Statement by Joint Action Committee

[byvaj@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Statement by Joint Action Committee ( Japan )

For your information, the following letter was sent to the heads of 
state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

August 18, 1997

Once again, the so called State Law and Order Restoration Council has 
made a mockery of the law, this time by slapping three of Daw Aung San 
Suu Kyi's relatives with 10 year sentences for allegedly endangering 
national security and handing down a life sentence to U Myo Aung Thant, 
a sailor accused of terrorist activities.  Once again, the Association 
of Southeast Asian Nations has stood by in silence as one of its members 
commits a gross injustice against innocent citizens.
U Cho Aung Than, U Myint Swe and Daw Nge Ma Ma Than were accused of
smuggling videotapes of Suu Kyi's speeches abroad.  In what other 
country is the dissemination of the words of its rightfully elected 
leader considered treason?  Such acts do not endanger national security; 
they merely endanger the SLORC's security. "Martial law means no law at 
all."  Those words are as true today as they were when uttered by a 
delirious SLORC general years ago.  The "law" under
which Suu Kyi's relatives were convicted is in fact a military decree 
issued for the sole purpose of crushing the democracy movement.  
Meanwhile, under the same system of justice, drug lords like Khun Sa are 
permitted to live free and prosper from their trade, posing a true 
danger to the security of not only Burma but also its ASEAN neighbors.  
It is therefore the SLORC, not U Myo Aung Thant, who is the true 
terrorist.
ASEAN approved Burma's membership with the promise that it would use its 
influence to foster national reconciliation.  We, the 48 million 
citizens of Burma, are still waiting for results.

Joint Action Committee
======================
Burma Youth Volunteer Association (Japan)
Students' Organization for the Liberation of Burma (Japan)
National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) -- Japan Branch

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Information Committee
Burma Youth Volunteer Association ( Japan )

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