Press Release
April 14, 2006

Burmese Junta at 'Complete Loss' Over What's Happening in Country

There is a Burmese saying which goes, "You'd only lose sleep if you rise up every time a dog barks".

Hence, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) has never lost a wink over the accusations that the Burmese military regime has been hurling because they are merely groundless and childish outbursts intended solely to discredit political opponents.

The baseless and flagrant lies alleged against the NCGUB at the regime's press conference on 12 April and the follow-up "Declaration" by the regime's Ministry of Home Affairs, which placed the NCGUB on the list of "terrorists", raised two important and interesting questions.

Is the regime so desperate and insecure that it decides to embark on a systematic smear campaign to discredit a political institution like NCGUB which has never deviated from nonviolence as its firm policy or is Lt Gen Myint Swe, the new head of the military intelligence under so intense a pressure from his higher-ups that he has to come up with names to blame for the acts of terrorism in the country?

There have been strong speculations that the present military intelligence setup has become a nonfunctioning institution since the dismissal of all capable intelligence officers led by former Prime Minister and Intelligence Chief Gen Khin Nyunt, and the latest blunders by the regime only confirm that fact.

It appears that the Burmese generals are more focused on building a strong military and getting their new capital in Pyinmana accepted domestically and internationally, without realizing that they are at a complete loss over what is happening in the country.

It is time that the generals take a perceptive look at the problems in the country and stop blaming others for the rising dissent, economic failure, poverty, and other deteriorating conditions in the country.  Instead, they should earnestly begin salvaging the situation together with democratic parties which have so far shown nothing but goodwill toward the military.