A protest by ABSL against UNHCR's m (r)

[S_AUNG@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject:       A protest by ABSL against UNHCR's maltreament

INDIAN STUDENTS AND YOUTH SUPPORT
BURMA'S DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT

"A Solidarity Meet on Restoration
of Democracy in Burma" is jointly
organized by the All Burma
Students League (ABSL) and eight
Indian national student and youth
organizations in New Delhi on
18th September 1996. This is a
programme the students and youths
of India express their
wholehearted support and
solidarity to the Burmese
students and youth for their
relentless struggle for democracy
in the country. The eminent
speakers from different political
parties of India are speaking at
the occasion in support of
democratic movement in Burma. 

The Programme

Date      :    18th September 1996
venue          :    Constitution Club,
                    New Delhi
Timing    :    12:00 to 3:00 PM
Organized by   :    SFI,AISF, AIYF,
                    AISA,AISB, CJD,
                    YJD,NSUIand
                    ABSL

Speakers :


Mr. Rajan Mazumdar - Secretary
                                   (CPI)
Mr. D.D Shastri  -Vice President
                         (Forward Bloc)
Ms. Kumidini Pati  - Spokesperson
                         (CPI-ML)
Mr. Prakash Karat  - Politbureau
                         Member (CPI-M)
A Representative   - Congress
A Representative   - Janata Dal
Mr. Myat Thu      - President,
                         ABSL


The participants of the Seminar
will join the Burmese democratic
forces for their planned
demonstration nearby the Burmese
Embassy in New Delhi at 3:20 PM.



Reported by the All Burma
Students League 




The Joint-Statement
    On the Eight Anniversary of Military Coup In
Burma
     
It has been already eight years that the military
regime, namely State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC), is in power in Burma. On 18th
September 1988, the Burmese Army led by General
Saw Maung staged a bloody coup to crackdown the
nation-wide people's uprising in the country. It
is estimated that 3,000 peaceful demonstrators,
mostly students and youths, who were demanding
for the political and economic changes in the
country were killed by the soldiers between
September 18-21, 1988. Although the elections
were held in May 1990, the SLORC did not hand
over power to the National League for Democracy
(NLD) which got the landslide victory in the
election. Instead, the military junta still
continues its utmost brutal suppression to the
people's desire for the restoration of democracy
in Burma.

Even though the dictators of Burma have been
using the most brutal methods in suppressing the
democratic movement, the revolutionary spirit of
the Burmese people is more than ever strong. We
salute to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all the
Burmese democratic forces for their relentless
struggle against the military regime in Burma.

On this day of the 8th anniversary of military
takeover in Burma, we, the students and youths of
India 

     express our wholehearted support and
     solidarity to the Burmese students and
     youths who have been waging a continuous
     struggle for the democratic changes in
     Burma;

     condemn the ruling military junta in Burma
     for the denial of human rights in the
     country and for its holding state power
     without the mandate of the people;

     demand the military government to release
     all political prisoners, including student
     leaders, and to make necessary steps for the
     immediate transfer of power to the elected
     representatives of the 1990 elections;

     urge the SLORC to accept Daw Aung San Suu
     Kyi's offer of dialogue to solve the
     country's problems on the table;

     demand the Government of India to help the
     Burmese democratic forces in their struggle
     for democracy and extend humanitarian
     assistance to the Burmese political refugees
     in India.

S/d-
Students Federation of India (SFI), National
Students Union of India (NSUI), All India
Students Front (AISF), All India Youth Front
(AIYF), Yuva Janata Dal (YJD), Chhatra Janata Dal
(CJD), All India Students Association (AISA), All
India Students Bloc (AISB)

18th September 1996, New Delhi.








                                   Statement of
the 8th Anniversary of 
               A Military Take-over In Burma
                                   
Today, 18th September 1996, completes eight years
of robbing the state power by a clique of
military leaders who have been dictatorially
ruling Burma for more than three decades. When we
analyze this incident of last eight years, we
will see that it was not a military coup but
rather an act of "new" military dictators to save
their "old-master" military dictators. By taking
over the state power forcefully, the new military
leaders had bluntly turned down the demands of
the whole people of Burma for the establishment
of justice, peace and democracy in the country.
The Burma Army, which was born out of the freedom
struggle of the country, was misused by the
military dictators to protect their self-interest
and their nearly-falling power structure. 

On this day of last eight years, the peoples of
Burma from all walks of life demonstrated
unitedly and peacefully on the streets that they
did not want the oppressive rule of the military
dictators who were socialists in disguise and
they wanted restoration of democracy and human
rights in the country. A group of power monger
dictators, however, shot down the peaceful
demonstrators, not sparing even children and the
aged. We all remember this horrific incident in
which blood of our country men and women streamed
on the streets of our domiciles. Although it has
been eight years already completed, we can still
smell the blood of martyrs and we believe that
their souls are still with us in the fight
against the military dictatorship in Burma.

Even though the dictators have used the most
brutal methods in suppressing the people's
movement, the revolutionary spirit of the people
is more than ever strong. To pacify the strong
spirit of the people and to hood-wink the people
both inside and outside Burma, the ruling
military junta, namely State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) had promised in 1990
that a multi-party election would be held and the
state power would be handed over to the winning
party as soon as possible. However, contrary to
want they had said, the SLORC imprisoned Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi who is the General Secretary of the
National League for Democracy (NLD) and other
political activists including hundreds of student
leaders.

When the NLD got landslide victory in the
elections, the SLORC changed their words and
tune. "The Constitution of the country has to be
withdrawn first, before handing over the state
power to the winning party" with its participants
being handpicked by the junta was convened by
force in order to write a constitution which will
guarantee a long-life military dictatorial rule
in Burma. Therefore, the people's elected
representatives of the NLD had withdrawn from the
"National Convention". The NLD organized its own
convention in May 1996 and decided to write a
true Constitution of the nation by itself. The
military responded it by arresting more than 250
Members of Parliament and some of them were
killed in the custody.


Dear the oppressed people of Burma,

Burma is deteriorating day by day in its all
aspects of politics, economy, social welfare,
education and health under the rule of military
dictators. The underlying reason of all the
problems Burma is now facing is that Burma lacks
a true administrative system and the ability of
solving political problems with political means.
The people's leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
ethnic national leaders have proposed to hold a
dialogue with the military leaders to solve the
country's problems politically. However, the
military leaders being overwhelmed by fear are
still relentlessly refusing to talk with Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and ethnic national leaders. Although
the SLORC has made "temporary" cease-fire with
some 15 armed ethnic groups, the civil war is
still flaming in Burma.

Therefore, we urge the people of Burma to
continue the struggle for peace, freedom and
welfare of the country and pressurize the ruling
military leaders to accept the offer of dialogue
for a genuine national reconciliation in Burma.


Central Committee
All Burma Students League

Date : 18th September 1996