Arakan Rohingya National Organisation: Arakan, Burma
(27th March 2009)
Today is a very significant day. 64 years ago, on 27th March 1945, the whole people of Burma, in full unity, resisted and repulsed the fascist Japanese from the soil of Burma.
It was a great people’s movement under political leadership. It inspired and facilitated the people of Burma to ultimately achieve Burma’s independence from the British on 4th January 1948.
Unfortunately, despite independence, the people of Burma have been facing neo-fascism from within. Following Ne Win’s military coup in 1962 Resistance Day was all together dropped and the name Armed Forces Day alone was shamelessly used.
This military clique, under various names and manifestations, has shattered the fruits of independence. The whole people have been enslaved. The Union spirit of ‘unity in diversity’ has been hijacked, democratic structure jackbooted, human rights of people trampled down. It has nurtured militarism in the country and denied civil and political rights of the people.
Thousands of people were killed, gunned down for their political beliefs and for demanding democracy and human rights. The leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest while over 2000 political prisoners are languishing in jails.
Grave human rights violations, amounting to crimes against humanity, have been perpetrated across the country, particularly in the ethnic areas. The Rohingyas of Arakan are the worst victims, living in sub-human condition, with no basic human rights and freedom, including denial of citizenship rights, restrictions on their freedom of movement, education and marriage.
The SPDC is trying to set one people against another. We need to be on guard against this sinister design of the military to divide us on ethnic and religious lines. This cannot be done without doing injustice to the spirit of the Resistance Day and composite nature of Burma’s society.
The armed forces are not for an individual or group or party but for the country and the entire nation. But, under SPDC, armed forces become a tool to tyrannize the country’s population. The SPDC plans to hold sham election in 2010 to continue holding power against the will of the people. We condemn and reject it totally.
Under the trying situation, we need to energize the spirit of Resistance Day and repulse all evil designs of the SPDC in order to rebuild Burma a strong Union based on genuine federalism. Meanwhile, we demand SPDC to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners; to bring about national reconciliation through tripartite dialogue; and to cancel the 2010 election.
For further information, please contact:
Nurul Islam, Phone: +44 7947 854 652,
AFK Jilani, Phone: 880 1720 657 598
Email: info@rohingya.org