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Supporters of democracy in Burma/Myanmar are requesting that the people of the nation vote ‘No’ when marking their ballots according to the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD accuses the military junta of drafting the proposed constitution without any input from those opposed to military dictatorship. The proposed constitution gives the military continued power even after the elections. Pro democracy supporters of Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi point out that under the new constitution, she would be barred from running for president, even though she received 82% of the popular vote in the last democratic election. She remains under house arrest as she has been for twelve years. The new constitution would also grant amnesty from prosecution to the generals now in power. In reference to the proposed constitution, the NLD stated “It cannot give any guarantee for democracy and human rights, which are strongly needed by the people,” and “It is not in accord with the basic democratic principle that the sovereign power of the state is derived from the people.”
The junta has been accused of gross human rights abuses including the destruction of thousands of villages and driving one million people from their homes and using rape of women and girls as a tool to terrorize the people. The U.S. state department spokesman Sean McCormack stated that “These blatant human rights abuses contribute to the climate of fear and repression in Burma as the regime prepares to conduct a referendum on its draft constitution.” The referendum will be held in May. The last election, held in 1990 resulted in a landslide victory for the NLD, but the victory was rejected by the junta.
Last September, Buddhist monks led large anti-government marches that were suppressed violently by the junta which still outlaws speeches and leaflets. The junta has also rejected U.N. observers for the upcoming vote.

Supporters of democracy in Burma/Myanmar are requesting that the people of the nation vote ‘No’ when marking their ballots according to the National League for Democracy (NLD).

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