LONDON, UK (ANS) -- Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today (May 6, 2008) raised deep concerns that the planned referendum on a new constitution for Burma (Myanmar) has only been postponed in the areas of the country worst affected by the cyclone. However, CSW welcomes the announcement by the UK government that it will provide £5million in aid to the cyclone victims.

Aung Sang Suu Kyi

“The referendum is due to be held on Saturday, 10 May 2008, and is the first opportunity the people of Burma have had to vote since Aung Sang Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) won the elections eighteen years ago,” said a CSW spokesperson.

“However, the draft constitution has been written by hand-picked individuals and campaigners have condemned both the content of the constitution and the referendum process.

“According to reports, Burma’s state media has said that voting will be postponed until May 24 in the areas worst affected by the cyclone, including Rangoon and the Irrawaddy Delta, but the ballot will go ahead as planned for the rest of the country.”

CSW’s National Director, Stuart Windsor, said: “This cyclone is an unprecedented disaster which serves to compound the suffering of the people of Burma. The military junta’s acceptance of external aid is an indication of just how bad the situation is. We are delighted that the UK Government has announced £5million of humanitarian assistance for the victims and hope that the regime will not put restrictions on the delivery of this support.

“However, we are deeply concerned that the junta has failed to postpone the referendum on the constitution at a time when the people of Burma are recovering from the devastation of the cyclone. The drafting of this constitution has been a sham and the proposed document will only serve to enshrine this brutal regime. The regime has already refused UN international monitors to oversee the voting, and we believe holding the ballot on different days in different regions will only make the process even more susceptible to election rigging. The UN and international governments should encourage the regime to postpone the referendum and instead concentrate on the immediate needs of the Burmese people.”

For more information, please contact Penny Hollings, Campaigns and Media Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0) 20 8329 0045, email pennyhollings@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk. 

CSW is a human rights organization which specializes in religious freedom, works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and promotes religious liberty for all.

Notes to Editors from CSW:

1. During the drafting of the constitution, anyone discussing the process faced up to twenty years imprisonment under Law 5/96.

2. The regime has excluded from voting around 500,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, other religious leaders, over 500,000 internally displaced people, 700,000 Muslim Rohingyas, the millions living in conflict zones and Burmese refugees.

3. Under the proposed constitution, political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, who is in her 12th year of house arrest, are barred from contesting elections. The president must have military experience and not have married a foreigner, further excluding Suu Kyi. The commander-in-chief of the army will appoint 25 per cent of the national legislators and the defence minister and the army chief can also seize power whenever he believes that national security is threatened.

4. Furthermore, the constitution will not include an independent judiciary.

Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.