To
Date; 2005-08-17
Kjell Magne Bondevik
Prime Minister of Norway
The Office of the Prime Minister
P.O.Box 8001 Dep
N-0030 Oslo
Subject : India’s Security Council Candidature and its relations with the Burmese Military Regime.
Dear honorable Kjell Magne Bonevik
I am writing this on behalf of the Chin Community in Norway. I write this letter because I would like to draw your attention to the unjust consequences of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), recently signed by the Indian Government and Burmese military regime, for the Chin National Front, an ethnic opposition organization working for the restoration of democracy and freedom in Burma.
On one level, the MoU clearly relates to trade and other matters, including cooperation on the elimination of drug trafficking in the border areas between India and Burma. On another level, however, the MoU serves to suppress ethnic opposition groups from Burma who are based on the Indian side of the border. Recently, Indian authorities asked the Chin National Front to relocate their bases as far as possible to the Indian border, citing the aforementioned MoU as their rationale for this request. Several members of the Chin National Confederation (CNC) were also arrested by Indian security forces, some of whom were handed over directly to the Burmese Army. We have reason to believe that this policy of marginalization will soon be extended to other democratic opposition groups, such as the National League for Democracy (Liberated Areas), the United Nationalities League for Democracy (Liberated Areas), students, youths and other prominent leaders of the Burmese democracy movement based in India.
It is not our intention to denigrate India’s democratic credentials, which is seeking to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. However, those credentials will be impaired unless India is pressed to take more seriously the impact of the MoU on the restoration of democracy and freedom in Burma.
Therefore, as a condition for backing India’s candidacy to the United Nations Security Council, we ask the Norwegian Government to urge the Government of India to review its relationship with the
Burmese Military Regime.
Yours Sincerely,
Peter Sang
President
The Chin Community in Norway