No Subject Given

[bakatha@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

To,
The President of the Council of the European Union.
175, Rue de la Loi.
B- 1048 Brussels.
Belgium.

>From, 
Foreign Affairs? Committee.
All Burma Federation of Student Unions.
(71/7) 706
Soi 109, Latpharao Rd,
Bangapi, Khlong Chan
Bangkok 10240
Thailand.

Bangkok, 2 March, 1999


Sub: To maintain the E.U. Council?s policy towards the ASEM meeting:


Your Excellency,

We, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), would like to
express our appreciation for the decision made previously by the E.U
concerning the ASEAN-Europe Ministerial Meeting (ASEM) that should have
taken place in December, 1998. Especially, we praise the Council of the
European Union for having drawn the attention to the ongoing violations of
human rights in Burma, and for the decision by the E.U. to isolate the
Burmese military regime from the international community.

	The current military regime is an illegitimate government that seized
power by force in September, 1988 and promised to hand it over to a
democratically elected government. It has since refused to do so although a
parliament was elected through free and fair elections in 1990. The regime
has not only failed to convene the People?s Parliament according to
political demands inside the country, but it has also taken a certain
number of measures intended to reinforce its grip on power. Instead of
entering into a dialogue with the opposition and elected Members of
Parliament, the regime has been opposing the people?s wishes as expressed
through the ballot box in 1990, and is forcing these MPs to resign from
their posts through unlawful and illicit actions taken against them. The
military has also been arresting a large number of student activists and
members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu
Kyi, the party that won a landslide victory in the election of 1990. There
are currently an estimated 3,000- 5,000 political prisoners in Burma,
including about 2,000 student activists.

		The ruling junta intends to deceive the international community by
promising to open up for discussions on human rights, by dispatching
delegations to conduct international lobbying, and by pretending to
initiate political reforms. The purpose of these acts is just to improve
its image abroad and get international support so that it can continue to

suppress the people in Burma. Actually, the political situation and the
human rights records of Burma show practically no progress. The only
political prisoners who have been released are those who have completed
their sentences. There is no reason to praise the regime for the release of
Dr. Ma Thida, as the junta is still intimidating and arresting a large
number of pro-democracy activists and members of opposition groups.

		Currently, the military has launched several attacks on ethnic forces,
particularly the Karen National Union (KNU), and is thus responsible for
the influx of more refugees to the Thai-Burma border and the increased
number of internally displaced persons inside Burma.

		It is a great encouragement for the people inside Burma, who are
suffering because of the lack of democracy and human rights, that the
international community is denouncing the Burmese regime and putting
pressure on the junta to cease its oppression of the people. Such acts
illuminate people?s hopes in their struggle for a better future. 

The ABFSU believes that this is an appropriate time for the EU countries to
push for a progress in Burma?s human right records and to keep on isolating
the regime as long as it fails to fulfil internationals requests for
political reforms.
		
We therefore earnestly appeal to the Council of European Union and to
member countries of the Council to;

·	Maintain the present E.U. policy towards the Burmese military regime,
i.e. not to allow the Burmese government to attend the ASEM meeting that
will be held in March, 1999.
·	Pressure the ASEAN countries, who are the main proponents for the Burmese
regime?s participation in international forums, to push the military junta
to initiate reforms to solve the current political crisis in Burma. 


According to the decision of ABFSU, 



Foreign Affairs? Committee.
All Burma Federation of Student Unions. 



Attachments:

1. Update information (1/99 Information)
2. Brief about Bakatha(ABFSU)( 2/99 Information)
3. More information about the long-term imprisonment of students and youths. 
4. Statements upon the long-term imprisonment of students and youths.

Copy to:
E.U embassies in Bangkok, Thailand.