The All Burma Students League (ABSL) was formed on 30th July 1994 in New Delhi when student organizations of the India-based democratic forces of Burma came together for the first time. In this historic event, student activists joined their hands and souls together, and pledged to fight for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma by any means possible. As you may be aware, Burma has been under a military dictatorship since 1962. The Burmese people have waged a relentless struggle for democracy and internal peace and against imperialism.
Our Burmese students have been at the forefront since the1930s in the liberation movement to free the country from the British colonial yoke. Burma regained her independence in 1948, but the parliamentary system in the country was shortlived. General Ne Win, head of the army, usurped power in a military coup in 1962. Ne Win created a self-imposed isolation from the rest of world and brutally ruled the country. He stepped down from power in 1988 in response to the nationwide, student-led agitations known as the “8888� movement, which demanded an end to the dictatorship and the reestablishment of democracy.
This people’s movement was brutally crushed by the army. International media reported that over three thousand unarmed protestors, mostly students under eighteen, were killed and several thousands were ‘disappeared.’ The surviving students ran and took shelter in the neighbouring countries and have continued with their work.
The ABSL is a leading organization, fully engaged in the struggle of the Burmese people for democracy under the leadership of Daw (Miss) Aung San Suu Kyi, presently under detention. Internationally, ABSL is a member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth and the International Union of Students. We are actively involved in the international, anti-imperialist youth movement for world peace.
Political Objectives
1.To wipe out the fascist, militarist, dictatorial system in Burma and to build a democratic union which fully guarantees democracy and human rights;
2.To protect democracy and the human rights of each and every citizen of the country;
3.To work for national reconciliation and nation-rebuilding tasks of Burma.
Political Policies
1.We believe that through the people’s movement and people’s empowerment,we can build a democratic nation, representing all walks of life;
2.We recognize the peaceful protest demonstrations and the denunciation, confrontation and challenges to the powers of the military junta, as the main weapons of the movement;
3.We believe a true National Convention, free from fear, interference and outside control, is the key to rebuilding Burma which has been in decay and disunity for more than 40 years;
4.We support the building of a new federal union representing all the nationalities in Burma.
Organizational Policies
The ABSL aims to:
1.Establish a National Front composed of all revolutionary forces;
2. Extend mutual respect among the revolutionary forces based on the right to have objective differences of opinions and views;
3.Cooperate with all other democratic forces which have common objectives and programs until the National Front is established;
4. Cooperate with international student and youth organizations of the world;
5. Mobilize all sections of the people and all nationalities of Burma to get actively involved in the national liberation struggle.
The ABSL has been carrying out political programs and campaigns both inside and outside Burma. It coordinates among the exiled democratic groups living in different countries around the world in their fight against the military dictatorship in Burma. Moreover, political defiance programs are being launched inside Burma by ABSL members against the illegitimate rule of the military junta.
Burma will not be peaceful, stable and prosperous without democratization. The democratization process involves political freedom and respect of political rights for all, including dissidents, democracy activists and ethnic minorities.
We also urge the regime to meet with the leaders of the Committee
Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP) in order to convene a parliament based on the legitimate 1990 election results, the will of the people of Burma, as soon as possible. This is the first crucial step in solving the political, economic and social life-and-death situation faced by the majority of people in the country.
For more information: absl.myip.org/index.php
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