[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Activists Urge ASEAN Regional Forum



Subject: Activists Urge ASEAN Regional Forum: Get your act together

For immediate release: July 28, 1997
MEDIA RELEASE
ACTIVISTS URGE ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM: GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER 

Kuala Lumpur: A network of more than 40 Asean-based organisations today
renewed their call for members of the Asean Regional Forum to implement with
determination and firmness a co-ordinated and comprehensive strategy to
ensure a prompt cessation of human rights violations and a restoration of
democracy in Burma.

"Back-biting and negative criticism of each other's approach is pointless.
Ego clashes are not going to benefit the 48 million people of Burma who
continue to suffer behind the facade staged by an oppressive military
regime," said ALTSEAN-BURMA Coordinator Ms Debbie Stothard. ALTSEAN-BURMA
(Alternative Asean Network on Burma) is a network of activist groups, NGOs,
academics and political leaders. 

The Network pointed out that Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council
(Slorc) have failed to honor the outcome of the election it held in 1990, in
which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 82% of the seats while the
Slorc-backed National Unity Party won only 5%.

Burma's military junta has steadily increased military expenditure at the
expense of health and education. More than 40% of the budget is spent on
arms and soldiers while a paltry 4% is allocated to health. Universities and
schools remain closed by the military regime. More than half the country's
children are experiencing severe malnutrition. The HIV/AIDS epidemic
continues unchecked. The World Health Organization estimates that there are
500,000 Burmese infected with the virus. Burma remains the world's largest
producer of heroin and opium.

In Burma's frontier areas, the military continue to attack Burman and ethnic
communities, causing more than 200,000 people to flee into neighboring
countries. An estimated 2 million people continue to be used as forced labor
- a significant number of them are children. The past year has also seen
unprecedented harassment of the government-elect by the Slorc and NLD leader
Aung San Suu Kyi remains under virtual house arrest.

Despite the inflow of foreign investment, the Slorc's mismanagement of the
economy has precipitated a massive foreign exchange crisis which has seen
the market rate of the kyat plunge from 180 to 300 kyat per US dollar in the
past month. The market rate is seen to be the most realistic rate in
comparison to the other 3 rates of exchange maintained by the Slorc.
(Official: 6 kyat per US dollar, Foreign Exchange Certificate rate: 180 kyat
per US dollar, Customs rate: 150 kyat per US dollar).

 "It is a matter of urgency that the Asean Regional Forum facilitates
tripartite dialogue between the Slorc, the democracy movement and ethnic
nationality groups. The so-called National Convention to produce a new
constitution is a grossly inadequate forum since only 3% of the convention
is elected.

"Tripartite dialogue is the way forward out of Burma's troubles. It is the
responsibility of Asean and its dialogue partners to ensure this happens as
soon as possible," stressed Ms Stothard. 

The Asean Meetings in Kuala Lumpur have been a target of widespread protest
because of the Slorc's formal acceptance as a member.  Protest actions have
taken place in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan and other parts of the
world.
ENDS

For more details please call Bangkok tel: 662 275 1811 / 693 4515 
or Kuala Lumpur 60 10 224 3016 / 010 224 3016