Nirj Deva has fought consistently for the freedom and human rights of Aung San Suu Kyi

On 16th November 1999 Deva addressed the European Parliament as follows:

"Yesterday Mr James Mawdsley, who was released from Burma, sent me a message which I want to read out to you. His words are far more eloquent than my own when confronting the evil of the Burmese regime. He says: "the military junta in Burma is terrified of the NLD. They are afraid of anyone who refuses to bow to their brutality. It is abundantly clear to them that the world and NLD led by Dr Aung San Suu Kyi will not now bow. Therefore the regime feels it must utterly destroy them. Military intelligence officers have boasted to me that the NLD is to be crushed. It is to be destroyed. They laughed when they said it.

This is not sane behaviour. They sit and laugh about the murder and repression of Burma's elected representatives. The regime also boasts that they will kill all Karen and they are committing genocide among the Karen, Karenni and Shan ethnic groups of Burma. I have walked through this territory: from the top of the mountains as far as the eye can see, all villages have been destroyed and the populations murdered or displaced. I have seen victims of repression, women and men wounded, dying and dead. The regime's hatred of the ethnic groups and for the NLD cannot be checked by appeals to reason or morality. The regime responds only when it feels threatened."

Human Rights in Burma
16th November 1999

Deva (PPE-DE). – Mr President, I speak on behalf of Mrs Maij-Weggen in this resolution, and we have had some excellent speeches this afternoon.

As we sit here in our climate-controlled comfort, the democratically elected parliamentarians of Burma are under house arrest, in hiding and under the gravest possible threat. Meanwhile the communist junta maintains its iron grip on the people, press and the National League for Democracy. Members of that junta have boasted about how they will exterminate the NLD before the end of this year, and for years made the same boast about the minorities.

Twice since last September we have passed resolutions deploring the administration in Burma and despite our clear and heartfelt views on this matter, we know that the EU countries will be sending foreign ministers to meet their ASEAN counterparts in Laos next month. We must say loudly and clearly that we believe that it is absolutely wrong for them to do so, as is planned. We, in Europe, must not give them that spurious legitimacy and we heard some excellent speeches from Mrs Lucas and Mrs Kinnock on that point. We all know the story of Aung San Suu Kyi and we must be aware that constructive engagement between ASEAN and Rangoon has not worked. Therefore we must call upon our governments not to do the opposite of what the Nobel and Sakharov Prize winner has asked.

Yesterday Mr James Mawdsley, who was released from Burma, sent me a message which I want to read out to you. His words are far more eloquent than my own when confronting the evil of the Burmese regime. He says: "the military junta in Burma is terrified of the NLD. They are afraid of anyone who refuses to bow to their brutality. It is abundantly clear to them that the world and NLD led by Dr Aung San Suu Kyi will not now bow. Therefore the regime feels it must utterly destroy them. Military intelligence officers have boasted to me that the NLD is to be crushed. It is to be destroyed. They laughed when they said it. This is not sane behaviour. They sit and laugh about the murder and repression of Burma's elected representatives. The regime also boasts that they will kill all Karen and they are committing genocide among the Karen, Karenni and Shan ethnic groups of Burma. I have walked through this territory: from the top of the mountains as far as the eye can see, all villages have been destroyed and the populations murdered or displaced. I have seen victims of repression, women and men wounded, dying and dead. The regime's hatred of the ethnic groups and for the NLD cannot be checked by appeals to reason or morality. The regime responds only when it feels threatened. My release demonstrates that.".

It demonstrates that the regime will only do something when it feels threatened. These are the words of James Mawdsley, not mine. He suffered mightily at the hands of the Burmese and he says that only when they are threatened will they do something. We have to recognise that in relation to the ASEAN meeting