MNDF chairman asks cease-fire groups to demand ethnic rights at resumed National Convention

MNDF chairman asks cease-fire groups to demand ethnic rights at resumed National Convention

Independent Mon News Agency

January 24, 2005

Mon National Democratic Front chairman Nai Tun Thein

has asked

cease-fire groups at the next National Convention (NC)

to maintain their NC standing and together demand

greater ethnic rights from the Burmese government.

"Even though the Burmese military government has their

seven point

roadmap, it seems they did not plan to really reform

Burma," he said.

"They (the cease-fire groups) need to demand as much

as they can and

stand up for the federal union wanted by all ethnic

nationalities. What the cease-fire groups demanded

appeared to test the Burmese military government at

the May 17, 2004 NC," he continued.

"The cease-fire groups should not wait and rely on

what the government says and does. They should

strongly demand what ethnic people really want, a

federal union," he continued.

According to Nai Tun Thein, the cease-fire groups will

leave the NC if their demand is denied again, and

cease-fire groups are also prepared to avoid

government pressure.

In 2004, 13 cease-fire groups joined together and

demanded that the

Burmese government give greater ethnic rights when

they draft the constitution for Burma. But the demand

was denied by the military government, so the groups

will fight for it again at the coming resumed NC,

according to the cease-fire group leader.

For further information, please contact to Independent

Mon News Agency

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