North East India supports democracy in Burma

Civil society and advocacy groups in North East India, continue their support of the pro-democratic movement in military-ruled Burma. There is unanimous support in the region for release of pro-democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

CJ: Nava Thakuria

Sun, Jul 12, 2009 17:31:12 IST

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Burma news :

CONTRARY TO New Delhi’s policy on Burma (Myanmar), civil society and advocacy groups in North East India continue supporting the pro-democratic movement in the military-ruled country. While the Central government is willing to engage the Burmese junta for various strategic and trade reasons, the student-youth-journalist and also political party workers of the region maintain their demand to snap all ties with the dictators in Nay Pyi Taw (the new capital of Burma after Rangoon).

They also demand that the pro-democracy Burmese icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi must be released and allowed to continue her political agitation. The latest interaction between a group of Burmese exiles and local citizens in Guwahati, revolved around those issues. The meeting at Guwahati Press Club on July 4, which saw the participation of an exiled Burmese parliamentarian , concluded with a number of resolutions in support of the democratic movement in the Southeast Asian country.

Organised jointly by Burma Centre Delhi and Journalists’ Forum Assam, the meeting on ‘India’s Policy on Burma: A Northeastern Perspective’, also witnessed a discussion on the probable ways by which people from the North East could extend support for the movement led by Suu Kyi.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Tint Swe, an exile Member of Parliament, National Coalition Government of Union of Burma, argued that New Delhi should play a major role in democratisation of Burma. The elected Parliamentarian (in 1990 general election of Burma), who has been living in India for more than a decade, did not forget to mention about the help and cooperation from Indian people in general and the Northeastern in particular in their endeavour.

“India being the largest democracy in the globe should review its policy on Burma and make it as pro-democratic movement,” insisted Dr Tint Swe adding,“ New Delhi should also review its Look East Policy, as the military dictators of Burma will never support the initiative to be successful.”

“Burma and India has a strong historical and geographical link where Northeast shares a very close connection in terms of trade, political beliefs and culture. In 1988, during democracy uprising in Burma, New Delhi as well as the people of India strongly supported the movement and provided shelter to those who fled to Indo-Burma border by setting up refugee camps in Mizoram and Manipur,” highlighted M Kim, another Burmese exile in India. Kim, who is living in New Delhi for two decades, also added, “However, from the mid 1990s, a shift took place in New Delhi’s attitude when it launched its Look East Policy and began engaging the military junta in bilateral cooperation.”

Today New Delhi maintains a sustained strategic relationship with the ruling State Peace and Development Council, under which a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed. More over, the government of India remains silent on the issue of Suu Kyi’s re-arrest and trail, even though the great Lady was hounoured with Jawaharlal Nehru Peace Prize and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose award. The daughter of Aung San, the father of modern Burma, Suu Kyi was also awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mentionable that Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for nearly 13 years out of 19 years stay in her country. More recently, Suu Kyi was shifted to the Insein prison of Rangoon, where she has been tried at a special court with the charge of violating rules under her house arrest. Suu Kyi is recognised as one of the world's most renowned freedom fighters and the SPDC is understood to try its best to prevent her (with her party National League for Democracy) participating in the forthcoming General Election during 2010.

“Asia had given birth to many great women leaders. But it can be said without doubt that Suu Kyi will be regarded as one of the greatest heroic women not only of Asia but of the world. While presenting the Congressional Medal of honour to Suu Kyi, Washington formally recognised her a status equal to other non-American recipients of the medal like Sir Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Mother Theresa,” commented Rajen Barua of Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS).

Speaking to this writer from Houston, Barua also added, “For the Burmese people, Suu Kyi represents their best and perhaps only hope that one day there will be an end to the country's military repression. Today, from the isolation of her house arrest Suu Kyi radiates a moral authority that exposes the illegitimacy of the Burmese regime and all of its pretensions to appear different from what it really is.”

Earlier in an official message to the organisers, the FASS argued that the people of Northeast‘ as a neighbour of Burma need to keep in touch with the people of Burma and especially the enlightened Burmese who are living outside their counrty’.

“We in the Northeast have more important roles to play. After all, we are very much concerned about the hardship that Suu Kyi is going through. We also urge the government of China, Russia and other countries with strong ties with Burma, to pressurise the military rulers for immediate release of Suu Kyi, so that she can freely move in Burma for advancement of democratic values and human rights,” the message, which was read out by Jayanta Barman in the Guwahati meeting, added.

Meanwhile, in a message sent to the organisers of Guwahati meeting, the All Assam Students’ Union and the North East Students’ Organisation leader Dr Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya expressed their support to the pro-democracy movement in Burma and demanded release of Suu Kyi.

The meeting meanwhile urged New Delhi to stop forthwith sales of all arms to the military rulers of Burma, who use the weapons to suppress the ever-growing movement for democracy in the country. It also demanded immediate release of over 2000 political prisoners in Burma including Suu Kyi. India should have a non-discriminatory refugee policy as early as possible, another resolution said.

The speakers including Dr Alana Golmei, Htun Htun from Burma Centre Delhi and journalists Rupam Baruah, Hiten Mahanta, RK Goswami with others were of the opinion that trade relations between India and Burma should not be at the cost of the democratic movement in that country. Mentionable that both the neighboring countries did business to the tune of nearly US $ 900 million in the 2007-08 fiscal year.

The major outcome of the meeting was the proposal to form a regional forum to pursue democracy in Burma. The proposed ‘Northeast India Forum for Democracy in Burma’ is supposed to provide space for the people of Northeast and Burma to join hands with an aim to continue the campaign against the military junta.

Similarly, few days back, hundreds of Mizo and Burmese activists organised a demonstration at Aizawl with the primary demand for an early release of Suu Kyi. Initiated by Mizoram Committee for Democracy in Burma, the programme on June 25, also included the decision to send a memorandum to the Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, through the state government of Mizoram-bordering Chin State of Burma-with an appeal to pursue with the Burmese government for the release of Suu Kyi and also restoration of democracy in Burma.

Mentionable that over 50,000 Chin people have been taking shelter in Mizoram. Most of them are economic migrants, who crossed the Indo-Burma border for a better future in India. Many of them are activists, who fled their country to escape the repression of the junta. Amazingly, the Chin and Mizo people share similar historical, cultural and religious backgrounds. But time to time, the state witnesses resentment against those unwelcome guests from Burma.

Representatives from the ruling Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee, Mizo National Front (the main opposition party of Mizoram), Zoram Nationalist Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Miozram Peoples Conference with Mizo Zirlai Pawl, Mizo Students' Union, Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl, Mizo Women Association, Human Rights and Law Network, People Union for Civil Liberties etc joined the programme.

Earlier more than hundred Indian MPs, including those from Northeast, called on the Union government to intervene for the release of Suu Kyi and for the restoration of democracy in Burma. The lawmakers under the banner Indian Parliamentarian Forum for Democracy in Burma submitted a petition on 10 June to the Indian Prime Minister urging him to take personal interest to resolve the issue amicably.

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