Subject: New England Burma Roundtable - July 20
NEW ENGLAND BURMA ROUNDTABLE
July 16, 1999
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1. Next Burma Roundtable: Tuesday, July 20
2. Coming Events & Actions
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New England Burma Roundtable - July 20
Topic: Future Activities
With Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly's decision to appeal the
case of the Massachusetts Burma Law to the U.S. Supreme Court, we need to
celebrate and plan our future events.
Items for discussion will include:
* Organization of a day of consumer boycott actions aimed at Suzuki
* Organization of the upcoming October 2 Burma Roundtable Fundraiser.
* Organization of support for the new Massachusetts Burma Divestment Bill.
Where and when to be:
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 1999
Time: 6.30pm-8.30pm
Location: Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Corner of Prospect St and Harvard St. -
- Between Central Square and Inman Square -
- 4 minute walk from Central Square T station -
- For directions to the UUSC, call (617) 868-6600.
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2. Coming Events & Actions - compiled by Corey Bills, our summer intern
Upcoming Activities
If you want to assist with a project that is already underway, contact the
listed coordinator. If you would like to volunteer as a coordinator or
have an idea for a new project contact: Simon Billenness at Trillium Asset
Management at (617) 423-6655, x225 or <sbillenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or
Shalini Nataraj at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee at (617)
868-6600, x225 or <snataraj@xxxxxxxx> or Corey Bills at work at (617)
426-3040 or bills@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Demonstration:
We are hoping to stage a demonstration either at the Japanese consulate or
at the Suzuki Corporation sometime soon. This demonstration will protest
the growing support of the military junta by the Japanese government and
Japanese corporations, including Suzuki.
Speaking Engagements:
We need to continue to spread the word locally about the situation in Burma
and the need to defend the Massachusetts Burma law. There are several
knowledgeable people in and around Boston who would be willing to speak on
the issue; if you have any suggestions please contact Simon Billenness,
Shalini Nataraj or Corey Bills.
While the summer is upon us, we need to make sure that continued discussion
and action occurs on college and university campuses. We may also want to
look into staging talks at churches and temples (including Unitarian
churches), trade unions, environmental organizations, peace groups, a group
of friends, etc. If you do the work of arranging the talk we can provide
speakers, advice, videos, literature, petitions, etc. Contact Corey Bills
at bills@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or at (617) 426-3040, if you are at all interested.
Increase Grassroots Support:
Do you know of any organizations who should be contacted about Burma, if
they have not been so already? For example Tim Keating and Rainforest
Relief have begun a campaign to stop the logging of teak in the Burmese
highlands. Perhaps we could also begin talking to union and progressive
groups about current sweatshop campaigns, as well. Overall we need to
increase the modes of communication between grassroots organizations, and
continue to voice our concern for Burma, as well.
New England Burma Roundtable Listserv:
We need to update the Roundatable list; hopefully those who are willing to
be active in the Burma Roundtable will also sign on to the listserv. The
listserv has the potential to serve as a forum to discuss future actions
and distribute information to other Burma Roundtable activists (yet only if
you post messages). Hopefully this method of communication will lead to a
more effective discussion about what we can possible do on a local level to
show support for the Burmese cause.
If you have any question or comments or are interested in helping to
moderate and maintain this listserv in the future email Simon Billenness at
<sbillenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
The New Burma Divestment Bill:
Sidestepping the Federal District Court that struck down the Massachusetts
Burma selective purchasing law, Rep. Byron Rushing has introduced a new
Burma bill (H.3369), which would instead bar Massachusetts from investing
state pension funds in companies that do business in Burma. However, the
new Burma Divestment Bill was currently stuck "in study" by the Joint
Committee on Public Administration. Unless we can persuade the Committee to
report out the bill, it is effectively dead.
What You Can Do
1. We need to lobby our state representatives and senators to write the
chairs of the committee requesting that the bill be reported out of the
committee promptly and favorably. The two co-chairs are: Senator Brian
Joyce (617-722-1643) and Representative Paul Casey (617-722-2240).
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prove the people?s support of the divestment bill.
3. Lastly write to your state legislators and urge them to support the
bill. If you do
not know who your legislator is contact Corey Bills at
bills@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or use of the League of Women Voters website at
<http://www.ma.lwv.org>.
This Month?s Roundtable Mailing Was Written By?
On a side note I would like to take a brief moment to introduce myself. My
name is Corey Bills, and I am currently working with Simon Billenness,
CPPAX and the UUSC to further support the situation in Burma. At
Middlebury College, where I will be a junior next fall, I worked on this
movement, along with a few other dedicated students.
The point of this introduction is two-fold; one to introduce myself to
those in Massachusetts who are working on this issue, and secondly to let
people know that they can contact me if they have any questions or if they
have any ideas as to what they would like to see happen in the future.
Hopefully I can then take this information to any number of other
organizations and thereby increase individual and group activity, which,
concurrently is inherent to the productivity of the cause. I can be
reached at (617) 426-3040, or (617) 264-4778 or by email at
bills@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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"I see my life...as part of a procession, a dynamic process, doing all that
we can do to move toward more good and justice; a process that is not
isolated from what has happened before or what will come after. And I do
whatever I have to do along the path, whether it's sowing seeds or reaping
the harvest or tending the plants half grown."
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's democratic leader under house arrest, in "On the
Issues," Fall '98
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Simon Billenness
Trillium Asset Management (formerly Franklin Research & Development)
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-6655, x225
(617) 482-6179 - fax
sbillenness@xxxxxxxx
http://www.trilliuminvest.com/
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"I see my life...as part of a procession, a dynamic process, doing all that
we can do to move toward more good and justice; a process that is not
isolated from what has happened before or what will come after. And I do
whatever I have to do along the path, whether it's sowing seeds or reaping
the harvest or tending the plants half grown."
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's democratic leader under house arrest, in "On the
Issues," Fall '98
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Simon Billenness
*for the New England Burma Roundtable*
Trillium Asset Management
711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-6655, x225
(800) 548-5684
(617) 482-6179 - fax
sbillenness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.trilliuminvest.com/
==================================================
"I see my life...as part of a procession, a dynamic process, doing all that
we can do to move toward more good and justice; a process that is not
isolated from what has happened before or what will come after. And I do
whatever I have to do along the path, whether it's sowing seeds or reaping
the harvest or tending the plants half grown."
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's democratic leader under house arrest, in "On the
Issues," Fall '98
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