The court of Burma's military regime has sentenced on 3 November the eight Shan political leaders

-- 106 years to Maj-Gen Hso Ten, the group's suprime leader, (boxun.com)

-- 92 years to Hkun Htun Oo, leader of Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, the biggest party of Shan State,

--the rest to 75 years each.

We have reported earlier that the Shan State Army -North resolved on 23 October to attend the constitutional convention to be held in December by the junta by expecting its attendance would ease off junta pressures on Hso Ten and the SSA.

All the Shan people have hoped that the SPDC would be farsighted enough to handle this politically delicate issue in a more matured manner.

Now it shows that the Burmese military regime is determined to plough through its own prescribed plan without reservation and consideration.

The junta is determined to act disregard of people's will and interest.

All commanders and soldiers of Shan State Army and the peace-loving Shan people are outraged by the court announcement.

So the Shan Democratic Union announced on November 7

"STATEMENT ON HEAVY IMPRISONMENT TERM HANDED DOWN TO THE EIGHT SHAN POLITICAL LEADERSHIP BY THE SPDC"

It states that

--The Military has always been giving lip service to the unity and oneness of the peoples living within the Union of Burma, but this latest stunt or miscalculation is running contrary to what it professes to uphold.

--The long-term imprisonment of the Shan leadership is, in fact, the total subjugation of the people of Shan State, in the form of neo-colonisation, and as an extension, to all the other non-Burman ethnic nationalities. It is incredible that at this age of globalisation and development, such backward racial chauvinism or supremacy could still take hold and is allowed to go uncheck.

--In the same vein, the detainment of NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and one thousand or so political prisoners nation-wide is aimed to subjugate the democratic aspiration of all the peoples of Burma.

--It is now evident that the military regime's mind is made up to completely annihilate the people's wish of meaningful democratisation by holding Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and influential political figures under incommunicado and suppress the rights of ethnic self-determination by imprisoning the Shan leadership.

"Further, the threat of leaving ILO, the planned reconvening of National Convention to force finalized its constitutional blueprint, the moving of state machinery to Pyinmana, upper Burma", said the statement, "All these indicate that the military regime is "digging in" and isolation is looming larger than ever".

"The junta is seeking his own destruction" said Sai Wansai, the General Secretary of SDU, to me.

In the statement, SDU thanks to all ethnic brothers and sisters, armed or unarmed, the main stream political opposition parties NLD, CRPP etc for their sympathy and condemnation of the military's act in this juncture, for their support in these dark hours of seemingly unachievable national reconciliation, due to the illogical approach of the military regime.

"Given such circumstances, the ethnic-based and the main stream political opposition parties should double their combined effort for the realisation of national reconciliation and democratisation in a true sense of the word" said the SDU.

The U.S. State Department condemned on November 8 the Burmese junta's secret trials and sentences too.

"These actions demonstrate that the junta's so-called "Roadmap to Disciplined Democracy" is neither credible nor inclusive. We call on the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, Hkun Htun Oo and all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, and to allow their full participation in a meaningful political dialogue leading to genuine national reconciliation and the establishment of democracy". added the U.S. State Department.

( S.H.A.N. & Burma's News Published by Burma's Chinese) (boxun.com)