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Burma: Exiled Ethnic Nationalities Seminar Held in North America |
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Friday, 25 August 2006 |
Ethnic nationalities of Burma residing in North America attended a three day seminar at St. Paul, Minnesota in United State of America.
Delegates of Monland Restoration Council (USA) were among ethnic leaders including President of Interim Shan Government Tiger Yawnghwe (Hsö-khan-pha), Secretary General of Ethnic Nationalities Council Dr. Lian H Sakhong and former KNU leader Maj. Mahn Robert Zan.
The seminar observed that the SPDC army increased use of forced labor in road constructions and development projects such as gas pipeline and damming projects in ethnic regions. The army increased human rights violations in Arakan, Karen, Karenni, Mon and Shan ethnic regions and local villagers are being forced to carry ammunition, rations and other supplies in support of the regime's military operations.
According to the seminar's Information and Media Working Group statement issued on August 15, the seminar discussed current political, social, economic and human right situations in the ethnic regions and unanimously agreed that military regime has been operating its policy of divide and rule among ethnic nationalities systematically within cease-fire or none ceasefire groups. The SPDC increased human rights violation in all ethnic regions as well as continued genocide war against ethnic nationalities.
The participants call on the regime to stop genocides war against ethnic nationalities, to stop land confiscation and return to the original owners, to begin peaceful dialogue with NLD and the representatives of ethnic nationalities immediately, and to free all political prisoners including Khun Tun Oo, Daw Aung San Su Kyi and Nai Yekkha.
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