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OPEN LETTER FROM NCUB TO GEN. THAN



Subject: OPEN LETTER FROM NCUB TO GEN. THAN SHWE


OPEN LETTER

To: Gen. Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC),

(NCUB)        
        August 26, 1999 
Gen. Than Shwe,Chairman, SPDC

There are currently indications that a general uprising may occur in Burma due
to widespread discontent and lack of stability in the country. This is the
result of the political, social and economic crises that the people are
currently enduring in their daily lives, particularly the difficulties that
many people are encountering in trying to cover basic necessities such as
food,
clothing and housing. The only way we will be able to avoid such a
situation is
to solve the political problems of our country by political means.

Although Burma got her Independence in 1948, at the same time, civil war broke
out because ofthe disintegration of national unity and the incapacity of the
country to solve political problems by political means. As a result, our
country faced a lack of peace and stability, and was virtually burned to
ashes.

Everybody in Burma has become involved in the present struggle, either as an
individual, as a party to various political forces, or as a member of an
ethnic
armed resistance group. The aims have been an end to the civil war, the
restoration of internal peace, the development of democracy and the
reconstruction of a federal union.

On behalf of the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), I have always
asked that the political problems of the country be solved by political means.
As a Chairman of the Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB), I made the same
demand
in 1993. At that time I stated; "We would like to solve the political problems
of the country by political means, so that Burma can become a peaceful, united
and democratic country, and a genuine federal union."

The Burmese people have already shown their desire for democracy and their
willingness to contribute in building a new state by participating in nation-
wide demonstrations in 1988 and by voting for the National League for
Democracy
(NLD) during the 1990 general election. Political parties in Burma, including
the NLD led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, have all stated their wish for a
democratic country. The NCUB is working towards this same goal, and you,
generals in the SPDC, have also announced worldwide that your aim is so set up
a democratic country in Burma. Under the given situation, I strongly ask that
those three forces in Burmese politics that are willing to work for the
development of a democratic country -- the NLD, the SPDC and the ethnic groups
-- should initiate a genuine dialogue immediately in order to achieve the
democracy that the people want. Only through such a dialogue can we
construct a
peaceful, united and democratic Burma. 

General, 

People are now suffering very much because of inflation, skyrocketing
commodity
prices and other ordeals in their daily lives. The recent increases in the
rice
prices are making life even more difficult for the majority of the people.
Burma used to be known as "the rice bowl of Asia", but now its people are
close
to starvation. Such a decline makes us very sad, indeed. Even in the heartland
of Central Burma, where most of the rice in Burma is being produced, many
farmers have to eat millet instead of rice. In Rangoon and Mandalay, it is
difficult for many people to have at least two meals a day. We believe that
you
are already aware of this situation.  

Now, we are rapidly approaching the 21st century, and many countries in the
world have recognised that this is going to be the era of education. Given the
flaws of the present education system in Burma, how can we reach a prosperous
and developed state by the coming of the next century?

Governments in many countries of the world are trying to improve the level of
education of their citizens in order to create a better future for them. This
is also happening in countries which are already developed and prosperous. In
our country, colleges and universities have been closed for many years, and we
are deeply concerned about the future of Burma. 

At an international level, physicians and researchers, including Burmese
specialists, have repeatedly pointed out how HIV/ AIDS is now rapidly
spreading
in Burma. HIV/AIDS is hitting the youth and young adults particularly hard,
and
they represent the future of the country. We have a duty to prevent the
further
spread of such an epidemic disease in our country. The health care system in
Burma is currently falling apart, and this situation is causing the mortality
rate in the population to increase. According to statistics by the UNICEF, the
infant mortality rate is increasing year by year.

The issues mentioned above are just a few of the many problems that the people
of Burma are being forced to face. But there are also several other fields
that
are currently in decline, whether it is the social sector, science and
technology, arts and literature or sports. Unemployment has become high in
Burma, and for many people, their income is no longer sufficient to provide
for
their families, so hundreds of thousands of Burmese have been forced to leave
their homes to work as illegal migrant workers in neighbouring countries. You
generals claim in the "Four Main Social Objectives" that you are striving
towards the improvement of our national pride, but actually, it is now rapidly
being lost. 

General, 

I believe that you are already aware of the situation in our country, and that
all these issues make a general uprising of the people very much a
possibility.
Such an uprising will not occur because of instigation by one person or one
organisation, but because of the general political, economic and social chaos
in the country. If you cannot solve these problems, you will face widespread
opposition of the people. 

In the past, we have witnessed how successive governments tried to prevent
unrest by blaming on the opposition and calling for the annihilation of those
forces and individuals disagreeing with them. But these governments never
addressed the root causes of popular discontent. We honestly believe that this
is the reason why new crises have been occurring over and over again in our
country, much to the harm of the state of Burma as well as to its citizens. 

In conclusion, I assume, General, that as you are the Chairman of the SPDC and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, you are also in control of the
commanders of the Army. Therefore, I believe that you can end the ongoing
killing this very day, and that tomorrow, we can meet in peace and chart out a
new transition towards a democratic and prosperous Burma. Otherwise, there
will
be no peace, and our country will continue to be plagued by further
deterioration, hatred, bloodshed and poverty. I would like to urge you to make
the decision that you find most appropriate for the sake of our country. 

Sincerely, 

/signed/

Saw Bo Mya
President, National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB)


--------------------------------------------------------------
All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)
P.O. Box 42, Hua Mark P.O, Bangkapi, 10243, Bangkok
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