Petition for the freedom of Burmese student leaders

His Excellency Mr Kofi Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations
New York, New York 10017

Dear Secretary General,

We, the undersigned, are writing to respectfully urge you to help the immediate release of five democracy activists and campaigners being detained by SPDC (State Peace and Development Council), the ruling military junta of Burma.

Three leaders of the 88 New Generation Students Group, Min Ko Naing , Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kywe, were taken away from their homes by the Special Police Force shortly after dawn on 27 September 2006. Each of them had spent more than 15 years in jail and was released last year only. Since their release, they have been working for the realisation of the national reconciliation process between the military junta and the various opposition groups of Burma.

On 30 September 2006, another two leaders of this group, Min Zeya and Pyone Cho, who have called on the SPDC junta to release the three immediately, are whisked off from their homes to a secret detention place by the special police. The two were also freed only last year after being locked for 15 years in jail.

Currently all of them are separately kept in secret locations in Rangoon and their communication with families and friends outside is cut off. Inside sources close to them said that they were all arrested in connection with their support for the United Nations Security Council's decision to put Burma issues on its formal agenda. They would be threatened and forced to backtrack their support for the UNSC decision and if they refuse they would be sent back to prison again.

The five student leaders played prominent roles during the 1988 peaceful democracy uprising and later put into jails for opposing the bloody military coup which ended the uprising. They have lost their best times of their lives in notorious Burmese prisons but managed to maintain their leadership roles in striving for peace, justice, harmony and national reconciliation towards a democratic Burma since 1988.

Nowadays, Burma is facing social, economic and political crises in all spheres. The sole reason for the problems is the ruling military juntas obstinate refusal to respond to the call for national reconciliation through political dialogues made by the Burmese opposition and the international community.

Instead of breaking the current impasse through national reconciliation processes with democratic forces and ethnic groups, the ruling junta is suppressing and arresting any individual or organization that upholds the idea. The arrest of the five activists who are earnestly working for the nations urgently needed national reconciliation and peaceful transition to democracy through UN processes clearly indicates that the SPDC junta will not listen to any call without action.

The junta also shows its haughty response to the UNSC's decision by arresting three activists two day before the UNSC conducts discussion on Burma and makes the second arrest on the same day when Burma issue is put on the discussion table of the UNSC. These situations prove that decisive actions from the UNSC are the only way to deal with the junta. Any delay will encourage the junta to commit more arrests and abuses.

Finally we would like to request you again to take the matter seriously as an imminent threat to UN efforts to push the SPDC junta towards national reconciliation and irreversible reforms to democracy and, at the same time, to pressure the military junta to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of the five activists.

We are looking forward to your attention to this most serious matter.


Sincerely,


cc: Representatives of the United Nations Security Council