the
village where he lived, and he and his students had to
flee to Thailand. He wrote and kept detailed accounts of
what he and his students had seen, and then founded the
Karen Human Rights Group. These accounts were crucial
evidence for international groups and agencies, leading to
the International Labour Organization’s investigation of
forced labour in Burma.
We also met some of the Burmese students, about Kevin’s
age or even younger, in Manerplaw. They had taken part in
the ’88 uprising, fled for their lives to the border – where
they had established their own army to bring down Burma’s
military dictatorship. Some of them were wondering,
‘what next?’ They couldn’t ever go back to their homes or
universities or friends, and they had no money. Some are
now living in Canada.
Next day we all met General Bo Mya on the parade square
with his Karen National Liberation Army troops. He had
commanded the KNLA for about thirty years by then. After
a long lunch he gave us a half-hour summary of history
of the struggles of the Karen people. He was an imposing
guerrilla leader in his army camouflage and rubber flipflops.
The next day a tall quiet young man appeared on our guest
Perhaps readers of these memories will understand why
house verandah. He was Kevin Heppner, whose letters
Burma and its people, and the organization that sent me
to Murray Thomson were a big reason for my journey. I
there, are so close to my heart.
brought him messages and some money from Peacefund.
“My tears welled up on
another occasion – not of
sadness but of rage-- when
we were summoned to a
meeting with an important
but mean-minded official at
External Affairs whose line
was, ‘What did we think we
could do, here in Canada, to
help the Burmese people?”
— Penny Sanger
A demonstration on the Parliament Hill in 1998 Summer
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Memories of CFOB by Kevin Malseed,
formerly Karen Human Rights Group and now Inter Pares
remember one of the first talks, sitting with Penny with
my slide projector set up waiting for people to come. Half
an hour after the scheduled start the first disoriented guy
wandered in, seeming a bit stoned. He said he’d like to learn
more about Borneo, but when we told him it was Burma,
he said, ‘Oh, that’s cool too.’ We cancelled the talk and went
for a beer.
Kevin Malseed (a.k.a. Heppner)
B
ack in the early 90s things were different. Forget
cellphones. Forget Google. Forget web sites and email for
that matter. Very few people in Canada even knew where
Burma was, apart from vague recollections of World War
Two movies. But CFOB was there, and things were about
to change.
I was in the Karen ‘liberated area’ in Burma, talking to
villagers and typing up their stories on an old typewriter
with 4 sheets of carbon paper for copies, mostly by
candlelight. With my Karen friends, we had all kinds of
information on what was happening in Burma, but no
easy way to get the story out. Nobody had email or phone
access, and the nearest photocopy machine was about 200
km up the river and across the Thai border. We relied on
intrepid foreigners coming to visit to get our reports out.
I think Penny Sanger was the first Canadian I met who fit
that description. She not only took out information, she
also got me in contact with Harn Yawnghwe and Murray
Thompson, and together they made sure our reports got to
the Canadian government, Parliament and media. When
we heard that, it was a real morale boost for us.
The relationship evolved further when a French supporter
helped me travel to Canada to visit my family, and I paid
my first visit to the creaky floorboards of the CFOB office
in Ottawa. Somehow they found money to pay half the
price of my first laptop to take back to Burma with me. I
chose one with 2 batteries in it, because our only electricity
in Manerplaw came from a little stream rigged for hydro.
That was one of the first steps toward where KHRG is today,
with over a dozen staff, 40-50 field researchers, and a global
network of contacts and influence. On subsequent visits to
Canada CFOB arranged public talks for me at universities,
meetings at Foreign Affairs and with MPs and others. I still
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It’s worth remembering those days to appreciate how far
we’ve come. Now, even though Burma is halfway around
the world, most Canadians recognise the name Aung San
Suu Kyi, even if they always butcher the pronunciation.
I’ve met taxi drivers and supermarket staff who know
there is ethnic-based conflict and forced labour there.
Middle school kids email KHRG requesting materials for
class projects. We have government policies on Burma,
sanctions, and CIDA actively supporting refugees and
civil society development there. A lot of this is the direct
or indirect result of 20 years of hard work by CFOB and
others in its network. Now that everyone is talking about
the ‘reforms’ in Burma, it’s important to consider that
Thein Sein didn’t just wake up one morning and decide
to be nice – the regime was forced to change, completely
against its will, by sanctions and pressure. Groups like
CFOB all over the world deserve a lot of the credit for that.
They’ve helped Burma get to a place where there appears
to be a small opening, and their work will be all the more
important in forcing that opening wider and ensuring that
it becomes lasting and sustainable.
“Now that everyone is talking
about the ‘reforms’ in Burma,
it’s important to consider
that Thein Sein didn’t just
wake up one morning and
decide to be nice – the
regime was forced to change,
completely against its will,
by sanctions and pressure.
Groups like CFOB all over the
world deserve a lot of the
credit for that.”
RECENT Images and ACTIVITIES
“It gives me great pleasure to thank
the University of Carleton for the
honorary degree of law which they
are conferring on me,” said Aung San
Suu Kyi in a videotaped acceptance
speech courtesy of the Canadian
Friends of Burma (CFOB).
Photo: former Canadian Foreign
Minister Flora MacDonald giving a
key note speech in the awarding
ceremony at Carleton University on
Feb. 22, 2011.
Canadian Ambassador Ron Hoffmann presenting Carleton
University’s honorary doctorate degree to Aung San Suu Kyi,
accompanied by Amy Galigan (L). He also presented another
doctorate degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Rod Germiane is welcomed in front of Dalhousie University’s
Law School, Halifax (NS), Canada by politicians, academics and
supporters. Rod bicycled a cross-continental to raise awareness
on Burma and funds for Mae Tao Clinic on Thai-Burma border.
Tin Maung Htoo and Htay Aung attending CUPE National Activities and officials in a ceremony unveiling a plaque in honour
Convention at Vancouver Convention Centre - Novenber 2011 of Aung San Suu Kyi in Côte Saint-Luc City on - July 1st 2011
11
SPECIAL TRIBUTES
TERRY COTTAM
“POINEER OF
BOYCOTT CAMPAIGN”
Terry Cottam is an inspirational to a
number of social just activists in Canada
and abroad. His early departure at the
age of 41 is a great loss for friends and
colleagues, and for many noble causes.
He ran a number of campaigns out of
the Ontario Public Interest Research
Group (OPIRG) at Carleton University.
He was a key organizer of awareness
campaigns for Burmese democracy and
human rights. He led the successful
boycott of Petro-Canada and initiated
the successful boycott Pepsi campaign.
He worked with Canadian Friends of
Burma and also with the East Timor
Alert Network.
Terry’s active interest in Southeast
Asia grew out of experiences he had in
that region with Canadian Crossroads
International.
He was born in Montreal on July 12,
1958, lived in Toronto and Poland
before settling with his family in
Ottawa. Upon graduating from high
school, Terry studied at Algonquin
College and received a diploma in
Computer Technology.
Aung Naing Oo (ABSDF), Terry Cottam and Christine Harmston at CFOB office in Ottawa
“Terry, your name has been permanently inscribed in our
collective memories. And we very look forward to the day
when it is possible for it to appear on the “Free Burma
Memorial” wall in Rangoon.”
—Free Burma Coalition
He also lived in Indonesia and travelled
in Thailand and Malaysia. After his trip
to South Asia, Cottam got involved with
various groups in Canada to promote
the causes of Burma and East Timor.
Pepsi boycott campaign - performance of Terry (white dress) and a friend at
Human Rights Monument in Ottawa
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What friends and colleagues think about Terry
Paul Gross: “In 1994, we drove to the alternative Woodstock gathering on
Max Yasgur’s farm. It was one of the rare occasions we spent together that
was purely leisure, at least for me. Terry brought his arsenal of flyers about
PepsiCo’s collaboration with the dictatorship in Burma. I can still picture him
sauntering though the woods, oblivious to the music and party scene, glowing
because he convinced a soft drink vendor to take anti-Pepsi stickers…”
Christine Harmston: “I first met Terry when I became coordinator of
Canadian Friends of Burma in 1995. He was a pillar of inspiration for me
with his imagination and energy that he poured into the PepsiCo boycott
campaign… His dedication and strong commitment to human rights and
social justice was incredible and awe-inspiring for me.”
Corinne Baumgarten: “Terry and I first met working together at OPIRG
Carleton’s Burma-Tibet group. It was great working with a person so ultra
committed to the cause, although sometimes overcommitted. At that point,
I’m pretty sure Terry was breathing, sleeping and eating Burma.”
Mike Kaulbars: “Terry appeared in my life some 10 yrs ago as a passionate
force dedicated to the plight of the Burmese refugees he had met while with
Crossroads. Through many campaigns and years since, Terry put the suffering
and well being of others ahead of his own.”
Mike Gifford: “I don’t remember where I first met Terry. Most certainly it
was at one protest or another. He always seemed to be filled with the issues
he worked on. Serious, full of knowledge, curious, and dedicated to creating
change in this world.”
Len Bush: “He was a fellow traveller on that long road towards a fairer and
more sustainable world. Most of all we will miss the man that could inspire
action and loyalty through his own passion and imperturbable dedication…”
Larry Dohrs: “Terry was one of
the first people I met who shared an
interest in supporting the democratic
aspirations of the Burmese people.
I still remember the late night calls
I’d get from him, as we’d discuss the
layout and content of his latest flyer.
He had a flair for communication,
and was as hard a worker as anyone
could possibly be. I was lucky enough
to spend several days with him at
various Burma meetings, and he was
always focused, creative, supportive
and kind.”
Matthew Kingston: “I can’t
remember exactly when I met
Terry, but I’m sure it was during his
Pepsi boycott. I remember going
to demonstrations and seeing his
remarkable energy. In fact it seemed
that wherever I went Terry was there
working tirelessly for his cause. I
was always very impressed with his
commitment…”
Phil Mader: “Terry attempted
to make a difference to our world,
whether internationally in remote
Burma, or locally through the
Centretown community in Ottawa.
He did this with tireless conviction,
passion and determination.”
Katherine Bemben: “Terry was an
inspiration and a testimony to the
power of an individual to make a real
difference in the world. He will not
be forgotten. I wish him and all those
he has touched peace, love and hope
in the times ahead.”
Peter Andre Globensky: “I join the
hundreds of friends and associates
who mourn the loss of this quiet,
dignified friend of Burma who gave
so much of himself to a movement in
so much need of support. His passion,
and commitment to a principle that
one person could make a difference is
an inspiration…”
Students from Trent University taking part in Free Burma Campaign
13
Penny Sanger: “Terry
Cottam was a consummate
street activist. He was
also a brilliant designer
and writer of one-off
political flyers. These
documented such
corporate activities as
PepsiCo’s … involvement
with the brutal regime
running Burma, shrieking
“Pepsi, Choice of a New
Genocide” or “Gotta
Boycott.”
Some of Terry’s close friends and associates (from left to right): Karen Hawley (OPIRG-Carleton); Jean-Marc
Hachey; Elizabeth Smith; Reid Cooper; Corinne Baumgarten (Canadian Friends of Burma) and Paul Gross during
the second memorial ceremony on Dec. 22, 2001
Kathy Dillon (Terry’s Sister): “Terry’s nature as an activist is remembered as early
as 1972, at the age of 13, when we went to a Unitarian church camp near Collingwood.
During an amateur talent night, Terry wrote and recited a very funny anti-smoking poem
beside the campfire with great gusto, and made a big impression on the camp counsellors.”
Daniell Guertin (Terry’s Partner): “He had the self-discipline to help organise one
the first successful continental-wide Boycott of giants in the multinational corporations,
giving us events for the Canadian Friends of Burma an example of profound selflessness
and devotion to human growth potential and hope for a coherent and sustainable future.
When Terry decides a cause was worth fighting for then the cause would make the
headlines…!”
Jamie Kneen: “It is always sad when a community loses someone, and Terry’s dedication,
energy, and sharp mind contributed greatly to many struggles.”
Harn Yawnghwe: “He was very dedicated, sincere, and felt deeply about the things
he cared about. I really appreciated his help in the early days when no one knew about
Burma. Terry helped it all happen. He shall be missed.
Htun Aung Gyaw: “In 1992 I was invited by the Canadian Friends of Burma to Canada
where I met Terry. He was a skinny man but a lot of energy. He told me about his idea to
boycott Pepsi. I was amazed and gladly accepted his idea…”
14
Sheela Subramanian: “In
memory of the support
you gave to my high
school social justice
group, encouraging us
to make bonds with the
larger community and
recognizing our efforts.
I’m without doubt that we
will all remember the day
you brought us a beautiful
banner in solidarity with
Burma to carry around
our high school track at
a school event, giving us
our first taste of defiance
as we fought for the right
to display it!”
Edith T. Mirante, Portland
Oregon: “I so wish Burma
had been liberated during
Terry’s lifetime. But
at least he was able to
see East Timor, another
passion, struggle its way
to freedom at last.”
SPECIAL TRIBUTES
DR. BRIAN JOHN
“TIRELESS HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERFOR BURMA”
A
veteran Burma supporter
and human rights advocate
Brian John passed away on
January 23, 2012. He was
diagnosed with terminal cancer
in the fall of 2011.
Brian John, Professor Emeritus
of English at McMaster
University,
in
Hamilton,
Ontario has been Amnesty
International - Canada country
coordinator for Burma since
1986. He devoted his fulltime to human rights work on
Burma since retirement from
his teaching work in 2001.
He tirelessly highlighted the
appalling situations of political
prisoners in Burma and campaigned for
their release. He was an active participant of
the ‘Burma Working Group’ in Ottawa and
regularly attended a number of Burma events
across Canada.
John is the author of Supreme Fictions: Studies
in the Work of William Blake, Thomas Carlyle,
W.B Yeats, H.D Lawrence, and The World as
Events: The Poetry of Charles Tolinson.
He was born in 1935 in Pembroke Dock,
Wales of England. He leaves behind, among
others, his wife Margaret, daughter Andrea
and son Paul.
“The death of AI Myanmar Coordinator, Brian John, is a
great loss for many people all over the world including
democracy- and freedom loving people of Burma. He will
always be remembered by all of us. Even though Brian
is no longer with us, we, democracy-and freedom loving
people of Burma residing in Canada, are determined to
continue working together with Amnesty International
until the people of Burma accomplish their mission.”
—Gloria Nafziger
(Amnesty International Canada)
Brian John
“Colleagues at the International Secretariat, who worked with
Brian… some for more than 20 years, are all very upset to
learn this sad news. We are so grateful to Brian’s 20 years of
commitment to human rights in Myanmar; through his tireless
and intelligent lobbying of the Canadian government, through
his work with AI groups, and through his great help working
with other Myanmar activists throughout the movement. Brian
brought much valued wisdom and reason to all his work on
behalf of Myanmar.”
“He was an amazingly dedicated, hardworking and gifted
human rights worker, a tower of strenth in al kinds of ways, a
participatant in and leader of our work in Souttheast Asia for
many years before becomeing our country expert on Myanmar.
And throughout all of this, he was of course the lifelong and
beloved partner of one of this orgazinzation’s greatest human
rights activists.”
— Amnesty International, London, United Kingdom
15
SPECIAL TRIBUTES
CHAO TZANG YAWNGHWE
“LIFE LONG REVOLUTIONARY”
C
hao Tzang Yawnghwe, also
known as Eugene, passed away on
July 24, 2004 in Vancouver, British
Columbia. He had worked in the
political
movement
opposing
Burma’s military regime for 41 years.
He was a son of the former President
of the Union of Burma, Sao Shwe
Thaike.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s
Degree from Rangoon University
and tutored English from 1960-63.
When General Ne Win seized power
in a military coup in 1962, Chao
Tzang became one of the leading
founders and served in the Shan
resistance movement of the Shan
State Army from 1963-1977.
Due to health reasons, Yawnghwe left the Shan
revolution and resettled in Canada in 1985. He
attended the University of British Columbia
and completed a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in
political science.
Chao Tzang Yawnghwe
“Dr. Chao Tzang was a fine revolutionary, an accomplished academic and a tireless
campaigner for human rights and democracy in Burma.”
– Chin Human Rights Organization
Dr. Chao Tzang rejoined the revolution after “Dr. Chao Tzang Yawnghwe dedicated his entire life to work for the freedom of not
only the Shan people, but all the people of Burma from the oppressive regime.”
the 1988 popular uprising in Burma and held
– Shan Herald Agency for News
various positions including a founder of the
United Nationalities League for Democracy “As a mammoth Burmese crowd attended the first ever, state funeral held outside
(Liberated Area) UNLD/LA, Advisor to the
of Burma and sadly lower the flag draped body of their beloved leader Dr Chao
National Reconciliation Program (NRP) Tzang Yawnghwe into the crematorium, I clearly recollect what he has done to us.
and the National Coalition Government of The only scholar in the whole wide world, who really knows in depth of the Burmese
the Union of Burma (NCGUB). He was also
problem and who tries to find the solution until he breath his last.”
instrumental in helping to draft the state
– Ban Than Win
Constitutions for the ethnic nationalities.
“I first met Uncle Eugene in 1998 at a conference in Ottawa, Canada. After a chat,
He also participated in a number of policy we soon engaged in a serious intellectual and political debate on Burma; beginning
seminars and conferences hosted by Canadian
with certain historical facts which quickly led us into the question of “why”. The
Friends of Burma and played important question of “why” in history did not satisfy him, but I maintained my position quite
role in mobilizing Canada’s support for
firmly. We quickly resumed our debate when we met again in Thailand after one
democratization and national reconciliation in year in 1999, all the way from Bangkok to Mae Sot. It was the time we formed the
Burma.
National Reconciliation Program (NRP) for Burma, and the NRP remained very
close to his heart until his final days.’
He wrote numerous articles and books
– Lian H. Sakhong
including “The Shan of Burma: memoirs of a
Shan exile”
16
CFOB mobilized its the network across Canada to garner support for an United Nations
Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Burma. It obtained support of 51 Members of
Parliament for this initiative. The Government of Canada subsequently supported the call
for the UNSC resolution on Burma.
51 MPs Supporting for UNSC Resolution on Burma
No.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Name
Maria Minna
Larry Bagnell
Paul Dewar
Francine Lalonde
Jack Layton
Dennis Bevington
Riding
Beaches - East York
Yukon
Ottawa Centre
Mercier
Toronto—Danforth
Western Artic
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
Penny Priddy
Olivia Chow
Libby Davies
Alexa McDonough
Bill Blaikie (NDP)
Alex Atamanenko
Nathan Cullen
Catherine Bell
Irene Mathyssen
Peter Julian
Dawn Black
Yvon Godin
Wayne Marston
Judy WasylyciaLeis
Chris Charlton
Tony Martin
Denise Savoie
Charlie Angus
Bill Siksay
Jean Crowder
David
Christopherson
Pat Martin
Rahim Jaffer
Raymonde Folco
Brian Masse
Stephen Owen
Lui Telelkovski
Andrew Telegdi
Keith Martin
Yasmin Ratansi
Diane Bourgeois
Monique Guay
Nicole Demers
Pauline Picard
Robert Bouchard
Louise Thibault
Surrey North
Trinity Spadina
Vancouver East
Halifax
Elmwood – Transcona
British Columbia Southern Interior
Skeena – Bulkley Valley
Vancouver Inland North
London-Fanswawe
Burnaby-New Westminster
New Westminster-Coquitlam
Acadie-Bathurst
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek
Winnipeg North
Province/territory
Ontario
Yukon Territories
Ontario
Quebec
Ontario
Northwest
Territories
British Columbia
Ontario
British Columbia
Nova Scotia
Manitoba
British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia
Ontario
British Columbia
British Columbia
New Brunswick
Ontario
Manitoba
Hamilton Mountain
Sault Ste. Marie
Victoria
Timmins-James Bay
Burnaby-Douglas
Nanaimo-Cowichan
Hamilton Center
Ontario
Ontario
British Columbia
Ontario
British Columbia
British Columbia
Ontario
Winnipeg Centre
Edmonton-Strathcona
Laval-Les IIes
Windsor West
Vancouver Quadra
Oak Ridges-Markham
Kitchener-Waterloo
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca
Don Valley East
Terrebonne-Blainville
Riviere-du-Nord
Laval
Drummond
Chicoutimi-Le Fjord
Rimouski-Neigette – Témiscouata
- Les Basques
Laurentides - Labelle
Manitoba
Alberta
Quebec
Ontario
British Columbia
Ontario
Ontario
British Columbia
Ontario
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec
Québec
Quebec
Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert
Shefford
Chambly - Borduas
Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec
Joliette
Montmagny-L'Islet-KamouraskaRivière-du-Loup
Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean
Vaughan
Quebec
Quebec
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)
31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
40)
41)
42)
43)
44)
45)
46)
47)
Johanne
Deschamps
Carole Lavallée
Robert Vincent
Yves Lessard
Bernard Bigras
48)
49)
Pierre Paquette
Paul Crête
50)
51)
Michel Gauthier
André Bellavance
Quebec
Quebec
Ontario
17
In 2010, CFOB ganered a strong support of 82 Canadian parliamentarians and all three opposition political parties for a UN
‘Commission of Inquiry’ into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. Later in 2011, the Government of Canada decided
to support this commission along with 15 countries including U.S, UK, French, Australia and Czech Republic.
Canadian Parliamentarians supporting for Commission of Inquiry on Burma
As of August, 2010
No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
18
Name
Alan Tonks
Alexandra Mendés
Bernard Bigras
Borys Wrzesnewskyj
Brad Trost
Brian Masse
Brian Murphy
Bruce Hyer
Bruce Stanton
Carole Lavalée
Christiane Gagnon
Claude Bachand
Derek Lee
Diane Bourgeois
Francine Lalonde
Frank Valeriote
Garry Breitkreuz
Gérard Asselin
Gilles Duceppe
Hon. Anita Neville
Hon. Bob Rae
Hon. Carloyn Bennett
Hon. Geoff Regan
Hon. Hedy Fry
Hon. Irwin Cotler
Hon. John McKay
Hon. Larry Bagnell
Hon. Maria Minna
Hon. Marlene Jennings
Hon. Peter Kent
Hon. Shawn Murphy
Hon. Wayne Easter
Irene Mathyssen
Jack Harris
Jack Layton
James Bezan
Jean Crowder
Jean Dorion
Jean-Yves Laforest
Josée Beaudin
Judy Foote
Riding
York South - Weston
Brossard-La Prairie
Rosemont-La petite-Patrie
Etobicoke Centre
Saskatoon-Humboldt
Windsor West
Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
Thunder Bay - Superior North
Simcoe North
St.Bruno-St.Hubert
Députée de Québec
Saint-Jean
Scarborough - Rouge River
Terrebonne - Blainville
La Pointe-de-l'Île/Foreign Affairs Critic (Bloc Québécois)
Guelph
Yorkton-Melville
Manicouagan
Leader of Bloc Québécois
Winnipeg South Centre
Toronto Centre/Foreign Affairs Critic (Liberal Party)
St.Paul's
Halifax West
Vancouver Centre
Mount Royal
Scarborough-Guildwood
Yukon/Chair of PFOB
Beaches - East York
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce - Lachine
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas)
Charlottetown
Malapeque
London-Fanshawe
St. John's East
Toronto-Danforth/Leader of NDP
Selkirk-Interlake
Nanaimo - Cowichan
Longueuil-Pierre-Boucher
Saint-Maurice-Champlain
Saint-Lambert
Random - Burin - St. George's
“Canada supports both the UN Special Rapporteur’s work on human rights abuses in Burma, and the idea of a UN Commission of
Inquiry into human rights abuses by the Burmese regime,” said Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon in the videotaped message sent
to CFOB on Sept. 3, 2011.
No.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
Name
Riding
Judy Wasylycia-Leis
Winnipeg North
Kevin Sorenson
Crowfoot/Chair - Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
Libby Davies
Vancouver East
Louis Plamondon
Bas-Richelieu-Nicolet-Bécancour
Malcolm Allen
Welland
Mario Silva
Davenport
Meili Faille
Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Olivia Chow
Trinity-Spadina
Paul Dewar
Ottawa Centre/Foreign Affairs Critic (NDP)/Vice-chair(PFOB)
Peter Julian
Burnaby-New Westminster
Peter Stoffer
Sackville-Eastern Shore
Pierre Paquette
Joliette
Rob Oliphant
Don Valley West
Roger Pomerleau
Drummond
Senator Consiglio Di
Vice-chair (PFOB)
Nino
Senator Dan Lang
Senator David Smith
Senator Joan Cook
Senator Lorna Milne
Senator Lucie Pépin
Senator Michel Rivard
Senator Mobina Jaffer
Senator Nancy Ruth
Senator Percy E. Downe
Senator Raynell
Andreychuk
Senator Tommy Banks
Stephen Woodworth
Kitchener Centre
Sukh Dhaliwal
Newton -North Delta
Thierry St.Cyr Jeanne- Le Ber
Yves Lessard
Chambly-Borduas
Yvon Lévesque
Abitibi - Baie-James - Nunavik - Eeyou
John Rafferty
Thunder Bay
Don Davies
Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Senator Dennis
Patterson
Bill Siksay
Burnaby-Douglas, BC
Monique Guay
Riviere du Nord, Quebec
Senator Sharon
Carstairs
Nicole Demers
Laval, Quebec
Patrick Brown
Barrie, ON
Joe Comartin
Windsor Tecumesh, ON
Keith Martin
Esquimalt Juan de fuca, BC
19
Canadian Friends of Burma have been supported by the following organizations: