BurmaNet News: November 21-22 2002

[editor at burmanet.org]

November 21-22 2002 Issue #2126

INSIDE BURMA

Newsweek: Not so warm a welcome
DVB: Veteran politicians call for political dialogue to resume without delay
Xinhua: Myanmar says national reconciliation process moving forward
AP Worldstream: More than 100 political prisoners including 51 Suu Kyi
supporters released
Kaladan: The remaining 162 persons released, except 4 Rohingya youths
detained at Maungdaw

Irrawaddy: Leading figures not among released

INTERNATIONAL

AFP: Myanmar’s leaders should ‘hang their heads in shame’: top US official

DRUGS

Washington Post: US may take Burma off ‘major’ drug list

MONEY

DVB: Buy our seeds and pay in time
Myanmar Times: Border trade change for beans, pulses
Business Week: Making a federal case out of overseas abuses

STATEMENTS

AAPP: Another political prisoner dies in custody
Amnesty International: Myanmar: AI Calls for release of all prisoners of
conscience
SWAN: Campaign for ‘ending sexual violence against women and girls in Burma’

_____INSIDE BURMA____

Newsweek
November 25 2002

Not So Warm a Welcome
By Brian Palmer

Burma's military junta brushes off the U.N. and cracks down on
critics--even as it woos foreign visitors and pleads for aid

Ismail Razali pushed hard for a meeting with the head of Burma's military
government. The U.N. secretary-general's special envoy hoped to restart
talks between the regime and Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader
released in May from house arrest after months of intense diplomacy. But
in Rangoon last Thursday, Burma's leaders--Senior Gen. Than Shwe, Gen.
Maung Aye and Gen. Khin Nyunt--gave the Malaysian diplomat only 15 minutes
before showing him the door. "It was not a good sign," says Josef
Silverstein, a noted Burma expert. "The meeting was hardly long enough to
sit down and pick up a cup of tea."

Actually, it was a bitter disappointment. Since the spring, the government
has released more than 350 members of the opposition National League for
Democracy party--as well as scores of prisoners from other groups. Nobel
Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi has been granted permission to travel within
the nation's borders and has reopened more than 65 NLD offices. But
opponents of the regime say that these concessions are beginning to look
like little more than window dressing: Suu Kyi has reported no progress in
talks about expanding democracy in Burma, and repression in the
countryside is as bad as ever. "If it just goes on and on, I may decide to
step down," Razali told a Malaysian journalist two weeks ago. It's obvious
why the regime may be stalling. Per capita income, reported months ago to
be about $300, is in free fall. The price of rice, the staple of the
Burmese diet, has tripled outside Rangoon, according to the NLD. The
United Nations says that one in 50 Burmese adults is infected with HIV,
one of the highest rates in the world. The government had hoped that its
concessions would relieve the country's international isolation and draw
desperately needed foreign aid and investment.

Rather than follow through with real reforms, though, the generals have
tried simply to put their limited moves in the best possible light. In
May, just after Suu Kyi's release, the regime signed a one-year deal with
DCI Associates, a Washington lobbying and public-relations firm. Exile
groups say DCI's efforts landed Burma's drug czar an invitation to
high-level meetings with Bush administration officials in July. In Rangoon
the regime has been doing some lobbying of its own. It has hosted a parade
of U.N. dignitaries, downplaying human-rights abuses and pumping them with
pleas for greater humanitarian aid even while continuing to crack down on
critics for offenses as small as possessing exile publications.

That approach has worked, to a degree. The regime recently inked two trade
pacts at the annual meeting between members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations and economic giants Japan and China. And more and
more foreign-aid groups say politics should be set aside in order to get
help to long-suffering Burmese. "It is by no means certain that attempts
to work with the government to avoid a health disaster will succeed,"
Robert Templer of the International Crisis Group wrote recently. "[But]
what is certain is that the country cannot stem the tide without
immediate, substantial and sustained financial and technical support."

The problem, say NLD activists, is that without continued international
pressure, the group may end up as a relatively toothless social
organization, allowing the government to relieve pressure at the
grass-roots level without giving up any power at the top. Some Burma
watchers fault Razali for his naivete in dealing with the traditionally
intransigent generals. "Razali miscalculated," says a Bangkok-based Burma
watcher. "He believed the [regime's] assurances. He took for granted that
they mean what they say. The generals served him a trayful of platitudes,
and he ate it up."

The NLD is struggling to make the best of a bad situation. On a recent
Tuesday at the party's tiny headquarters in Rangoon, indigent mothers and
infants gathered for the weekly health screening--and not least for the
free lunch. Two women carefully set out Burmese-language HIV/AIDS
pamphlets. A box of generic condoms remained discreetly closed, but easily
available. The crowd is a welcome change from the situation of just a year
ago, when the office operated with a skeleton staff in the absence of its
leader. And Suu Kyi's low-key barnstorming trips to Mandalay, Karen state
and, most recently, northeastern Shan state--where rights groups have
documented systematic rapes by the Army--have begun to re-energize
activists outside the capital. But NLD brass are frustrated with how
fragile even this limited freedom remains. A circumspect Suu Kyi refuses
interviews when she passes through the headquarters. "If we make one
mistake, this will be the finish," explains U Lwin, the party's
78-year-old spokesman. Even if they don't, though, the regime still
doesn't seem ready for a new beginning.
_____

Democratic Voice of Burma
November 19 2002

Veteran politicians call for political dialogue to resume without delay

Veteran politicians who participated in the struggle for independence held
a meeting yesterday to discuss a proposal by UN envoy Razali on holding a
new National Convention. The meeting agreed on the need to start holding
talks as soon as possible between the two sides (National League for
Democracy, NLD and State Peace and Development Council, SPDC) without
preconditions.
Thakhin Thein Pe, who is responsible for holding the meeting, told DVB
that the official announcement [of the meeting] will be issued tomorrow.
Here is the interview between Thakhin Thein Pe and our DVB correspondent.
Thakhin Thein Pe : We all think that holding talks is the most important
issue although other matters were raised by Razali and others. The most
important thing is to hold talks. We believe that after the talks are
held, the answer will emerge. Therefore, we have called for the holding of
talks without setting any conditions. The answer will come out after the
talks are held. We want the talks to be held as soon as possible. The
longer it takes, the more the country will suffer.
DVB correspondent : Do you mean to say that what Razali said about the
National Convention could only be possible after holding talks? That it is
first and foremost that the talks must take place?
Thakhin Thein Pe : Yes, if the talks are to take place based on the other
side not setting any condition and to hold unconditional talks. We believe
that the only way to get a solution is to hold the talks. If they are
thinking of conditions and suggesting holding a new National Convention, a
new convention convened before holding the talks will become
insignificant. We fear the discussions will take too long. The economic
situation of the country is getting worse each day. The answer will come
once the talks take place.
DVB correspondent : You mentioned the economic situation in the country
just now. How bad is the economic situation facing the people now?
Thakhin Thein Pe : Oh yes, it has become worse. In particular, due to poor
nutrition from inadequate food, the people have poor health. The local
prices of medicines have gone up four, five times higher. A bottle of
Burplex is now 600 kyats which the people find difficult to afford. We
asked a farmer to find out the real situation. He said this year we are
not so fortunate. Normally paddy is ready for harvesting a little before
October or October when they harvest the paddy, thresh and send to the
rice mills. He said the luck of the country is such that because of heavy
rains the paddy was not ripe and harvesting time was late which added more
difficulties to the people.
DVB correspondent : Yes, I understand. I would like to ask something. At
yesterday's USDA [Union Solidarity Development Association] meeting there
was nothing significant mentioned in Sr Gen Than Shwe's speech. We had
heard that there would be something significant in his speech this year.
Did you also hear about that?
Thakhin Thein Pe : What Sr Gen Than Shwe mentioned in his speech was
progress of their endeavours only. He did not say a word about the
National Convention Convening Commission. However, in his speech given
earlier on Armed Forces Day - Resistance Day - it was quite comprehensive.
He said that people have progress in a democratic country, earn more
income, discuss among themselves when there are problems and solve
political problems. The democratic methods are so good that they SPDC are
marching towards democracy and for that reason they are giving training to
the people. I still have the newspaper cutting of his speech. However, no
word on democracy was included in news; just the work of the USDA was
revealed. What we expected to hear was on what they discussed with Razali
and our hopes on holding talks. But nothing on that was included.
DVB correspondent : Yes, I understand. Since all the news is same and
nothing was included, it seems they have no plans whatsoever.
Thakhin Thein Pe : Yes, it seems so. People are saying that they do not
hold talks because they do not want to transfer the power. In reality, it
should not be this way...
_______

Xinhua News Agency
November 21 2002

Myanmar says national reconciliation process moving forward

A Myanmar government spokesman said Wednesday that his country's national
reconciliation process is moving forward.

In a statement extending the government's appreciation to a recent visit
to Myanmar by UN Special Envoy Razali Ismail, government Spokesman Hla Min
described Razali's efforts in the process as "persistent and patient".

Noting Razali's balanced approach and determination to assist in the
ongoing dialogue in the process, Hla Min said, "Razali's frank discussion
with State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Chairman Senior-General
Than Shwe, Vice Chairman Vice-Senior General Maung Aye and Secretary-1 of
the SPDC General Khin Nyunt helped clarify issues and continued to expand
confidence". "We very much appreciate the hard work of UN special envoy
Razali and hope that friends of Myanmar worldwide will support this
process with patience and understanding of the complexity of the
situation," he went on to say, adding that the government is encouraged
after Razali's five-day visit last week.

Hla Min cited one of the facts that since 1990, the Myanmar government has
achieved much in its progression toward national unity, concluding
agreements with 17 anti-government armed groups and bringing them into the
legal fold.

He pledged the government's commitment to working with all national races
to ensure an enduring national reconciliation and steady progress toward
building a more unified and peaceful nation.

In a renewed effort to speed up Myanmar's national reconciliation process,
Razali made an official visit to the country from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16,
which was also the ninth since his appointment as the envoy in April 2000.

During his trip, Razali also met opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
(ASSK), General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in
addition to the government leaders.

However, no details of their talks were disclosed by both sides.

At the end of his visit on last Saturday, Razali said he was disappointed
with little progress in restoring dialogue between the government and the
opposition, adding that "I can't expect good results all the time."

He expressed continued belief that "dialogue on substantive issues is
essential if lasting endurable national reconciliation in Myanmar is to be
achieved".

Razali was believed to have initiated the confidence-building talks
between the two sides since October 2000 which resulted in the release of
ASSK and 334 NLD members and its activists.

However, no timetable has been set by the government to further the talks
after ASSK's release despite repeated calls by the NLD to start a
substantive dialogue on the future of the country.

Meanwhile, the international community including the UN has also been
calling for such a dialogue between the government and the opposition to
bring about national reconciliation in the country as early as possible.

The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 general election sponsored by
the military, gaining 396 parliamentary seats out of 485.

However, the NLD complained that it has not been allowed to take office
until now although the election has ended for more than 12 years.

Meanwhile, the government insists that it is a care-taker or transitional
one with no intention to hold on to power for long.
__________

Associated Press Worldstream
November 22 2002

More than 100 political prisoners including 51 Suu Kyi supporters released
By Aye Aye Win

Myanmar's military government has freed 51 members of pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi's party as part of the large-scale release of 115
political detainees under an ongoing reconciliation process, party
officials said Friday.

Most of the 51 party members freed Thursday were youth members of the
National League for Democracy, party spokesman U Lwin told The Associated
Press.

An official statement late Wednesday had announced that the government
would free on Thursday 115 prisoners including NLD members. Government
officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed on Friday that all
have been released. They did not give details. U Lwin confirmed the
release of 51 NLD members whose names were given to him by authorities. He
said they were freed from various prisons in central Myanmar, the delta
region and Yangon's main Insein prison.

This is the biggest batch of political prisoners to be released since the
government began reconciliation talks with Suu Kyi in October 2000
following mediation by United Nations envoy Razali Ismail.

Razali ended a five-day visit to Myanmar last week, saying he expects the
government to free more than 200 political prisoners by the end of this
year. But he has expressed disappointment at the slow progress of the
reconciliation talks, which have not moved beyond the so-called
confidence-building stage.

The junta, which has been in power since 1988, refuses to step down and
has not held any substantive dialogue with Suu Kyi on restoring democracy.
Suu Kyi's party won the 1990 general elections but was not allowed to take
power.

The only positive outcome of the reconciliation process has been the
piecemeal release of prisoners and Suu Kyi's release from 19 months of
house arrest in May.

With the latest releases, the government has freed 383 NLD members. About
350 more non-NLD political detainees have also been freed.

But about 1,000 more political prisoners are estimated to remain in jails.
The United Nations, human rights groups, Suu Kyi and Western governments
have demanded their unconditional and immediate release.

According to NLD figures 111 party members including 16 elected
representatives of the 1990 election remain in prison.
______

Kaladan Press
November 22 2002

THE REMAINING 162 PERSONS RELEASED, EXCEPT 4 ROHINGYA YOUTHS DETAINED AT
MAUNGDAW

The remaining 162 persons including the 4 women were released at the end
of October 2002, with a bribe of Kyats 10,000 to 70,000 for each and 4
main accused Rohingya youths still kept in police custody of Maungdaw,
Arakan State, according to our correspondent.

According to Our sources, Haji Ghoni is one of the member of detainees was
released on payment of Kyats 70,000/- on 21st October. The rest had to
take time to set free till last October. The sooner you give the sooner
you will release. Bribe money has been given to the authorities according
to the status of the detainees.

 The unpleasant incident of 10th October 2002, was under the joint
instigation of Military Intelligence (MI)-18 and the police to extort
money and upset the Muslim villagers and to create hatred policy between
two sister communities, said our correspondent.

The police have been unable to find any trace of Mohamed Yunus, who
remained absconding since October 10, 2002. The two Rakhaing Buddhist
girls who involved in the event of 10th October are not thevillagers of
Rwa Thaya of Maungdaw Township. They are the inhabitants of Rathedaung,
another town of Arakan State with bad characters called by Maung Lun, the
village Peace and Development Council Chairman, to design a plot against
the Baggona villagers of Maungdaw Township, said our sources.
_______

Irrawaddy
November 22 2002

Leading Figures not Among Released
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Both dissidents and observers acknowledge that the large-scale release
yesterday of political prisoners by Burma's military government would draw
international appraise, but they continue to remain skeptical of the
regime.
National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson U Lwin said that 51 of
the 115 freed prisoners were NLD members, and that the majority were
younger party members. He said the release fell short of the number they
had hoped. "We requested that the authorities release 400 political
prisoners, including prominent figures, from both the NLD and other
groups," U Lwin said today from Rangoon.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the release in a statement issued
today. The statement said: "The secretary-general hopes this first
large-scale release will provide fresh momentum for the national
reconciliation process in that country."
Despite calls from the Burmese opposition to release all of the remaining
18 incarcerated Members of Parliament (MP), none were freed yesterday
during the regime’s largest general amnesty for political prisoners since
secret talks began in October 2000.
Opposition sources also said many of them remain on parole. Some of the
released said they had to vow not to break the law in the future, and if
they did authorities said they would have to serve the remainder of their
original sentence.
The release comes on the heels of UN special envoy to Burma Razali
Ismail’s ninth trip to Burma, which ended on Saturday. He reportedly urged
the military leaders to free more than 200 political prisoners by year’s
end—including student leader Min Ko Naing and journalist U Win Tin, both
of whom have been in prison for over 13 years.
The prisoners were released yesterday from Insein, Tharawaddy, Taungoo,
and Khamti Prisons, however, approximately 1,500 political prisoners
remain in detention in Burma, including two Rangoon law students who were
sentenced this month to seven and 14 years in prison for protesting
against the government.

____INTERNATIONAL_____

Agence France-Presse
November 22 2002

Myanmar's leaders should "hang their heads in shame" : top US official

Myanmar's leaders should "hang their heads in shame" over their broken
economy, a senior US official said in the Bush administration's most
fiercely critical outline yet of its policy towards the military-ruled
state.

James Kelly, the State Department's senior Asia policymaker, said in a
strongly worded speech Thursday that signs of tentative progress in a
government-opposition dialogue over the past six months stood out only
because the country's plight was so "bleak."

Kelly granted the regime marginal credit for allowing democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi to travel around the country, but savaged the Yangon
junta's treatment of dissidents and handling of claims that its troops
were involved in mass rapes.

He told a closed-door reception of academics and Myanmar experts,
scheduled to include Myanmar's ambassador to the United States Kyaw Win,
that he had hoped to attend the forum with "significant good news to share
and even new acquaintances to make."

"But it was not to be. I think it fair to say that Burma represents a most
frustrating challenge for American diplomacy," Kelly said, according to a
copy of a speech at a School of Advanced International Studies forum on
Myanmar.

Sources in Yangon said earlier this week that Myanmar Deputy Foreign
Minister Khin Maung Win and junta spokesman Colonel Hla Min would travel
to Washington for the forum among other officials.

But they did not arrive, and US officials refused to confirm or deny
whether they had been refused visas by the US government. The junta's
US-based lobbying firm also declined to comment.

"I break no new ground when I observe that Burma was once poised to be one
of the most prosperous countries of Southeast Asia," Kelly was due to say
in remarks obtained by AFP.

"Now its broken economy has trouble feeding itself. This is a man-made,
not a natural phenomenon, and Burma's leaders should hang their heads in
shame," he said, in US custom using Myanmar's former name, which was
changed by junta leaders.

"The picture presented by events in Burma over the past year is decidedly
mixed and it is a measure of how bad things are in Burma that even a mixed
record represents some progress, but progress exceeded by disappointment,"
Kelly said.

"Unfortunately, conditions inside the country for the Burmese people
remain dire and the optimism generated by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release
on May 6th has diminished as the regime continues to delay its dialogue
with Daw Suu and her party."

____DRUGS______

Washington Post
November 22 2002

U.S. May Take Burma Off 'Major' Drug List
By Glenn Kessler

State Department officials are close to recommending Burma's removal from
a list of "major" drug producers, allowing the Southeast Asian nation to
press for significant counternarcotics funding, according to sources on
Capitol Hill and people who have spoken with State Department officials.

A decision by the Bush administration to reward Burma's counternarcotics
efforts would be an important psychological boost for the repressive
government, experts said. Burma's ruling military junta, which has been
condemned for human rights abuses, has long sought to use its counterdrug
efforts to gain greater international recognition. "This would bring the
regime a great deal of prestige," said David Steinberg, director of Asian
studies at Georgetown University.

A State Department recommendation would need to be reviewed by the White
House, and officials at the bureaus involved in the recommendation refused
to discuss the issue. But, in a speech last night, Assistant Secretary of
State James A. Kelly pointed to Burmese efforts on drugs as one of the few
bright spots in a "most frustrating challenge for American diplomacy."

"Burmese cooperation with the international community on narcotics issues
has continued to improve in real terms," Kelly said.

Removing Burma from the list of major drug producers likely would prompt
fierce complaints from members of Congress, such as incoming Senate
Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who favor keeping the pressure on
the Burmese leadership.

"This would be a very controversial decision," one congressional staffer
said. He said Burma continues to have an ongoing narcotics problem, while
the Burmese government "will view this as a broader blessing for their
approach."

Adding to congressional anger, a State Department investigation has
corroborated reports over the summer that the Burmese military uses rape
as a "weapon of war" against ethnic civilian areas on a widespread basis,
a department official said yesterday. Kelly last night said the United
States is pressing for an international investigation of the rape
allegations.

The administration has maintained economic and political sanctions on the
Burmese government, despite the release this year of Burmese democracy
activist Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest. But Steinberg said he had
detected a distinct shift in tone by the State Department this year,
suggesting a greater willingness to move toward better relations with
Burma.

The Burmese government also hired a high-powered lobbying firm, DCI
Associates, to press its case in Washington. The key lobbyist on the Burma
account, Charles Francis, is a friend of President Bush.

The State Department, in a report in March, said that Burma last year
became the world's largest producer of illicit opium.

Burma is also the primary source of amphetamine-type stimulants in Asia,
producing an estimated 800 million tablets per year.

But in testimony before a congressional committee in June, Deputy
Assistant Secretary Matthew P. Daley appeared to lay out steps that the
Burmese needed to take to win what is known as "certification" of its
antidrug program, such as enforcing money-laundering laws and targeting
high-level drug traffickers. He said it was possible to "pursue better
communication and cooperation with Burma [on drugs] without diminishing
our support for political reform and national reconciliation."

State Department officials appear to believe Burma has met the
requirements laid out in Daley's testimony. But Bertil Lintner, an expert
on the Burmese drug trade, said substantial evidence shows the government
is linked to major drug traffickers, including joint ventures with the
military and frequent meetings between traffickers and junta leaders.

___MONEY______

Democratic Voice of Burma
November 20 2002

Buy our seeds and pay in time

It is reported that the local authorities at Yekyi Township, Irrawaddy
Division are forcibly selling corn seeds to unwilling farmers.
The local members USDA and authorities are touring around the villages and
forcing the farmers to but their seeds at the rate of a tin of seeds to an
acre of marshland.
The same tin of seeds costs 350 kyats at the independent dealers but the
farmers are forced to pay 4000kyats to the authorities. Those who refuse
are threatened with arrest and charge of rebellion against the state and
the confiscation of their farms.
A villager has already been arrested for refusing to buy the seeds.
Further more, those who bought the seeds, have to pay the expense within
this month. If they couldn’t, interests will be charged. They also have to
promise in a signed document that they will sell the resulting harvests to
the UDSA only.
_______

Myanmar Times
November 18-24 2002

Border trade change for beans, pulsesBy Myo Lwin

THE government has introduced a new payment system for border transactions
of beans and pulses, an official from the Border Trade Department under
the Ministry of Commerce said last week. Under the change which took
effect early this month, the international payment system was being
accepted for trade in beans and pulses, the official said. The system
requires traders across the border to pay for transactions through either
letters of credit or telegraphic transfers, he added. The official said
the directive applied only to beans and pulses but was likely to be
extended to cover fisheries products.
He said the new system would enable the country to increase its foreign
exchange earnings, adding that illegal transactions might have been taking
place before the change. Beans and pulses have been exported through
border trade to China at Muse crossing in Shan State, to Thailand at the
Kawthoung and Myawaddy crossings in Tanintharyi Division and to India
through the Tamu crossing in Sagaing Division. The department said the
value of border trade last year was more than US$500 million, or about 10
per cent of the total foreign trade volume of $5.3 billion. The government
levies a tax of 10 per cent on exports. It allows traders to spend 80 per
cent of their export earnings on imports regarded by the government as
essential. Traders are allowed to spend the remaining 20 per cent of their
export earnings on non-essential imports from which they can expect to
earn higher profits.
_______

Business Week
November 22 2002

MAKING A FEDERAL CASE OUT OF OVERSEAS ABUSES
By Paul Magnusson

Should U.S. multinationals be held liable for the human-rights abuses of
foreign governments? Victim advocates charge, for instance, that Burma's
military rulers forced peasants at gunpoint to help build a pipeline for
Unocal Corp., torturing and killing those who resisted. The company knew
and approved, they claim. Unocal denies it.

This emotional issue lies at the heart of a dozen lawsuits that seek to
hold companies liable if they work with repressive regimes. Plaintiffs in
several of these suits, including the one against Unocal, recently have
made strides in establishing legal grounds for such claims under an arcane
1789 statute called the Alien Tort Claims Act. Early courtroom victories
have set off alarms among business groups, which worry that the likes of
IBM, Citibank, and Coca-Cola may be socked with huge jury damages for the
misdeeds of Third World governments. Ultimately, up to 1,000 U.S. and
foreign companies could be named as defendants in the pending suits,
experts on both sides say. To head them off, business groups have called a
closed-door strategy session in Washington on Nov. 18 to consider
everything from possible legislation to filing a slew of amicus curiae
briefs. Already, some companies have been lobbying the Justice Dept. to
intervene. Last summer, the State Dept. warned a judge that a case against
Exxon Mobil Corp. in Indonesia ''could potentially disrupt'' the fight
against terrorism and should be dropped. Business groups fear that further
plaintiffs' successes could chill U.S. companies' activities around the
globe. ''Large jury awards will send a message that if you are going to do
business in a country where the government is violating human-rights or
labor standards, you may be sued,'' warns J. Daniel O'Flaherty,
vice-president at the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents
U.S. exporters.

The Alien Claims act on which the suits are based was originally intended
to reassure Europe that the fledgling U.S. wouldn't harbor pirates or
assassins. It permits foreigners to sue in U.S. courts for violations of
''the law of nations.'' It remained little used until 1976, when a
Paraguayan doctor brought suit in U.S. court against a former Paraguayan
police official for the murder of the doctor's son. In 1980, a federal
appeals court ruled that the law allowed foreigners to bring suit in U.S.
court over acts committed abroad.

In the early 1990s, human-rights lawyers began applying the law to U.S.
corporations. Their contention: that companies can be liable for aiding
wrongdoing by authorities or can be ''vicariously liable'' for the damages
caused. For example, a Colombian labor union has brought a U.S. lawsuit
against Coca-Cola Co. for allegedly hiring paramilitary units that
murdered union organizers. And South Africans have sued Citigroup and
other as-yet-unnamed companies for allegedly profiteering from apartheid.
''These lawsuits hold the corporate world responsible for the ultimate
actions of what their products and money do,'' says Edward Fagan, a New
York lawyer helping the plaintiffs.

Human-rights activists think they have the best shot in the Unocal case.
It was filed in Los Angeles in 1996 on behalf of Burmese citizens who
claim that the California energy giant used the army of Burma to force
villagers to clear jungle for the company's natural-gas pipeline. A lower
court dismissed the case, but in September the often liberal Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals reinstated it. The court suggested that Unocal could
be liable if it ''provided practical assistance or encouragement'' to the
Burmese military -- or even if Unocal simply knew that crimes were
occurring.

The case still faces plenty of legal hurdles, but it has progressed to the
point where Unocal may soon have to face torture survivors in court -- a
publicity nightmare. If that happens, activists are sure to be emboldened
to bring more grievances to U.S. courts.

____STATEMENTS______

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP)
November 21 2002

Another Political Prisoner Dies in custody

A Burmese activist who had almost completed his seven year sentence died
of a heart attack in Tharawaddy Prison last Friday.
U Maung Ko, in his 50s, reportedly was not offered any medical treatment.
He was expected to be released next month, as the military authorities 
usually free political prisoners whose prison terms are about to be
concluded.
U Maung Ko was arrested in 1996 while he was staying in Kyauk Padaung, his
native township in Mandalay Division of Burma.
According to former political prisoners on the Thai-Burma border, he was
tortured for two weeks after his arrest.
He was accused of being a communist sympathizer and charged under section
5(J) of the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act. In May, 1997, he was moved to
Tharawaddy prison.
U Maung Ko is the second political prisoner to die in the notorious
Tharawaddy prison this year. Another activist, Aung May Thu, 61, died in
September after his release had been denied, despite having completed his
prison sentence.
"We have found that the death rate of political prisoners is rising
rapidly these days, because of poor medical treatment and torture," said
Bo Kyi, joint secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP).
U Maung Ko is the 82nd political prisoner to die while in custody, 
according to AAPP's records.
In his report to the 191-nation UN General Assembly, Secretary-General of
the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan on November 1 called on the military
authorities to release immediately and unconditionally all the remaining
political prisoners in Burma.
Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human
Rights in Burma, reportedly wrote to the junta in March, giving the names
of 104 political detainees who should be immediately released. The list
included 19 elected members of parliament, 22 people who had been arrested
for communicating with the UN about human rights, and 33 people who had
been held after serving their sentences in full.

For more information, contact Tate Naing, secretary, phone (01) 287 8751
and Bo Kyi, joint secretary, (01) 324 8935.
________

Amnesty International
November 22 2002

Myanmar: Amnesty International calls for release of all prisoners of
conscience

AI Index: ASA 16/017/2002 (Public)
News Service No: 213
22 November 2002


As authorities in Myanmar announced the release of 115 political
prisoners, including 50 members of the National League for Democracy
(NLD), Amnesty International today called on the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) to take further steps to release all prisoners
of conscience.

Amnesty International also urged the authorities to protect the right to
freedom of expression, association and assembly in Myanmar.

"Among those already released are individuals who have served six or more
years for acts which would not be considered crimes under international
law, such as talking to foreign journalists about torture of political
prisoners," Amnesty International said.

Reports indicate that many of the prisoners recently released may have to
serve the rest of their prison terms if they are arrested again.

"We welcome these releases but stress that they are long overdue, and must
be followed by the unconditional release of other prisoners of conscience
who have been suffering in Myanmar's prisons for too long," Amnesty
International said

"The SPDC must ensure that these releases are unconditional, and that
prisoners are not subjected to harassment after their release," the
organization added.

Among at least 1,200 political prisoners who remain detained are prisoners
of conscience who have been held for all or most of the last thirteen
years. These include U Win Tin, a 72 year old journalist, who has been
sentenced, inter alia, for allegedly trying to send information to the
United Nations about poor prison conditions, Paw U Tun, aka Min Ko Naing,
a student leader whose sentence has expired, and U Win Htein, a senior NLD
advisor, currently serving a sentence for arranging a press interview
about torture and collecting information about a poor rice harvest.

Amnesty International is also concerned at the recent sentencing of two
students, Khin Maung Win and Thet Naung Soe, to seven and fourteen years'
imprisonment respectively, for staging a peaceful demonstration outside
Yangon City Hall in August this year.

Amnesty International considers Khin Maung Win and Thet Naung Soe to be
prisoners of conscience, and urges authorities to release them
unconditionally and to stop arresting people for peaceful acts of dissent.

Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in
London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web:
http://www.amnesty.org
________

Shan Women’s Action Network
November 22 2002

Campaign for “Ending Sexual Violence against Women and Girls in Burma”
On the 25 Nov, International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women
24-25 NOV 2002


“Licence to Rape,” released in June 2002, reported by the Shan Human
Rights Foundation and the Shan Women’s Action Network, revealed using of
rapes by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)’s troop against
the Shan ethnic minority. The report documented 173 incidences of sexual
violence against 625 Shan women by the Burmese military from 1996 to 2001.

Sexual violence against women and girls through committing systematic
rapes seriously violates human rights and is also a war crime and a crime
against humanity. The Burmese government has used rape as a weapon of war
for many years against the ethnic minorities who have long fought for
political rights and freedom in Burma.

Although Thailand and Burma are neighboring countries, the Thai society
still has limited understanding on Burma. Therefore, the organizers
translated the “Licence to Rape” report from English to Thai language in
order to make the Thai public to be more concerned about the use of sexual
violence on woman and girls as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities
in Burma, and to persuade the Thai government to reconsider its policies
on Burma such as policies on ethnic minorities.

On the 25 Nov, International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women, we
organise campaign activities to enable the Thai society to have a better
understanding of sexual violence against women and girls in Shan State and
to call for ending sexual violence against women and girls in Burma.

Organizers:
1. Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma
2. Women and Constitution Network (47 organizations)
3. Alliance for the Advancement of Women (39 organizations)
4.  Religious groups for PEACE, Thailand
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
6. Migrant Assistant Foundation (MAP), Chiangmai

For more information: Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma. Tel.
02-4249173 or
09-7887138

Nov 24
5 pm. (Bangkok)

Stop License to Rape Candle lighting Event at the Burmese Embassy
Meeting point: Opposite St. Louis Hospital, Sathon Road
Time: 5.00-6.00 pm
Dress: Black
Public gathering

Nov 25
13:00 pm Chiangmai

STOP Violence against Women Day
Performance: LICENSE TO RAPE (GAB fai Drama group)
Book selling money contribution Ceremony to SWAN
Panel Discussion: Women.. War and Rape
Venue: Women Studies Center, Chiangmai Uni