"Building a democratic society based on freedom, national reconciliation, social justice, equality and human rights. The Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS) was formed in October 1988 in order to continue Burma's unfinished democratic struggle, which was suppressed by the brutal military regime. The DPNS, with a large support base amongst the youth, including students, has played a vital role in 1990s. With its firm objectives, the DPNS demanded that the military regime, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), must allow for the formation of an interim government, the fair and free multi-party elections and fundamental democratic rights. Many young people shared their aspirations with the DPNS and it became the second largest party in Burma, approximately 250,000 members and more than 120 branch offices countrywide. The DPNS was the second largest party next to the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, though it allies with the NLD, and is closely working for its political campaigns. The DPNS along with the students unions, supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's civil disobedience campaigns and assisted strengthening the NLD's election campaigns. Despite the DPNS as a strong grassroots supported party, the party decided rather to favor the NLD for a landslide victory and not split votes between the NLD and the DPNS. After the 1990 election, the military regime mainly targeted the DPNS and severely suppressed the party's political activities by arresting a number of its members, approximately 1,500 of its core members, included the party leaders were detained. Many of the party members were sentenced to long prison terms with hard labors. Until now, about a hundred are still behind bars in various prisons throughout Burma. As a result the DPNS Central Committee made a decision to move its headquarters into the liberated area along the Burma-Thailand border in order to continue its struggle against the military regime. The party reestablished its political headquarters in November 1991 at Manerplaw near the Burma-Thailand border where many democratic organizations and the ethnic armed forces were stationed and were fighting against the military regime. Later, the party joined and became an active member of the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB), and the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB). The Party leaders took up various leading roles in those organizations. Currently the DPNS is working to strengthen civil society inside Burma, advocating for democracy and human rights in Burma while continuing to secure its ethnic and international allies. At the same time, the DPNS is building up the capacities of party members with educational and professional trainings (organizational and management skills; policy studies; public administration; and international relations and diplomacy) to be a competent professional political party in the future Burma."