DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF BURMA SEEK

BURMA’S SEAT AT UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY THROUGH CREDENTIALS

CHALLENGE
September 9, 2008

Today, Tuesday September 9th, the democratically elected representatives of

the people of Burma filed a rival claimant credentials challenge seeking to
take Burma’s seat at the United Nations from the illegitimate military regime.
This delegation of democratic leaders comprises the only appropriate and
lawful representatives of the people of Burma. We call on all member states
of the United Nations to support their bid to provide the people of Burma a
voice in the international community.

While the democratically elected leader of the Burmese people, Nobel

Lauriat Aung San Suu Kyi, remains under house arrest as a political prisoner,
the illegitimate military regime seeks to continue its illegitimate and unlawful
representation of the state of Burma to the United Nations General Assembly.

The people of Burma voted for the National League for Democracy by an
overwhelming majority in the only free and fair elections in recent history,
but the military regime refused to honor the elections. In response to its
defeat, the regime arrested, tortured, and murdered as many of the peoples’
representatives as possible. Since those elections, the regime has
maintained a veil of control using exceptionally brutal tactics. It has refused
to honor a single request for reform from the international community.

Today, the democratically elected representatives of the people of Burma

take the first step in righting the wrongs of the regime by claiming what is
rightfully and lawfully theirs—Burma’s seat at the United Nations General
Assembly.

This rival claimant credentials challenge is only the first step in a new
initiative to use all available international legal and political mechanisms to
challenge the legitimacy of the regime and bring to light the multitude of
abuses the regime commits against the Burmese people. We call upon
states to support these new initiatives and use all means available to them
to increase pressure on the regime and its members.
As we stand up for democracy in Burma, we hope that the world will stand
with us.
Ko Ko Lay: 415 203 0541