Two prominent anti-regime groups from Burma have rejected the accusations that appeared in a state-run newspaper on Thursday that accuses them of planning a bombing campaign in the former capital, Rangoon.
The Karen rebel group, the Karen National Union (KNU), and an exiled NGO based in Thailand, the Burma Lawyers' Council (BLC), said the accusations are baseless and untrue.
Citing a news report by the Ministry of Home Affairs, pro-junta daily The New Light of Myanmar reported on Thursday that Burmese security forces had arrested 11 men who they believe are terrorists and accused most of them of having contacts with anti-regime groups.
According to the report, “Terrorist insurgents are hatching evil plots to hinder and jeopardize peace, stability and development of the nation and democratization process.” It went on to say that “terrorist insurgents” had infiltrated villages and wards “in various disguises to commit terrorist acts” and said the accused wanted to derail this year's election and the democratic process.
The report said that the 11 “bombers,” led by Kyaw Zay Lin (aka Ko Hsai), were captured following his arrest on Jan. 22 at his book shop in Kontalapaung village in Mingaladon Township in Rangoon. It said security forces discovered and seized some homemade mines, 43 detonators, a .32 pistol, one magazine, 33 rounds of ammunition, one satellite phone, a remote-control system and various other material condusive to explosives work.
In addition to a bombing last year in Rangoon, the report said those arrested had been planning further explosions in industrial zones and were also targeting security personnel.
It said that prime suspect Kyaw Zay Lin had joined and served the BLC in Mae Sot in Thailand and attended a “political defiant course [sic]” and an “explosives course.”
Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, the chairman of the BLC, Thein Oo, said, “This accusation is groundless. It is intended to defame the BLC.” He said that Kyaw Zay Lin had not worked for the BLC and that they did not know him.
He said that the Burmese regime wanted to misinform the international community and neighboring countries because the lawyers' group has attempted to indict junta leaders at the International Criminal Court.
“The BLC does not use such violent ways,” Thein Oo said. “We will fight Burma's military dictators with laws.”
The Burma Lawyers' Council, formed in 1994, is an independent organization based on the Thai-Burmese border. The military junta has denounced the BLC as an unlawful association and accused it of violating the rule of Burmese law. An arrest warrant was issued for BLC General Secretary Aung Htoo in May 2009.
Representatives of the BLC attended the Nov 18-26 meeting of the Assembly of State Parties to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to discuss the Burmese military government's alleged crimes against humanity, war crimes and other human rights abuses.
The New Light of Myanmar report also accused the KNU of being responsible for a bomb blast during Karen New Year celebrations in Papun in Karen State on Dec. 16, killing 7 persons and injuring 12.
Zipporah Sein, the general secretary of the KNU, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the report is “totally untrue” and that the Burmese military junta is “the real terrorist.”
“In fact, the the military junta is the real terrorist in Burma––they burn down villages, destroy houses, kill people and rape women,” she said.
Human rights groups and Burma observers have long held that such abuses by Burmese government forces were rife, especially in ethnic villages in eastern Burma.
The KNU, founded in 1947, has been fighting for more than six decades for autonomy from the central Burmese government. It did not sign a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese regime unlike 17 other armed ethnic groups.
“As the Burmese government is moving toward its general election in 2010, they are trying to divide and abolish the KNU and other ethnic groups,” said Zipporah Sein. “By any means they can, the Burmese authorities are trying to get international organizations to stop supporting the KNU and and other ethnic groups.”
The Burmese Ministry of Home Affairs report also accused the Karenni rebel group, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP). No spokesperson from the KNPP was available on Thursday for comment when The Irrawaddy enquired.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17681
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Global Action for Burma (GAB): UNSC Must Declare Burmese Juntas 2008 Constitution as NULL and VOID
Burma: United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Must Declare Burmese Juntas 2008 Constitution as NULL and VOID
26 January 2010
Global Action for Burma (GAB) today calls for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to declare the unilaterally adopted Burmese junta's 2008 sham constitution, which is designed to legitimize military rule permanently in Burma, as NULL and VOID.
The very junta who is ruling the country held the election in 1990 in which Aung San Suu Kyis party, National League for Democracy (NLD) won landslide victory but until now the results are still yet to be honored. Instead of honoring the elections of 1990 results, junta drafted the constitution unilaterally which legitimize the military rule in Burma and now again planning to hold sham election in 2010.
Aung San Suu Kyi and her party the National League for Democracy (NLD), the unanimous victors of the 1990 election, clearly stated their position in the Shwe- Gone-Dine Declaration that need to place in order to have true national reconciliation i.e. to Review 2008 Constitution and to recognize 1990 election result.
Junta has been ignoring the voices people of Burma and going ahead unilaterally to entrench military dictatorship in Burma permanently. The juntas planned 2010 election is only a charade designed to legitimize the military dictatorship within Burma.
Before we could possible address the juntas proposed 2010 election we must address the validity of the recently adapted constitution. Drafted by the junta, this document is far from credible or constitutional. Free, fair and all inclusive is not what this document represents.
The International Community should be aware of the hopelessly irreconcilable contents of the constitution that was adopted in 2008. The referendum was ushered into existence under questionable conditions including extortion and rigged ballots.
We would like to draw particular attention on these points:
1.The Junta gave itself amnesty from the crimes against humanity it has perpetrated throughout Burma during their reign of terror.
2.The Military regime systematically took 25% of the parliamentary seats. The military commander in chief was also given absolute authority to dissolve the parliament at any time effectively neutralizing the voice of the people.
Giving the military junta 25% of the parliamentary seats, unbridled authoritarian control and a self serving amnesty for the crimes against humanity were truly not the will of the Burmese people. Legitimizing the criminal regime was also not the will of the people and this is incomprehensible and totally unacceptable to the Burmese people.
The essence of the 2008 Constitution is to guarantee impunity indefinitely and the 2010 election will implement it. Therefore, we call for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to declare the unilaterally adopted Burmese junta's 2008 sham constitution, which is designed to legitimize military rule permanently in Burma, as NULL and VOID.
Notes to Editor:
It is reasonable to request the nullification of the 2008 Constitution by the UN Security Council. Precedence for such a move can be found in UNSC Resolution 554 regarding South Africas 1983 apartheid-entrenching constitution1.
1UNSC Res 554 (15 November 1983) UN Doc A/RES/38/11.
1.UNSC declares that the so-called "new constitution" is contrary to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, that the results of the referendum of 2 November 1983 are of no validity whatsoever and that the enforcement of the "new constitution" will further aggravate the already explosive situation prevailing inside apartheid South Africa.
2.Strongly rejects and declares as null and void the so-called "new constitution" and the "elections" to be organized in the current month of August for the "colored" people and people of Asian origin as well as all insidious maneuvers by the racist minority regime of South Africa further to entrench white minority rule and apartheid.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Myo Thein, Global Action for Burma
(+44) 208 493 9137
Col. Sai Myo Win Htun, Global Action for Burma
(+66) 835 82 3490
Mr. Ko Ko Aung, Global Action for Burma
(+81) 090 1506 2893
Mr. Htun Htun, Global Action for Burma
(+1) 501 334 9997
Mr. Sai, Global Action for Burma
(+1) 510 415 2289
Global Action for Burma (GAB) http://www.gabforburma.info/
http://bdcburma.org/Statements.asp?Id=72
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