CHRAIP PRESS RELEASE

[ojasti@xxxxxxxxxx]

PRESS RELEASE  JUNE 19TH 1994



Dear friends,

We are writing this urgent request on behalf of the 43 million 
hostages of Burma who are under the most repressive military regime 
the world have ever seen. Burma was under military dictatorship 
since Gen. Ne Win seized the state power in 1962 and the country 
turned from rich in natural resources to a pauper country with the 
status of one of the least developed countries (LDC) in the world. 

After nation wide demonstration to get democratic reforms in 1988 
thousands of demonstrators were killed and arrested by the brutal 
crack-down of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) 
It is reported for widespread arrests, disappearances, shootings, 
torture, forced relocation, forced labouring and many types of sup-
pressions against all walks of its own people, so Amnesty Interna-
tional concludes there is "no law at all in the country".

The military regime has also consistently denied transferring the 
power to the parties which was elected in the May 1990 election and 
it has put under house arrest the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu 
Kyi which will mark her 5 years of imprisonment on 20th July 1994. 
As a consequence of the peoples' demand to self-determination and 
federation, the 46 year old civil war between the dominant racial 
government and oppressed ethnic nationalities has killed many people 
and caused many others to lose their properties and caused as much 
as a half million refugees to leave the country for shelter in 
neighbouring countries.

As you are aware of we are very concerned and in deep sorrow over 
the relationship of "constructive engagement" by ASEAN countries 
and some others to support the illegitimate military regime. 

The SLORC was invited to attend the coming 27th ASEAN Meeting to be 
held in Bangkok in July 1994 as the guest of meeting's host country, 
Thailand. According to press reports Gen. Than Shwe, the chairman of 
SLORC, informed Thai foreign minister that Burma wants to join the 
activities of the ASEAN group.

On behalf of the oppressed indigenous peoples who are under strong 
pressure and are suffering from the mismanagement of the military 
regime, it is very painful for us to learn that some of our neigh-
bouring countries are supporting the SLORC to exploit our rich natu-
ral resources.

Hence we appeal to all countries that have solidarity with the peoples 
of Burma to stop any form of associating with the illegitimate regime 
of SLORC through:

1/ Isolating the regime politically, economically, commercially and 
   culturally.

2/ Demanding that SLORC welcomes human rights delegations to the country 
   openly.

3/ Stoping all arms trade with the present regime.

4/ Eliminating the regime as a member of UN.



Committee of Human Rights Action for Indigenous Peoples (CHRAIP-BURMA)