（S.H.A.N. & Burma’s News Published by Burma’s Chinese 貌强）

   ENC Welcomes ASEAN’s Effort to Resolve the Political Crisis in Burma

    The Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC) welcomes ASEAN’s call for therelease of political prisoners and for democratic reform in Burma.

   ENC Chairman, Saw Ba Thin Sein, congratulates the political courage shown bythe ASEAN leaders. I am glad Burma has come to the attention of ASEAN. It islong overdue, he said. It is good for the entire region that ASEAN hasfinally abandoned its policy of non-interference in the internal affairs ofmember states and is pressing the military regime to release politicalprisoners and institute democratic reforms in our country.

   The Ethnic Nationalities Council believes that the problems in Burma todayare no longer its own internal affair. They are becoming internationalproblems: the violation of human rights, the fifty-year-old civil war, orthe political, economic and humanitarian problems in Burma - especially theissues of drug trafficking, HIV-AIDS and other infectious diseases spreadingacross Asia, the hundreds of thousands of refugees, illegal migrant workersin neighboring countries, etc. These are becoming regional and internationalproblems. To solve these problems it is crucial that the internationalcommunity including UN, EU, USA, Japan, China, India, Bangladesh and ASEANnations take action.

   We are encouraged by the fact that Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed HamidAlbar, as a representative of ASEAN, will visit Burma. We hope that he willbe able to meet not only with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi but also with Khun TunOo, Chairman of United Nationalities Alliance and SNLD. Above all, we hopethat he will be able to negotiate with the SPDC for their release, said theENC Chairman.

   The Ethnic Nationalities Council further calls on the ruling State Peace and Development Council to consider the welfare of the people of Burma beforeits own interests. The inclusion of all parties in the political processand the reconciliation of differences will go a long way towards resolvingthe problems of Burma, preserving the role of the Tatmadaw and preventingBurma from becoming an international spectacle. If the SPDC does not wantthe interference of the international community, especially the UN SecurityCouncil and ASEAN, we urge the generals to begin a genuine process ofreconciliation and dialogue.

   The Ethnic Nationalities Council is a body founded by the ethnicnationalities of the Union of Burma in order to be able to resolve thepolitical problems we face by political means. Therefore, the Councilwelcomes ASEAN’s assistance to resolve Burma’s political crisis throughnegotiated settlement. We trust that this effort will lead further to aTripartite Dialogue- the military, democracy advocates and the ethnicnationalities - and we declare that we will continue to work towards such asolution.

   Contact persons:

   Dr. Lian H. Sakhong

   Saw David Taw

   General Secretary

   International Affairs Committee

   Tel: 01 02 96 100

   Tel: 01 30 64 351

   E-mail: [email protected]

   E-mail: [email protected]