New Delhi (Mizzima) – Two Burmese activists who met with Cannadian government
officials recently said they “promised” not to change its economic sanctions
policy until three key conditions were met by the new government.
Mi Aie Son of the Mon Youth Progressive Organization told Mizzima that
Canada has no plans to review its current economic sanctions against Burma. She
was accompanied by Aung Naing Soe of the Nationalities Youth Forum. “The
sanctions will still exist as before. [It] will review its sanctions against
Burma when [the Burmese government] releases political prisoners, stop fighting
in ethnic areas and holds a dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic
representatives. Otherwise, sanctions would not be lifted – they promised,”
said Mi Aie Son.
During their
visit, they met the director, deputy director and political officials in the
Southeast Asia relations department. As special guests of the Parliament’s
deputy speaker, they observed the Canadian parliament proceedings. The trip
started on October 22.
“We told the Canadian government and the
Canadian people that the current [Burmese] government is not on the road to
democracy, and there are serious violations of human rights in ethnic areas,”
said Mi Aie Son. “Granting amnesty for political prisoners is essential
for national reconciliation, and we believe that international pressure is
important.” The
visit was sponsored by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). They will
also attend a national level CUPE conference as the Burmese
representatives.
Tin Maung Htoo,
an official with the Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB), said two thousand people
are expected to attend the conference, where they will talk about Burma’s
current politics. On Tuesday, the two representatives took part in a
public meeting at the Ottawa Central Library, Tin Maung Htoo said. Talking about
Canada’s strong policy towards Burma, Mi Aie Son said, “Canada’s foreign policy
on Burma is very good to promote the development of democracy in Burma. We told
them to maintain it. We told them to urge the Burmese government to release
political prisoners and to stop launching military offensives in ethnic areas.
And we told the person in charge of the financial department that the Kachin
war refugees badly need emergency aid. They didn’t know about Kachin and Shan
affairs.” They
said they also told officials that women and children had suffered greatly in
the war, and they also planned to meet with NGOs and social organizations.
Friday, 28 October 2011 19:37 Ko P
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