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A Student in Canada pleas Democracy



Subject: A Student in Canada pleas Democracy in Burma

CARLETON UNIVERSITY STUDENT'S PLEA FOR DEMOCRATIC BURMA
by Mike Leon
Charlatan Staff (Charlatan Newspaper)
Photo by Rian Nakashima

	There is a wide range of international students at Carleton 
University, but four students in particular have seen the effects of 
military dictatorship ruled Burma firsthand.
	Daniel Hlaing Bwa, Honors Program in Political Science, Sai Kya
Aye, Honors Program in Political Economy, May, Master Program in Public 
Administration Third World Development Stream, Chit Moe Swe, Economics,
came to Canada and Carleton last three years after a military crackdown
on democracy movements in Burma eight years ago.
	"As young students with lack of political experiences, the main
reason of we left from Burma to Burmese-Thai border was to fight for
democracy with an armed struggle," say Hlaing Bwa, former General
Secretary of No.102 student regiment in Burmese-Thai border, "after three
fruitless years, we knew that democracy can't be maintained with armed
revolution, because it is not communist revolution,"..."let me say that 
it is an only mental revolution, as you know what happened in human history
that every armed struggles and violent revolutions carried out the new 
tyrants and tyranny regime,"..."no one can prove that who ever seen the
succeeded democratic armed revolution in the world history- past, present, 
and future."
	Even the former socialist elites and current SLORC elites in
Burma, now changed Myanmar, are uneducated, and many haven't completed
high school although Burma has a lot of educated people compare with other 
Third World countries.
	"You know rattle brains have been ruling Burma's infrastructure for
more than three decades, and what the result is today Burma," say Hlaing Bwa. 
"Former so-called president Sein Lwin is an only forth-grade educated, and 
Generals' General (laughing) Saw Maung, retired chief and founder of SLORC,
is an only seven-grade educated." "And what about SLORC's superstars Than
Shwe, Khin Nyint, Myo Nyint who ran the country today, they are not
educated too." "Do you believe that such idiots can ran the country to
reach the world  level of status?"
	The coordinator Christine Armstram from Canadian Friend of Burma
says that the goals CFB are "to raise awareness and educate people on the 
issue of facing Burmese citizens." She says the group is strongly dedicated
to preserving human rights by putting pressure on the Canadian Government
to implement stronger policies on items such as arms embargo which began
in 1988.
	"We feel that Canadian (government) should become a strong 
international actor against the military regime in Burma." says Armstram.
"We have to adopt a strong voice." The Canadian friends strongly believe
that there is a lot that Canadian can do. "We may not be a superpower, but
we are still highly respected in international affairs," Armstram adds.
	This is done to make sure that Canadian investors are not using the 
situation in Burma into benefit themselves financially. If the friends of
Burma saw multinational companies come into Burma and exploit people
living there, even to the point of staging a major boycott.
	Hlaing Bwa says many international companies in Burma use Burmeses
for their self-interest. "Today's Third World is the worker barracks of
the First World; in fact, hunger Third World people like Burmeses are
change to cheap laborers for the First World, and the benefits from
foreign investments are changed to buy the arms and ammunition to fulfil
the SLORC's arsenal to kill the Burmese peoples. This is not only the real 
circulation of the relationship between First World and the Third World,
but also the really primary curriculum of the world today." "This is the
time to get the privileges that the First World's investors and Burmese
dictators have destined to rape the Burma and Burmeses."
	"We know that the differences between First World policy makers
and their economic sectors," says Hlaing Bwa. "Rich persons never obeyed
to the politicians, but in many times politicians obeyed the tycoons, isn't
it?" "You can see that what Bill Clinton mentioned and what his American
companies did, what Jean Christian said and what Canadian investors did,
and what Japanese government talked in Diet and what Japanese companies
did in Burma." "Let say them, they should 'talk the talk ... and walk the
walk."
	"Who want the Khun Sa right now? They promulgated $2 mil award for
whom caught drug-war load. Why don't they announce to catch the real drug
traffickers and murders, SLORC elites, ridiculous?" "We know such First
World's rhetoricians also did their self-interest alone. let me prove that 
what about the Rwanda tragedy with UN and U.S. In real, First World, if they
have no benefit, they won't intervene there. Just like Khun Sa case: Khun
Sa kills the thousands of American youths each year, but SLORC doesn't - SLORC
kills Burmese people only." "So what do you think, Khun Sa is more important
than the SLORC for U.S., they may be right."
	"Thinks for some NGOs, and damn for some NGOs" say Hlaing Bwa.
"Some NGOs have rules and regulations that how to act and intervene in
Burma affairs, but some NGOs have no rule that they are proud of
themselves as the real helpers. They believed that every anti-SLORC
person or group must be help by them. They don't know really such the ways
they did are worse than before for our people and more powerful than to
the SLORC." "In many times, all SLORC's enemies are not our peoples' 
friends."
	"This is easy to criticize and analyze that the answers of what
happened here in the Third World's emancipate countries like Burma or else 
other for years or crnturies, and what is the world need to prepare for its
human beings in the long term are fundamental results that what should
the First World try to act the Third World affairs today." "Don't you 
believe that the future of our planet is depending on today's relationship
between First World and the Third World in which democracy and related
human rights, environmental issue, peace and arms control, population
control, and feminism, are essential and fundamental?"	
	One way to encourage Burmese students to study at Carleton is the 
offer of undergraduate and graduate bursaries. There is one $500 for
undregraduate student and $250 bursaries for graduate students. The
decision on who gets the bursary is based on two factors: financial need
and area of focus while at the university.