Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
June 13, 2003:

Chiangmai – On the 13th day of Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention by the
military junta of Burma, Burma campaigners seek the support of the Chinese
government in the campaign to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other
leaders of National League for Democracy.

“The violence against the people of Burma must be put to an end, before
any genuine step towards democracy and peace may be achieved. We
believe that the Chinese government, as one of the leading key players in
the region, can play an influential role in this process,” the Friends of
Burma (FoB) – Thai-Burma Border said in their letter to the Chinese
government today.

Several human rights activists and Burma supporters today delivered the
letter to the Chinese consulate in Chiangmai, Thailand.

Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been held in military custody
since May 30. Several governments have condemned the detention of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders. Thailand's Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra has recently issued a joint appeal with the US President
George Bush to the Burmese government for the immediate release of Suu
Kyi.

“The military junta is not worried by the condemnations and threats of
sanctions from the governments of EU and US because of the Chinese
support. And so we appeal to the Chinese government to use its great
influence on SPDC to release Aung San Suu Kyi and her leaders immediately,”
said Bee, a member of the Friends of Burma coalition.

However, in a statement issued yesterday by the Chinese government, it
said that the issue is “Burmese internal affair.”

China is currently one of the few strongest allies of SPDC. Last
December, China has offered US$200 million in soft loans to Rangoon. Since
1988, China has been Burma’s foremost arms supplier, providing the
regime with military equipment amounting to the value somewhere near US $3
billion. It has provided Burma with “friendship” deals involving a
large volume and a wide range of arms, including fighter aircraft, naval
patrol boats, armoured personnel carriers, helicopters, field and
anti-aircraft artillery, small arms and ammunition, as well as communications,
electronic warfare, signals intelligence and other technical systems.
There were joint signals intelligence facilities at several Burmese
coastal sites and other comprehensive cooperation arrangements entered into
by the two governments.

“The military as well as economic support of China to this fascist
regime bolsters the arrogance and impunity of SPDC in its gross violation
of human rights of its citizens,” said Judy A. Pasimio of Asia Pacific
Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD). “The Chinese government
must be pressured by the peace movements to stop supporting an
anti-people, anti-democracy regime. SPDC is a long-time terrorist group,
purporting to be a government,” said Judy.