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Dear Excellencies,
With regards to the 13th ASEAN Summit opening today in Singapore and the proposed adoption of the ASEAN Charter, we, the remaining leaders of the ‘88 Generation Students Group, once again address you as state leaders of the region, following an earlier letter dated September 17, with the urge for ASEAN to take action against the ongoing grave human rights abuses in Burma/Myanmar and to increase pressure on the country’s military regime to engage in genuine dialogue for national reconciliation.
Letter from the 88 Generation Students to ASEAN Leaders
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)
TO-
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei
H.E. Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia
H.E. Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of the Lao PDR
H.E. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia
H.E. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia
H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines
H.E. Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong of Singapore
H.E. Prime Minister General (Retired) Surayud Chulanont of Thailand
H.E. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam
H.E. Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong of ASEAN Secretariat
Date: November 19, 2007
Dear Excellencies,
With regards to the 13th ASEAN Summit opening today in Singapore and the proposed adoption of the ASEAN Charter, we, the remaining leaders of the ‘88 Generation Students Group, once again address you as state leaders of the region, following an earlier letter dated September 17, with the urge for ASEAN to take action against the ongoing grave human rights abuses in Burma/Myanmar and to increase pressure on the country’s military regime to engage in genuine dialogue for national reconciliation.
We appreciate that ASEAN heads of states issued a statement dated 27 September 2007, expressing revulsion against the killings and demanding the regime to stop the use of violence against demonstrators. However, we hope you will continue to pressure on the military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), as it has continued to harass, detain, and arrest those that were involved in the peaceful demonstrations in August and September – citizens of an ASEAN member country who simply exercised their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, to date, the numbers of those detained or killed during the protests remain unverified, despite the fact that the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights situation in Myanmar, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, was recently allowed to visit the country for an assessment of the human rights situation in the country.
As you are aware, UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari have been calling for an inclusive national reconciliation process, the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. In declining Mr. Gambari’s proposed three-way meeting and by continuing arrests of political activists, the SPDC’s willingness to cooperate with the UN must be questioned.
The military regime’s lack of political will to work together with the local actors and international community can also be seen as the generals continuously announce publicly they will proceed with their own “roadmap to democracy”. We believe this process will not lead to resolve our country's crises as it is undemocratic and non-inclusive of all actors concerned.
Therefore, we urge ASEAN, as a vital stakeholder and significant actor to clearly reject the SPDC’s sponsored roadmap to democracy, and take on a stronger role in pressuring the military regime to start a genuine dialogue process towards national reconciliation. In addition, we ask ASEAN to stop its financial support and economic cooperation with the SPDC, and instead work with the UN, US, EU and other countries to resolve the crisis in Burma. If the military regime continues to ignore the international community’s efforts and fail to produce tangible outcomes, we would also like you to consider the suspension of the SPDC from ASEAN.
As, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro expressed upon his return from Burma/Myanmar last week, the human rights situation in the country has not improved, why it requires priority attention from the regional body. Mr. Pinheiro expressed hopes that special consideration to Burma/Myanmar will be given at the 13th ASEAN summit.
We welcome that the ASEAN charter stresses such principle as “respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of social justice”. It is our sincere expectation that this charter be used as a tool by ASEAN countries to ensure the protection of human rights of all people in the region. If the SPDC is allowed to continue its arbitrary arrests and violations of people’s basic rights in Burma/Myanmar, the credibility of the ASEAN Charter will be in question, especially in respect to its principles on human rights and rule of law.
Sincerely,
The 88-Generation Students
Signed by:
Tun Myint Aung Nilar Thein Soe Htun
With regards to the 13th ASEAN Summit opening today in Singapore and the proposed adoption of the ASEAN Charter, we, the remaining leaders of the ‘88 Generation Students Group, once again address you as state leaders of the region, following an earlier letter dated September 17, with the urge for ASEAN to take action against the ongoing grave human rights abuses in Burma/Myanmar and to increase pressure on the country’s military regime to engage in genuine dialogue for national reconciliation.
Letter from the 88 Generation Students to ASEAN Leaders
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)
TO-
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei
H.E. Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia
H.E. Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of the Lao PDR
H.E. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia
H.E. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia
H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines
H.E. Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong of Singapore
H.E. Prime Minister General (Retired) Surayud Chulanont of Thailand
H.E. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam
H.E. Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong of ASEAN Secretariat
Date: November 19, 2007
Dear Excellencies,
With regards to the 13th ASEAN Summit opening today in Singapore and the proposed adoption of the ASEAN Charter, we, the remaining leaders of the ‘88 Generation Students Group, once again address you as state leaders of the region, following an earlier letter dated September 17, with the urge for ASEAN to take action against the ongoing grave human rights abuses in Burma/Myanmar and to increase pressure on the country’s military regime to engage in genuine dialogue for national reconciliation.
We appreciate that ASEAN heads of states issued a statement dated 27 September 2007, expressing revulsion against the killings and demanding the regime to stop the use of violence against demonstrators. However, we hope you will continue to pressure on the military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), as it has continued to harass, detain, and arrest those that were involved in the peaceful demonstrations in August and September – citizens of an ASEAN member country who simply exercised their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, to date, the numbers of those detained or killed during the protests remain unverified, despite the fact that the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights situation in Myanmar, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, was recently allowed to visit the country for an assessment of the human rights situation in the country.
As you are aware, UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari have been calling for an inclusive national reconciliation process, the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. In declining Mr. Gambari’s proposed three-way meeting and by continuing arrests of political activists, the SPDC’s willingness to cooperate with the UN must be questioned.
The military regime’s lack of political will to work together with the local actors and international community can also be seen as the generals continuously announce publicly they will proceed with their own “roadmap to democracy”. We believe this process will not lead to resolve our country's crises as it is undemocratic and non-inclusive of all actors concerned.
Therefore, we urge ASEAN, as a vital stakeholder and significant actor to clearly reject the SPDC’s sponsored roadmap to democracy, and take on a stronger role in pressuring the military regime to start a genuine dialogue process towards national reconciliation. In addition, we ask ASEAN to stop its financial support and economic cooperation with the SPDC, and instead work with the UN, US, EU and other countries to resolve the crisis in Burma. If the military regime continues to ignore the international community’s efforts and fail to produce tangible outcomes, we would also like you to consider the suspension of the SPDC from ASEAN.
As, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro expressed upon his return from Burma/Myanmar last week, the human rights situation in the country has not improved, why it requires priority attention from the regional body. Mr. Pinheiro expressed hopes that special consideration to Burma/Myanmar will be given at the 13th ASEAN summit.
We welcome that the ASEAN charter stresses such principle as “respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the promotion of social justice”. It is our sincere expectation that this charter be used as a tool by ASEAN countries to ensure the protection of human rights of all people in the region. If the SPDC is allowed to continue its arbitrary arrests and violations of people’s basic rights in Burma/Myanmar, the credibility of the ASEAN Charter will be in question, especially in respect to its principles on human rights and rule of law.
Sincerely,
The 88-Generation Students
Signed by:
Tun Myint Aung Nilar Thein Soe Htun
အေသးစိတ္သိလိုပါက 
