From MIZZIMA News Group (r)

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Burmese democratic forces in India express their anger against Japanese
government

23rd January 1999
By: MIZZIMA News Group

A group of about 80 Burmese democracy activists residing in India held a
demonstration in front of Japanese Embassy in New Delhi this morning. The
reason for holding the demonstration was to express their condemnation on
the official invitation of Brig. General Kyaw Win, deputy chief of the
office of Strategic Studies of Myanmar's Defence Ministry by the Japanese
Government. Mr. Win is currently on an 11-day visit, meeting with
government officials and Members of Parliament in Japan. "By inviting
Brig. General Kyaw Win of the oppressive butcher government of Burma,
Japanese government had totally neglected the will of the people of Burma,
who want to restore democracy in their country", said Myint Aye, one of
the demonstrators. 

After the demonstration, their representatives went to the Japanese
embassy and delivered an appeal letter to the Prime Minister of Japan. In
the letter, the pro-democracy activists mentioned that Brig. Kyaw Win is a
representative of an illegal government which is ruling Burma after
killing thousands of peaceful demonstrators including Buddhist monks in
1988. "United Nations and international community have been continuously
denouncing the notorious military government for their human rights
violations"" they noted in the letter.

The demonstrators requested the Prime Minister of Japan not to "entertain
the representatives of an illegal government and not to provide them with
any financial support in the name of the people of Burma".

They also appealed the government of Japan to provide assistance to Burma
only after consulting with the leaders of the National League for
Democracy, the party which won a landslide victory in 1990 elections.

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