Kuala Lumpur Asean Protest (r)

[082903@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>For immediate release
>MEDIA STATEMENT:
>ACTIVISTS STAGE SILENT PROTEST AND DELIVER BURMA STATEMENT TO ASEAN
>
>Kuala Lumpur: Gagged Malaysian activists today staged a protest outside the
>venue of the Asean Ministerial Meeting hours before the regional grouping
>was due to formally welcome Burma's State Law and Order Restoration Council
>(Slorc) as a member.
>
>In a statement delivered to a representative of Asean, the group described
>the admission of Slorc as a mark of shame to peoples of the region who value
>human rights, justice, democracy and peace.  ALTSEAN-BURMA Coordinator Ms
>Debbie Stothard and Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia Coordinator Mr Fan Yew
>Teng delivered the statement to Asean representative Encik Arshad, who
>agreed to forward it immediately to the Malaysian Foreign Minister.(Malaysia
>is the current chair of Asean.)
>
>The statement said: "This act of recognizing the infamous regime as the
>government of Burma is a direct, oppressive interference in Burma's affairs.
>To deny the people's vote in 1990 that granted 82% of parliamentary seats to
>the National League for Democracy (NLD) and instead recognize the brutal
>junta, which won only 5% of the seats, amounts to an obscenity. 
>
>"Asean's refusal to dialogue with the government-elect of Burma is further
>proof of its poor commitment to the peace, justice, rule of law and social
>progress espoused in the Bangkok Declaration of 1967, which established Asean. 
>
>"Asean's choice to welcome Slorc and therefore squander its leverage to
>ensure genuine reform in Burma is a sell-out of our 48 million neighbors in
>Burma."
>
>The activists wore black T-shirts featuring the slogan "Burma - Asean's
>shame" and gags bearing the words "peace?" , " "freedom?", "prosperity?" and
>"neutrality?" during the protest in condemnation of Asean.  The words were a
>sarcastic repetition of the objectives of the proposed Asean Vision 2020,
>which was announced to the media yesterday.
>
>Only four activists were officially part of the protest. This was meant as a
>statement concerning Malaysia's own repressive laws which defined a
>gathering of five or more people as an "illegal assembly" and a concession
>to pressure by Malaysian authorities to call off the action.
>
>The Kuala Lumpur action is one of several initiated in the region in protest
>against Slorc's entry to Asean.  In Thailand, over 400 Burmese students
>today commenced a hunger strike in defiance of a ban by the Thai authorities
>on "political activity". In Manila, protest actions were also organised in
>opposition to the Asean welcoming ceremony.
>ENDS
>
>For more details of regional activities or a copy of the protest statement,
>please contact the ALTSEAN-BURMA Secretariat in Bangkok:
>tel: 662 275 1811, tel/fax: 662 693 4515 or email <altsean@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
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	News and Information Dept.
	All Burma Students' Democratic Organisation (ABSDO) [Australia]
	Tel/Fax: 61+03+98132613

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