DAB statement on EU and ASEAN meeti

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Subject: DAB statement on EU and ASEAN meeting in Berlin


                       DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE OF BURMA
             DAB statement on EU and ASEAN meeting in Berlin

                                           Dated. February, 24, 1999
1. We, the Democratic Alliance of Burma(DAB),sincerely appreciate and thank
the USA, Britain and other western countries which have boycotted the
INTERPOL conference being held in Rangoon and we strongly support the stand
of EU on Burma, which is being ruled by an illegitimate and brutal military
regime that had massacred several thousands of innocent civilians in
peaceful demonstrations in 1988 for democracy and human rights.

2. The overall political situation in Burma remains highly repressive. The
regime has increased its practice of forced labour, forced relocation,
movements restrictions, summary executions, custodial rapes, arbitrary
arrests with severe torture, confiscation of minorities' properties and
religious  lands. The notorious regime has also instigated anti-minority(
Muslim and         Christian) riots to divert the attention of the people
whenever the regime is in confrontation with the Buddhist monks.

3. The regime, which had held the general election in 1990, blatantly
ignored the result when the National League for democracy(NLD) led by Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory. Instead, the regime
increased its inhumane brutality towards all of the citizens in general and
on the NLD and  the minority groups in particular. The junta arrested
hundreds of NLD members and students and many of them were sentenced to
lengthy terms of imprisonment.

4. The regime is still in the process of holding a fake National Convention
Which was started in Jan, 1993 and drafting a corrupt constitution that
will guarantee the army's grip on power to an unlimited period of time. The
repeated requests by the NLD, the ethnic nationalities, the UN, the USA,
the EU and  other civilized people for tripartite dialogue to solve Burma's
long standing problems have been falling on the deaf ears of the stubborn
dictatorship. Moreover, the regime is still in the process of cleansing
minorities, such as     Karens, Muslims, Shans, Chins etc:

5. The regime has made cease-fire agreements with 14 = (15 - KNPP)armed
ethnic groups, but refused to discuss the political problems with them.
However, the junta encouraged some of them to grow poppy plantations on a

large scale in their areas whilst the regime enjoys huge shares of profits
from drug trade.
Moreover, it is said that the junta has been waging a " Heroin war" against
the US and EU which the junta levelled as"Neocolonialists". with the drug
profits, the junta's generals have enriched themselves and strengthened
their puppet army which supports their long grip on power. The notorious
junta has provided 
full fledged security to the drug kings like Khunsa and Lawsishan in the
heart of Rangoon and is laundering their black money. The junta's
guarantees, in the 
Interpol conference held in Rangoon starting on Feb. 23, 1999 , to completely 
terminate the heroin production in Burma within 15 years is nothing other
than bluffing the world community and seeking support from them to legalize
the junta in the power for another 15 years.

6. The ASEAN embraced the junta as its member in 1997 despite repeated
opposition from the US and EU. However, the ASEAN can't tame it to respect
the human rights and behave in a human way. On the contrary, the junta has
become more arrogant and repressive and in the meantime, it is exerting its
efforts to increase its heroin production.

7. We, therefore, strongly support the firm stand of the EU which has been
refusing to sit on equal terms with the notorious regime of Burma during
the EU and Asean meeting in Berlin.

The Executive Committee,
Democratic Alliance of Burma.