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Press Release & Transcript of DASSK



Subject: Press Release & Transcript of DASSK Video Statement

Press Release
Tuesday 12th October 1999


Presentation of Video Message by
Dawn Aung San Suu Kyi,
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and
Leader of the National League for Democracy


Sponsored by the Danish IPU Delegation

For the first time Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will address the IPU conference by a
video smuggled out of Burma. Also present is a delegation of Burmese MPs in
exile seeking for stronger support from the IPU and parliamentarians around the
globe. They will draw attention to the current situation of the elected MPs in
Burma, where parliamentarians has been denied the rights to convene for 9
years. For this reason the NLD have set up the Committee Representing the
People?s Parliament (CRPP) to act on behalf of parliament until the official
parliament can be conveyed. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi appeals to the world to
recognise the committee as genuinely representative of the people of Burma.
Currently more than 40 MPs of the National League for Democracy and numerous
members and leaders of parties representing different ethnic groups have been
arrested and incarcerated.

Please come to the video presentation and meet with:  
U Bo Hla Tint, (MP-elect, Mogok-2 Constituency) 
National League for Democracy 
NCGUB Minister for North and South American Affairs

U Tint Tut, (MP-elect, Einme-1 Constituency) 
National League for Democracy

Dr. Myint Cho (Director of the Burma office, Sydney)



Venue:  Room 17/18 - Internatinal Press Center
Date:           Tuesday 12th October, 4:00 p.m.
Agenda: Introduction by Mr. Henning Gjellerød, Head of the Danish Delegation
                Screening Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
                Comments by U Bo Hla Tint and U Tint Tut
                Press Conference


Responsible for this release:           Henning Gjellerød.
Press Contact:                          Trine Johansen Tel.: +47 951 49 875




Message to the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference by

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, 
General Secretary National League for Democracy and 
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Produced by:
PD Burma
Altsean

Strictly Embargoed, 4.00 PM, October 12th 1999

May I start by extending the greetings of the Committee Representing the
People's Parliament to the 102nd Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. 

The CRPP was founded last year to represent the parliament that was elected by
the people of Burma in 1990. Nine years have gone by but the MPs who were
elected by the democratic will of the people have still not been allowed to
perform their duties. It is our intention that Burma follows the democratic
process in a non-violent systematic way that we may establish a good precedent
for good generations to come. This is the main reason why we insist that the
parliament that is elected by the people in 1990 must be allowed to convene and
must be allowed to take up their duties.

With regard to the recent happenings in East Timor, it has been said that the
democratically expressed will of the people should not be flouted and should
not be overturned through violence and intimidation. This is exactly what
happened in Burma nine years ago. The democratically expressed will of the
people was overturned through violence and intimidation. 

We depend on parliamentarians all over the world to support us in our just
cause. We would like to thank all of you who have given us your sympathy, your
moral support and your practical help. The concern for the IPU has shown for
those MPs who are in detention in Burma has been a tremendous boost to our
morale. More than 40 MPs still remain under detention. 

They remain under detention because they refuse to reject the will of the
people and stand by their principles that the democratically elected parliament
must be allowed to meet. Our MPs will do their duty until the very end and the
CRPP will represent them until they are allowed to convene. 

We would like parliamentarians from all over the world to take a greater
interest in what is going on in Burma. This is not because we are concerned
with our own country alone. This is because we want to establish the democratic
principles must be allowed to work in the name of justice in peace. 

We believe in democracy because we believe that democracy is the only system
that ensures respect for basic human rights and without basic human rights
there can be no peace in our world. When the Burmese parliament is allowed to
meet, we are confident that it will represent the true will of the people and
that the true will of the people of Burma will go a long way towards assisting
democracy and peace in our region and in the world. 

It is now over a year since many of our MPs were taken into detention. Some
have been released because of ill-health or extreme over age. There are those
who have been forced to give up their duties as members of parliament, although
it is a little ironic to say that they have been forced to give up their duties
because they have never been allowed to take up their duties anyway. Before
they have even been allowed to act as members of parliament they have been made
to resign. This of course is unacceptable because under the democratic
precedent laid down by our previous democratic government, no MP can resign
without the consent of our People's Parliament.  And since the parliament has
not met, none of our MPs can be made to resign. There is no channel by which
they can resign. 

So as far as the CRPP is concerned, all those MPs elected in 1990 who are still
alive today remain the representatives of the people who elected them. We make
no distinction between the MPs from our party, the National League for
Democracy and those MPs from other parties. The Committee Representing the
People's Parliament represents not just the National
League for Democracy but also four other parties, all representing different
ethnic groups. Because of that we are confident the CRPP has the support of the
whole country. Ours is a union of different peoples and it is a very good sign,
it is a most auspicious sign that the CRPP represents different ethnic
nationalities. 

When democracy comes to Burma, we hope that we may be able to make our own
contribution towards the progress of justice and peace in the world. But until
that time comes, we would like to call upon our friends all over the world to
help us in our struggle. 

To struggle on a daily basis against a dictatorial military regime is not an
easy business. Many of our people have suffered grievously and some are still
suffering but they continue with their struggle because of their deeply held
beliefs in the ability of the human race to do better for
themselves now than they have done in the past. We believe that humanity is
capable of progress, which is not to say that we are not aware of our own
weaknesses. But we believe that we have the ability to overcome these
weaknesses. But in our times of trial, we would like to call upon our friends
to help us to combat our own weaknesses as well as the harshness and injustices
of our enemies. 

I would like to conclude by thanking all of you and all those others who have
helped us in our struggle for democracy and who are helping to establish
democracy all over the world.

Thank you.

PD Burma
Welhavensgt. 1
0880 Oslo
Norway

Telephone: + 47 22 98 90 05
Telefax:      + 47 22 11 49 88
Mobil Tel.: + 47 95 14 98 75
E-mail:        pdburma@xxxxxxxxx
Homepage: http://www.worldviewrights.org/pdburma.html