Today marks the 13th anniversary of the historic peaceful “people power” movement that took place on August 8, 1988. Thirteen years ago today, people from all walks of life took to the streets to join student-led peaceful demonstrations and demanded an end to 26 years of dictatorship and the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma. The military regime unleashed the army to inhumanely crush the peaceful demonstrations and seized power again on September 18 under the name of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) that was later changed to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Despite the repression and brutality of the military regime, the 8.8.88 movement has led to the birth of a pro-democracy movement that has been sustained over the past thirteen years.

Although the regime held a general election in May 1990, it still refuses to transfer power to the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who won a landslide victory. It also ignores the repeated calls of NLD for convening of the people’s parliament elected by people in May 1990 and for meaningful dialogue. Instead, the regime has taken over 200 elected members of parliament (MPs) into detention and forced over 100 NLD MPs to resign from their duties. It also keeps on refusing to recognise the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP) which acts under the delegated authority of 251 MPs as a legitimate authorised body to implement the election result.

Despite the secret talks between the military and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi since October 2000 and the recent release of some political prisoners, no official announcement regarding the talks has been made and the talks are still very limited - only Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is involved. Political parties are still prohibited from functioning freely. More than 1800 political prisoners including 33 MPs continue to languish in jail. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest. Moreover, serious human rights violations and humanitarian crisis continue unabated in Burma. Military abuses including forced labour, forced relocation and violence against women, are still systematically committed, especially in the non-Burma ethnic nationality states. The military offensive against ethnic peoples is continuing.

Today Burma still remains under the oppressive military regime and the people are denied democracy and basic human rights. However the spirit of 8.8.88 could never be destroyed and the hopes for a democratic federal union based on principles of equality and human rights through national reconciliation remain alive in the hearts of every citizen of Burma. People of Burma will not stop their fight until they are free from dictatorial rule.

We demand that, as an initial show of good faith and sincerity, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) must immediately:

• Release all political prisoners
• Cease all military hostilities
• Cease all forms of forced labour
• Allow the NLD and all political parties to function freely
• Make an official announcement regarding the talks between (SPDC) State Peace and Development Council and (NLD) National League for Democracy, and call nationwide genuine National Reconciliation

We further call upon the Australian Government to:

• Support the talks process and urge the SPDC to call genuine nationwide National Reconciliation
• Refrain from providing any form of assistance to the SPDC particularly funding for human rights training programme and national human rights institution in Burma until a genuine nationwide National Reconciliation can be reached
• Take concrete action to implement the ILO resolution

We also appeal for:

• Australian trade unions and employers to take concrete action to implement ILO resolution
• Civil society organizations and other sectors of society, including human rights and environmental groups, women’s organizations, religious groups and students to step up the momentum to achieve human rights and justice in Burma.

We reaffirm our confidence in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s leadership and support the ethnic nationalities in the efforts for genuine National Reconciliation. We commit ourselves to strengthening the call for democracy and human rights which has consistently been articulated by the NLD, other political parties, and the ethnic nationality groups in Burma.