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French Suzuki advertising Free Bur



Subject: French Suzuki advertising  Free Burma Coalition Launches Suzuki

In the last few days, Suzuki has been taking out prominent ad space in
Le Monde national french newspaper, for their 125 cc motorcyle product
(At this price, the helmet and gloves are options).
(<http://www.suzuki-moto.com>)


> Tuesday May 4, 10:06 am Eastern Time
> 
> Company Press Release
> 
> SOURCE: Free Burma Coalition
> 
> Free Burma Coalition Launches Suzuki Boycott:
> `Japanese Company Propping Up
> Narco-Dictatorship In Burma'
> 
> WASHINGTON, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Free Burma Coalition today issued
> the following:
> 
> The Free Burma Coalition today announced an international boycott of
> Suzuki Motor Corporation,
> because of that company's support for the illegal military junta in
> Burma. Suzuki automotive, motorcycle
> and marine dealers around the world are all targeted for boycotts, as
> are Suzuki-sponsored events such
> as the San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon, on May 23rd.
> 
> Ignoring international opinion and the request of Burma's own
> democratically elected leader, Suzuki
> announced on Oct. 13, 1998, that it was investing $10 million into a
> joint venture with the generals in
> Burma to build cars and motorcycles there.
> 
> Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the legitimate representative of the Burmese
> people, has asked foreign
> companies not to come to Burma before democracy does. ``We are not
> against investment,'' said Mrs.
> Suu Kyi, in a March 30, 1998 interview in BusinessWeek. ``But we want
> investment to be at the right time
> ... investing now is [not] going to be profitable either to investors or
> to the people of Burma.''
> 
> A rapidly growing number of U.S. and European companies have withdrawn
> from Burma. ``While company
> after company is pulling out of Burma, Suzuki is marching in there to
> help prop up the generals,'' says Dr.
> Zar Ni, founder of the Free Burma Coalition. ``Without the financial
> support of companies like Suzuki, the
> generals would be bankrupt. People who buy Suzuki products should know
> that they are giving dollars to
> dictators.''

> 
> Burma is ruled by a narco-dictatorship that is widely regarded as one of
> the worst human rights offenders
> in the world. The generals running Burma are international pariahs,
> banned from setting foot in the United
> States or the European Union. They have been condemned for human rights
> violations, including summary
> executions, torture, forced relocations, systematic rape and the ethnic
> cleansing of Christian, Moslem and
> other minorities groups. The U.S. Department of Labor recently
> documented the massive use of forced
> labor in Burma.
> 
> In addition, the junta has turned Burma into the world's largest heroin
> exporter. According to the U.S. State
> Department, the country has become a global center for narcotics money
> laundering.
> 
>    January 1997:     Pepsi pulls out of Burma.
>    February 1997:    Compaq pulls out of Burma.
>    March 1997:       Kodak pulls out of Burma.
>    April 1997:       Seagram pulls out of Burma.
>    September 1997:   Texaco pulls out of Burma.
>    August 1998:      Arco pulls out of Burma.
>    September 1998:   Ericsson pulls out of Burma.
>    October 1998:     Suzuki invests in Burma.
> 
> The Free Burma Coalition (www.freeburmacoalition.org) is an
> international coalition of grassroots groups
> and citizens working, through peaceful means, to support the struggle of
> the Burmese people for
> democracy.
> 
> SOURCE: Free Burma Coalition