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people of the Southeast Asian country of Burma
are locked in one of the world's great freedom
struggles. The country's military rulers, the
State Peace and Development Council, have run
the country with an iron fist for the past 15
years, after they assumed power from a 26-year
socialist dictatorship. In 1988, students, professionals,
and others launched a nationwide uprising aimed
at bringing an end to authoritarian rule during
which millions of people courageously marched
on the streets, calling for freedom and democracy.
The military responded by gunning down thousands
of demonstrators and imprisoning thousands more
in one of Southeast Asia's most bloody episodes
in recent history. The leader of the demonstrations,
Min
Ko Naing (pronounced Min Ko Nine), has been
held behind bars ever since, where approximately
1,400 political prisoners remain. The most recognizable
face of Burma, 1991
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi (pronounced Daw Aung Sawn Sue Chee),
has been in and out of house arrest and prison
since 1988. Presently, she is held under house
arrest.
Worried that they could not hold on to power
in 1988, the ruling generals announced they
would hold a democratic election. Aung San Suu
Kyi and many allies formed a political party,
which they named the National League for Democracy
(NLD). The party went on to win the election
in a landslide victory in 1990, garnering an
astounding 82% of the seats in parliament, even
though many pro-democracy leaders were already
imprisoned. Tragically, instead of permitting
the electoral winners to assume office, the
regime has maintained its grip on power ever
since.
In 1996, students again organized major protests
on the streets of Rangoon, with thousands conducting
sit-down demonstrations at key traffic intersections.
The regime responded again by force, brutally
beating them with batons and water canons, and
arresting hundreds. This time, a videographer
managed to capture some of the events on camera,
which were then shown on CNN and other news
stations.
In May 2003, Burma again made international
headlines when Aung San Suu Kyi, just released
from house arrest a year earlier, was traveling
on a speaking tour near Mandalay, Burma's second
largest city. During her tour, approximately
600 members of her caravan were brutally attacked
by the political arm of the regime, the Union
Solidarity and Development Association. Up to
100 supporters were brutally beaten to death
with blunt clubs, bamboo sticks, and spears,
while Aung San Suu Kyi narrowly escaped assassination.
She was held in prison and is now under total
house arrest.
At the same time, many of Burma's ethnic groups,
including the Karen, Shan, and others, have
been waging armed freedom struggles against
the regime, some for up to 50 years. The regime,
intent on dominating the entire country, has
responded with brutal force — raping,
slaughtering, or forcibly displacing millions
of ethnic peoples. Reports of some of the world's
most horrific human rights abuses have been
documented by governments and credible organizations
in Burma's ethnic regions, yet these peoples
never give up the struggle to protect their
homelands and way of life.
The NLD, the true elected leaders of Burma,
have called on citizens and governments around
the world to put international pressure on Burma's
regime. Our mission is to respond to this call
— please contact
us today or become
a member to get involved. We are grassroots
citizens just like you — and we need your
help.
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