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From: kho numthung
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laiforum@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:40 AM
Subject: [ZONET] Zomi (Chin) people exhorted to vote against new charter
Zomi (Chin) people exhorted to vote against new charter
Khonumthung News
April 23, 2008.
Burmese democracy leaders based in New Delhi, India have appealed to the
people in Zomi (Chin) state, western Burma to cast the "No vote" rejecting
the draft constitution. This appeal was made during a discussion on "No"
vote against the SPDC's referendum held in the NCGUB (National Council of
Government of Union of Burma) office in New Delhi yesterday.
"We call on the people from Zomi (Chin) state to go to the polling booths
and cast the "No" vote to in the referendum which is designed to
legitimise
army rule", the leaders said.
In case people in Zomi (Chin) state wrongly vote "yes" in the referendum,
Chin people will never be given any privilege to choose their own leader
or
for self determination in the future, Dr. Tint Shwe, Member of Parliament
and of NCGUB (Western Area) in-charge added.
The Burmese regime had announced early week [sic] this month that the
referendum on a newly drafted charter is to be held on May 10. The general
elections will be in 2010.
Steven Suan Mang in-charge of foreign affairs of the Zomi National
Congress
in exile also put across his view from the panel in the discussion that
the
newly drafted constitution had given reservation seats (25 per cent) to
army
personnel in every governing body from the state to the village level.
Moreover, the participation of ethnic people in the state's
administration,
jurisdiction and legislative will be constrained.
U Than Sein, Member of Parliament in exile reminded the people of Zomi
(Chin) state to be aware of the possibility of votes being manipulated by
the junta hand picked polling commission.
"If the people find a rogue during voting, they should immediately inform
the opposition groups in respective areas and the media inside Burma and
abroad to prevent further tricks by the military regime", U Than Sein
added.
The military regime had rejected the proposal of the UN for observers to
monitor the polling. Instead, it set up a polling commission in which the
USDA, Quarter and village council members were forcibly included.
Recently, military authorities including ministers, commanders, the
military
backed organization [the USDA] and village council members had launched a
campaign in Zomi [Chin] state to approve the constitution in the
referendum.
Meanwhile, the regime has announced the referendum laws that carries a
three
year prison term and a fine of Kyat 100,000 for those who criticise the
referendum and tried to disrupt the polling process.
The Referendum Law for the Approval of the Draft Constitution does not
bear
any deadline for declaring the results of the voting and allows the votes
to
be canceled in places affected by natural disaster, security breach or
other
things that could endanger the holding of a free and fair referendum.
A new charter was drafted by over a thousand-odd junta's handed picked
delegates in the 14-year long national convention as part of [the]
regime's
seven step road map to so called disciplined democracy in Burma which
began
in 1993 after the 1974 constitution was scrapped in 1988.
The draft constitution prohibits Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi or
any
woman or non-military background to hold state office.
The Burmese junta held general elections in 1990 in which Aung San Suu
Kyi'
party the NLD won a landslide victory but the election results were
ignored
by regime.
For Further More Information-
Email- khonumthung@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Phone- +91- 389- 2318320
Website- http://www.khonumthung.com/
www.bnionline.net
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