Martin Uden

Meeting Kim Dae-Jung

I normally don't say much about the many private meetings that I hold in Seoul, but this morning I called on Kim Dae-jung, former President of Korea and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.  I went to see him to thank him for his continued attention to the imprisonment of his fellow Peace Prize recipient, Aung San Suu Kyi, and specifically for his contribution to the website set up for ASSK's 64th birthday.

We discussed Secretary-General Ban's visit to Burma tomorrow and the sad fact the ASSK's trial is to resume the same day.  It was encouraging to see the very clear focus that President Kim has on the plight of ASSK and his strong support for pro-democracy elements there.  Coming from a man who did so much to bring democracy to Korea, I found it truly heartening. 
President Kim kindly agreed that I could mention our conversation and his staunch support for the people of Burma.

Posted at 17:19 02 July 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[0]

Korea marks 64th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi

To mark the 64th birthday of Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, I joined National Assembly Representatives (MPs) today to condemn her detention and call for her release.  Representative Song Young-gil, a prominent MP in Korea, is passionate about promoting human rights in Burma and he organised a petition for MPs to sign.  As I write this, over 40 MPs have signed the petition and many more are expected to add their names throughout the day.

With Ambassadors from the European Commission and Czech Republic, I also gave a statement condemning her arrest and calling for the release of all political prisoners.  You can see the full text here.

Earlier this week, 14 former Korean political prisoners joined with over 100 former political prisoners from around the world to call for Suu Kyi's release and for the United Nations Security Council to establish a global arms embargo on Burma/Myanmar.  

Former President and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kim Dae Jung, and Grand National Party Representative, Park Geun-hye also added their personal messages to Suu Kyi on the website www.64forsuu.org.

It's important for National Assembly Representatives from both sides of the political spectrum to stand up for this issue.  It's also encouraging to see more and more countries in Asia protest strongly about the ongoing brutality of the Burmese military dictatorship.  After over 47 years of a repressive regime, the Burmese people are tired of waiting for democracy, and the international community no longer wants to have to deal with the military junta.

Posted at 16:03 19 June 2009 by Martin Uden  |  Comments[0]