From All Burma Students League (r)

[abslhq1@xxxxxxxxx]

MEDIA RELEASE

Since the time of independence movement, the students and youth of Burma have played a leading role in the affairs of the country. Students took part actively in the struggle for independence against the British colonial role. It was the students who revolted against the military regime in Burma when it staged a coup on March 2, 1962.

After the coup, the students from Rangoon University started a peaceful protest in the university compound. On 7th July 1962, thousands of students who had assembled in the Union Hall were trapped inside and blown up by the military junta. The army also took to indiscriminate firing on the hundreds of students who were assembled outside the Union Hall building. Many students were arrested and some student leaders were ousted to an island and given life imprisonment. That was the beginning of genocide, mass massacre, ruthless and indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens all over the country by the military.

A legendary student leader Ko Ba Hein said in 1938 that it is not enough and dutiful for the students particularly in developing countries just to study and complete their studies but they must be actively involved in the nation's affairs and free the people from any oppression and poverty. Burma students have proved and continue to prove that if they need to heap bones into a mountain for the country, it will be their bones that will be found at the bottom of the mountain. 

To mark the 38th Anniversary of what is known as "The 7th July Massacre" in Burma, we members of All Burma Students League (ABSL) staged a protest rally in New Delhi. Our demands to the military regime in Burma are: 

1.	To release all political prisoners in Burma;
2.	To re-open all the Universities and educational institutions in Burma unconditionally and;
3.	To enter into a political dialogue with the Committee Representing for People's Parliament (CRPP).

We will also urge the Government of India to re-consider its present policy of having a "working relationship" with the military junta in Burma. India's support to democracy to its neighbors, particularly to Burma, is essential for maintaining India's national interest in the region. 

We express our protest against the decision of BIMSTEC (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation) to convene its Fourth BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Burma in February, 2001. The Burmese government, which came into power by killing thousands of peaceful demonstrators in 1988, has been trying to gain international recognition and legitimacy by participating in the regional groupings such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the BIMSTEC.

Central Committee
The All Burma Students League
Date: July 7, 2000: New Delhi


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