NYC Event: The Crisis in Burma: In Search of a Unified International Response - March 25, 2008

Six months have passed since the Burmese military government’s violent crackdown on thousands of monks who took to the streets of Rangoon in peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrations. While the brutality of the assault, subsequent mass arrests and heightened repression received an immediate burst of attention and media coverage around the world, the focus on Burma has waned steadily in recent months. After making a few initial concessions to the international community, such as allowing in a UN human rights investigator and permitting a government meeting with pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese junta continues to stand firm and political activists continue to be imprisoned.

Join us as the Asia Society and Open Society Institute convene a panel discussion to revisit the situation in Burma in light of the military government’s recently announced “roadmap to democracy,” including its intention to conduct a national referendum to approve a new constitution in May, followed by a multiparty general election in 2010. How credible is this development given that the new constitution would effectively bar independent political leaders from participating in the process? The panel will also assess recent efforts at the international and regional levels to advance national reconciliation in Burma . What role can and should international actors such as the United Nations and the United States play together with ASEAN and Burma ’s influential neighbors?

Speakers:
Scot Marciel, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Charles Petrie, Former UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar ( Burma )
Thaung Htun, Representative for UN Affairs, National Coalition Government of the Union

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

6:00 – 6:30 pm: Registration
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Panel Discussion / Q & A
8:00 – 8:30 pm: Reception

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street , New York City


Please join us at Asia Society’s New York Headquarters or online via live Webcast, to discuss these and other pertinent issues. Internet listeners will be able to ask questions and offer comments via email during the webcast. Please send your questions to moderator@asiasociety.org
Purchase Tickets:
$5 Members, Seniors, Students w/ID NGOs, $7 Nonmembers
Online: http://tickets.asiasociety.org
By Phone (M-F 10am to 5pm) 212-517-ASIA (2742)