STATEMENT: Women's League of Burma:

September 21, 2010 is International Day of Peace. In 2001, the nations of the world came together at the UN General Assembly and jointly agreed on Resolutions 55/282, marking September 21 as the International Day of Peace. Combined with the objective to strengthen peace between and among nations, this special occasion also recognizes links with other aims of the UN, including development, elimination of poverty and prioritizing equality. In regards to the above aims and objectives, the governments of the world, non-government organizations, civil based organizations, together with United Nations implement a wide variety of peace activities on International Day of Peace. Nowadays, people are also giving priority in their activities to the peace, security and development of individual nations.

In Burma, due to the atrocities of military dictators, people have continued to suffer from the effects of civil war for over half a century. Currently, the Burmese military targets civilians in ethnic areas resulting in thousands of dispossessed people who then to flee to neighboring countries as refugees. The recent incident in Pegu on September 5 where the military shot dead two young people, demonstrates the military's use of armed violence to control and subjugate the people of Burma.

Not only ethnic groups suffer under military oppression. The majority of people in Burma suffer political, economic and social oppression, which worsens day by day. The thousands who seek refuge in neighboring countries from this type of oppression currently live work in unsecure conditions.

As it stands, the aims and objectives of International Day of Peace are far from reach in such a country. The Women's League of Burma believes that it is high time the military started to pay attention to the problems and hardships of the people and step-up to political change.

However, the junta continuously deviates from the route to peace, suppressing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and political forces striving for democracy and ethnic equality, abolishing ten political parties including the National League for Democracy, and detaining thousands of political prisoners. It is also evident that by using the restrictive and biased electoral laws enacted for the upcoming election, the military plans to hold power by any means. At this current stage, the military is stubbornly going their own way to implement the election on November 7, which is based on their misguided 2008 constitution. These factors do not work toward peace but create a more unstable country and present an ongoing challenge for the people of Burma. The Women's League of Burma realizes that if a government were to be formed from this shamed election, the people of Burma would face increasing difficulties and atrocities.

Therefore, we would like to urge the people of Burma to oppose the military planned 2010 election, which will not bring stability and peace to our country in any form. To concerned parties, such as governments of the world, non-government organizations and members of the international community who support genuine peace and democracy in Burma, we urge you to put more pressure on the oppressive regime.

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