May 27, 2004

On this 27 May 2004, the 14th anniversary of the 1990 general elections in Burma, we would like to state:
- Burmese people overwhelmingly voted for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the 1990 general election, gaining over 80% of votes. Today, 14 years later, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo are still under detention. The military has never relinquished power. Nothing has changed.
-Today over 1400 political prisoners are still behind bars, including 17 MPs-elect, prominent journalists and many other esteemed persons. They are currently suffering various kinds of torture and human rights abuses in Burma's prisons.
- Under the present illegal military regime there is no rule of law in Burma, instead there are many incidents of arbitrary detention, arrest and disappearance, extra judicial killing, torture and rape.
-The current National Convention is comprised solely of representatives hand-picked by the military. Nothing has changed.
- We would like to request that the esteemed persons of the French Parliament and respected citizens of the country recognize the NLD as the legal ruling party in Burma, in accordance with the wishes of its people.
- We would like to request that in the future the French government will regard the NLD and the CRPP, (Committee Representing People's Parliament) formed by NLD and four other ethnic parties in 1998, as their legal ruling counterparts.

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)