BDC Statement on Current Situation of Burma(27/05/2008)

BURMA DEMOCRATIC CONCERN’S STATEMENT ON CURRENT SITUATION OF BURMA

27 May 2008

Military regime held the General Elections in 27 May 1990 due to the continuous domestic and international pressure. National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi won the landslide victory by 89.9% of the vote. The generals refused to honour it and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi, Student Leaders and NLD members.

The junta’s Law No.14/89, "Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law," states clearly in Chapter 3 Section 3 that the "Hluttaw (Assembly) shall be formed with the Hluttaw representatives who have been elected.

By refusing to honour the results of the 1990 election, the military regime made it clear to the world that they do not put people’s will first. The results of these elections will remain valid until such time as the Members of Parliament elected in 1990 by the people have had a chance to get together and decide what the next step is going to be. The world has to make certain that the outcome of these elections is honoured. If we fall for the trap of junta’s 2010 election plan, it means we (International Community) show the green light to the regime that we are with them and desert the people.

“If this country is to achieve genuine democracy, the result of the elections of 1990 must be recognized. It must be recognized by the military regime, as it has been recognized by the people, and by the world at large. It is through this recognition that we will be able to make genuine progress in Burma. The results of the 1990 General Elections must be implemented as a resolution already taken by the United Nations. We already know that the General Assembly of the United Nations has accepted the notion that the will of the people has been expressed in the 1990 General Elections. This is something we cannot abandon. It will be to the detriment of our country if after an election has been held the results are not honoured and we do not resist attempts to trivialise it”, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly stated already.

We demand to release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners. Prisons in Burma are places where human rights violations and brutality are everyday realities. Abuses include torture, lack of proper medical care and insufficient food. Political prisoners face cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment in the prisons, or in detention centres. There are thousands of political prisoners in Burma’s jails.

Burma had hit with devastated cyclone Nargis which left 2.5 million people displaced and more than 200, 000 feared dead. In the misery of the tragedy, junta prioritized to adopt its 14 years long drawn constitution. The draft constitution is drawn unilaterally by military regime's hand-picked delegates and designed to perpetuate military rule in Burma. We do not want the junta’s unilaterally drawn constitution which give ultimate power to Commander in Chief of the Army and automatically give the military with 1% of population to 25% of the seat in the parliament and the public which represent 99% of the population to 75% of the seats in parliament.

SPDC is following the same footsteps of what Gen. Ne Win did in the past. Gen. Ne Win staged a coup d’état on March 2, 1962, and run the country with a 'Revolutionary Council' of senior military officers. A one-party system was established with his newly formed Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) which was, in reality, just transformed “Revolutionary Council” in complete control. After 12 years in January 1974, a new constitution was unilaterally promulgated drawn by his handpicked delegations that resulted in the creation of a People's Assembly that held supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority. Gen. Ne Win became the president of the new government for next 14 years and held the power with iron-grip until 1988 when mass uprising broke out and toppled him.

We should learn from the past that history is repeating itself. Current junta came to power after crushing uprising in 18 September 1988. After 19 years, SPDC is trying to legitimize the military rule in Burma. Than Shwe’s game plan is that he will transform the SPDC and USDA into political party and laterally control the power. Military government wanted to hold the power forever.

Human rights abuses and humanitarian crises have been happening in Burma and long overdue to solve. But still, there is no binding resolution of Unite Nation Security Council on Burma to take effective action to stop killing its own people, to stop arresting and torturing political dissidents and to press to honour the 1990 election result in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won the landslide victory.

The plight of the people who lost their lives in 1988 uprising, 1996 student demonstrations, 1998 student demonstrations, 2003 Depeyin massacre, 2007 Saffron revolution, the plight of the political prisoners and the plight of the fifty million people who have been suffering nearly half the century have long been untouched by the world. The plight of the Cyclone Nargis victims still hopeless even after more than three weeks. Very little have been done. We must do more. A tremendous responsibility rests upon the United Nations to a far better end, and we are looking for a more positive and bolder lead of the United Nations.

• We call for the International Community to put more pressure on junta to save 2.5 millions of Cyclone Nargis Victims. Regime always gives the promises and never keeps them. We must push harder to the regime to turn words into action.

• We call for the International Community to put more pressure on junta to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.

• We call for the International Community to press more to the military junta to do genuine dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi leading to transfer power.

• We call for the International Community to press more to the junta to recognize 1990 Elections result and press to give up its 2010 Election plan.

• We call for International Community not to recognize junta’s Sham Constitution and Sham Referendum.

• We call for the United Nations binding resolution on Burma to solve longstanding crisis.

By

Burma Democratic Concern