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SDU STATEMENT ON 4TH JANUARY, 2000
- Subject: SDU STATEMENT ON 4TH JANUARY, 2000
- From: m.win@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 00:40:00
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SHAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (SDU)=20
STATEMENT ON 4TH JANUARY, 2000=20
=20
This day, in 1948, our leaders and the people believed that the Shan =
people won independence jointly with our brethrens, the Burman, Rakhine, =
Chin, Kachin, Karenni, Karen, and Mon nations. =20
=20
The bright hope of our leaders who signed the Panglong Accord in 1947, =
the basis of independence and the founding document of the Union of =
Burma, has however been negated by history, by our bitter experience. =20
=20
Today, the Shan people have become beggars in their own land. Burman- =
chauvinist in uniform have, since the mid-1950s, waged a war of =
extermination against the Shan people, perpetrating atrocities against =
the people of Shan State in order to traumatize, disorient, terrify, and =
destroy the spirit and dignity of the people as a free nation. In 1962, =
the Burman military chauvinists destroyed the political cohesion of the =
Shan States by detaining, wholesale, all our princes and leaders. =20
=20
The current, post-1988, military junta has stepped up its war against =
the people of Shan State. More than 300,000 (and still counting) =
productive villagers have been forcibly evicted from their villages, =
farms, and fields, and they have been turned into beggars, living in =
squalor in various "relocation centers. Some have fled into Thailand to =
be exploited as cheap labor, or as products in the booming sex industry =
of Thailand. A third of the displaced have gone into hiding, living as =
fugitives in forests and running the risk, everyday, of being found by =
Burman military patrols and shot on the spot, the women raped and killed =
afterwards. =20
=20
Shan State has become a killing ground in that ordinary people now stand =
naked, without any protection whatsoever, in the face of brutal, lawless =
power exercised by a very brutal, merciless Burman chauvinist-military =
regime.=20
=20
Shan State today is a country where there is no law, and hence no =
government. The current self-claimed "government" is a rogue regime. The =
only law it knows and exercise systematically is the "law of terror". =
This rogue regime does not rule. It preys on the people, and kills the =
cultures and identities of ethnic nations .=20
=20
It is particularly fearful of the Shans because we are a nation, =
recognized as a full-fledged nation by U (Bogyoke) Aung San, no less. =
Hence, the rogue regime is determined not so much to "pacify" the Shans, =
but to exterminate it by destroying everything that holds the people of =
Shan State together as a nation. =20
=20
Although we, the Shan Democratic Union (SDU), favor a peaceful =
settlement via a Tripartite Dialogue as recommended by the United =
Nations General Assembly, we must also raise this question: In the face =
of governments that specialize in waging a war of terror and ethnocide =
against a people, has that nation, thus victimized, the Right to =
Self-Defence? =20
=20
We call upon the United Nations and its agencies, international =
organizations, humanitarian bodies, national governments, and =
non-Governmental Organizations, and all decent people everywhere to =
ponder the question of the Right of Self-Defence of peoples threatened =
with extermination or subject to systemic state terror. =20
=20
We believe that owing to the failure of the international community to =
act in time to prevent so-called governments from engaging in massacres, =
ethnic-cleansing actions (or ethnocide), exterminating the =
national-identities of the oppressed and destroying their =
political-cultural structures and infrastructures, and so on, it is =
only right that the Right to Self-Defence of the victims of state-terror =
and state-led extermination actions, be recognized and firmly upheld. =20
=20
We believe that the recognition by the international community and =
governments of the Right of the people to Self-Defence , will go a long =
way toward restraining the bloody-minded and brutal impulse of =
governments, especially the genocidal rogue regime in Burma (and =
elsewhere in the lawless "developing" regions of the world). =20
=20
We firmly believe that international recognition of the Right of =
threatened and victimized people to Self-Denfence will constitute an =
important step in bringing about the acceptance by rulers and =
power-holders of the standards of civilization, and with it, the =
emergence of the Rule of Law in the areas of the world that are still =
without law and without civilized governance. =20
=20
=20
Kham Zam
General Secretary
SHAN DEMOCRATIC UNION
January 4, 1999. =20
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#ff0000 size=3D4><STRONG>SHAN DEMOCRATIC UNION (SDU)=20
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>STATEMENT ON 4TH JANUARY, =
2000=20
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>This</STRONG> day, in 1948, =
our leaders=20
and the people believed that the Shan people won independence jointly =
with our=20
brethrens, the Burman, Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Karenni, Karen, and Mon=20
nations. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>The</STRONG> bright hope of =
our leaders=20
who signed the Panglong Accord in 1947, the basis of independence and =
the=20
founding document of the Union of Burma, has however been negated by =
history, by=20
our bitter experience. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>Today</STRONG>, the Shan =
people have=20
become beggars in their own land. Burman- chauvinist in uniform have, =
since the=20
mid-1950s, waged a war of extermination against the Shan people, =
perpetrating=20
atrocities against the people of Shan State in order to traumatize, =
disorient,=20
terrify, and destroy the spirit and dignity of the people as a free=20
nation. In 1962, the Burman military chauvinists destroyed the =
political=20
cohesion of the Shan States by detaining, wholesale, all our princes and =
leaders. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>The</STRONG> current, =
post-1988,=20
military junta has stepped up its war against the people of Shan =
State. =20
More than 300,000 (and still counting) productive villagers have been =
forcibly=20
evicted from their villages, farms, and fields, and they have been =
turned into=20
beggars, living in squalor in various "relocation centers. Some have =
fled into=20
Thailand to be exploited as cheap labor, or as products in the booming =
sex=20
industry of Thailand. A third of the displaced have gone into =
hiding,=20
living as fugitives in forests and running the risk, everyday, of being =
found by=20
Burman military patrols and shot on the spot, the women raped and killed =
afterwards. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>Shan</STRONG> State has =
become a killing=20
ground in that ordinary people now stand naked, without any protection=20
whatsoever, in the face of brutal, lawless power exercised by a very =
brutal,=20
merciless Burman chauvinist-military regime. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>Shan</STRONG> State today is =
a country=20
where there is no law, and hence no government. The current self-claimed =
"government" is a rogue regime. The only law it knows and exercise=20
systematically is the "law of terror". </FONT><FONT color=3D#000000 =
size=3D2>This=20
rogue regime does not rule. It preys on the people, and kills the =
cultures and=20
identities of ethnic nations . </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>It</STRONG> is particularly =
fearful of=20
the Shans because we are a nation, recognized as a full-fledged nation =
by U=20
(Bogyoke) Aung San, no less. Hence, the rogue regime is determined not =
so much=20
to "pacify" the Shans, but to exterminate it by destroying everything =
that holds=20
the people of Shan State together as a=20
nation. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>Although</STRONG> we, the =
Shan=20
Democratic Union (SDU), favor a peaceful settlement via a Tripartite =
Dialogue as=20
recommended by the United Nations General Assembly, we must also raise =
this=20
question: In the face of governments that specialize in waging a =
war of=20
terror and ethnocide against a people, has that nation, thus victimized, =
the=20
Right to Self-Defence? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>We</STRONG> call upon the =
United Nations=20
and its agencies, international organizations, humanitarian bodies, =
national=20
governments, and non-Governmental Organizations, and all decent people=20
everywhere to ponder the question of the Right of Self-Defence of =
peoples=20
threatened with extermination or subject to systemic state =
terror. =20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>We</STRONG> believe that =
owing to the=20
failure of the international community to act in time to prevent =
so-called=20
governments from engaging in massacres, ethnic-cleansing actions (or =
ethnocide),=20
exterminating the national-identities of the oppressed and destroying =
their=20
political-cultural structures and infrastructures, and so on, it =
is only=20
right that the Right to Self-Defence of the victims of state-terror and=20
state-led extermination actions, be recognized and firmly=20
upheld. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>We</STRONG> believe that the =
recognition=20
by the international community and governments of the Right of the =
people to=20
Self-Defence , will go a long way toward restraining the bloody-minded =
and=20
brutal impulse of governments, especially the genocidal rogue regime in =
Burma=20
(and elsewhere in the lawless "developing" regions of the=20
world). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>We</STRONG> firmly believe =
that=20
international recognition of the Right of threatened and victimized =
people to=20
Self-Denfence will constitute an important step in bringing about the =
acceptance=20
by rulers and power-holders of the standards of civilization, and with =
it, the=20
emergence of the Rule of Law in the areas of the world that are still =
without=20
law and without civilized governance. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Kham =
Zam</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>General =
Secretary</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>SHAN DEMOCRATIC=20
UNION</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2><STRONG>January 4, 1999. =20
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
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