Jun 02, 2009

Chin: Statement on Mission to the USA


Active ImageA Chin National Front (CNF) delegation is in Washington DC to thank the USA government and  its people for their ongoing support for democracy, human rights and freedom in Burma
 
 
 
CHIN NATIONAL FRONT

Statement on Mission to the United States of America
May 29-June 2, 2009

 
Delegation of Chin National Front (CNF), led by its Chairman Mr. Zing Cung, accompanied by Dr. Sui Khar, Joint General Secretary (I), and Salai Thla Hei, Deputy Secretary of External Affairs Department, is in Washington DC to thank the USA government and its people for their ongoing support for democracy, human rights and freedom in Burma, and to recommend and request further support from the USA government and its people, especially for the Chin people in Burma whose sufferings and persecution at the hand of SPDC continues unabated. During their stay, the delegation will meet with officers from the Department of State and Senior Professional Staff Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The delegation will also meet with Chin Communities and Burmese opposition groups in DC Area to discuss the current political situation and develop action plans.
 
The Chin National Front was formed on 20 March, 1988, dedicated to securing the self-determination rights of the Chin people, to restore democracy, and to establish federal Union of Burma. CNF is actively working together with Ethnic Nationalities Council (Union of Burma) and is a member of Chin National Council. CNF is not only a member of the National Council of Union of Burma but also the National Democratic Front, which has been fighting against the military regime for 33 years. CNF […] represents the Chin people in international political arena.
 
Burma’s political crisis is the product of more than just a lack of democracy and human rights. It stems as much from the military regime’s systematic deprivation of the rights of Burma’s ethnic nationalities. This fundamental problem has its roots in the failure to implement the 1947 Panglong Agreement, which was the agreed basis for the establishment of the Union of Burma just before the end of British rule. Military rule, brought about by the military coups of 1962 and 1988, has only exacerbated the marginalization of Burma’s ethnic nationalities and led, in more recent years, to their systematic persecution and alienation.
 
After five decades of systematic human rights violations, with ever increasing conflict, growing narcotics and human trafficking and ongoing persecution of Burma’s ethnic nationalities and opposition groups, the political crisis in Burma is no longer seen just as a domestic issue, but rather as a threat to international peace and security and as a matter of serious concern for both regional states and the international community. Religious persecution is alarmingly increasing against Chin Christians as well.
 
The delegation would like to draw attention to the food crisis that the Chin people have been facing since 2006. The year 2006 marked the beginning of a new cycle of bamboo flowering, which occurs about every 50 years in the region, triggering an explosion in the population of rats and resulting in the destruction of crops. This has caused a severe shortage of food for local communities primarily dependent on subsistence farming through shifting cultivation. No less than 100,000 persons or 20 percent of the State population are in starvation and need further assistance for their survival.
 
In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) responded by passing a resolution on Burma in which the UN called for tripartite dialogue among leaders of ethnic nationalities, the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and military regime to solve the crisis. Since then, the Office of UN Secretary General has made consistent attempts to foster a genuine tripartite dialogue, a move warmly welcomed by both leaders of ethnic nationalities and the NLD, but the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has frustrated and opposed all attempts to hold such talks. Instead, the SPDC launched its own ‘seven-step road map’ in 2003. Despite the lack of support for its road map - including its most recent step of ratifying a new constitution - the military has persisted with its seven-step process. Now instead of heading the UNGA’s call for tripartite dialogue, it is preparing to hold new general election in 2010.

CNF firmly believes that 2010 election under its new constitution cannot solve today's crisis of Burma, instead it will provide legitimacy to the present military dictatorship. Therefore, CNF strongly rejects both the new constitution and 2010 election, and reiterates that the tripartite dialogue is crucial for a durable peace in Burma.
 
The delegation believes that change has to come from inside Burma. In order to bring about change, the people need to be strengthened and the armed resistant groups are well equipped to engender the people to take action. However, the effectiveness of the roles of the armed groups have been neglected and therefore, the delegation emphasizes the importance of giving financial as well as human resource assistance to the armed groups.
 
The current arbitrary detention and unlawful trial that the SPDC calculated to extend the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on the basis of trumped-up charges is totally unacceptable. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not a threat to the security of Burma, but is an irreplaceable political icon for bringing about change in the country.
 
Therefore, the delegation humbly requests the government of the United States of America to take the following recommendations for its policy review; to 


1.    Continue targeted sanctions and armed embargo
2.    Keep on pushing for releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners
3.    Appoint a Special Envoy to Burma in order to build the political support and momentum necessary for multi-party talks
4.    Take a lead role in bringing China, India and ASEAN for support to commence political dialogue in Burma
5.    Endeavor bringing Burma issue to UN Security Council till legal binding resolution is passed
6.    Provide financial assistance to Burma?s democracy movement particularly for activities of ethnic armed resistant groups
7.    Give humanitarian and financial assistance for victims of the food crisis in Chin State and western Burma


Contact persons:
 
Dr. Sui Khar - (917)-330-3603
Salai Thla Hei - (317)-752-0034