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Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma

5 February 2010, Hong Kong

No point to recognize an election which serves the dictator

People in Hong Kong and Burma have been demanding for democracy since 1988. Two decades has
passed, we are still denied the right to change the regime by our votes. In Hong Kong, the government
is conducting a public consultation for election methods for Chief Executive and Legislative Council
with the proposal to limit 1,200 persons to vote for the CE and retaining the number of seats for the
functional constituencies. Likewise, the military regime in Burma intends to run the election with 25%
seats reserved to military in this year which ruled out the participation of the opposition. Both systems
continue to ensure the control of the ruling class in name of democracy.

On the road to democracy, in Hong Kong, we fight for it by social movement, whereas people in
Burma fight for it with life and freedom. The systematic human rights violations explained the reasons
for people to keep up the fight inside and outside Burma even at a high cost. There are still some 2,100
political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, who are arbitrarly detained for merely demonstrating
peacefully, exercising their freedom of speech and offering help to victims of Cyclone Nargis.
Moreover, ethnic nationals continued to be attacked by the military and paramilitary forces supported
by the government in 2009, causing around 5,000 people to flee to Thailand, adding to the 150,000
refugees already on the Thai border, and displacing more than 10,000 people inside the country,
increasing the ranks of the half a million people who had previously been displaced in Burma. In
addition, it is estimated that 90 percent of people in Burma live below the poverty line. Also,
inadequate health care, child soldiers, forced labour and forced relocation are also pressing issues.

Today Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma, other organizations and individuals, together with Khin
Ohmar from Burma Partnership come to protest against the military regime in Burma. It is not only
because we have the same cause to fight for democracy, but we see the connection of Hong Kong and
Burma. China and Hong Kong are the fourth and sixth largest investors in Burma respectively. This
implies that the corporate in Hong Kong is supporting the military regime directly and indirectly to
suppress the people in Burma. For this reason, we see our role to monitor the investors in Hong Kong
for the human rights and democracy in Burma.

The Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma will not recognize the 2010 Election in Burma as it is not
free and fair in nature. If the infamous regime wants to gain legitimacy from the people in Burma and
international community, it must release all political prisoners immediately, amend the Constitution
with genuine public consultation and stop attacking the ethnic nationals in the country.

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