About 20 students rallied on the steps of Widener library at noon yesterday to raise awareness of Burma's long-standing human rights violations.

Twelve of the students are participating in a two-day fast that ends at noon on Wednesday.

The rally was organized by Harvard's Burma Action Group as part of a three-day, world-wide rally and fast sponsored by the Free Burma Coalition (FBC).

"We want to raise awareness in the community, and we want to show solidarity with Burma," said Marco B. Simons '97, who said he will fast. "It helps the people in Burma to know that other people in the world care."

"[The fasting] is giving up something that most people take for granted, and it shows a sign of commitment besides just going out to protest," said David S. Grewal '98-'97, who is also fasting.

About 100 students signed a petition asking the Cambridge City Council to adopt legislation which would prohibit the city from purchasing goods and services from corporations with investments in Burma. Such legislation has recently been adopted by the state of Massachusetts, according to a FBC press release.

"The struggle for democracy in Burma is one of the most crucial struggles today," said Cornel R. West '74, professor of Afro-American studies and of the philosophy of religion, after adding his name to the petition.

"Tremendous courage is being exhibited in Burma, and their actions represent what all radical democrats should be fighting for," West said.

Student efforts are part of a recent international effort to protest the arrest of 800 nonviolent democracy activists by Burma's military regime, State Law and Order Council (SLORC).

"It's easy to be lulled into thinking that you can't make a difference, but we have to push each other to some sort of action," said Ian T. Simmons '98-'99, who is fasting. "That's what happened with South Africa, that's what happened with Russia, and that's what will happen with Burma."

Past efforts by the Burma Action Group convinced dining services to deny a contract to PepsiCo, a major investor in Burma. They also successfully lobbied the Harvard Corporation to vote in favor of adopting codes of conduct for corporations investing in Burma.

"As students, it's our duty to show support, and being at Harvard, we can be a model for other students as well," Hong H. Tran '97 said. "Concrete actions to put economic pressure on companies can let them know what our values are."

According to Simons, the Burma Action Group and other Boston-area groups plan to meet with the city council and to lobby President Bill Clinton.

"We tend to think that lobbying is more effective than protesting, so that will be our major thrust," Simons said.

Clinton recently signed legislation authorizing him to prohibit new businesses from investing in Burma if SLORC continues to engage in its repression of democracy activists.

"Clinton has cut diplomatic ties, which is a great first step, but until the economic lifeline that the United States represents is cut, more still needs to be done," Grewal said.

Students also attended a larger rally held with other groups at 5:30 p.m. in Boston Commons