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ABSDF URGES EU TO BE TOUGH ON BURME (r)



Subject: ABSDF urges EU to be tough on Burmese military regime

ABSDF urges EU to be tough on Burmese military regime

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) urges the European Union
(EU) to maintain its tough stance on Burma and reconsider allowing the
attendance of Burma at the Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting.

The reported recent softening in the EU's policy on Burma contrasts with the
increasing severity of the junta's approach to the pro-democracy opposition
in Burma.

Burma's membership of Asean has been a stumbling block in Asean-EU relations
since it joined the grouping in 1997. Two years of Asean membership has not
lessened the junta's oppression of its own people. In contrast, the EU's
stance in refusing to recognize the Burmese military regime has reflected
the international condemnation of the military's human rights record.

Since joining Asean, the Burmese military has jailed, tortured, and given
long prison terms to thousands of pro-democracy supporters, particularly
targeting the National League for Democracy (NLD). In only the last
fortnight Thet Win Aung, a student activist, was given 52 years imprisonment
with hard labour for working to promote democracy in Burma, the harshest
prison sentence yet meted out to a political activist.

The EU should be mindful of the fact that all forms of human rights
violations, including forced labour, relocation, extortion, confiscation of
farming land, burning and looting of villages and extra-judicial killings in
ethnic nationality areas have continued unabated.

The junta has also ignored repeated calls by the opposition for political
dialogue, which offers an honourable means of solving the country's
long-standing conflict, with all sides participating on an equal footing.

The ABSDF urges the EU not to allow any members of the Burmese military to
participate in the Asean-EU Ministerial meeting unless there have been
substantial improvements in the human rights situation in Burma, including
the release of all political prisoners; and the regime has taken concrete
steps to enter into dialogue with the leaders of the NLD, including Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.

All Burma Students' Democratic Front