[Joint Statement] Two years on from the Depayin massacre in Burma

The Burmese government should allow the international community to carry out an independent investigation into the Depayin massacre of May 30, 2003 and guarantee political freedom.

Today marks the second anniversary of the Depayin massacre in Burma on May 30, 2003 that was known as targeting Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of NLD (National League for Democracy), the opposition party. However, to date there has been no official investigation into this terrible incident, and so the exact number of victims and who was responsible has not yet been ascertained. We, civil organizations of Korea who support the democratization of Burma, call on the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) to carry out the fair and independent investigation that is demanded by the international community.

The Depayin massacre was an incident in which Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been released from a 13-year house arrest, was attacked during a speaking tour of the country by thugs presumed to be under anti-NLD influence. According to the NCGUB (The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma), at least 70 people were killed, two hundred were wounded and a considerable number of people went missing. However, the day after the attack, the SPDC blamed the NLD for the incident and claimed that the violence left just four people dead and 50 injured. They also started to arrest NLD supporters including Aung San Suu Kyi. On the pretext of the incident, SPDC began wholesale suppression of the opposition and in a period of only a few days it arrested 256 people. To the present day one hundred people, including Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD leaders, are still detained in custody.

The NLD holds that the attack was planned by the military junta in order to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi, as the junta’s swift public statement and response suggests. After considering the Burmese political situation and the assertions of eyewitnesses and international human rights organizations, we also suspect that the SPDC was behind the massacre at Depayin. To investigate the truth of these assertions, the Burmese military junta must allow an independent investigation by international organizations and release NLD leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi.

We, civil organizations, demand the following of the Burmese Government:

First, allow the international community to implement a fair and independent investigation into Depayin massacre and punish those responsible,
Second, release Auung San Suu Kyi and the NLD leaders
Third, guarantee political freedom in Burma,

People all around the world are anxious for democratization in Burma. We, civil organizations, believe that the first step for democratization of Burma is to inquire into the truth of the Depayin massacre and to punish those responsible. We will therefore keep our eyes on the approach of the Burmese government to the investigation into the truth. The Burmese government should not cover up the event but contribute to democracy and human rights in Asia by consenting to the investigation demanded. Lastly, we hope that the Korean government will press Burma for an investigation into the truth of the Depayin massacre.

May 30, 2005

10 USD members for Democratization of Burma
Amnesty International S. Korean Section
Bucheon Migrant Worker’s House (BMWH)
Citizens’ Action Network (CAN)
Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS)
MINBYUN- Lawyers for a Democratic Society
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)
Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights of Asia
The Refuge Pnan

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