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Over 25 Hollywood celebrities send letter to UN Secretary General re: securing the release of imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi

Finally a news item that connects the film world (not indie film, but close enough for now :) and the pro-democracy protests in Burma, from US Campaign for Burma website, the introduction to the letter (letter dated 9/6/07):

"Today, over 25 Hollywood celebrities sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him to "personally intervene" to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The letter was organized by the US Campaign for Burma and Human Rights Action Center and led by Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston. Click Here to Read the Letter and see who else has signed on."

And here is a segment from the letter:

"Aung San Suu Kyi is not just a charismatic leader, she is the elected leader of the Burmese people. In Burma's last election, she won 82% of the seats in parliament, yet the military regime cruelly locked her up along with many members of her party. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations expert on human rights in Burma, the ruling military regime has burned down or otherwise destroyed over 3,000 villages in eastern Burma, forcing over 1 million and a half people to flee their homes."

Read the rest of the letter here.

And here is a list of the celebrities who signed the letter:

Jennifer Aniston
Anne Archer
Kabir Bedi
Julie Benz
Jane Birkin
Jim Carrey
Jorja Fox
Kris Hahn
Jack Healey
Dustin Hoffman
Anjelica Huston
Eddie Izzard
Mimi Kennedy
Walter Koenig
Christine Lahti
Padma Lakshmi
Laura Linney
Jimmy Miller
Damien Rice
Christina Ricci
Susan Sarandon
Liev Schreiber
Jason Schwartzman
Eric Szmanda
Bonnie Timmerman
Robin Williams
Owen Wilson
Elijah Wood
Robin Wright

Again, the link for the letter.

To see what you can do to help the Burmese people, go here.

Also check out the Student & Community Action page at the US Campaign for Burma website.

- Sujewa

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