Honourable Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron
Prime Minister’s Office
10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA
January 04, 2011
Dear Mr Prime Minister,
On this day 63 years ago Burma rook its rightful place amongst nations on earth as a free and sovereign state and enjoyed peace, freedom and democracy.
However, Burma lost its hard earned tranquillity and freedom to its own military led by the late dictator Ne Win then heading the Burma Army who seized the power of the country on March 2, 1962, in the midst of a constitutional crisis when ethnic Shan mainly, pressed for autonomy. Then Prime Minister U Nu led democratically elected government was thrown into prison by Ne Win led so-called Revolutionary Council and Burma went under the military boot.
Ne Win shed his uniform for civilian attire in 1975, hoodwinked the people of Burma and the international community with his Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP) ruled until 1988.
Popular Nationwide uprisings for freedom and democracy erupted on August 8, 1988 and ended Ne Win’s 14 year BSPP rule.
However, a military oligarchy dubbed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) seized the power of the country on September 18, 1988, killing thousands of people and promised civilian rule in the wake of the multi-party elections to be held on May 27, 1990.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide (82%) victory. But the SLORC refused to honour the election results until today.
Than Shwe heading today’s State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) replaced Saw Maung as head of SLORC in 1992.
The so-dubbed National Convention under the auspices of Than Shwe led SLORC convened on January 9, 1993m with a view to drafting a future constitution of Burma ; the primary ploy in this matter was to replace the results of the 1990 election results with the outcome of the National Convention. The National Convention thus tasked with producing detailed principles for a new constitution, fundamentally flawed and inherently illegitimate process at best, turned out to be a ploy just to formalized and continue military rule in Burma under the guise of a civilian one only.
“The only outcome in Burma will be increased militarization armed conflict and chaos,” predicted U Khun Mar Ko Ban, elected MP and former National Convention representitive from the Democratic Organization for Kayan National Unity, Who participated in the National Concention and escaped to the Burma- Thiland Borders.
On Auguest 30, 2003, then Military Prime Minister of Burma Khin Nyunt unveiled the so-called 7 Step Road Map to Democracy, for further camouflaged continued military rule only.
The Inter-Paliamentary Union, the world most authoritative body on paliaments and constitutions, dismissed the National Convention as a device to frustrate the democratic process. And at its October 2003 session extended assessed the ‘roadmap’ as only reaffirming the military’s conviction and the National Convention is designed to prolong and legilimized military rule against the will of the prople, expressed in the 1990 elections, and thus directly contradicting the principle enshrined in theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights that the “will of the prople shall be the basis of the authority of governmnet” .
On November 03, 2005, Hkun Htun OO, Chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) was sentenced to 90 years in prision and Sai Nyunt Lwin, General Secretary received an 85 year setence. Shan State Peace Council Chairman (SSPC) Gen Hso Ten was sentenced to 106 years. Other six Shan Leaders were all given 70- years sentences each for expressing their views on the sham convention and constitution drawing process and procedures.
Finally, the military drafted constitution was forced endorsed in a referendum i n the midest of the Cyclone Nargis - 130, 000 people killed and more than two million rendered homeless – in May 2008 with 92% of the people endorsing the constitution according to the military.
The constitution endowed the New National Defense and Security Council the absolute power to run the country and allowed 25% of the seats in the parliment reserved for military personnel.
Hence, calls for amendments i n the constitution and others would be IMPOSSIBLE in the military run parliament no doubt.
On November 07, 2010, Than Shwe carefully ochestrated and engineered and election and secured 77.6% of the votes, which the prople of Burma and the global community HOWLED in UNISON, as FOUL – rigged and crafted to the last details – and for sidelining the NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the political process, in addition to lacking in transparency as well.
And the Border Guard Force program is only a ruse to corner armed ethnic groups in the rank and file of the Burma Army under the command of the Burmese military only; hence enthic armed groups KIO, KNU, KNPP, NMSP etc, balked at the idea and anticipating attacks by Than Shwe’s hordes at any time in the future.
Hence, on this day while marking the 63rd anniversary of Burma’s independence day we urged the United Kingdom government to declare in all certain terms that November 7th elections are not fair and just , much less all inclusive mainly for preempting the participation of NLD and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in the political process.
Moreover and specifically, the elections are held in an atmosphere of coercion, vote rigging and advance voting, and lacking in relevant supervision specifically absence of international monitors during voting process and times as well, added much credence to that fact – Than Shwe has STOLEN the elections no doubt.
In this view and light we earnestly urge you to declare the November 7th elections held in Burma would not be given recognition much less legitimacy by HER MYJESTRY’S GOVERNMENT of the UNITED KINGDOM in lacking in fairness, level field, transparency and employing vote rigging as well not to mention lacking in ALL INCLUSIVENESS for sidelining NLD and its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the political process no less.
Tin Thu Zar Swe (Miss)
Action Planning Committee
No. 75 Summit Estate,
Portland Avenue,
Hackney
London.
N16 6EX
January 4, 2011
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