Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Communist Party of Burma (CPB) has issued a statement saying a lightning protest movement against the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi should be conducted not only in front of Insein Prison, but throughout the country.

The statement says members of the main opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) , and other pro-democracy forces should expand their movement from its current context of only gathering outside the prison on trial dates to include protest gatherings throughout Rangoon and in other places in a scattered, lightning movement.

“Making a movement around Insein Prison is, in military terms, like moving in the killing field. So we should start a guerrilla style lightning and scattered movement at unexpected times and in unexpected places,” the statement reads.

As a tactical component of this approach, protesters should send a letter to the Army, government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and administrative units in addition to commencing a poster and pamphlet campaign and chanting the Metta Sutra, the statement suggests.

Opposition forces, including the NLD, should establish their own "systematic underground units" and secrecy should be a priority, the statement added.

Since important people like Win Tin will have many other important works to do, such a person should not go daily to the prison. It’s time for other leaders to rally around this movement in any available role, CPB party spokesman Comrade Po Than Jaung told Mizzima.

As the current trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is filled with mystery and suspicion, it should be open and accessible to anyone, including foreigners and media personnel, he further commented. Thus, the CPB suggests that the lightning movement should start by demanding Aung San Suu Kyi be tried in an open court accessible to the people.

Meanwhile, military leaders are gearing up preparations for the 2010 general election for which critics speculate the trial is aimed at ensuring Aung San Suu Kyi remains sidelined from the proceedings.