Statement released by the
Forum for Ethnic Nationalities of the Union of
Burma
(
North America
)
FENUB
(NA) Press release P06-001
August
15, 2006
St. Paul
,
MN
,
USA
Ethnic
nationalities of the Union of Burma residing in North America attended a three
day long seminar at
St. Paul
,
Minnesota
in
United
State
of
America
. The seminar discussed current political, social, economic and human right
situations in the ethnic regions of the Union of Burma. The seminar unanimously
agreed that State Peace and Development Council or SPDC regime has been
operating its policy of divide and rule among ethnic nationalities
systematically within cease-fire or none ceasefire groups. The army of the SPDC
regime increased human rights violation in all ethnic regions as well as
continued genocide war against ethnic nationalities. SPDC regime not only denied
to hand over the power to elected political parties such as NLD, UNLD, but also
failed to pursue peaceful political resolutions and dialogue with NLD party
and the representatives of ethnic nationalities for 16 years, since 1990.
Within 16 years, SPDC regime built the strength of its army to maximum. The
regime’s army pressured, intimidated, and deceived all ethnic resistant
including cease-fire groups instead of seeking sincere political solution and
national reconciliation. Furthermore, SPDC regime became a national threat
within the region by actively seeking nuclear weapon. The regime dishonored
ASEAN nations by failing to implement genuine democratization and increased mass
production of illegal drugs and trafficking through out the region using its
proxy ethnic armed groups.
SPDC
army continued to increase its troops and terrorized innocent civilians in the
regions of all ethnic nationalities. The SPDC army increased use of forced labor
in road constructions and development projects such as gas pipeline and damming
projects in ethnic regions. Meanwhile, the SPDC regime’s army increased human
rights violations in Arakan, Karen, Karenni, Mon and Shan ethnic regions. The
local villagers are being forced to carry ammunition, rations and other supplies
in support of the regime's military operations. Violations of human rights by
the SPDC army includes forced labor, the destruction and looting of villagers'
belongings, extrajudicial killings, sexual abuse, demands for money, food,
livestock, and other materials.
Furthermore, the SPDC regime’s secret agents increased their operations to
divide between ethnic armies and political organizations in the areas of Kachin,
Karen, Karenni and Shan ethnic regions. Therefore, we, the participants of
ethnic nationalities of the seminar call the regime for the following demands:
1.
To stop genocides war against ethnic nationalities
2.
To stop terrorizing ethnic nationals in their native soil
3.
To stop human rights violations and crime against humanity
4.
To stop land confiscation and return to the original owners, mainly ethnic
nationalities
5.
To begin peaceful dialogue with NLD and the representatives of ethnic
nationalities immediately
6.
To free all political prisoners including Khun Tun Oo, Daw Aung San Su Kyi, and
Nai Yak1kha immediately
For
the Media Contact Mahn Kyaw Swe (519) 434-0139
Information
& Media Working Group Email: burmaforum2000@yahoo.ca