The Ten Alliances of Burma's democracy and ethnic rights movement expressed support for the European Union's renewal of its Common Position on Burma for another year, which also extended economic sanctions on the military regime. "With their planned sham elections, the regime is hoping that the EU and other countries will fall for the thinly veiled attempt to legitimize continued military rule.
The Ten Alliances of Burma's democracy and ethnic rights movement
expressed support for the European Union's renewal of its Common
Position on Burma for another year, which also extended economic
sanctions on the military regime. "With their planned sham elections,
the regime is hoping that the EU and other countries will fall for the
thinly veiled attempt to legitimize continued military rule.
 
By
maintaining sanctions, the EU is sending a strong signal that the
regime must change course for these elections to have any legitimacy
whatsoever," said U Maung Maung, General Secretary of the National
Council of the Union of Burma.
 
In reference to Burma's planned
elections for later this year, the EU Council expressed "serious
concerns" that new election laws "do not provide for free and fair
elections," and called on the military regime to take further steps.
 
The
EU statement adopted in Luxembourg on 26 April also called for the
release of political prisoners, an end to human rights violations, and
political dialogue between all stakeholders. These points reaffirm the
key benchmarks long advocated by the Ten Alliances of Burma's movement
for democracy and ethnic rights.
 
The alliances insist that the
regime must meet these benchmarks to ensure truly democratic progress
in Burma, and that without them elections will not be a step towards
genuine democracy. They include:
 
1.     The unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi;
2.     Cessation of hostilities against ethnic groups and pro-democracy forces; and,
3.    
Inclusive dialogue with key stakeholders from democracy groups and
ethnic nationalities, including a review of the 2008 Constitution.
 
"Burma
is becoming increasingly unstable under the military regime. Tensions
in northeastern Burma are rising as the junta continues to press armed
ethnic groups into joining their Border Guard Force.
 
The
National League for Democracy and other opposition groups will also
come under increased pressure from the junta after the political party
registration deadline. The EU and international community must increase
pressure on the junta to stop these hostilities immediately," said Mai
Phone Kyaw, General Secretary of the National Democratic Front.
 
"In
terms of the upcoming EU delegation to Burma, we ask EU Envoy Fassino
to reiterate the EU's support of these minimum benchmarks, and focus
his efforts on facilitating dialogue between all stakeholders before
the elections," said U Moe Zaw Oo, Joint General Secretary of the
National League for Democracy – Liberated Area (NLD-LA), in reference
to the "exploratory mission" mentioned in the EU's statement yesterday.
 
The
Ten Alliances also emphasized that any delegation to Burma should
insist on meeting with representatives of opposition groups, including
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, and ethnic leaders