All Burmese Democratic Forces in the United States

Organizations and Individuals across the United States

September 29, 2003

H.E. Mr. Kofi A. Annan
Secretary-General
United Nations

Your Excellency:

Tomorrow is the fourth month anniversary of the DEPEYIN MASSACRE. On the also known as “Black Friday”, the elected National League for Democracy party leader, 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, along with her senior party leaders and supporters were deadly ambushed during an organizing trip to Depeyin village, located in the north of Burma.

As you may know, that was a well-plotted assassination because the people who ambushed were military intelligence and criminal prisoners, who were secretly brought there from various prisons by the dictators. Approximately one hundred people were murdered during the ambush. Aung San Suu Kyi and many others fortunately escaped from death. However, hundreds of them were later illegally imprisoned including her. No one has taken any initiatives to investigate the incident until today.

The Burmese military regime must hold total responsibility of the Depeyin massacre.

We appreciate United Nations’ efforts to free Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, but sadly enough the organization has yet to achieve its mission to free them.

At once, we would like to remind you that United Nations’ attempts to bring peaceful national reconciliation, and democracy in Burma have been failed because of the dishonest military regime. In addition, we see that your special envoy Mr. Razali Ismail has done no significant improvement in facilitating after his tenth visit to Burma.

Today, we, all Burmese democratic forces across the United States, stand in front of the United Nations, and request:

1. the Secretay-General to get involved to free Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and unconditionally

2. the United Nations to investigate the Depeyin massacre

3. the Security Council of the United Nations to take urgent, significant, and concrete action to bring democracy in Burma.

We strongly believe that the United Nations’ intervention in Burma’s democracy struggle is tremendously important, as 50 million citizens have eagerly been waiting for their freedom.

Respectfully,

All Burmese Democratic Forces in the United States