Guest Comments by the Ten Alliances (Burma's democracy and ethnic-rights movement)
THAILAND -- At a recent press conference in Bangkok, Burma's Ten Alliances in the movement for democracy and ethnic rights celebrated democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th birthday. They also announced results of their global People’s Elections.
Other birthday events happened in Banglaesh, India, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, the Czech Republic, Italy, the United States and elsewhere. The events honored Suu Kyi's inspiring vision of Burma with a democratic federal union and equal rights for all ethnic people.
Groups around the world also condemned the military junta's continued house arrest of Suu Kyi. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called her situation a contravention of international human-rights law.
“We want elections with all the people having a choice to elect a government they want, not forced to elect a military government,” said Naw Zipporah Sein, general-secretary of the Karen National Union.
Without meaningful elections in Burma, members of Burmese communities and solidarity groups elsewhere joined in the People's Elections by collecting signed postcard ballots calling on their national governments to denounce and reject results of the junta's elections. Citizens from 35 countries signed more than 39,000 postcards with thousands more expected.
In Bangkok, representatives from Burma pro-democracy groups presented symbolic postcard ballots to Kraisak Choonhavan, president of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), Canadian ambassador Ron Hoffman and staff from the United States and Czech embassies. The actual signed postcards will be delivered to national governments.
Each attending official delivered birthday messages for Suu Kyi and wished for her speedy release. It's sad that she wasn't with us, as she hasn't been for so many birthdays.
Overseas governments expressing support must take the next step. They need to denounce the military elections and refuse to recognize the results, unless all political prisoners are released and an inclusive dialogue begins between the military regime and ethnic and opposition groups.
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