[vinnomot] Exile pro-democracy groups seek Sonia’s help for Suu Kyi’s release

SAN-Feature Service

SOUTH ASIAN NEWS-FEATURE SERVICE

Guwahati, October 26,2007

 

Exile pro-democracy groups seek  Sonia's  help for Suu Kyi's release

 

Nava Thakuria

 

Though New Delhi is reeling under the dilemma, whether to support the democratic movement in Burma or not, the civil societies of Northeast India have however come out visibly for the cause of democracy in its adjacent military ruled country.

 

SAN-Feature Service : The exile Burmese pro-democracy groups have started urging the leading Indian political personalities to gather support for the detained Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for the last four years.

 

A recent appeal from Women's League of Burma to Sonia Gandhi, the Indian National Congress chief, has shown their desperate attempts for extending and strengthening the support bases for the pro-democracy movement in Burma.

 

Conveying a letter after a brief demonstration  outside the office of the Congress president on October 19, the group strongly urged Ms Gandhi's 'intervention to stop brutal oppression in Burma and release of democratic leader Suu Kyi and all detainees'. The agitating Burmese women had also requested Ms Gandhi to 'speak up against injustice and brutal crackdown on the peaceful demonstrators and Buddhist monks by the Burmese military regime'.

 

The Congress chief  is recognized as the powerful lady in the present ruling coalition of New Delhi, who happens to be the grand daughter in law of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Ms Gandhi is a parliamentarian and leads the present ruling coalition of India under the banner of United Progressive Alliance.

 

"Suu Kyi needs your help for her struggle for democracy in Burma. As she is the daughter of Aung San who was very close to Nehru during their struggles for independence from British, you are bound to show your solidarity to her at this crucial point of time", said in the latter signed by two Burmese exile Neng Boi and Thin Thin Aung.

 

It also added that Burmese people, living around the world were 'very disappointed on the India's policy towards Burma'.

 

Mentionable that, India sent its petroleum minister Mr. Murali Deora to Burma to sign $150 millions gas deal amid violent crackdown on the peaceful activists, for its energy requirement. Moreover, New Delhi sent its Culture and Tourism minister, Ambica Soni to attend the funeral of General Soe Win,   who in reality perpetrated the murderous attack on Suu Kyi on 30 May four years back. 

 

"This brutal crackdown makes the women activists' lives more difficult. Women have been sexually harassed by the military and the military created militias. Prominent women activists are in hiding and some had to abandon their babies who they were breastfeeding. Actually Burmese people have been suffering from all kinds of human rights violation under the ruling military government for longtime. Our people in Burma are the prisoners in their own country," the letter from WLB asserted.

 

New Delhi, even after inviting criticism from international communities for maintaining ties with the Burmese junta, tried to justify its stand arguing that it was important to engage the junta (than alienating the group of Generals named State Peace and Development Council).

 

In a recent    visit to Guwahati, the prime city of Northeast, Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee reiterated that New Delhi had been involved 'in a variety of projects with Myanmar (Burma ) in diverse fields such as roads, railways, telecommunications, IT, science and technology, and power'.

 

Though New Delhi is reeling under the dilemma, whether to support the democratic movement in Burma or not, the civil societies of Northeast India have however come out visibly for the cause of democracy in its adjacent military ruled country. While various newspaper editorials and media columns sternly condemned the Burmese junta for its suppressive attitude, the public meetings and demonstrations in the region have resolved raising voice for immediate release of Suu Kyi with all other political prisoners.

 

In a very recent conference in Manipur by the Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR, South Sector) it was unanimously decided to extend its solidarity and support to the peoples of Burma in their struggle for restoration of Democracy. The conference on human rights on October 13 at Ukhrul, which was attended by different social organisations, representatives from  Churches, NGOs and institutions had also called upon the military junta to resolve the long pending issue in a democratic and peaceful way.

 

The Burma bordering  Indian state witnessed a solidarity meeting on October 2 at Imphal, where hundred participants including prominent legislatures, political activists, human rights activists with others urged New Delhi to withdraw all kinds of engagement with the junta. Earlier on October 6, the civil society groups of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam had observed the global day of action for free Burma with different activities. The simultaneous demonstration in these States highlighted   the common concern for the agitating monks and peaceful protestors in the recent past, who were brutally suppressed by the junta.

 

Mizoram, where nearly 40,000 Chin refugees are still taking shelter to get rid of repressive actions of the junta, also witnessed a massive show on October 4, where hundreds of social activists, journalists, former legislators, politicians, student leaders and Burmese refugees attended a solidarity meeting in the state capital, Aizawl. The participants in the meeting unanimously urged New Delhi to slash all diplomatic and business ties with the junta  until democracy is restored in their Golden land.—SAN-Feature Service

 

Nava Thakuria is a leading journalist based in Guwahati, India

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