BurmaNet News, April 6, 2010

[Editor]

April 6, 2010, Issue #3933


QUOTE OF THE DAY
“
forcing parties to pledge to obey and abide the 2008 Constitution is a
violation of democracy and human rights. These laws ignore the demands of
an all-party inclusive election made by the UN Secretary-General and the
international community.“ – Statement by National League for Democracy, A
Message to the People

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Myanmar party sorry for not bringing democracy
IRIN News: MYANMAR: Dam construction to displace thousands
Irrawaddy: Many won't vote without NLD
Irrawaddy: Burmese PM may lead political party
Mizzima News: Crony builds massive marquee for Than Shwe kin

ASEAN
AFP: Myanmar to escape censure at ASEAN summit: observers

REGIONAL
Malaysia Star: Myanmar refugees forced to make a living by seeking alms

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: An election in name only – Editorial
Inner City Press: UK favors sending Myanmar to ICC, China says it's
sovereign, UN's Ban defers – Matthew Russell Lee
Irish Times: Elections in Burma - Editorial

STATEMENT
NLD: A message to the people of Burma (unofficial translation)




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 6, Associated Press
Myanmar party sorry for not bringing democracy

Yangon – The party of detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
said Tuesday it was sorry it could not bring democracy to the country
because of repression by the military government but it will continue its
nonviolent struggle.

The National League for Democracy last week decided to boycott the first
scheduled elections in two decades. It said the electoral laws imposed by
the ruling junta, which would prevent Suu Kyi from taking part, were
undemocratic.

In a statement Tuesday, the NLD said its leaders and the party members had
sacrificed and worked relentlessly. The party "earnestly apologizes to the
people" for its failure to achieve national reconciliation and democracy,
due to arrests, repression, harassment and threats by the authorities.

"However, the League will never turn its back to the people or to its
struggle for democracy," the statement said. "We pledge to continue to
achieve our goals for democracy through systematic, peaceful and
nonviolent means."

Myanmar, also known as Burma, which has been ruled by its military for 48
years. The government has touted the polls as part of a "roadmap to
democracy." Critics say the elections are a sham designed to cement the
power of the military.

The junta says it will hold the elections this year but has not set a date.

The NLD statement said the electoral laws imposed by the junta for the
polls are "unjust' and "unrealistic."

The party's refusal to participate is likely to undermine the vote's
credibility in the eyes of foreign governments and the United Nations,
which have urged the diplomatically isolated junta to ensure all groups
take part.

Suu Kyi's party won the last elections held in Myanmar in 1990 by a
landslide but was barred by the military from taking power.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has spent 14 of the last 20 years in jail or
under house arrest.

____________________________________

April 6, IRIN News (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
MYANMAR: Dam construction to displace thousands

Tanghpre – A dam being built in Myanmar's northern Kachin State will
displace more than 15,000 people, activists warn.

According to the Kachin Development Networking Group (KDNG), based in
Thailand, which has called for a halt to the dam's construction, over 60
villages are being forced to relocate without proper resettlement plans.

Thousands will lose their livelihoods, including farming, fishing and
non-timber forest product collection, the group claims.

"The government is going to drive us out of our village," claimed Ma Jar*,
a 40-year-old mother of three in Tanghpre, an agricultural village of just
over 1,000. Until now she has never struggled to support her family,
earning about US$1,500 per year from the djenkol bean trees, a local
delicacy in Myanmar, she grows on her land.

Massive project

The Myitsone Dam - a joint effort by Myanmar's military government and the
China Power Investment Corporation and the China Southern Power Grid
Cooperation – will inundate approximately 766 sqkm of pristine rainforest,
creating a reservoir roughly the size of New York City, says International
Rivers [see: http://www.internationalrivers.org/] , a NGO based in the US.

Located 1.6km below the confluence of the Mali and N'Mai rivers, the
source of the Ayeyarwady River - which bisects the country from north to
south and empties into the Andaman Sea - the dam will be the largest of
seven proposed along the three rivers.

Construction of the Myitsone Dam began at the end of 2009 and is expected
to be completed in 2017. At an expected height of 152m, the dam will be
the 15th largest hydroelectric power station in the world, producing
3,600MW of electricity which Myanmar's military government will sell to
China, bringing in over $500 million annually.

Running out of time

But with the May deadline to leave their homes approaching, many residents
have expressed frustration over the lack of information about how much
compensation they will receive and when.

"We have to leave in just over a month. We should have been told by now,"
complained one.

Officials from the Asia World Company - a Burmese company facilitating the
project - are reportedly calculating land size and property values of
those affected, although no actual date has been confirmed.

"A flawed compensation process that has no independent oversight or
accountability mechanisms is being carried out using intimidation by
military authorities," Ah Nan, a KDNG spokeswoman, claims.

To qualify, each land owner must produce a land title; however, in this
rural state where armed conflicts have been raging for years, most people
inherited their land and do not possess proper deeds, making it unlikely
that they will be compensated at all, she says.

At the same time, those who do qualify may find that only building costs
will be taken into account, and not the land, while calculations of farm
land are based on only rough estimates.

For example, for plantations or orchards, it is assumed that only one tree
is planted every 3m, regardless of how many actual trees are planted.

Moreover, villagers are being forced to sign compensation agreements
regardless of their accuracy in calculating losses, with someone from the
authorities coming to each household to demand their signature, the KDNG
reports.

As a result, some residents are rushing to local authorities to receive
certification letters attesting to ownership – a process many fear will
prove ripe for corruption and bribery.

Meanwhile, those who have viewed the new relocation site where homes are
being built near the village of Kyinkanlonkarzwut, between Myitsone and
Myitkyina, to accommodate those affected, are not happy.

"The houses are very tiny and in a small compound
 It's far short of my
expectations," one woman complained, describing her current home as more
than double the size of the new home being offered.

Risks and resistance

Some residents have even written to the country's ruling military leader.
In October, residents in Tanghpre submitted an open letter to Senior
General Than Shwe detailing their opposition and requesting additional
surveys to determine the dam's long-term impact.

The dam is less than 100km from a major faultline, posing a risk to basin
inhabitants should an earthquake weaken the dam structure or cause
landslides in the reservoir. If the dam were to break during an
earthquake, thousands would be at risk of flooding in Myikyina, Kachin
State's largest city, just 40km downstream, the group warned.

____________________________________

April 6, Irrawaddy
Many won't vote without NLD – Khaing Thwe

Rangoon––In an Irrawaddy survey involving more than 500 people in Rangoon,
nearly half said they do not intend to vote in the upcoming election if
the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), does
not contest it.

The Irrawaddy recently asked 520 Rangoon residents, both men and women,
between the ages of 20 and 70, if they will vote in the election, even
without the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD. Two hundred and
fifty-two persons (48 percent) said they did not want to, while 198
persons (38 percent) said they will vote even if the NLD does not
participate. The remaining 70 declined to answer or said they had not yet
made up their minds.
In the photo taken last year, pedestrians walk by wooden barricades with
barbed wires in Rangoon. (Photo: AP)

“I only support the NLD,” said a 54-year-old construction engineer. “I
voted for the NLD in the last election in 1990. If the NLD doesn't compete
in this year's election, I won't have any party to vote for. I am not
going to cast my ballot.”

A 30-year-old woman said that she will not vote in an election without an
NLD presence as she knows Suu Kyi's party alone. She said that she does
not know any other party and is not interested in them.

“The election will be meaningless without the NLD,” said a student from
the Government Technical College. “All other parties contesting the
election consist of people favorable to the regime. So, I am not going to
vote.”

A majority of those who said they will not vote without the NLD
participating thought the party had made the right decision in not
registering for the election. Some said they had made the decision not to
vote as a means of boycott, because they respect the NLD viewpoint and
decision.

“I don't think the election will be successful if many people, like us, do
not vote,” said a 28-year-old taxi driver. “People need to join hands and
they shouldn't go to the polling station.”

Those who said they will still cast their ballots in the election, with or
without NLD participation, had different reasons for doing so, according
to our survey.

“As a civil servant I have no choice but to vote. I won't be happy if the
NLD doesn't compete in election and I will have to choose another suitable
party and vote for it, but not the USDA [Union Solidarity and Development
Association],” said a 53-year-old office worker.

He added that the regime will force civil servants and military personnel
to vote in the election, and could also arrange to mark their ballots the
way it wanted.

“If I don't go to vote, the authorities will get the chance to use my
ballot,” a female trader said. “I can't let that happen, so I must vote.”

“We should vote because it is our right,” said a teacher in his 60s. “We
must express our opinion. Also, [the election] authorities will convert
our votes into theirs if we don't use them. I have thought about this and
that's why I believe we should all vote.”

Most of those in favor of voting despite the NLD absence said they do not
favor the opposition party decision not to register. Many said that people
should vote in the election because during the 2008 constitutional
referendum the election authorities had transformed unused ballot papers
and advanced voting ballots into “Yes” votes.

A 40-year-old businessman told The Irrawaddy he has yet to think about
whether he will cast his ballot in the coming election, as there will be
no NLD candidate. He said that he will make his decision based on the
political situation at that time.

“The political situation is changing all the time,” said an elderly man.
“It will keep changing, so I can't say yet if I am going to vote.”

He said he believes the NLD was right not to register for the election,
but that he was also concerned that NLD members would be driven out of
politics due to the dissolution of the party, which would be a great loss
for the people of Burma.

“The NLD is the party that was elected by the people,” said a retired
headmistress. “I don't like the way the NLD members made the decision not
to register for the election by themselves. I think they didn't pay
attention to public opinion. People want the NLD to contest the election
and they will vote for them. The NLD would surely win again if genuine
elections were held.”

____________________________________

April 6, Irrawaddy
Burmese PM may lead political party

Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein may leave his current post to head
the new political wing of the government-backed Union Solidarity and
Development Association (USDA), according to sources in Naypyidaw.

Although Thein Sein reportedly wants to retire and is having heart
problems, inside military sources said Snr Gen Than Shwe asked him to
remain and head-up the new political party.
Gen. Thein Sein listens through his earphones as he attends a retreat
session at the 15th Asean Summit in Thailand last year. (Photo: Reuters)

Several government sources said Thein Sein has been told to hand over his
current house and other state-owned properties to the government.  The new
election laws forbid political parties and their candidates from using
state-owned resources, although there is an exemption for resources
officially allotted by the government.

The rumor regarding Thein Sein's future is spreading fast among government
servants, dissident circles and observers inside and outside Burma.

Thein Sein, who is known to be a trusted associate of Than Shwe
(considered to be the patron of the USDA), was named prime minister in
October 2007 and led the National Convention which resulted in the
controversial 2008 Constitution.  In 2001 he was appointed
adjutant-general of the War Office and three years later was promoted to
the Secretary-1 in the regime's ruling council.

Sources said two other high ranking officers and trusted aides of Than
Shwe are expected to take leading roles in the future civilian government:
Gen. Thura Shwe Mann, the joint chief of staff in the armed forces who is
considered the junta's No 3 in command, and Maj-Gen Htay Oo, the minister
of agriculture and irrigation and secretary-general of the USDA.

The 2008 Constitution grants 25 parliamentary seats to the military.  It
is not known if Thein Sein, Thura Shwe Mann and Htay Oo will run for the
junta-sponsored political party as civilian candidates or be appointed to
parliament as military representatives.

Sources say two high level officers close to Than Shwe will not enter the
political arena.  Lt-Gen Myint Swe, head of the Bureau of Special
Operations (5), and Maj-Gen Tin Ngwe, chairman of Mandalay Division, will
reportedly remain in the military.

The USDA was formed in 1993, and according to official documents has 24
million members, almost half the population of Burma.

USDA members held 633 seats, or 58 percent, at the National Convention
convened in 1993 to prepare guidelines for the new constitution.  The
guidelines were finally approved in 2007 and the Constitution was enacted
in 2008.

Opposition group observers say most USDA members are civil servants who
were recruited by harassment and intimidation.  It also includes teachers,
students, business people and political activists.

Many Burmese view the USDA as principally an instrument of the regime that
carries out violent acts against opposition activists and civilians.  The
group has paramilitary members who perform surveillance and search for
dissidents in hiding.

USDA members played a key role in the bloody crackdowns during the 2007
uprising and in a deadly attack on Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade in 2003,
in which 100 people were killed.

In November 2005, Htay Oo publicly told USDA members that if necessary the
association will be turned into a political party.
____________________________________

April 6, Mizzima News
Crony builds massive marquee for Than Shwe kin – Min Thet

Rangoon – A construction firm owned by young crony businessman Zaw Zaw is
setting up a sprawling water festival pavilion next to Inya Lake in
Rangoon for Nay Shwe Thway Aung, a grandson of Senior General Than Shwe.

The pavilion, being built by Max Myanmar Construction lakeside on Pyay
Road, is 500 feet (152 metres) long, almost four times the limit set by
the Rangoon Peace and Development Council.

And, according to sources, the Burmese army’s Rangoon Command is handling
security, the council has banned any other pavilions nearby and arranged
car parking for guests of Nay Shwe Thway Aung, and a DJ has been booked.

A Rangoon City Development Committee official said the length of the
pavilion would contravene festival rules and regulations set by the
council, which limit central pavilions to one for each township in
Rangoon, and their lengths to less than 140 feet. The stages must be no
more than 60 feet wide, 25 feet long and six feet high. At both sides of
the stage, the water-splashing stages must be 40 by eight by five,
respectively.

____________________________________
ASEAN

April 6, Agence France Presse
Myanmar to escape censure at ASEAN summit: observers

Hanoi – Myanmar's widely condemned election plans will loom large at this
week's ASEAN summit, but criticism is unlikely from regional nations with
their own flawed records on rights and democracy, observers say.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is being chaired
by communist Vietnam, a one-party state that is accused of overseeing
deteriorating human rights.

Laos and Cambodia are other members worried about setting a precedent that
would make discussion of human rights more acceptable within the bloc,
said Christopher Roberts, from the University of Canberra, Australia.

"I think that's a central concern," said Roberts, a lecturer in Asian
politics and security.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo has said he will urge
members at the talks to call for a reversal of Myanmar's electoral laws,
which he said contravene the junta's promises to embark on a "roadmap to
democracy."

Myanmar's opposition, the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San
Suu Kyi, said last week it would boycott the ballot -- the first in two
decades -- expected to be held later this year.

Under the new electoral laws, the party would have to expel Suu Kyi if it
wanted to participate because she is serving a prison term. The Nobel
peace laureate has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years.

Without her, the vote cannot be free and fair, say Japan, Australia and
Britain. The United States blamed the ruling junta for the opposition
boycott, saying the regime had missed an opportunity to move forward.

Leaders of ASEAN's 10 members are to hold their talks, a twice-yearly
event, on Thursday and Friday.

Myanmar has always escaped formal censure from the grouping in the past
and observers see virtually no chance of this meeting producing a joint
statement criticising the Myanmar vote.

"They are holding an election. Why are you complaining? This is the
mentality of a lot of the ASEAN," said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at
the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore (ISEAS).

Although a big question mark surrounds the legitimacy of Myanmar's next
government, "not every regime in ASEAN is legitimate anyway," he said.

Thailand's army-backed government, for example, is under pressure from
street protesters demanding snap polls to replace an administration they
say is undemocratic after coming to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote.

The ASEAN summit comes just a few days after its host, Vietnamese Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, held talks in Myanmar with junta leaders.

An Asian diplomat said he expected Dung would have told the ruling
generals that the elections will be under global scrutiny and "need to be
credible".

But Dung would not have pushed the regime to allow Suu Kyi to run in the
polls because Myanmar could then ask Vietnam to release its own prominent
detainees, said the diplomat, who requested anonymity.

Human rights activists say ASEAN's longstanding principle of
non-interference in members' internal affairs also restricts its ability
to criticise Myanmar.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division,
said Vietnam "has consistently resisted efforts to raise human rights
issues within ASEAN."

The bloc's diverse membership ranges from Communist Laos, one of Asia's
poorest nations, to the Westernised city-state of Singapore, the absolute
monarchy of Brunei and the vibrant democracy of Indonesia.

"I see a growing gap in the values within the ASEAN states", which are
divided between conservatives and those -- often led by Indonesia --
seeking change, said University of Canberra's Roberts.

The region is at a crossroads, said Yap Swee Seng, executive director of
Forum-Asia, an umbrella for regional rights groups.

Rapid economic development and rising education levels have created a
strong middle class that is helping to push many countries -- including
Vietnam, but not Myanmar -- from authoritarian-style rule towards more
democratic systems, said Yap.

"The people are demanding more and more participation in the
decision-making," he said, adding the issue is whether regimes will be
able to adapt to those demands.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

April 6, Malaysia Star
Myanmar refugees forced to make a living by seeking alms – Elan Perumal

Klang – They were babies in the arms of their mothers begging in the
streets here. Now 40 years on they are on the very same streets themselves
plying the trade.

And it looks like this “generational handover” of the trade will continue,
as they themselves have their own children either in their arms or running
around nearby begging from pedestrians.

Some of the women reportedly get pregnant often, as beggars carrying
babies are usually more successful in getting the sympathy of passers-by.

The beggars are from a community of Myanmar refugees who first came here
in the 1970s.

Social workers have said three generations are now living here, all of
whom have had to resort to begging to make a living.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

April 6, Bangkok Post
An election in name only – Editorial

Burma's military regime has thrown aside all appearances of democracy and
conciliation. Its new election law bans the opposition from participating
in the coming polls. It gives special privileges to the military elite and
their supporters.

The junta has snuffed out an appeal against the illegal imprisonment of
democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and announced airily that she will be
locked up for the duration of the election.

For these egregious actions, and for its general violence towards its
citizens, Burma's rulers should be ostracised worldwide, and punished if
they step outside their country.

Only a Burmese dictatorship could come up with an illogical plan that bars
political detainees from the political process. Thai Foreign Minister
Kasit Piromya said Thailand intends to lobby Burmese authorities to make
the elections more fair.

Thailand hopes all Burmese can participate, and that the junta will come
to its senses regarding the incarceration of Mrs Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners.

The abhorrent state of politics in Burma is difficult to overstate. Last
month the special United Nations envoy charged with investigating the
country, said that charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity
should be considered. Envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana issued a signed report
that the entire Burmese junta, from Senior General Than Shwe on down, was
guilty of "systematic violations of human rights".

One must never forget that Burma is, in fact, fully capable of conducting
a civilised and democratic election. The army, under some of the very men
who still hold power today, permitted free polls and a nationwide vote in
1990. Mrs Suu Kyi was locked up in the immediate lead-up and on polling
day, but her National League for Democracy (NLD) won an overwhelming
victory.

That election proved that democracy is more than just one day at the
polls. The NLD was never permitted to take its place in parliament, the
army launched a brutal and often violent crackdown to divide and conquer
the election winners, and hundreds were jailed as political prisoners.
Having lost the election, the junta simply stayed in power.

It is now trying to make its despotism legitimate with another election.
The rules, of course, have changed. The army must win so no anti-military
candidates can run, no dissidents can campaign, ward chiefs will keep
track of just how each citizen votes.

By the sham constitution, the farcical vote results will mandate that the
army must always have a deciding voice in the government. To cap it off,
any soldier or member of the regime who may break any political rules or
laws will receive amnesty automatically.

This is the election law which caught in Mr Kasit's throat, as it should
repel anyone who favours democracy. The election laws forbid participation
and bring huge penalties including still more prison time for political
dissidents. The regime members, however, are automatically off the hook.
This is almost a dictionary definition of tyranny.

The world cannot intervene in the internal affairs of Burma, but every
nation and group can display its abhorrence of the Burmese dictatorship.
Mrs Suu Kyi, the NLD political party and all non-violent political
opponents of the government deserve full support.

Right-thinking people must take sides. They can show support for the
opposition and make it clear to the Burmese junta that the election or its
result cannot be respected under current circumstances.

____________________________________

April 6, Inner City Press
UK favors sending Myanmar to ICC, China says it's sovereign, UN's Ban
defers – Matthew Russell Lee

United Nations -- Amid calls to refer the military government of Myanmar
to the International Criminal Court, like Sudan was referred, UK
Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant told the Press on Wednesday that his country
would support such a referral. But, he said, the Security Council lacks
the unanimity necessary for such a referral.

Inner City Press asked China's new Ambassador to the UN Li Baodong what
his country thinks of the Council discussing Myanmar's election laws.
"General elections in a country is a matter of sovereign states," he
replied, "and should be respected." This principle, he said, applies to
Myanmar.

When Lyall Grant emerged to speak about Myanmar, or Burma, Inner City
Press asked him about China position. We disagree, he said, noting that
Myanmar is on the agenda of the Security Council, that it can instability
that is a threat to international peace and security.

But when Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the media, Inner City
Press asked him about Aung San Suu Kyi's call on her National League for
Democracy to not register for the upcoming elections, given how flawed the
election laws are.

"Let me answer tomorrow afternoon," Ban Ki-moon told Inner City Press.
Video here from Minute 7:34, UN transcript below. There will be a meeting
of Ban's Group of Friends on Myanmar, to be addressed by Ban's chief of
staff Vijay Nambiar. We'll be there.

Footnotes: On March 23, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman to confirm
or deny that Ban proposed a former Indonesian foreign minister to replace
Ibrahim Gambari as his envoy to Myanmar, but that Than Shwe vetoed it.
Nesirky said, "that's the first I hear of it," despite the report being
included in an article Nesirky said was the only story alleging that
Nambiar secretly traveled to Myanmar earlier this year.

Inner City Press asked the UK's Lyall Grant if the UK believe that a
permanent replaced for Gambari should be named. His reply noted that
Nambiar is only in the position on an "interim" basis. As Inner City Press
has previously reported, the U.S. has said it prefers not naming a
permanent replacement until after the elections, so that the person is
"not stained" by the elections.


>From the March 24 UN transcript:


Inner City Press: I wanted to ask in the run-up to this meeting with the
Group of Friends of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi has said that her party, the
NLD [National League for Democracy], and other opposition parties,
shouldn't even register for the poll, that the election laws are flawed.
I'm wondering; you convened the meeting, what's your thinking of what the
UN can do, given that the main opponent now wants to boycott it?

SG Ban: let me answer tomorrow afternoon after I have convened the meeting
of the Group of Friends of Myanmar. I need to discuss this matter with the
ambassadors participating in that meeting. I will have a clearer answer,
if you excuse me.

____________________________________

April 3, Irish Times
Elections in Burma - Editorial

THE DECISION this week by Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD), the
party of imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, to boycott the country’s forthcoming
elections was both inevitable and understandable. To do otherwise would
have been to give political credibility to a profoundly flawed election
and equally dubious parliament, and to repudiate both its own leader and
its many jailed activists. The NLD decisively won the last election in
Burma in 1990 – 60 per cent of the vote and 80 per cent of seats – but was
prevented by the military from assuming power.

Some of the opposition in Burma have until recently leaned towards
participating, arguing that doing so would give them a platform, however
limited. But the election, the date of which is expected to be announced
any day, will be no exercise in accountability. In truth it is only a
crude and implausible attempt to legitimise the continued rule of a brutal
military regime.

The parameters for the election are set by the 2008 constitution which
entrenches military power by reserving 25 per cent of seats for the army,
creating a strong new national defence and security council on which the
military retains a majority, and vesting extraordinary powers in the
commander-in-chief. It grants immunity to all members of the current
regime for acts committed in the course of their duties and gives the
military a veto on constitutional change. Reinforced by March 9th
electoral rules, it also bans candidates who are or were in jail for
political offences, requiring parties to exclude them from their ranks or
face dissolution.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years in detention, has
indicated she “would not dream” of entering the elections. And the
respected International Crisis Group reports that “the main reaction of
the populace to it and the forthcoming elections is indifference, rooted
in a belief that nothing much will change”.

Internationally the campaign to isolate the junta has been strengthened by
a report and welcome recommendations by the UN Special Rapporteur Tomas
Ojea Quintana, who describes “a pattern of gross and systematic violation
of human rights” of civilians. The abuses, including killings, rape,
torture, ethnic cleansing and forced labour, were the result of
long-standing state policy, he said. He has rightly urged the UN to
establish a commission of inquiry to investigate war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Burma and to bring charges against members of the
regime.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

April 6, National League for Democracy
A message to the people of Burma (unofficial translation)

1. The National League for Democracy (NLD) was formed with a commitment to
establish democratic system in Burma, which the people of Burma demanded
unanimously during the 1988 nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

Since its inception, NLD has consistently tried to; (1) Establish a true
democratic government in Burma (2) Fully achieve fundamental human rights
(3) Firmly lay the foundation of democracy to prevent the re-emergence of
a dictatorial regime in the future (4) Perpetuate the Union with equality
among all ethnic nationalities (5) Contribute for the peace in the world
by improving the lives and development of the people and stability in the
country of Burma

To achieve these afore-mentioned aims, the NLD leaders and members have
tried to achieve national reconciliation, a necessary and fundamental
requirement of democracy, through a great deal of sacrifices. 2. In the
1990 multi-party general election, NLD won 392 seats out of 485 contested
seats. This was a mandate given by the people of Burma for the NLD to lead
them toward a democratic society. Therefore, the Members of
Parliament-elect of the NLD aimed to achieve national reconciliation,
convene the Parliament, and solve the problems in Burma peacefully. Hoping
to realize meaningful political dialogue with the regime, NLD leaders and
its MPs attended the National Convention, held by then State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC), now called the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC). NLD MPs had participated in the National Convention
process and tried hard to draft a democratic constitution. However, these
attempts were not successful. SPDC refused to convene the Parliament with
the elected MPs, and the rightful Parliament was never allowed to emerge.

3. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of NLD, is deeply committed to solving
the problems by peaceful means through meaningful dialogue. She has tried
hard repeatedly to have a dialogue with the leaders of the military. She
continues to call for a dialogue with the military regime while under
house arrest. As soon as she was released from house arrest (in 1995 and
2000), she continued to call for dialogue.

Aung San Suu Kyi escaped an assassination attempt in the Depayin massacre
in 2003. Even so, she didn’t consider revenge and continued to call for
the military regime to establish a political dialogue. In 2009, she was
again given a prison sentence when an American citizen, Mr. John Yettaw,
arrived at her house unwelcomed. She still continued to call for the
regime to meet and discuss for the interest of the country. In her latest
letter to Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of SPDC, she wrote that “she
requests Senior General to grant a meeting to discuss for the lifting of
economic sanctions”. To sum up, numerous attempts by the NLD leaders,
members, and MPs-elect to establish a system of democracy in Burma and for
national reconciliation were obvious, fully recorded, and have been
ignored by the SPDC, rendering their attempts unsuccessful.

4. Now, the SPDC issued a set of electoral laws, including the Election
Commission Law, Political Parties Registration Law, Peoples’ Parliament
Election Law, National Parliament Election Law, Region (or) State
Parliaments Election Law, and by-laws, with the aim of holding elections
in 2010. These laws are unjust, undemocratic and not in line with the
basic characters of the law. Throughout history, peoples have built their
associations and societies based on justice. When we compared these laws
with the society of the people of Burma, we found that these laws are
obviously not free and fair for our society. They are not in line with
principles of democracy, such as distributive justice, natural equality,
and political equality. These laws also go against universal ethics.
Furthermore, forcing parties to pledge to obey and abide the 2008
Constitution is a violation of democracy and human rights. These laws
ignore the demands of an all-party inclusive election made by the UN
Secretary-General and the international community.

5. Considering these facts, the Central Committee of the NLD met on March
29, 2010, and decided without objection that the NLD shall not re-register
the party at the Election Commission, as the electoral laws issued by the
SPDC are unfair and unjust.

6. Standing by the people, the NLD has made persevering efforts for the
emergence of democracy and national reconciliation while enduring arrests,
punishment, intimidation, disturbances and all sorts of restrictions by
the authorities. Nevertheless, all these efforts were to no avail as a
result of one-sided suppression and annihilation by the authorities. The
NLD would like to sincerely and earnestly apologize to the people of Burma
for these vain attempts.

7. However, the NLD will never turn its back on the people of Burma or on
its struggle for democracy. We pledge to continue to achieve our goals for
democracy through systematic, peaceful and nonviolent means, guided by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, who said that “I would like to speak to the people of
Burma that I will try as much as I can to continue an effort to achieve
democracy in Burma.”

As per decision made by the Central Executive Committee meeting on April
5, 2010
Central Executive Committee National League for Democracy Rangoon

National League for Democracy No 97(B) West Shwegondine Street, Bahan
Township, Rangoon

Translated by US Campaign for Burma