Kaladan News

Date: 19^th August 200R

Rohingya welcomes Annan’s Initiative

Rohingya People welcomes UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s call on 17^th August on Burma’s government to immediately release opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Gyi from house arrest and engagement in “Substantive Dialogue” with NLD and other political parties.

We, the Arakan people of Burma express special thanks to UN Secretary for this initiative. It is hoped that the UN Secretary’s latest initiative will bring the standoff to an end among SPDC, NLD and other parties.

In a statement released on 17^th August by the UN, the Secretary General believes that without National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties’ participation, the “National Convention” and the 7 points road map process will be incomplete and lacking in credibility.

The holding of the National Convention is the first step of the 7 steps road map. The National Convention aimed in order to lay down the basic principles for the drafting of a firm and stable Constitution. But SPDC did not invite the concerned all political parties and even Daw Suu and U Tin Oo.

The plus point of the SPDS is, 13 ceasefire groups participated at the SPDC’s sham National Convention, which reconvened on May 17 after eight-year interval and adjourned on July 9^th 2004. It is uncertainly scheduled to resume by the end of this year.

The NLD, the Shan National League for Democracy party and other uninvited democratic and nationalities parties boycotted the SPDC’s responsible sham National Convention as the military regime refuses to set free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

The regions where the national races live are the most remote and least developed areas in the country, in which the military regime has concentrated its efforts to bring progress and advancement to these regions. Regarding this, a Central Committee for the Progress of the National Races and Border Areas headed by the General Than Shwe was formed to provide guidance and advices. Similarly, a Working Committee headed by the Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt oversees the activities for developing the border regions. It has spent more than 50 billion Kyats and over 500 million dollars to improve the economic, basic infrastructure, education and health conditions, the new prime minister stated in his 30^th August 2003 speech.

In reality, except, a growing transport network connects in the border areas with other parts of the country. But these were done through by forced labor of villagers and some foreign NGOs’ contribution. On the other hand, the military regime relocated many villages, confiscated thousands of acres of farmland from minority groups such as Chin, Kachin, Shan, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Rakhine, Rohingya and etc, created thousands of refugees who are taking shelter in many foreign countries and Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs), thousands of HIV/AIDS affected persons and pushed back the country into least Development Country (LDC). Besides, thousands of women and girls were raped and were killed many male and female by SPDC soldiers, mostly in minority areas.

However, the SPDC declared that the country is developed and prosperous compared to previous situation.

The UN Secretary General expects the ASEAN member states, to take a leading role of democratization and national reconciliation.

Annan asked the SPDC to talk with the opposition groups and to respect the rights of ethnic ceasefire groups’ proposal to the convention to decentralize the power.

Mr. Annan also called the military ruling regime to allow UN special Envoy, Mr.Razali Ismail, to return to the Burma to help advocate reconciliation. ##

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