SYCB’s Statement on the International Day of Peace

By Students and Youth Congress of Burma • September 21, 2014

In order to immediately implement genuine peace in Burma, the students and youth wanting peace will organize a Peace Day Movement on the 21st of September 2014. This will be done in cooperation with local citizen from different ethnicities and together with community based organizations. This union of the civil society will through different activities carried out during the day create a foundation for long-lasting peace.

All the ongoing conflicts in Burma are due to constant oppression of marginalized groups in society and the fragmentation between different groups based on favoritism. Different ethnic groups who could live in peace with each other are now in armed conflicts. We can see how the non-stop hatred between groups is damaging the possibility to create trust and love among the people.

Therefore we, the Students and Youth Congress of Burma strongly urge U Thein Sein and his government to take action on the following demands;
1. To build genuine peace in Burma, aggressive attack must first be stopped. To implement this, the government and the Burmese Armed Forces/Tatmadaw have to show their willingness to stop aggressive attacks and to know their responsibilities and to act as a good example. Thus, the Burmese Armed Forces should withdraw its troops from ethnic armed resistance groups’ areas.

2. To involve inside and outside political resistance groups and people from all sectors in the implementation of peace negotiation and national reconciliation. The government should also be announcing general amnesty for political prisoners. The government also needs to immediately stop the arrest of farmers, workers, students, political and social activists and state educational reform activists.

3. To immediately dissolve the laws that hindrance freedom of expression and freedom of association. The government needs to convene a political tripartite dialogue conference that include government, ethnic armed resistance groups, political parties and democratic forces in order to solve political problems through political means instead of using arms.

4. For the government to immediately take responsibility in cooperation with the concerned organizations to support basic needs such as food supply, medical supply, education and to set up rehabilitation program for the civil war and conflict affected communities.

5. To immediately take action to eliminate the communal violence to protect the lives of the people of Burma and to take action against the persecutors according to the rule of law.

We strongly urge U Thein Sein’s government to immediately implement the above demands.

“We shall join hands as equals and together build a Federal Union”

Students and Youth Congress of Burma (SYCB)
Date: 21 September 2014

Media Contact:
(1) Mi Mara Meo + 95 (0) 93 140 785
(2) Naw San + 95 (0) 92 5572 6175

Download the statement here in English Burmese here.

Tags: Burma Army, Education, Ethnic Nationalities, Freedom of Association, International Day of Peace, Political Prisoners, President Thein Sein, Students and Youth Congress of Burma, Youth

This post is in: Press Release

SYCB’s Statement on the International Day of Peace

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