Narinjara news


Nine Indigenous People’s Political Parties speak out on the present political crisis in Burma

Dhaka, 8^th June 03:  Nine indigenous people’s political parties from Burma expressed their great concern and unhappiness at the recent Friday killings of 30^th May in which the State Peace and Development Council junta-affiliated thugs are believed to have staged an ambush against the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and it is feared that approximately 80 leaders and supporters of the opposition National League for Democracy may have been murdered in the ambush.

In a formal statement dated 7^th June 03 the parties expressed that the present Burmese political crisis would bring catastrophe to the economy, education, and society at large.  By considering the interests of the state and the people they urged to immediately stop all forms of terrorism and condemned the affiliation of terrorism by any parties and demanded peaceful dialogue as a means for solving the political crisis.

They also expressed how they suffered in anticipation of the coming out of a tripartite dialogue for a peaceful and prosperous Burma as envisaged in the 1994 UN resolutions.  Since the pre-independence days the indigenous peoples with an expectation of the creation of a federal republic that guarantees equal rights to all the indigenous peoples of Burma gave full support to General Aung San and that the expectations were dashed when he was assassinated.  After the 1988 democracy uprising the leaders of the indigenous peoples again held discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi to fulfil their hopes.

The signatories of the statement included representatives of the Mara Pyithu Party, the Zomi National Congress, the Mon National League for Democracy, the Chin National League for Democracy, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the Karen National Democracy Congress, the Kayah State Peoples’ League for Democracy, the Kachin State Nationalities Democracy Conference, and the Kayan National Unity League for Democracy.  #