An image of Burmese detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Oct. 6, 2009, in front of the Paris city hall. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images)
Instead, they say, the election will pave the way for a permanent dictatorship of the current ruling generals.
‘There will be no inclusive political process or free and fair election in 2010 if Aung San Suu Kyi and over 2,100 political prisoners are not released,” the letter said, submitted to All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi on Oct. 2 on behalf of over 50 groups concerned with civil rights.
“Today, October 2, 2009, on the auspicious day of the 140th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, also recognized as international nonviolence day, we take this opportunity to seek your kind attention to remember Aung San Suu Kyi, a living symbol of Mahatma Gandhi … a Nobel peace laureate, and recipient of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Award for International Understanding,” the letter said.
Since the 1990 election Burmese democracy activists have been imprisoned, intimidated, tortured and put to death for demanding human rights and a democratic government. There are thought to be 2,100 political prisoners, some jailed without trial, given terms of up to 106 years.
“We recognize Aung San Suu Kyi as the true democratic leader of Burma. She and her party won a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections but were never allowed to rule the country. The military junta crushed the people’s mandate and have kept her under house arrest for 14 of the past 19 years,” the letter said.
Mr. Kim, a Burmese pro-democracy campaigner living in exile in New Delhi recalled that during the nationwide people’s uprising in Burma in 1988, the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi not only supported the people’s movement but also offered shelter to Burmese democracy activists. Even the Indian Embassy in Rangoon provided financial support to activists who were fleeing Burma to continue their struggle in India, Kim said.
Speaking to this writer from New Delhi, Dr. Alana Golmei, the coordinator of Burma Center Delhi, a signatory of the letter, argued that the recent verdict on Aung San Suu Kyi—to extend her sentence by 18 months— not only shows the death of justice in Burma, but also shows the Burmese military junta’s determination to stop her participation in the 2010 elections.
“It has obstructed the process of national reconciliation in Burma. It completely negates international opinion and democracy. Hence, we strongly recommend the government of India not endorse the Burmese military regime’s sham constitution and election,” she said. “It will only lead to further entrenchment of military rule in the country.”
Nava Thakuria is a freelance journalist based in Guwahati, northeast India.
