Press Release
NATIONAL COALITION GOVERNMENT OF THE UNION OF BURMA
NCGUB Thanks Pro-Democracy, Support Groups for Burma Protesting Total
The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) expresses its solidarity with all pro-democracy and support groups for Burma which will be holding the “International Day to Protest Total’s Investments in Burma” in several countries on February 3, 2006.
The situation in Burma today is such that no investment or business deal can be made without benefiting the military regime—a regime which not only continues to be one of the worst human rights violators in this world but is also endeavoring to strengthen its brutal policies through the legitimization of military rule at the expense people of Burma. The NCGUB, therefore, strongly supports actions and boycotts against investments and business deals which only encourage the generals to continue their iron-fisted rule.
Besides, economic engagement has never encouraged or sustained political liberalization Burma. The generals have yet to show any flexibility toward the democracy movement even though they have been happy recipients of investments since 1989. Contrarily, they have only been spending around 40 percent of the annual budget to support an unnecessarily large Army which is used to control the country and silenced the people. Furthermore, there is ample evidence that foreign investments are directly linked to human rights abuses and forced labor.
The NCGUB, therefore, praises all pro-democracy and support groups for Burma which are selflessly working for the good of the people of Burma and it also calls upon the international community to stop investing in Burma as investments now only reward the Burmese generals and urge them to wait until there is genuine progress towards democratization in Burma.