8-8-88 London Demo Statement

[BURDEMORG@xxxxxxx]

Burmese Democratic Organisation
4 SILKFIELD ROAD, LONDON  NW9 6QT, UK.  Tel/Fax 0181 205 3430 / 0181 806 3788
e-mail:  burdemorg@xxxxxxx



STATEMENT
11th ANNIVERSARY OF 8-8-88


This time eleven years ago, the entire Burmese population rises against the 
military dictators who had been ruling the country under dictatorship and 
authoritarian rule since the military coup in March 1962.

The peoples' popular uprising in March 1988 was finally defeated by 
indiscriminate shootings by the Burmese army following a military coup on the 
18th September 1988.
Although tens of thousands of unarmed citizens were shot and killed on 
numerous shootings nation-wide, during the six months long struggle, this 
particular day the 8-8-88 stood out as a significant day.
This is the day in which many lives were lost through out the country in a 
single day.  It was estimated that nearly ten thousand people lost their 
lives on this single day the 8-8-88.
The 8-8-88 is the day which the history of our nation will never forget.  It 
is the day which generations to come will have to remember and thank the 
braves who gave their lives for the future.

The brave people of Burma do not gave their lives in vain.  During the 8-8-88 
uprising our people had successfully forced the dictators to abolish their so 
called "Burmese Socialist Program Party".  They had also forced the dictator 
General Ne Win to retire from politics.  And further more they had forged 
unity within all ethnic races in our common cause for freedom, democracy and 
human-rights.  The May 1990 general elections in which the National League 
for Democracy led by the Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had won a 
landslide victory is an out come of those sacrifices.

Today we congregate here to pay homage to those brave people who had given 
their lives for our nation's struggle for freedom, democracy and human-rights.
We take this opportunity to salute all the braves who had given their lives 
in our struggle against the military rule since the March 1962 military coup, 
since the day when Burma lost freedom and democracy.

We are here today to express our strong will to fight in unity until victory, 
until Burma re-emerges as a democratic nation cherished with peace, freedom, 
justice and human-rights, until dreams of those who gave their lives come 
true.

We strongly demand the following to the military regime;


1.  to unconditionally release all political prisoners immediately.
2.  to cease ethnic cleansing immediately.
3.  to stop rape, torture and extrajudicial execution immediately.
4.  to stop fooling the international community and entire population of 
Burma.
5.  to immediately initiate tripartite negotiations with the National League 
for Democracy and the ethnic leaders.
6.  to hand over power to the peoples' representatives elected at the May 
1990 general elections.

Signed on behalf of all the members,                                   6th 
August 1999



U Win Soe
General secretary