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ABSDF LETTER TO THE JAPANESE GOVERN



Subject: ABSDF LETTER TO THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT

   
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                                  ABSDF
                  ALL BURMA STUDENTS' DEMOCRATIC FRONT
   
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His Excellency, the Right Honorable Mr Tomiichi Murayama, 
Prime Minister,
The Government of Japan,


                                              Date: July 22, 1995

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, 

Warm greetings from the All Burma Students' Democratic front.

We are writing to you with regard to recent developments in our
home country, Burma. Like you, and all those who love democracy,
we welcome the release of Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi. We welcome her release because we believe it is an
encouraging first step towards democracy. We welcome it with
caution however, because we are acutely aware of the hundreds of
political prisoners in different jails in Burma, including
sixteen representatives elected in the 1990 elections, and we are
aware of continuing serious abuses of human rights by the
military regime throughout Burma.

We were therefore surprised at the statement by Japanese Foreign
Minister, Yohei Kono, 24 hours after the release of Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, that the Japanese government was considering the full-
scale resumption of ODA assistance to the ruling military junta.

We were dismayed when in March, this year, the Japanese
government partially withdrew its suspension since 1988 of ODA
assistance to Burma and began providing aid for increasing food
production. We believe that although well-intended, while the
SLORC remains in power, such humanitarian assistance cannot reach
directly and effectively to the people in need.

In the past we have discussed many times the question of ODA
assistance with representative of the Japanese authorities. In
Japan in 1992, together with other leaders of the Burmese pro-
democracy movement, we discussed this matter with Mr. Nakayama,
the then Defence Minister, providing him with much concrete
information. We also discussed the matter of the need for the
release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with one of our Japanese friends
who is very closed to the Japanese government, expressing our
frustration at what we saw as the weakness of the pressure
applied to the SLORC by the Japanese government and urging the
Japanese government to step up its efforts in every way to secure
the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the full restoration of
democracy and human rights in Burma.

We are greatly appreciative of the continuing efforts which have
been made by the Japanese government to this end and urge you to
continue those efforts. It is not yet the time to relax the
pressure. It is still too early to be confident that the first
step, represented by the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, is
anything more than an isolated gesture by the SLORC designed
precisely to secure foreign aid. May we remind you that not only
are there many political prisoners and continuing human rights
abuses, but as well the civil war continues in a number of areas,
the SLORC breaking its own cease-fire declarations, and where
cease-fires have been achieved the SLORC has shown no willingness
to discuss the necessary political settlement with the ethnic
minorities which can lead to real and lasting peace. Similarly,
the SLORC has shown no indication of being willing to reconsider
its sham National Convention, nor even to respond to Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi's offer of dialogue.

We the students fully support the effort initiated by Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi to bring about national reconciliation and a peaceful
transition to democracy. We fully support the need for a
political settlement to be achieved through tripartite dialogue
between the SLORC and the democratic forces and leaders of the
ethnic groups. We urge the Japanese government to demonstrate
clearly to the SLORC that there must be clear progress towards
such a political settlement before ODA assistance can be fully
resumed and that ODA assistance should be resumed only by small
increments in response to further appropriate, concrete steps by
the SLORC to facilitate such a political settlement and
transition to democracy.



Sincerely yours,




(signed here)
Moe Thee Zun
Chairman
Central Leading Committee,
ABSDF
Mailing: P.O Box 42, Hua Mark P.O, Bangkok 10243, THAILAND
E-mail: Lurie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx