Mizzima: Burma exiled government to

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Burma exiled government to focus on strategic planning and policy
developments

New Delhi, March 30, 2000
Mizzima News Group

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), formed
with exiled Members of Parliament, said that it is to reorient its focus
from awareness creating campaigns to strategic planning and policy
developments in support of restoration of democracy in Burma. Dr. Tint
Swe, Minister of South Asian Affairs of the exiled Government, informed
this change of NCGUB?s strategy in a briefing to India-based Burma
pro-democracy activists. The briefing was held yesterday afternoon at
Burmese Community Resource Centre in New Delhi. Mr. Chao-Tzang Yawnghwe,
a member of Technical Advisory Network (TAN) to the NCGUB was also
present in the briefing.

?Since its inception in 1990, the NCGUB has been doing activities on
ad-hoc basis. We have now decided to move to expand its capacities and
activities to reflect National League for Democracy (NLD)?s political
actions inside the country. Through a systemic process of review,
consultations, and confirmation, the NCGUB has planned to redirect its
energy into creating an environment conducive for a political dialogue
in Burma. At the same time, it has developed policies and strategies
required for democratic transition,? said Dr. Tint Swe. The main
strategic goal of NCGUB is to create an environment that is conducive
for a tripartite dialogue between National League for Democracy (NLD),
ethnic nationalities and military regime in Burma, added Dr. Tint Swe.

According to him, NCGUB has set four programs as priority activities for
the next few years. These are: to strengthen the capability of NCGUB to
carry out political activities for sustaining international and domestic
pressure against the military regime, to strengthen the capability of
democracy movement (and ethnic nationalities? struggle for
self-determination) to engage in conflict resolution and political
dialogue, to accelerate the consultation and coalition building process
between pro-democracy activists and ethnic nationalities and to make
essential preparations for a successful transition to democratic rule in
Burma.

The NCGUB was formed in December 1990 at Thai-Burma border with some
Members of Parliament who fled to border areas of the country. There are
currently ten Cabinet Ministers in the NCGUB and its headquarter is in
Washington D.C. It has offices in Europe, North America, Australia,
India and Thailand. Although Indian government does not recognize the
Burmese exiled government, NCGUB (India Office) has been functioning
from a suburb of New Delhi in low profile since 1995.

Many dissidents among themselves often criticize the exiled government,
particularly by student activists, as being inefficient and incompetent.
?We welcome these criticisms as constructive criticism. When we formed
the NCGUB, we had only a few Members of Parliament who were able to flee
from Burma and we did not have enough experience and manpower. With the
lessons learned from the previous activities as well as the efforts
undertaken within the whole range of democratic movement, we are now
determined to improve the effectiveness of its leadership and
performance in undertaking essential tasks to influence democratic
change in Burma,? answered Dr. Tint Swe.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) party led by Nobel Laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi got the landslide victory in May 1990 general elections in
Burma. However, the military regime refused to honour the election
results and suppressed the popular support.