CALD Resolution No. 3 S. 2005

CALD Resolution No. 3 S. 2005

We know that change will come to Burma. The illegal military junta that rules through force and fear will yield to the power of justice. The people of Burma will control their destiny again. But we also know from experience that tyranny does not crumble by itself. Freedom must be demanded and defended, by those who have been denied it and by those who are already free.

From the letter of Nobel Peace Laureates (awarded 1976 to 2004) To Daw Aung Saan Suu Kyi on the occasion of her 60th birthday

CALD Resolution expressing approval that Myanmar will not assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2006; congratulating parliamentarians and NGOs worldwide—in particular from ASEAN member countries— for their steadfast commitment and action towards Burmese democratization; reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners; and reaffirming its commitment to the cause of Burmese freedom

and democracy

Noting that Myanmar surrendered its turn to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2006 during the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting in Vientiane, Laos last week;

Evoking that last June 19, Nobel Laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, celebrated her 60th birthday with supporters and advocates from all over the world calling for her immediate release from house arrest and shoring up the cause of the people of Burma in their quest for justice, freedom, human rights and civilian rule;

Recalling that CALD as an organization joined ranks with the ASEAN Inter- Parliamentary Caucus (AIPMC) and other parliamentarians from all over the world to lobby against the ASEAN chairing of Myanmar in 2006 during the 112th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Manila last April;

Noting that the AIPMC has demanded specific prerequisites for Myanmar’s accession to the chairmanship of ASEAN including the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other

political prisoners and substantial and measurable political reform and that none of these conditions has been met;

Stressing that individual member-parties of CALD have been in the forefront of the Burma campaign; in particular, legislators from the Democrat Party, the Liberal Party, and the People’s Movement Party (Parti Gerakan Rakyat) are active members of the national parliamentary caucus for Burma in Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, respectively.

Satisfied that campaigns, demonstrations and resolutions from parliaments and civil society worldwide have resulted in the military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, voluntarily relinquishing its post to the next country in the line of ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship, the Philippines;

Citing that progressive parliamentarians from ASEAN countries played a crucial role in this particular campaign despite some resistance from their own governments and despite ASEAN’s policy of non-interference in internal affairs;

Concerned that the social, political and economic conditions of the people of Burma have reached critical levels but are continuing to deteriorate;

Welcoming the letter from at least 14 Nobel Peace Laureates to fellow laureate Suu Kyi on the occasion of her 60th birthday, which has encouraged countries in Southeast Asia to campaign successfully against Burma’s military leadership of chairing the ASEAN in 2006; and which has impelled many people all over the world to urge “the Burmese government to release, immediately and unconditionally, (Aung San Suu Kyi) and the nearly 1,500 political prisoners it holds, to end its brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against the minority people’s of Burma and to begin a transition to genuine democracy”;

The Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats (CALD) hereby express approval that Myanmar will not assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2006; congratulate parliamentarians and NGOs worldwide—in particular from ASEAN member countries—for their steadfast commitment and action towards Burmese democratization; reiterate its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners; and reaffirm its commitment to the cause of Burmese freedom and democracy.

For the CALD Executive Committee:

Hon. Bi-Khim Hsiao, MP

Secretary General

August 4, 2005 Taipei, Taiwan

Categorised in: Resolutions

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