Myanmar representative told by protestors to go home

More than 200 members of the local Myanmar community took to Wellington streets yesterday to oppose the presence of a representative from the brutal regime in New Zealand.

New Zealand is hosting a two-day summit with senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Wellington yesterday and today.

Their presence has sparked protests and calls for visas for any official from the military junta to be declined. Human rights campaigners also tried to take a legal route to stop the Myanmar diplomat coming to New Zealand but a judge in the High Court at Wellington declined on Tuesday to grant the application. Immigration New Zealand confirmed it has received one application from a Myanmar diplomat to come to New Zealand to attend the Asean meeting and that it had granted the visa.

In Wellington, many of the protesters wore traditional dress and carried signs referring to the brutality of the military regime, which protesters say has killed 5000 civilians and arrested more than 26,000 people.

The chanting crowd –“One, two, three, four military junta out the door, five, six, seven, eight, stop the military, stop the hate” – caught the attention of passers-by, with many stopping to listen to the speeches.

Speakers spoke of the atrocities committed by the military and noted that most countries, including Australia, routinely refuse visas.

Greater Wellington councillor Yadana Saw, whose parents came here as refugees from a previous dictatorship, called on the Government to send the official home.

Many of those protesting had come to New Zealand fleeing previous military regimes and she said the trauma experienced by those living in Myanmar was intergenerational.

“The people of Myanmar are desperate to break free from the brutality.”

The protest was held outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade head office on Lambton Quay.

BRUCE MACKAY/ THE POST Yadana Saw, whose parents are from Myanmar, says human rights abuses had been going on for generations. She says she’s disgusted by the Government’s decision to allow a representative of the military regime into New Zealand.