Democratic Burmese Youths

PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY PARTY HELD WA-SO RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL

AND

COMMEMORATED THE 44TH ANNIVERSARY OF 7TH JULY MASSACARE COMMITTED BY THE MILIATRY REGIME IN BURMA IN 1962

In the month of July 2006, members of the Parliamentary Democracy Party (PDP) organised two events, one for the 'War-So Religious Festival', and the other for the 7th July Anniversary occasion, when Rangoon University students were killed by the military regime in 1962. The background history of celebrating War-So Religious Festival started as follows: While Lord Buddha was still living and preaching Dhamma, some farmers from the local areas came to him and complained that their paddy plants were spoiled, caused by some monks who walked through their paddy fields while travelling around their villages. That event took place, while farmers were growing paddy plants during the rainy season. Because of the complaint and to avoid a similar event in the future, Lord Buddha set a law and ordered all his followers-monks that, no one must travel away from the village where they were residing at their monastery, during the four months of the rainy season, starting from the full-moon day of the month of Wa-So (July) till the full-moon day of the month Tha-din-gyut (October). Since then, Buddhist monks acted accordingly, and people offer foods, yellow robes, and medicines for the monks to enable them to stay at the same monastery while abstaining travelling. It is an important occasion and a traditional practice for Buddhist members, to celebrate the Festival offering the above mentioned items to the monks every year in the same month. The PDP members organised such a celebration as they are bound to do so, as most of them are Buddhist followers.

The PDP party members also organised the other important event the 'Commemoration of 44th Anniversary of '7th July massacre' committed by the military regime in Burma in 1962 soon after they had usurped power, from the democratically elected U Nu's government in 1962. It is a memory of a sad occasion for all the people of Burma, as the military regime killed its own people, who were young University students, who were only asking for their student's rights. It is also coincident with the very first massacre of the military regime in the very first year when they usurped power, and since after that gruesome event, they continued to kill innocent civilians, whenever they asked for their Human Rights and freedom.

Since the military usurped power, the whole country became a prison and every day people have to face a miserable life. People from all walks of life tried to topple the military regime from power, but the length of struggle dragged on for so long that, some younger generations are not aware of recent Burmese history. Most younger generations only talk about 8-8-88 uprising and, many of them think that people started to oppose the military regime only from 8-8-88. In this way, the unity, cooperation, understanding between those who were born in later years after the 1962 army coup in Burma and, those who were already born before that period, became difficult to achieve, because of different widening perceptions of major political events.

The problem is this, although people of Burma do not accept military rule and deeply oppose the military rulers, but it is a pity that, we have no unity among the exile opposition groups. This is particularly the result of Dr.Sein Win's activities in the diasporas, where he played one opposition group against another by funding those, which supported him, while denying funds to those, who advocated a different method. The ways of opposing the military regime from different groups do vary. The NLD opposition group applied non-violence method, which resulted in failure after 16 years of its application. They should realise that there is no history that people can expel a regime armed to the teeth, just by applying non-violence method. Because of this, the PDP is applying a two pronged approach,, one political negotiation and the other armed resistance movement.

The PDP party believes that, by applying the two pronged approach, it will be able to deliver the people's aspirations of expelling the military regime from power, restoring democracy and freedom, and bring employment and prosperity in our country in the near future.

So, during the celebration of Wa-So Festival offering materials and foods for the monks and during the gathering for the Anniversary of 7th July massacre, we pray for the welfare of the country and pay homage to those who fell on that 7th July occasion. Especially, we pray for all the people of Burma that they will become free from military rule and stand proudly in the land where they were born.

With all best wishes,

Down with the murderous illegal military regime.

Come and join us in this historic enterprise.

Fight together with us until we can expel the illegal military regime from power.

Information Section,

Parliamentary Democracy Party (Burma)

GHQ (Liberated Area)

E-mail: pdp_office@yahoo.com,

Web page: www.pdpburma.net