Burmese ethnic groups call for boycott of regime's road map
February 13, 2008 - Burmese ethnic political groups yesterday urged people in Burma to protest against the Burmese junta's road map to democracy that is basically prolonging military rule.
The United Nationalities League for Democracy (Liberated Areas) in a statement on the 61st anniversary of the Union Day on February 12 urged people in Burma to boycott the SPDC's road map and to strive for the setting up of a federal system in Burma.
The Union Day of Burma commemorates the date of the Panglong agreement signed by General Aung San, government of Burma Proper which included Karen, Arakan and Mon territories, and the representatives of the ethnic nationalities from Shan state, Kachin hill and Chin hill in Panglong town in Shan state, Burma.
The Burmese military regime led by Ne Win, who grabbed state power in 1962, sidetracked from the Panglong agreement that guaranteed equality and a federal democratic system for all nationalities in Burma and redrafted its own programmed constitution in 1974 that led Burma into civil war and denied freedom to the people, according to UNLD/LA.
Burma gained independence from British colonial rule on January 4, 1948 after the assassination of General Aung San and other leaders on July 17, 1947.
The UNLD/LA also stressed that nationalities in Burma needed to restore the Panglong spirit in order to solve the problems of inequality among nationalities and to restore democracy in Burma.
Meanwhile, Shing Pe Ling, MP and Chairman of the Chin National League for Democracy (CNLD) in Mindat Township, southern Chin State, in a statement yesterday also criticized the junta's recent announcement on referendum and elections and said that it violates the Panglong agreement and denies the aspiration of ethnic nationalities for a federal system, India based Mizzima news was quoted as saying.
The Burmese junta announced on February 9 that it will hold a constitutional referendum in May to legitimize the constitution drafted after the 14-year long national convention and it is to be followed by multi-party elections in 2010.
The National Convention which began in 1993 as a part of the regime's seven-point road map to disciplined democracy was wrapped up on September 3, 2007. Around one thousand of junta's hand picked delegates were involved in the convention.
The UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki Moon on February 11 in a statement called on the Burmese junta to make the constitution making process inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to ensure the document represents the views of all people of Burma.
The Secretary General also stressed that the junta should start a "substantive and time-bound" dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the NLD and other parties relevant to the national reconciliation process.
The NLD won a landslide victory in 1990 general elections after a military coup in 1988 but the regime refused to honor the election results. – Khonumthung.
