PRESS RELEASE

The White House, Washington, DC

7th June 1996

We, members of the Monland Restoration Council, join the Democratic Burmese Students Organization (USA) together with Free Burma Coalition (FBC) and begin today our fast in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. to protest against the SLORC's recent arrest of NLD's members and US corporations doing business in Burma.

It is report that Burma's military regime known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) recently arrested 256 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), a political party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner. In the May 1990 general election, NLD won a landslide victory gaining over 80% the seats in the parliament. However, the SLORC has refused to transfer political power to the people's representatives. Various types of human rights violations, including forced labor, forced relocation of villages, rapes, and tortures continue. The SLORC is reported to be one of the world's most brutal military regimes.

Major US corporations such as TEXACO, ARCO,UNOCAL and Pepsi-Cola are continuing to support Burma's regime by investing millions of dollars in Burma. Texaco and other oil corporations provide one of the largest sources of income for the SLORC. Texaco is drilling for gas in gulf of Martaban -- Yetagun field-- 260 miles south of the capital city of Rangoon; its participation in this natural gas venture is supporting the SLORC to remain in power and to continue oppressing the people of Burma.

The May 1990 general election has proved that we are a civilized nation determined to leading ourselves into a free society. But Burma's military regime is a giant obstacle on our way to our goal, democracy. Our nation has suffered long enough under the rule of a military dictatorship. Time has already come for the world's leading democracies to remove any form of dictatorship from the earth.

We with great concerns for our nation urgently call for the United States government to:

1. Introduce a proposal that will deny membership of Burma's military regime at the United Nations until democracy is restored in Burma.

2. Impose a total economic sanction on Burma.

3. Urge Burma's military regime to begin negotiations with representatives of the NLD and ethnic nationalities.

Central Committee

Monland Restoration Council