Burmese Junta removes over 70 Canadians from blacklist

The Junta in Burma has removed around 2000 people from its blacklist. These blacklists were created by the military regime to stop pro democracy and human rights activists from visiting Burma, during the peak of their oppression.  The past two years has seen dramatic changes and progress under the leadership of  President Ko Thein Sein, until recently when law and order failed miserably in clashes between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine state over local disputes, that escalated into major ethnic riots. A set back indeed for those of us, who like to see improvement in human rights for all people and an unnecessary distraction at a time, when we want to move forward with development, not fight over ethnic lines.  I will have to do another blog on the Rohingya issue.

Back to the subject, it is good news that the Junta is continuing on its path of reforms towards democracy. Over 70 Canadians have been removed from the blacklist. It comes at a particularly important time as Minister Ed Fast is going with a business delegation to Burma soon. The full list of people who have been removed can be found here . Below is the list of Canadians that includes several student leader activists from the 1988 generation, Canadian parliamentarians and community activists active on Burma issues. Thanks to CFOB for the list.