BURMESE JUNTA RELEASES 9,002 PRISONERS AS EXILES PRESS CHALLENGE TO JUNTA’S UN CREDENTIALS
“PRESSURE WORKS,” SAYS EXILE LEADERS
DEMOCRATIC DELEGATION’S CHALLENEG TO BE CONVEYED TO THE CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
The Burmese junta, facing increasing international pressure for its oppressive rule at home, today announced the release of 9,002 prisoners as exile leaders continue to urge the United Nations to deny the junta’s credentials to sit in the General Assembly.
The release of the prisoners a day before today’s scheduled address to the General Assembly by the junta’s Foreign Minister.
“This is evidence that international pressure works even on the generals who rejected all previous attempts by the United Nations and other to ease the oppression that they continue to inflict on the Burmese people” said Maung Maung, General Secretary of the National Council of Union of Burma, which is coordinating the challenge to the junta’s UN credentials. “Now is the time for the nine nations on the United Nations credentials committee to step up that pressure by replacing the junta’s representatives and telling the generals they have forfeited all legitimacy to sit among the community of nations.”
The Secretary General's office has confirmed he will convey the credentials to the credentials committee, comprised this year by the United States, Russia, China, Botswana, Mozambique Mexico, Luxembourg, Cyprus and St. Kitts and Nevis. The United Nations is considering the application by the democratic delegation led by winners of the 1990 Burmese elections abrogated by the junta. The opposition, led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won 82 percent of parliament seats in that elections, the only expression of the democratic free will in Burma in 46 years.
Four of the credentials committee members – Cyprus, Mexico, Luxembourg and the United States – voted in favor of a resolution last fall denouncing the junta’s murderous suppression of peaceful pro-democracy marches led by monks. Botswana, Mozambique and St. Kitts abstained on the resolution. The only current credentials committee members to vote against the resolution were Russia and China – which entered the United Nations on a credentials challenge when Taiwan was unseated.
Past credentials challenges have targeted a number of regimes judged to be outside the norms of civilized behavior and in violation of the United Nations’ human rights standards, including Cambodia, Haiti, Afghanistan and apartheid-era South Africa.
The Burmese junta has continually thumbed its nose at efforts by the United Nations and others in the international community to ease its repression and lawlessness at home and abroad. Just last month, the junta’s top leader Than Shwe refused to see UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari during a visit to Rangoon. Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 12 years within the last 20 years under house arrest, also refused to receive Gambari in what was an apparent attempt by the junta to score some public relations points by setting up a photo op.
That snubbing of the international community reached tragic proportions last spring when the ruling generals refused to admit an outpouring of international aid in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. As tens of thousands of people died, the junta kept the aid out as it proceeded with a sham constitutional referendum trying to claim a fig leaf of legitimacy on its brutal rule.
Exile websites also found themselves under a sophisticated cyber attack that took them off line this week a day before the anniversary of the monks’ march. It was those websites, one of the only means of free expression left in Burma that has helped organize the protests before they were murderously suppressed.
“We are urging members of the United Nations to stand up for the principles in which the organization was founded and deny the junta’s credentials to sit in the General Assembly,” said Maung Maung.
“This Credentials Challenge is a forceful and peaceful tool to tell the ruling generals that the world community believes it is time for the elected representatives to be representing Burma” said Thein Oo, Secretary of the Members of Parliament Union and who is the Permanent Representative of the democratic delegation.
Although we appreciate releasing of prisoners, the percentage of political prisoners is very few among the 9002.
“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, Khun Tun Oo, Sai Nyunt Lwin, Ashin Gambira, Min Ko Naing and all political prisoners must be released before the international community should consider the junta’s sincere participation in a peaceful process for change in Burma” said Thein Oo.
Media Contact: Bob Liff (o) 212-608-0333 or (c) 917-287-7089, bliff@arztcomm.com
