Sunday, May 25, 2008
Statement of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)
Date: May 25, 2008
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, general secretary of the National League for Democracy, has been under house arrest for exactly 5 years. She was attacked by members of Union Solidarity and Development Association and thugs backed by the military during the massacre near the town Depayin. The massacre took place during an organizational tour on 30th May 2003.
Since then, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been put under house arrest for the so called reason of "protective custody" under the article 10(b) of the Burma State Protection Law 1975, which permits the authorities to detain a person who is deemed to be "a threat to the sovereignty and security of the State and peace of the people" for up to five years only.
Continuing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s detainment would constitute a violation of the very law under which she was arrested. During the current emergency in our country from the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, it is imperative that the SPDC release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and cooperate with her for good of our country. Burma needs immediate international assistance for cyclone victims and long-term reconstruction for individual lives and the state economy, but such assistance cannot be provided under the current political situation.
The root cause of the economic deterioration, poverty and lack of proper development is the junta’s failure to engage in a political dialogue. Effective international assistance will not be possible until the junta supports genuine democratic change, as desired by the Burmese people. The economic, social and political situation will continue to deteriorate so long as the present regime maintains its current course of action. The junta must meet and cooperate with political leaders and ethnic national leaders to solve the political, social, and economic problems of the country.
Only after the junta has released Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and begun a genuine dialogue with her and other political leaders, including ethnic leaders and student leaders, can the international community provide the political and economic support that Burma needs to rebuild and recover from the devastation caused by Nargis. Therefore, we call for the S.P.D.C to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and unconditionally and to work with her to solve Burma’s immediate problems, as well as underlying causes for the deteriorating situation in Burma.
Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy (Liberated Area)
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