STATEMENT ON THE YE OO MASSACRE AND THE CONSEQUENT POLITICAL TURMOIL IN BURMA
We are deeply concerned with the Ye Oo massacre and the consequent political turmoil inside our country where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burma’s Democracy Revolution, have been violently assaulted and seriously injured and many of her followers have been brutally massacred by the military junta.
We strongly condemn the Burmese junta’s so called “protective custody” of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders and demand the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners.
In our careful assessment of the massacre the following important facts have come under the spot-light.
1.
All information reaching us indicates that the incident that ocurred on 30.May at Ye Oo have, infact, been carefully orchestrated by the military junta itself by using convicted criminals with lengthy punishments to create the “clashes“ with the intent to hurt or kill the leaders of the NLD and their followers instead of protecting them;
2.
DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI’s BLOOD HAVE BEEN SHED and many heroes of the democracy revolution have laid down their lives along with Reverend U Pañña Thiri, of Okkan Tawya Monastery, the well known abbot who was acting as a mediator during the incident;
3.
Moreover, the incident has been intentionally timed to coincide with the eve of the UN special envoy to Burma Sri Tun Razali Ismail’s visit to the country to foster the stalled political dialouge between the NLD and the junta;
4.
Ever since the eruption of the historic FOUR EIGHTS REVOLUTION in 1988 Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the leaders of the ethnic nationalities have consistently been calling for political dialogue with the military junta so that Burma’s chronic politcal woes could be peacefully resolved.
In view of the above highlighted factors surrounding the Ye Oo massacre we conclude that :
1.
the Burmese military junta has taken radical steps on the Burmese political stage by vividly showing it’s total lack of respect for our leaders, the people’s representatives, the Buddhist religion, the democratic forces that include the ethnic nationalities and the opinion of the international community and their consistent efforts for peaceful resolution of our political problems through national reconciliation and tripatite dialogue;
2.
the Ye Oo massacre have dramatically changed the political climate that have been in existence since 1988 and rendered all post 1988 political strategy completely irrelevant.
As such, we solemnly call for:
1.
all democratic forces of Burma, inside and outside the country – including the ethnic nationalities, armed or otherwise to seriously reconsider all the post 1988 political strategy and to unitedly lay down and adopt a new political path that could effectively empower the general masses of our entire country to stage a direct dialogue with the military junta with the spirits of the FOUR EIGHTS REVOLUTION strongly attached;
2.
all democratic forces of Burma, including the ethnic nationalities, cease fire groups or otherwise, the political exiles, the soldiers in the armed forces, the students, people of all walks of life including workers and farmers etc. and the international community that have consistently supported our struggle for freedom, democracy and federalism not to have any illusions anymore on the military junta and to remain alert and vigilant and to prepare for the worst scenerios in the immediate future while frimly keeping in mind that this incident marks the turning point in our struggle for freedom and the beginning of the end of military facist era in our country;
3.
the General Secretary of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, to personally enter the country and effectively intervene and help the elected people’s representatives of the 1990 general election convene People’s Parliament as soon as possible by taking into serious consideration the recent statement of the Nobel Peace Laureate that “the political, economic and social problems facing the nation today can best be solved by convening and working through the People’s Parliament.”
The CHIN FORUM
Ottawa, Canada
4th. June 2003
