PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY DENMARK

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY DENMARK

Thaung Htun, a member of the “National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma” -- a group in exile from the country officially recognized by the United Nations as Myanmar -- appealed yesterday afternoon to Secretary-General Kofi Annan to dispatch a special envoy to his country to help defuse the tension there and bring about political dialogue. Mr. Thaung told correspondents that the situation in the country was “fluid and volatile”.

Speaking at a Headquarters press conference, which was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations, as well as by the Quaker United Nations office, whose representative Ernestine Buscemi was present, he urged his country’s neighbours, particularly, members of the Association of South-East Asian countries (ASEAN), to collaborate with the United Nations envoy if one was appointed. The ASEAN countries should not look upon the situation in his country as an internal affair. It was starting to threaten the region’s peace and stability, as drugs, HIV/AIDS, refugees and migrant workers were exported into neighbouring countries.

Mr. Thaung called for a ban on foreign investment, urging the United States to impose economic sanctions. The European Union must also strengthen its common position, including imposition of a ban on new investments. He noted that the European Union Council of Foreign Ministers would review its position at a meeting in October. The European Union planned to send a mission to the country.

He said the international community should no longer allow the Burmese authorities to use the principle of non-interference in the country’s affairs to prevent it from scrutinizing events there, including “atrocities being committed by the Burmese Government”. He said it was time for the international community “to come up with concrete action” to deal with the situation.

He announced that the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy organization was affiliated with the Coalition Government in exile, planned to visit her party offices in the upper part of the country on Thursday, 21 September, to test the recent lifting of the ban on her movements by the authorities. She would be accompanied on the trip by the Vice-Chairman of her party.

He said the military should provide “space” for her party and its leaders to carry out their legitimate party activities. The “exile government” believed that political dialogue based on national reconciliation was the best means to restore peace. He said: “We have no intention to confront the regime force by force. We have no intention to mobilize the country and to disturb the peace and stability of Burma.”

He said his organization would like to see a common platform by which all sectors of society, including the military, could together build the country. “The situation of the country is deteriorating very rapidly; our people are

Press Conference on Burma - 2 - 21 September 2000

deprived of their civil and political rights, freedom of speech, assembly and association”, he said. He added that they were also deprived of enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.

He also said the economic situation was deteriorating very rapidly with a decline in living standards. Some humanitarian experts had categorized it as “a situation of silent emergency”. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization(WHO) and other United Nations agencies had described the situation as a humanitarian crisis.

An alarming issue also being faced in the country was HIV/AIDS, which was spreading very rapidly, he said. Some 1.2 per cent of the adult population was affected. The military was restricting information about the epidemic. The regime was spending more than 50 per cent of the budget on defence, while 0.2 per cent was devoted to the health sector. The standard of education was declining, threatening the situation of the future generation.

He urged the General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), to strengthen its annual resolution this session to reflect the current situation in the country. The international community could not stand by as the military destroyed the National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi, he stressed.

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