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STUDENTS & YOUTH CONGRESS OF BURMA

P.O Box 123, Mae Sod, Tak, 63110, Thailand, Email - sycbcongress@gmail.com

situation Statement on the current political situation and the Burma Army offensives in the Ethnic areas
1. Armed conflict has recently broken out between the military regime and the Kachin Independence Army, Shan State Army, Karen National Liberation Army, and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army in Kachin, Shan and Karen States. The root causes of conflicts are issues of freedom, democracy and equality of ethnic nationalities. 2. Burmas military regime has consistently refused ethnic nationalities demands to solve these political problems by peaceful means and to engage in dialogue for a common solution. Rather, successive military regimes have employed violent military strategies, building inauthentic peace, and ordering ethnic armies to surrender and join under their control as part of the Border Guard Force (BGF). 3. The military regime has done nothing for the development, well-being and stability of the country and its people, but is rather protecting the interests of the military elite and their cronies. People living in ethnic areas live under terrible conditions, with poor security, development, education, health and livelihoods. They suffer the consequences of continuous civil war, and have no future. Many have been forced to abandon their houses and lands, or forcibly recruited as laborers and porters. Women have been raped and too many children have become orphans. Ethnic people face difficulties as they try to survive in the jungles, or live as refugees in neighboring countries. All of these problems are caused by the military regimes desire to maintain control of state power. The regime is responsible for these crimes. 4. The military regimes oppressive governance, economic mismanagement and the fundamentally flawed constitution that enslaves the people under military rule have led to civil war and are pushing the country to become a trash pile. The regime has endeavored to prolong their military dictatorship and to promote the interests of their cronies and relatives by exploiting the soldiers and troops in the lower ranks of the Army, police, militias and BGF. These low-ranking troops are the regimes armed oppressing mechanisms, and all ethnic people, their prey. 5. Therefore, democratic and ethnic forces from inside and outside of the country must be united, cooperate and support each other to resist and stop the political and military offensives of the military regime. We must recognize the military regime as our common enemy and fight against them. The lack of democracy, national equality, peace and the ongoing military dictatorship are the main problems in Burma. We can only have genuine freedom, peace and development when we can solve these main problems. 6. We would like to call on the United Nations, powerful countries and Burmas neighbors to take action to stop violations of political and human rights, genocide, sexual violence against women and war crimes committed by the military regime. 7. We would like to call on the international community to protect the health, livelihoods, and security of those refugees who have been driven to abandon their houses and lands, and flee from armed conflict. 8. Burmas ongoing armed conflicts are a consequence of unresolved political problems. The civil war has continued for over 60 years now, and nothing has changed. Burmas problems cannot be solved by military means. We must solve them by political means.

9. Therefore, we would like to declare our position that we must demand that the regime immediately stops military offensives and preparations for war in ethnic areas, engages in political dialogue based on a principle of equality, and allows refugees to return safely to their native lands. We, the democratic and ethnic forces from inside and outside of Burma, can accomplish this through unity, cooperation and supporting each other. Students and Youth Congress Date: June 20th, 2011 To Contact: + 66(0) 848119594/ +66 (0)868813474