PHILADELPHIA -- The American Friends Service Committee (www.afsc.org), as a Quaker organization rooted by belief in the power of love to overcome violence and to transform social injustice, shares hope that Burma might open itself to change.

The courageous witness of the monks of Burma speaks to their nation's desire to be free from want and fear and their peaceful aspirations to build a just and compassionate society. The monks' bravery, and that of the ordinary people who gathered to protect them, carried an effect far beyond the borders of their own country.

We honor the monks' courage and we "hold them in the light" as we continue to be concerned for their safety. We lift up minority groups who have endured decades of persecution, forced labor, and displacement in struggles to retain their identities and their homes.

We also remember Aung San Suu Kyi, the rightfully elected leader of the country, who has been held in detention for most of the past 18 years.

We are concerned that with each renewal of repression, the possibility for dialogue and reconciliation within Burma grows more and more remote. Dialogue and reconciliation among all factions and ethnic groups are the only hope for long-term stability and security of the country.

Threats and rhetoric will not be effective, but the combined moral and political pressure of many nations might.

In this dark time, we see hope in a global community increasingly united in its call for change in Burma. We urge that this growing consensus be acted upon at every possible level.

The Association of South East Asian Nations has urged the junta to release all detainees and "to take its place in the comity of nations." The American Friends Service Committee joins this growing call for Burma's leaders to end their isolation, rejoin the comity of nations and to open themselves to mediation.

* * * The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.