The Australian Greens are encouraged by the growing international demands for Burma's military regime to be brought to account for its crimes, and for tough UN sanctions to be imposed ahead of next year elections.

"I am proud to be part of a large group of international parliamentarians signing on to a letter which has just been delivered to the United Nations Security Council, urging immediate action on Burma," Senator Scott Ludlam said today.

"More than 440 members of Parliament from 29 countries around the world were involved in drafting the words, calling on the UN Security Council to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against humanity and other war crimes in Burma, and to impose a global arms embargo on Burma's military regime.

"This would be the first real step toward an International Criminal Court prosecution."

"It is believed that more than 3,500 ethnic minority villages have been destroyed in eastern Burma since 1996. At least 75,000 people have been forced to leave their homes during this past year alone, and more than half a million people remain internally displaced.

"The humanitarian agency known as Thailand Burma Border Consortium, describes the situation in Burma as being comparable to that in Darfur.

"Our letter urges the Security Council to call an emergency meeting to deal with the issue, which is timely because today is International Human Rights Day.

"It is particularly urgent given we are moving into an election year in Burma, which we fear will spark deadly repression and violence against pro-democracy supporters," Senator Ludlam concluded.

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