Joint Statement Issued by

All Burma Monks’ Alliance and the 88 Generation Students

Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma)
6 November 2008

Burmese Monks and Students Call on the United Nations Security

Council to Reinforce Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Mandate for
Realizing Democratic Change in Burma
(1) The All Burma Monks’ Alliance (ABMA) and the 88 Generation Students, two prominent
organizations working to restore freedom and democracy in Burma, today issued a joint
statement welcoming the report, submitted by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the
General Assembly on October 20, 2008 on the situation of human rights in Burma.

(2) We appreciate Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his clear understanding of the position of
key stakeholders in Burma, including the National League for Democracy party, Members of
Parliament-elect, ethnic political parties, as well as other relevant groups, such as the 88
Generation Students, the All Burma Monks’ Alliance and the All Burma Federation of Student
Unions. We all declared our rejection of the military junta’s new constitution and its illegitimate
conduct and use of force and fraud to adopt it. We sincerely believe that immediate and
unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the
realization of a meaningful and time-bound dialogue between the military junta, the National
League for Democracy party led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives are the
most important issues to address in order to pave the way for national reconciliation and
democratization.

(3) In his report, the Secretary-General rightly stated that “specific suggestions of the United
Nations to improve the credibility and inclusiveness of the political process have thus far not
been taken up by the Government.”1 We fully agree with the conclusion made by the Secretary-
General that “there is no alternative to dialogue to ensure that all stakeholders can contribute to
the future of their country. In this regard the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners will be the key for the resumption of an enhanced, all-inclusive, substantive
and time-bound dialogue”.2

1
“Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar”, Report of the Secretary-General, 17 September 2008, A/63/356,
paragraph 43
2
Ibid. paragraph 46

1
(4) Thus far, we have found no evidence that the military junta in Burma is endeavoring to
implement the recommendations made by the Secretary-General and his Special Envoy,
contained in the successive resolutions from the General Assembly and Human Rights Council
as well as in the Presidential Statements of the Security Council. More than 2,100 democracy
activists are still incarcerated, hundreds more are before the kangaroo courts, all fundamental
rights of the people are severely restricted, the junta’s civilian militias are more aggressive in
harassing NLD party members and human rights defenders, military offensives in ethnic areas
have intensified, recruitment of child soldiers has become more and more widespread, and tens
of thousands of people are fleeing the country every day to be free from human rights abuses.

(5) Therefore, we earnestly call on the UN Security Council to take effective and collective
action in support of the Secretary-General’s good offices role in Burma. Without strong
enforcement from the Security Council, the military junta that rules our country of Burma will
continue to undermine the Secretary-General’s good offices mandate and the United Nations,
and more and more people of Burma will die unnecessarily.

All Burma Monks’ Alliance

The 88 Generation Students

Rangoon, Burma