STATEMENT FROM ALL WOMEN ORGANISATI

[bwunion@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: STATEMENT FROM ALL WOMEN ORGANISATION IN BURMA (in English)

International Women's Day
Statement From All Women Organizations of Burma.

To acknowledge the roles of women in the struggles for equality, the love
of truth, peace and 
development, March the 8th  has been recognized the International 
Women's Day__ as a result of solidarity of women throughout the world. In
order to encourage women to participate actively in the struggles for
ethnic rights, cultural rights, economical rights and political rights of
women, the 1975 United Nations General Assembly recognized the date the
International Women's Day.  

As the belief that everyone is equal in building a peaceful and humane
world regardless of their sexes is becoming more widespread in modern
societies, along with the notion of making the world a better place to live
with  collective ideas, visions and policies,__ we deeply believe that
women groups of Burma should work hard to improve the lives of women from
all ethnical backgrounds. Our beloved Burma has been under the military
dictatorship for more than 30 years and democracy  and human rights have
been confined to the miasma of political nadir. The lives of ethnic Burmese
women had deteriorated more than ever. As long as there are military rulers
who do not heed human rights dominate the politics of Burma, we believe
that there will be no chance for paving the way for women's rights under
the junta. 

As for the military leaders sponsored ' Myanmar Women Affairs Committee',
we believe that it is not an independent organization, and it is unable to
solve the deepening problems of  women in Burma; women who are forcibly
relocated , women who are forced to take refuge illegally in neighboring
countries, refugee women who are struggling for their safety and survival,
pregnant women who suffered ugly deaths during the armed conflict  and
women who were raped by soldiers of the junta. 'Working Group for
Protection of Women from Violence and Rehabilitation' is a sub-committee of
'Myanmar Women Affairs Committee' and their slogan is: ' we have the duty
to protect women from psychological violence.' The irony and reality is the
above so called 'women organisation' is unable to do anything to ensure the
safety of  a Burmese woman who is a Nobel laureate, a democratic leader and
a public leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other women political  prisoners

who are in ill health due to both violent psychological and physical
onslaughts of the military junta's propaganda machinery. 

Because of the above reasons, our opposition groups' women organisations
take the responsibility to struggle for the fall of military dictatorship,
emergence of democracy and human rights, and rebuilding of a Federal system
in Burma. We will fight for peace in Burma in tandem, hand in hand with
other groups who are fighting against the junta. With this statement, we
demand the following points to the State Peace and Development  Council
(SPDC)  and strongly urge them to comply in accordance with the wish of the
Burmese people as a whole. 

[1] STOP uncultured and unfounded personal attacks and smears on the
democratically elected leader of Burma, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

[2] RELEASE  all women political prisoner who are aged and whose health
condition are deteriorating including Daw Kyi Kyi, Daw San San and Daw San
San Nwe (Thaeawaddy)

[3] ALLOW  to form independent women organizations who  genuinely represent
all 
the voices of women in Burma. 

[4] CALL a meeting immediately to discuss face to face with the National
League For Democracy [NLD] led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other ethnic
leaders in Burma.

For a peaceful and better Burma:

Karen Women Organisation[Thai-Burma border]
Chin Women Organisation [ New Delhi]
Women Rights and Welfare Association of Burma [New Delhi]
Karenni National Women Organisation [ Thai-Burma Border]
Lahu Women Organisation [ Thai-Burma Border]
Tavoy Women Union [Thai-Burma Border]
Burmese Women Union [Thai-Burma Border]