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Joint Statement on the Burmese Host



Subject: Joint Statement on the Burmese Hostage Crisis in Bangkok

October 2, 1999

Joint Statement on the Burmese Hostage Crisis in Bangkok

We wish to offer our moral support to the families of the hostages at this
difficult time.  We are committed to ensuring a speedy and safe return of
the hostages to their families.

We call upon the Thai authorities and those occupying the Burmese Embassy
to resolve the hostage crisis in a peaceful, non-violent way as soon as
possible.  As organizations from Burma, Thailand and the region which
support human rights and democracy, we offer our fullest cooperation to all
sides in order to achieve a peaceful and speedy resolution.

Further, we call upon the international community including Asean
governments in particular, to make a genuine commitment to pursue a
peaceful political solution to the problems in Burma.  The event is a grim
reminder that there are consequences for failing to achieve peaceful
positive changes in Burma.  The international community has a moral
obligation to actively support non-violent means to resolve conflicts and
to increase the capacity of non-violent organizations to pursue such
processes.

This is also a "wake up call" for Asean to be actively involved in
resolving conflicts before they explode into violence.  The best way to
prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring in Asean's front yard is
to engage in a peaceful, political process at the early stages.

We also urge the local authorities not to embark on a security backlash
against exiled organizations that have been actively pursuing non-violent
means to achieve human rights and democracy in Burma.  Hunting down such
organizations will only diminish the voices and abilities of non-violent
groups.  We are confident that all these groups will actively co-operate
with the authorities in their investigations if their security is not
threatened.

Finally, we urge the Thai authorities NOT to hand over the guilty parties
to the Burmese military authorities. These people should be subjected to
the Thai legal process. Handing them over to the Burmese military would
worsen a difficult situation.

Forum-Asia (Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development)
Foreign Affairs Committee, National Council of the Union of Burma
Friends Without Border Project
Campaign for Popular Democracy
CCHROT (Coordinating Committee of Human Rights Organisations in Thailand)
Student Federation of Thailand
TACDB (Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma)
Union for Civil Liberty
Altsean-Burma (Alternative Asean Network on Burma)

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A L T S E A N - B U R M A
Alternative Asean Network on Burma
Tel: 66 2 275 1811 * Fax: 66 2 693 4515
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