Burmese Students Front Canada, a ca

[brelief@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Burmese Students Front Canada, a call for new strategy

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BSFC statement on the seventh anniversary of the coup


BURMESE STUDENTS FRONT CANADA
Tel. (416) 444-0365  
Fax. (416) 499-3066

September 18, 1995

A REVIEW ON THE SEVEN YEARS OLD COUP
AND THE TOTAL ENSLAVEMENT OF THE BURMESE
PEOPLE

Today, September the 18th, 1995, marks the seven full years
of the undeserved slavery of the Burmese people under the
Burma Army-led military regime's total dictatorship which has
been ruling the country by the firing power of guns alone.

Seven years ago today, we, all the people of Burma except a
handful of lackeys and parasites of the former ruling Burma
Socialist Program Party Government, had risen against it, by
paying thousands of civilian lives, but were defeated by the
coup led by Gen. Saw Maung of the Burma Army.  Since then,
the army leaders, under the self given name " State Law and
Order Restoration Council " or S.L.O.R.C, has shown no sign
of releasing the country from their tight grip.

In these seven years since 1988, this military regime has
committed untold crimes against the country, cheated the
people by means of a general election and a following national
convention, and played "divide and rule" with the ethnic
minority peoples.  All these attempts have clearly indicated
that it has been doing everything to stay on in power,
devouring all the national wealth without restraint.  Under
these conditions, the ordinary citizens' sufferings have become
unbearably miserable.  The public morality has severely
deteriorated under open bribery, grave corruption and the
naked abuse of power.  The military also continues arresting
those who murmur their displeasure of these situations. 
Mostly, students, writers, artists and intellectuals still fill the
jails in today's Burma.  But the peasants, 80 % of Burma's
population, suffer the oppression most.  Every year in harvest
season, hundreds of thousands of farmers are arrested in lower
Burma for not selling their grains to the government at the
extremely low prices set by the Army.  Unpaid compulsory
labour is commonplace both in towns and countryside forced
at the whim of army detachments.

It is true the regime has one-dimensional achievements of
military success and cease-fire deals over ethnic minority
rebels.  But the privatization of national wealth only to
themselves and creations of new jobs in collaboration with
some opportunistic elements of the international business
community has even widened the class polarization between
them and the rest of the country.  Civilians remain without
rights while soldiers are over-privileged.  People have become
second class citizens under military officers and soldiers.

As these conditions continue, the struggle for Democracy in
Burma also continues.  Though very slow and paying huge
prices, the forming of the national opposition side, at both
fronts, domestic and international, is steadily taking shape. 
The international awareness of the magnitude and seriousness
of Burma issue is also growing.  The regime has already sown
seeds of its own self destruction by opening the doors of the
country.  On the other hand, the people, most noticeably,
students, have gained more experience through their past
struggles.  The Burmese popular leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
also is free now and has started cautiously trying to regroup
the pro-democracy forces without scaring SLORC.

SLORC must be made victim of its own success.  Fight back
for all our freedoms we all rightfully enjoyed before, by using
both tactics, active confrontation on all equal footings and
passive resistance at unfavourable encounters.  Our
assumption, based on our past fighting experience against the
military, is that it is vital to build the national opposition side
stronger through a genuine solidarity, embracing all elements
of revolution and honestly redressing our own mistakes. 
Above all, we must draw an entirely new and overall general
strategy to liberate the country and to rout militarism once and
for all.



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