FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

Statement on 22nd Anniversary of NLD Establishment

27th September 2010

It has been twenty-two years since the National League for Democracy (NLD) was
established as a result of the 1988 peoples’ uprising. Since then, the NLD has continued
its struggle to regain democracy for the people of Burma. The Peoples’ faith in the NLD
was evident during 1990 when the NLD won the general elections in a stunning landslide
victory. Faced with the reality that the people refused to be intimidated into abandoning
the NLD and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the regime refused to recognize the results of an
election that it had organized .

Despite this injustice, the NLD has determinedly continued its struggle to ensure that one
day, the people of Burma will be able to live in peace and democracy. The party has stuck
to its mission despite arrests, torture, imprisonment and even killings of its members by
the military regime. Regime closed the NLD ofces all over the country. NLD party leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for nearly sixteen years out of the past 22
years. The regime attempted to kill her and her supporters in “Depayin Massacre”.
Regime tried to split the party and on September 14, announced the dissolution of the
NLD together with four other parties.

Even under such intense oppression, NLD is still steadfast in the struggle for the freedom
of the people of Burma. It remains dedicated to the goal of a peaceful, political solution
for the country’s chronic problems. It is unswerving in its commitment to dialogue to
restore national reconciliation in Burma as expressed in the Shwe Gon Dine declaration of
2009. Despite challenges and persecution, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has always said that it
is never too late for national reconciliation.

It is evident that the regime’s bogus elections scheduled for November 7 will not bring
authentic solutions for Burma. The increasingly exclusive and anti-democratic elections
and the oppressive 2008 constitution that will be implemented after the elections will, in
fact, worsen the root causes of Burma’s problems. Even now, while the NLD technically
does not exist under the regime’s laws, the NLD and its solutions still command the
support, trust and respect of the people of Burma.

We, the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) wholeheartedly support the NLD and the
other four parties which were unjustly dissolved. We strongly urge the international
community to continue their ongoing support for the NLD and all those in Burma who
push for true democracy that will bring genuine solutions to the country. We take this
opportunity, on NLD’s 22nd anniversary, to reiterate our support for the demands of
NLD’s Shwe Gon Dine declaration:

1. To release all the political prisoners

2. To review the 2008 Constitution
3. To allow to reopen NLD and ethnic nationalities parties’ ofces
4. To recognize the 1990 election result
5. To have political dialogue

Moreover, the military regime has committed heinous crimes against its own people,
including the “Depayin Massacre” and is still committing crimes against humanity on a
daily basis, particularly ethnic minority areas. Moreover, their 2008 constitution grants
the regime’s military forces immunity to these heinous crimes and human rights
violations. Hence, we also call for the UN to set up the Commission of Inquiry (COI) for
Burma and call for the international community to fully support this process.

We remain resolute in our commitment to stand by the NLD and the people of Burma.

For further information please contact:

Soe Aung (66) 081 839 9816

Thwin Lin Aung (66) 087 850 2354