- The Third Presidium Board meeting and strategy meeting of the Women’s League of Burma (WLB) were successfully held from February 18 to 22, 2004 on the Thai-Burma border.
- In order to cover up the May 30th massacre and to deceive the international community, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has announced its 7-stage “road map” and has been making attempts to revive its National Convention, temporarily suspended in 1996.
- We strongly believe that the SPDC’s 7-stage “road map,” including its National Convention with its “basic principles,” is aimed not to bring democracy to Burma, but to legitimize its military rule in Burma.
- In order to achieve genuine peace, democracy and national reconciliation in Burma, we make the following demands to the SPDC: ทTo immediately implement a nationwide ceasefire;
- To stop the process of increased militarization in Burma and withdraw their troops stationed in the ethnic states;
- To end the systematic violations of human rights and various forms of violence against women, including sexual violence against ethnic women;
- To immediately release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners:
- To allow the political parties and ethnic forces to freely engage in all forms of political activity;
- To hold a tripartite dialogue between the SPDC military clique, the 1990 election winning party, NLD, and other political parties, and the leaders of the ethnic nationalities;
- To lay down a strategic plan for a political settlement including the implementation of a national convention based on the results of the tripartite dialogue;
- Moreover, in order for the National Convention to lead to genuine democracy, the SPDC must allow the following:
- All parties attending the national convention must be able to select their own representatives;
- All representatives must be able to debate freely and openly;
- The media must have free access to the convention so that people can obtain accurate information about the proceedings of the convention;
- The international community must be able to monitor the convention to ensure that it is convened freely and fairly;
- In particular, to ensure women’s representation and active participation at every level of decision-making in Burma’s peace-making process, the Women’s League of Burma urges all parties involved:
- To follow the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and
- To fulfil Burma’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Media contact:
Nang Hseng Noung
Tel: +66 1 884 4963 Email: <wlb@womenofburma.org>
Thin Thin Aung
Tel: + 91 989 125 2316 Email: <thinaung@mizzima.com>