This afternoon, many of the 2100 Burmese living in Norway paid tribute to the dead and expressed concerned for the survivors of the cyclone Nagris that recently hit Burma, to devastating effect. The public moment of mourning arranged in front of the Norwegian parliament was also a protest against tomorrow´s totally undemocratic referendum on a new constitution in Burma. (09-MAY-08)
Based on the Norwegian Burma Committee´s (NBC) own repss release, issued today, this article hs been written and translated, edited and prepared for publication here by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz. All photos: NBC / Vibeke Hermanrud.
The combined vigil for the victims, expression of solidarity with the survivors and protest against the military regime´s poor handling of the crisis caused by the cyclone was co-arranged by NBC and the Burmese Nationalities Association Norway.
Three Buddhist monks living in Norway as refugees said a prayer in Burmese and Peter Ngaidam, a baptist pastor from the Burmese ethnic group chin, said a prayer in Norwegian. A table with a picture exemplifying the damage done by the cyclone was available for people to lay a flower on. Following appeals by two Norwegian parliamentarians, U Bo Thaung, elected MP in Burma in the 1990 elections that was never respected by the junta, briefed the audience on the current situation in Burma. Other leading figures of the Burmese diaspora spoke on the constitution process and the most likely consequences of the proposed constitution, and the violations of minority rights. Inger Lise Husøy, the Director of NBC, chaired the meeting. The demonstration ended with a typical Burmese ceremony in memory of the dead, in which all the flowers were thrown in the sea, on the waterfront at Oslo harbour.
Left, members of the Burmese diaspora in Oslo line up at Eidsvolls plass, the square in front of the Norwegian parliament named after the place where the Norwegian constitution was signed, with posters demanding Aung san Suu Kyi´s release, that the victims of the cyclone that are still alive receive help, and that the Burmese junta´s killing of ethnic minorities must be stopped.
Left, Inger Lise Husøy of NBC, right, elected MPs from the 1990 elections in Burma, living as refugees in Norway.
Left, Burmese demonstrators pay tribute to the dead before carrying all the flowers to the waterfront, in typical Burmese fashion, to throw them on the sea there.
