Burma-Thai Border

6 December 2003

The fifth the Strategic Consultation Meeting of revolutionary forces and organizations was successfully held at a location on the Burmese-Thai border
from 3 to 5 December 2003. The meeting, attended by the leaders of the Karenni
National Progress Party, the United Nationalities League for Democracy (Liberated Area), the Women's League of Burma, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, and the National Council of the Union of Burma, explored measures to overcome the existing problems in the country.

The Strategic Consultative Meeting then issued a statement announcing the
decisions of the participating forces and organizations in connection with present political conditions.

1. Welcomes and supports the resolution on Burma unanimously passed by the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and calls on member nations and the United Nations Secretary-General to play leading roles in the efforts to implement of those resolutions.

2. Reaffirms that endeavors to find a peaceful solution to the problems of the
country on the basis of a tripartite dialogue will be continued since all political organizations and forces present at the meeting have consistently been calling for such a tripartite dialogue because of their firm belief that the most appropriate way of overcoming the political, socioeconomic, and general problems currently facing the country is through political dialogue.

3. Strongly condemns and pledges to fend against the act of terrorism committed
by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) near Tabayin (Depayin) on 30 May as well as the ongoing military offensives in ethnic nationality regions and the seven-point roadmap of the SPDC since they are all strategically designed to eliminate and destroy the democratic and ethnic nationality forces.

4. While noting that the National Convention that the SPDC plans to convene as
part of its seven-point roadmap is nothing more than an attempt to avoid having
a dialogue and perpetuate military dictatorship in Burma, urges the people of
Burma and the international community to oppose that process and to work together for the emergence of political talks that would lead to national
reconciliation and the restoration of genuine democracy.

5. Since the Thai-sponsored international conference for national reconciliation vitally needs to take into account the ardent wishes of the people of Burma, the invitation to the conference must without fail be extended to the National League for Democracy, the party that was elected by the people; the United Nationalities League for Democracy; and the United Nationalities Alliance. This is because inviting the SPDC military clique alone to the conference by ignoring the representatives elected by the people can never lead to a genuine national reconciliation in Burma and only make the efforts aimed at resolving the present political and socioeconomic problems of the country more difficult to achieve. Hence, to resolve the political problems of Burma, it is vitally important for international governments, including Thailand, to respect the views of the elected people's representatives as well as to resolve Burma's problems on the basis of the Burma resolutions passed by successive United Nations General Assembly sessions.

6. The international community as well as neighboring countries to Burma, including Thailand, fully recognize and understand that bringing national
reconciliation and peace to Burma is a vitally important political process if the country is to have a durable and sustained development, it is, therefore, vital that the opinions of armed ethnic nationality forces, including the Karenni National Progress Party, the National Democratic Front, and the other armed ethnic forces, are sounded out before talks about Burma are held.

7. We, all the forces present at the meeting, pledge to establish closer and stronger cooperation with the international community, with all the people, and
among ourselves to step up our political activities in order to realize the following political objectives so as to achieve genuine national reconciliation and democracy under the present political conditions:

a) Release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

b) Nationwide cessation of armed hostilities.

c) Emergence of seminars of ethnic nationalities throughout the country.

d) Emergence of basic democratic rights, including the freedom of organizational activities by political parties.

e) Improving human rights conditions throughout the country as well as finding an equitable solution of the 30 May Tabayin (Depayin) massacre.

Contacts: 66 (9) 850-3603, 66 (1) 284-7714, 66 (9) 856-7452, 66 (1) 884-5441