Press Release
October 20, 2003
The Burmese Generals are lying to The World
SPDC and USDA Forcibly Rally Thousands of Chin People against Their Wills in Support of Gen. Khin Ngunt Seven Points “Roadmap to Democracy”
The Chin Human Rights Organization deeply deplores and condemns the act of State Peace and Development Council SPDC and it’s henchman-organization Union Solidarity and Development Association USDA for forcing the Chin people against their wills to rally in supports of “Gen. Khin Ngunt’s seven point roadmap to democracy” in Haka, the capital of Chin state on October 16, 2003.
Chin Human Rights Organization have confirmed that all the students and government employee in Haka were forced to attend the rally threatening that any one who refuse to participate in the rally will be expelled from their school or their job. All major towns in Chin states such as Falam, Matupi, Mindat, Thantlang, Tiddim, and Tonzang are compelled to send representatives to participate in the rally. Furthermore, residents of Haka town and nearby villages were forced to send one person per household to attend the rally. Any household that fails to attend the rally is subject to fine 1,000 Kyats and necessary punishment by higher authority (Kyat is Burmese currency). Those who participate in the rally are divided into three columns, and each column had to wear the Burmese traditional dress in uniform.
On October 17, 2003 the SPDC’s newspaper New Light of Myanmar covered the story of forced-rally in Haka under the title of “Mass rally held in Chin State to support Prime Minister’s clarification on seven-point political roadmap”. The newspaper deliberately tried to deceive the readers by attacking the pro-democracy opposition party and praising the achievements of the military junta. The junta’s newspaper printed in Rangoon was unable to spell correctly all the names of the Chin individuals mentioned in their story.
Under the Burmese military junta, the Chin people are suffering rampant human rights violations such as religious persecutions, forced labor, arbitrarily arrest, torture and abuse against women which resulted thousands of Chin to flee from their home countries.
In fact, the Chin people a long with the whole Burma have expressed their wills to democratic change in 1988 by protesting against the Burmese Socialist Program Party BSPP even in the smallest village in Chin state. Again in 1990 general election in Burma, the Chin peoples showed their wills to democratic change by decisively voting for pro-democracy candidates in Chin states and Burma as a whole. In April 2003, while Aung San Suu Kyi was visiting Chin state, ten of thousands of Chin people greeted her in spite of the Junta’s threatening the local people that those who meet Aung San Suu Kyi will be severely punished.
The rally organized by USDA under the guidance of SPDC in Haka, Chin state on October 16, clearly depicted that Burmese military junta called State Peace and Development Council is trying to consolidate its hold on power by deceiving the whole world that the people of Burma supported their illegal leadership.
The United Nations and the international community at large have in the past consistently deplored the systematic violations of human rights in Burma, and have repeatedly called on the ruling military regime to show respect for human rights in the country. However, the fact that the military regime has continued to violate human rights in defiance of international opinion shows that the time has come for such rhetoric to be translated into concrete actions on the part of the international community. Chin Human Rights Organizationwww.chro.org For More information please contact: Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Director, CHRO at 510 595 1872