A campaign is underway to chastise Myanmar's military regime, not through dialogue or sanctions, but by flooding the country's foreign embassies with women's underwear, an activist said last week.
A pro-democracy group based in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is urging people all over the world to "post, deliver or fling" female undergarments to Myanmar's international embassies.
"The Burma military regime is not only brutal but very superstitious. They believe that contact with a woman's panties or sarong can rob them of their power," the Lanna Action for Burma group said on its Web site.
PHOTO: AFP
The generals who rule Myanmar, previously known as Burma, provoked international outcry in September when they violently cracked down on peaceful protesters, killing at least 13 people.
Europe and the United States led the chorus of disapproval, announcing new sanctions against the regime.
Despite the outcry and a United Nations statement deploring the crackdown and urging dialogue, the junta has shown little sign of moving any closer towards democracy or freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Those behind the so-called "Panty Power" campaign hope that lingerie can succeed where international diplomacy has so far failed.
"We want to raise awareness first, and we want to target the Burmese government officials, letting them know we are against them abusing their power," said Tomoko, an activist with Lanna Action for Burma.
Tomoko, who goes by one name only, said she had heard that Myanmar embassies in Thailand, Australia and the United States had been targeted by the Panty Power campaign, which began the week before last.
"We are sending (the generals) panties as a symbol of putting their power down," she said. (AFP)
一個譴責緬甸軍政府的活動正如火如荼的展開,這個活動的譴責方式不是透過與政府對話或是國際制裁,而是透過女性內褲來癱瘓緬甸駐外使館,一位活動者上週對外發言表示。
泰國北部大城清邁的一個民主促進組織發起這個活動,呼籲全世界一同共襄盛舉,將女性內褲「郵寄、投遞,或拋擲」到緬甸國際大使館。
「緬甸軍政府不僅冷血殘酷,也很迷信。他們相信碰觸到女性的內褲或紗籠裙會削弱他們的權力。」發起團體「聲援緬甸之蘭那行動」在他們官方網站上這樣寫道。
治理緬甸軍政府的將軍們在今年九月暴力鎮壓和平抗議群眾,至少造成十三人死亡的行為引起國際上強烈的譴責聲浪。緬甸的英文國名原為「Burma」,後來才改為現在的「Myanmar」。
歐洲和美國率先表達不滿,表示將對軍政府採取國際制裁。
儘管聯合國抗議並發表對於鎮壓的強烈譴責聲明並呼籲對話,緬甸軍政府對民主政體或是被軟禁的民主運動領袖翁山蘇姬並無任何讓步或釋放的可能。
這次被稱為「內褲力量」的背後發起者希望他們可以利用這些女用貼身內褲,達到國際外交手段所無法達成的目標。
「我們希望先喚醒大眾對此事的關注,然後會針對緬甸政府官員,表達反對他們濫用權力的做法。」此次聲援緬甸之蘭那行動其中一位運動人士Tomoko說。
Tomoko表示,她已聽說泰國、澳洲和美國的緬甸大使館,都已淪為上週開始的「內褲力量」行動的攻擊目標。
「我們把內褲送過去(給緬甸將軍們),來作為削弱他們權力的象徵,」 她說。(法新社/翻譯:袁星塵)
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