The Military Junta does not Represent the People of Burma

at the United Nations

August 4, 2008

1. For decades, the people of Burma have peacefully endeavored for political reforms in the country,
but the successive military regimes have resorted to murder, intimidation, and oppression to
overcome these endeavors and maintain their power through brute force.

2. The current military junta in Burma, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), refused to
honor the results of the last legitimate election in 1990, when Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy won 82% of the Parliamentary seats.

3. Over the last year, the international community has witnessed numerous demonstrations of the
brutal and callous tactics the SPDC uses to maintain power, including the ruthless crackdown on
peaceful monks and citizens calling for democratic reform in the Saffron Revolution; the disregard
for human suffering in refusing international assistance following Cyclone Nargis; the illegal
extension of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s confinement; and the fraudulent constitutional referendum
conducted just days after Cyclone Nargis, even before the government assessed the damage from the
storm.

4. The injustice of these latest crimes is compounded when viewed in light of the junta’s past
atrocities, such as its violent repression of 1988 protests, its refusal to honor the 1990 elections, and
its murder of NLD members in the 2003 Depayin massacre.

5. Sympathetic members of the United Nations have strongly criticized the junta’s atrocities over two
decades. In July 2003, the 108th Congress of the United States adopted the Burma Freedom
Democracy Act 2003, which included "recognizing the 1990 election winning National League for
Democracy (NLD) as the legitimate representatives of the people of Burma."

6. Over two decades, the performance of the junta in Burma has shown that it does not have the
credibility to represent the country, and we, the people of Burma, urge the member countries of the
United Nations to deny the SPDC’s representation in the United Nations. We also urge the
international community to participate in this diplomatic initiative.

For additional information, please contact:

International Burmese Monks Organizations - Sasana Moli
Penang Sayadaw Pannya Vamsa Tel: +1 718 426 3959
National Council of the Union of Burma
Maung Maung Tel: +1 202 492 0181
88 Generation Students (Exile)
Ko Ko Lay Tel: + 1 415 564 2446
Joint Action Committee of Burmese Community in Japan (JAC)
Dr.Min Nyo Tel: + 813 5296 3010
Director, Credentials Challenge Project
Ko Ko Lay Tel: + 1 415 203 0541