The Burmese protests are widening

[Guest guest]

Dear friends, The Burmese protests are widening, the international response is building--and the Burmese generals are panicking. Today, the Burmese junta banned gatherings of more than 5, and sent thousands of troops to take control of the streets -- but still the monks and protesters march. Desperate officers have beaten, tear-gassed and fired on their own people, reportedly shooting five monks in Rangoon. The next 36 hours are crucial. Leaders have called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council-- but only a decisive initiative will prevent a massacre like the one from 1988. Already, 75,000 people from 192 countries have signed our emergency global petition. Please forward this email to others who haven't yet signed--they can click below to add their name, and we'll send an updated petition to the Chinese government and the UN Security Council members every day: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/h.php/?cl=20627618We're calling for UN powers--above all China, which holds the economic strings of the Burmese regime--to apply decisive pressure now to stop the violence, and to broker a peaceful transition. If they fail to do this, the massacres will be sudden. The protesters have declared they will not back down. The Burmese have showed their courage. The scenes fill our television screens--now the world must act. In hope,