Burmese pro-democracy activists in Israel protested against Burma’s junta and in support of the National League for Democracy in front of the Burmese embassy in Tel Aviv, a source said. They also declared that the NLD would continue to exist, no matter what.

Under the leadership of Burma Action Israel, a picket line of about 30 Burmese carried posters with messages that included: “We want democracy”, “NLD is the people’s leader” and “Free pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi”; while reciting other slogans in support of the NLD.

The demonstration started at 10 a.m. local time and ended at noon.

“We’ll always support the NLD. Although the junta’s electoral laws are aimed to dissolve the NLD, the NLD will still exist,” one of the protest leaders, Aung Naing Win,  said. “We intended for Israel and the world to know that the NLD cannot be destroyed. We intended to give NLD’s leaders and members moral support. We want them to know exile Burmese community support them.”

Although NLD won the 1990 election by a landslide, taking 392 of the 492 available seats, but the junta refused to relinquish power to a civilian government and have since ruled as the State Peace and Development Council. In keeping with the junta’s one-sided electoral laws for the polls this year, NLD has been dissolved automatically after May 6 after they refused to re-register their party on grounds that the laws seemingly targeted the NLD and Suu Kyi and were as such “unjust”.

The activists said that the results of 1990 election remained valid because the junta failed to transfer the power to the NLD.    

About 85 Burmese people live in Israel. Burma Action started with 15 members in September 2007, after demonstrations against the junta called the Saffron Revolution were brutally suppressed. Their goals are to remove the dictatorship in Burma, to fight for democracy and to support pro-democracy groups.