BurmaNet News: March 26 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

March 26 2003 Issue #2202

INSIDE BURMA

AFP: UN rights envoy ‘very frustrated’ over lack of prisoner releases
Narinjara: Islamic school demolished in western Burma
DVB: Lands grabbed from Mon people

MONEY

Financial Times: Premier Oil ready to clear last hurdle
Guardian: Burma’s military halts Premier exit

INTERNATIONAL

Press Association: Ken Clarke masks in tobacco company protest
Australian: UN envoy to Burma debated

REGIONAL

DVB: Burmese girls for sale

MISCELLANEOUS

NCGUB: Discovery of ‘bug’ questions trustworthiness of generals
Irrawaddy: War or peace?

INSIDE BURMA

Agence France Presse March 26 2003

UN rights envoy "very frustrated" over lack of prisoner releases
By SAMANTHA BROWN

A UN human rights envoy to Myanmar who abruptly cut short a mission to the
country this week after a bugging incident said Wednesday he was "very
frustrated" by the military regime's slow release of political prisoners.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who halted his visit three days short of its
scheduled end after finding a microphone in a room where he was
interviewing political prisoners, said he had met with several government
ministers.

"(I told them) I was very frustrated with the situation of political
prisoners who have not been released in large numbers," he said during an
interview in the Thai capital with AFP.

Human rights groups estimate that 1,200 to 1,300 political prisoners
currently remain in Myanmar's jails and Pinheiro has said it is his
priority to secure their release.

Several hundred others have been released since a historic dialogue was
brokered by another UN envoy, Razali Ismail, between the junta and
National League for Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi in October
2000, which is aimed at national reconciliation.

Pinheiro also said "(I) expressed somewhat my disappointment because
during this year I haven't seen much progress in terms of national
reconciliation, or the political dialogue.

"From all my meetings both with the NLD and the government, my impression
is that there was no substantial progress in the dialogue. There have been
contacts but more on logistical questions, not on real political issues,"
he said.

"I hope ambassador Razali can return and continue facilitating this
dialogue and the international community is able to overcome the present
situation."

Pinheiro departed from Myanmar on Monday -- "the first day that I could
have" -- after discovering the listening device during interviews at
Yangon's Insein prison on Saturday.

The Brazilian academic refused to speculate on whether the regime's
infamous military intelligence had placed it there.

"I can't elaborate. The only thing I can say is that I found the device
under the table," he said, adding that it was up to the junta to work at
rebuilding the trust he had established with them.

"It's not my responsibilty to do that (rebuild trust). I have expressed my
complaint to the government, I explained why I interrupted my mission and
then I left the country and I am presenting my report on March 31 to the
Human Rights Commission," he said.

The special rapporteur said the early wrap-up of his fifth mission would
affect his report to the commission in Geneva.

"It has affected it because I wanted to stay three days more," he said.

He said he had not entertained thoughts of resigning and would wait for
the commission to decide after its current session on whether his mandate
would be renewed.

"For the time being I will continue doing everything I am supposed to be
doing," he said.

Pinheiro -- one of few international voices advocating engagement with
Myanmar rather than isolation -- said he had noted some positive
developments.

"I was happy to know the International Committee of the Red Cross, as I
wished and have supported, they were able to operate in the border areas,"
he said.

"I was also very happy about the visit of Amnesty International. I think
that was a very important move by the government," he said.

Amnesty International made its first ever visit to the country in February.

Myanmar's government has long been criticised for its poor human rights
record, which rights groups have said includes the detention of political
prisoners, forced labour, censorship and violations of religious freedom.
__________

Bangkok Post March 26 2003

BUGGED UN ENVOY DEPARTS WITH VOW TO PURSUE MISSION
By LARRY JAGAN

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma has cut short his
mission to that country in protest at finding a listening device during a
private interview with a political prisoner.

I am very angry, upset and frustrated,'' Paulo Pinheiro told reporters as
he left Rangoon yesterday. After presenting my complaint to the
authorities, I cancelled all my appointments and had no option but to
leave the country.''

In a statement issued by the United Nations, Mr Pinheiro said the bugging
incident had contravened assurances he had been given by the military
government before he arrived in Burma. The device, described as being of
World War Two vintage, was found under a table in the notorious Insein
prison while he was interviewing political prisoners on Saturday. Senior
government officials have promised the envoy that the incident would be
investigated. The untoward incident at Insein jail was not sanctioned by
the government and a thorough investigation is being undertaken,''
military spokesman Colonel Hla Min told the Bangkok Post.

In the meantime however, the envoy said he felt he had no alternative
other than to cut short his mission.

Like all UN envoys before him and investigators from the International
Labour Organisation, Mr Pinheiro has sought and received assurances from
the military regime that he would be allowed to go anywhere he wanted and
meet anyone he chose. All interviews with political activists and
prisoners were to be conducted in strict privacy.

I reiterated my concern that all people who cooperate with me should be
free from any form of intimidation, harassment or punishment before,
during or after my missions,'' Mr Pinheiro said. The authorities have told
the UN envoy that they are committed to this principle.

Ironically, on his last visit to Burma, Mr Pinheiro praised the prison
authorities for their cooperation, and said he had been able to interview
all the political prisoners he wanted to without prior notification.

Mr Pinheiro may now have to revise his assessment of how serious the
regime is about trying to improve its human rights record. While
conditions in Burma's prisons have improved in recent years, largely as a
result of the regime's engagement with the UN, the International Labour
Organisation and the Red Cross, the situation for prisoners still leaves a
lot to be desired.

They are denied access to family members and legal representation during
their questioning before being charged. This is unacceptable under
international codes of conduct. Confessions, which are often beaten out of
prisoners, cannot be challenged in court. In fact, the legal system and
the courts are anything but free and fair.

Although the envoy was furious at the discovery of the bug, he still hoped
to return to Rangoon in May to complete his current investigation,
according to senior UN sources. He also remained hopeful the military
regime would agree to a full-scale independent inquiry into the
much-publicised allegations of human rights violations in ethnic minority
areas, particularly Burma's northeast Shan state _ where Burmese soldiers
stand accused of deliberately and systematically raping ethnic women.

There is no doubt that Mr Pinheiro's interrupted mission is a public
relations setback for the generals. The envoy has been one of the few
major figures urging the international community not to isolate Burma at a
time when many Western countries have been signalling their intention to
adopt tougher sanctions in an effort to force the generals to introduce
political reform.

Already Col Hla Min has launched a damage limitation exercise. The
government acknowledges the excellent cooperation between the the special
rapporteur and the government, he said. And both sides would not like to
see the existing cooperation greatly affected by this incident,'' he said.

Of course, the key issue remains: Are Burma's top generals really
interested in political reform, or are they just using the dialogue with
the opposition leader to string along the international community?
Diplomats in Rangoon fear the regime's engagement with the UN and the
international community masks the reality that the top leader at least,
Senior General Than Shwe, has no intention of starting concrete political
talks with Aung San Suu Kyi.

This is a view the UN envoy now seems to endorse. I did not see any
progress in terms of the substantial political dialogue,'' Mr Pinheiro
said after his few days in Rangoon. While in Rangoon he had extensive
discussions with both the opposition leader and the head of the country's
military intelligence, General Khin Nyunt.

Diplomats in Rangoon are convinced that the two sides cannot talk to each
other in any meaningful way and need the mediation efforts of the UN
secretary general's special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail. But there have
been fears the generals will not allow Mr Razali back into the country for
weeks, if not months, despite his efforts to return since the middle of
last month.
___________

Narinjara News March 26 2003

Islamic School Demolished in Western Burma

The local junta authority of Buthidaung Township under Rakhine State in
the western part of Burma knocked down a Madrasah or Islamic school on 9th
March, according to our correspondent.

The madrasah situated at Rwak-nyo-daung village was built close to a
Muslim graveyard.  The local Burmese junta officials accusing the
structure as illegal since it was constructed in the premises of the
graveyard demolished the main structure of the school.  The pulling down
was complete by the 15th this month.

The executive committee members of the school board including Rabiullah,
son of Muhammad, have been charged with illegal construction of religious
schools without the proper permission of the Department of Religious
Affairs.

About sixty students were enrolled in the madrasah when it was demolished,
concluded the correspondent.
_________

Democratic Voice of Burma March 26 2003

Lands grabbed from Mon people
The Mon National Council (MNC) has issued a statement demanding the SPDC
to stop grabbing lands from the local people of Mon State. The SPDC army
has grabbed more than 300 acres of lands from local people without giving
them compensation in Ye Township. Similarly, more than 200 acres of lands
were grabbed on Kalakoke Island and the army is building nuclear plants
with the help of Russia.

These lands are for paddy fields and rubber plants and the farmers are
left jobless by the seizures and they are facing difficulties for their
survivals. The SPDC army is seizing lands from people and it is expanding
and building army bases and thus destroying the way of life and the
peaceful homeland of Mon people.

Therefore, the SPDC should stop its actions and the MNC vehemently
denounces these actions, says the statement.
___________

MONEY

Financial Times March 26 2003

Premier Oil ready to clear last hurdle
By TOBY SHELLEY

One hurdle remainsbefore Premier Oil's Dollars 670m (Pounds 416m)
restructuring is complete and that is expected to be cleared early in the
second quarter, said Charles Jamieson, chief executive.

The deal, which will free Premier of its combined 50 per cent
stakeholders, Amerada Hess and Petronas, has now been signed by the
Indonesian government and provisionally agreed by the Burmese government.

The last snag is the detail of pre-emptions on the Yetagun project in Burma.

Once that is sorted out, there will be a short legal process in the UK to
approve a reduction in share capital.

Under an agreement reached last September, Premier exchanges its stake in
Yetagun and part of its stake in the Indonesian Natuna project for the 50
per cent shareholding and Dollars 376m.

That will leave Premier with pro forma net debt of Pounds 47.1m at the end
of 2002 and gearing of 17 per cent. John van der Welle, finance director,
said this was a net debt of one-tenth the level of two years ago.

Mr Jamieson said the low debt and strong cash flow from earlier capital
investment meant Premier would be well positioned to make acquisitions.
The company wants to build its presence in west Africa.

He said Premier, which has not paid a dividend since 1998, would seek to
build shareholder value through share price growth and a significant
one-off dividends, or share buy-backs when appropriate.

At about 25p, analysts believe Premier to be significantly undervalued.

For its final full year as "Old Premier", the company reported pre-tax
profits of Pounds 72.6m (Pounds 49.6m).

Tony Alves, an analyst at Investec, said the underlying performance of the
company had been better than forecast.

However, an exceptional charge of Pounds 13.1m on the carrying value of
North Sea assets meant net profit was lower than expected.

Turnover in the year to December 31 was 23 per cent higher at Pounds
263.1m (Pounds 213.8m).

Production in 2002 was 53,600 barrels of oil equivalent per day, a 31 per
cent advance on 2001 and above the top end of the target range.

On completion of the restructuring production will run at between 32,500
and 35,000 boe/d.

The shares closed up 1/2p at 25 1/2p.
___________

Guardian UK March 26 2003

Burma's military halts Premier exit
By Terry Macalister

Premier Oil has been embarrassed again by the Burmese military, which has
delayed the handover of the company's local assets to its partners by
withholding
written permission to do so.
Without such permission, the British oil exploration and production
specialist cannot withdraw, as planned, from the country. The six-month
delay also stalls a huge restructuring of its shareholding which could
transform its stock price.
Premier, which was criticised by human rights activists over its
operations in Burma, insisted yesterday the deal was not in danger of
collapse.
"We are not signalling concern about the sale. It will go through. We
already have verbal approval from Myanmar [Burma] and we already said the
timetable was in the hands of the regulatory authorities," said the
finance director, John van der Welle.
Premier said it expected the switch of its 26.67 per cent holding in the
Yetagun gas project to take place "some time in the second quarter". But
this is the third deadline given by Premier, which originally talked of
the "end of December" and then in January claimed permission would
come"some time in the first quarter".
The Burma assets, plus certain stakes in the Natuna field in Indonesia,
are being switched as part of a $670m (£427m) deal whereby Amerada Hess of
the US and Petronas of Malaysia will both sell their 25 per cent stakes in
Premier.
That block of shares was a major drag on the Premier share price because
it left the British firm protected, in effect, from any takeover bid.
The Indonesian authorities have already given their written permission for
the Natuna field changes. The delays were attributed by Premier to the
Burmese government and to the fact that PTT of Thailand, Nippon Oil of
Japan and MOGE of Burma have been keen to take a slice of Premier's share
under pre-emption rights. Originally it was expected that the entire
Yetagun stake sold by Premier would go to Petronas, which would have been
less complicated.
The latest delay in Burma was announced by Premier as it announced an
increase from £20.3m-£25m in net annual profits - despite a £13.1m
exceptional charge against its British assets. The profit figure was lower
than the £26m to £35m expected by analysts.
Turnover rose 23 per cent to £263.1m, reflecting higher production levels
and a global crude price that increased over the 12 months from $19.30 per
barrel to $28.70.
Net debt at Premier will have been brought down from £500m at its peak in
2001 to around £50m, once the restructuring is complete.
• Campaigners yesterday called for a moratorium on a BP-led pipeline
consortium from the Caspian to Turkey, claiming human rights abuses were
being perpetuated in the area. BP said that work would begin on schedule
next month, arguing that the Baku-Tbilisi-Cyehan link would bring many
benefits to the region.

INTERNATIONAL

Press Association March 26 2003

KEN CLARKE MASKS IN TOBACCO COMPANY PROTEST
By Victoria Ward

Fifty "Ken Clarkes" gathered in London today, wearing face masks of the
British American Tobacco deputy chairman, to demand that the company close
the factory it jointly owns with Burma's military dictatorship.

They chanted in Burmese outside the BAT headquarters, and carried placards
shaped as speech bubbles quoting a letter from former Chancellor of the
Exchequer Ken Clarke to a constituent in Rushcliffe, Notts, in which he
admitted feeling uncomfortable about investment in the country.

John Jackson, director of Burma Campaign UK, which organised the protest
said: "We are not going to let Ken Clarke off the hook.

"BAT are collaborating with a military dictatorship. They are funding a
regime that rapes, murders and tortures its own people."

Campaigners from the Burma Campaign were joined by Unison representatives
and members of the Burmese community.

Tun Tun, 26, from Burma, has lived in London for four years.

He said: "When these companies invest in Burma it's over for the Burmese
people. It's so bad and painful for them, they suffer for profit.

"I know of people being paid just pennies for a day's work - it's worth
fighting for."

Today is the Burma Campaign UK's first protest against BAT although it has
been running a postcard campaign since last November.

Anna Roberts, campaigns officer, handed out leaflets to staff outside the
building.

She said: "It would be simple for BAT to move out of Burma with little
financial trouble. It is only a small part of their operation.

"As long as they are there we will protest against them. But we are making
progress and are very optimistic that they will pull out."

As protesters chanted "BAT profit, Burma pain" a BAT spokeswoman said: "We
understand and greatly respect concerns about human rights.

"However, we do not believe that the best way forward is for businesses to
withdraw from countries whose governments' human rights record have been
criticised.

"Campaigners may suggest that business can influence how countries are
governed.

"While we are willing to discuss these issues open-mindedly with
stakeholders, we do not believe businesses should take on the role of
international diplomacy and that companies do not and should not have a
mandate to step into areas of political authority."
__________

The Australian March 27 2003

UN envoy to Burma debated
By Kimina Lyall

THE future of the UN special envoy to Burma on human rights will be
debated at the highest levels in Geneva later this month, after his
dramatic and angry exit from Rangoon this week.

Special rapporteur on human rights Paulo Sergio Pinheiro stormed out of
Burma on Monday after discovering a wireless microphone under the table
where he was interviewing political prisoners – supposedly confidentially.
Speaking in Bangkok yesterday, Professor Pinheiro said he was
"flabbergasted and completely out of control" with anger when he found the
device, while the prisoner he was interviewing at the time was "scared".
He had been in the middle of an interview at Insein jail in Rangoon when a
noise alerted him to the device taped under the table. Although he
described it as "amateurish" and doubted how much of the conversations it
could have recorded, he said its presence was "completely unacceptable".
He also expressed concern that a number of prisoners he was interviewing
for the second time had told him that after their first interviews with
him they had been locked in a room by military intelligence officials and
forced to write statements detailing what they had said.
This was also in breach of agreements the Government had made to allow him
unrestricted access to prisoners and its promises it would not subject
those prisoners to reprisals.
"The problem with this bug is it gives enormous insecurity to everything
we (have done)," he said of his previous five visits to the country. But
he conceded he may have contributed to the problem by remaining in a
single room rather than interviewing the prisoners in their cells, as is
his usual practice.
"Ninety per cent (of his previous interviews) were done unexpectedly in
unexpected places," he said. "Not everything we did was lost."
However, he said the future of the Human Rights Commission's mandate to an
envoy would be debated in Geneva later this month, when the 53 member
states, including Australia, met for its annual meeting.
Professor Pinheiro refused to outline what his personal recommendation to
the commission would be on whether his mandate should be continued. "If
they ask me, then I will answer," he said. "Not today."
Professor Pinheiro also expressed concern that the ruling State Peace and
Development Council continued to release prisoners only on a "drop by
drop" basis and said he had told the generals "perhaps at the end of this
process I will be dead . . . and these people will still be in prison".
He was concerned the military leaders appeared to have returned to a
limited definition of what constituted a political prisoner, allowing them
to severely underestimate the numbers. Professor Pinheiro said he believed
there were still 1200 to 1300 political prisoners, including students
sentenced to 14 years for distributing leaflets.
He said military intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt's
agreement "in principle" for him to investigate alleged use of sexual
violence by the military against women in Shan state was positive, but
said he had left the country before he was able to discuss that further.
A long and positive meeting with National League for Democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi revealed she had had one insubstantial meeting with the
Education Minister and had still not met any of the senior generals
despite their supposed commitment to a "dialogue" with the NLD, he said.

REGIONAL

Democratic Voice of Burma March 26 2003

Burmese girls for sale

Three Burmese girls who came to work in Thailand are being sold by human
traffickers, it is reported. They were sold by two Burmese traffickers at
the Thai border town of Maesod on the 3rd of this month. DVB’s Naw Nandar
Chan reports from the Thai-Burma border:

Naw Nandar Chan : The three girls are from Naungkla Village, Thaton
Township and they were unable to finish their studies in Burma due to
economic hardships and came to work in Thailand. Two of the girls are only
14 years old. They were lured from their village by a human trafficker
called Ko Soe Paing with the promise of good jobs in Bangkok and asked
them 30,000 kyats for his service. At the end of February, they were taken
to the Burmese border town of Myawaddy [near Maesod] and they were handed
over to another human trafficker, a woman called Ma Moe Moe.

On the 3rd of this month, they were sold to a karaoke bar for 5000 bahts
each. In Burma, commodity prices are rising and many young Burmese are
leaving the country and working in foreign countries and they are facing
many problems like these.

MISCELLANEOUS

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma March 26 2003

Discovery of 'Bug' Questions Trustworthiness of Generals

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Paulo Sergio Pinheiro,
saying he was "very angry," abruptly left Burma two days ahead of his
schedule after finding a "functioning listening device" placed in the room
which he was using to conduct his interviews with political prisoners in
Insein Prison.

The incident did not come as a surprise to the people of Burma who on
numerous occasions have suffered from the dirty tricks of the generals in
the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).  Many political prisoners
who have had their prison terms extended by years for reporting about
prison conditions to others would also not be surprised by the bugging
incident as well.

But, what comes as a surprise is that the generals dare even to deceive
the UN Special Rapporteur, who not only represents the United Nations, but
also had been speaking out in favor of the international community to
engage with the generals.

But, the issue at stake here is not the accidental discovery of a wireless
microphone set up to bug the UN Envoy's interviews but the sincerity and
trustworthiness of the generals.

In the political arena, the SPDC has been making numerous promises that
range anything from continuing the talks with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the
restoration of democracy and the building "a new modern, developed, and
democratic nation."  But, when the generals find it so easy to renege on
their promise, in the same way they went back on the "assurances" given to
the UN envoy, there is little incentive for others to trust the generals.

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma therefore urges
the SPDC to stop playing games of deception and immediately start a
substantive political dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.  The
international community particularly those who feel they can benefit from
engaging with the SPDC are also urged to be wary of the generals whose
present track record is nothing but a list of broken promises about the
elections, about handing over power to civilians, about the release of
political prisoners, and about the SPDC's goal to restore democracy in
Burma.
_________

Irrawaddy March 26 2003

War or Peace?

The following is the second in a series of comments on the war in Iraq
from the spectrum of opinion among Burmese people. The comments expressed
by people here, should be construed as personal opinions, not necessarily
shared by the groups or organizations they represent.

TODAY IS an era of Information Technology with rapid development. The
world powers with technological superiority in IT and in politics,
military and economy are trying to overwhelm the countries which have
lagged behind in development. If a country does not dance to their tune
they treat her like an adversary. So also if there are differences in
ideology with other countries, they treat like the same. Similarly, in
weighing the pros and cons, they do not want a rival. Looking only for
their interest they are always ready to a target, any country, friend or
foe to dominate them. Applying political, economic, social, ideological,
propaganda and military means, they try to break their adversaries up in
the multi-dimensional warfare. In this way the world has witnessed the
collapse of the powerful Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, once a developed
country. The study of world situation shows that they are trying to break
up the countries including Myanmar [Burma] at which they targeted in
multi-dimensional warfare.
Excerpt from an article: "To ward off the danger of destructive elements"
published in the military’s New Light of Myanmar on March 25. The article
was written by Myint Thein Aung.
----------------------
I SUPPORT the war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein is a dictator. A dictator
who suppresses his own people.
Gen Saw Bo Mya
Commander in chief of the Karen National Liberation Army based on the
Thai-Burma border. [Source: BBC Burmese Service]
----------------------
I DON'T support Saddam Hussein but in this event, America is wrong.
America must follow the resolution of the UN, which is the world body. The
policy of America is confusing. Before attacking Iraq, the US has angered
North Korea by creating instability in the region. We saw on TV, America
is speaking out loud about the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war. But
America itself is breaking the UN resolution to show it is the most
powerful in the world. It is neglecting the wish of the whole world and
determining the fate of human beings.
U Hamid
Secretary of the exiled All-Burma Muslim Union
----------------------
IF THEY want to overthrow Saddam Hussein and want to see reform in Iraq,
there should be better methods than military means—I don't agree with
bypassing the UN. In any case, I don’t support Saddam Hussein and his
regime will be defeated. I feel saddened to see innocent Iraqi people
being harmed. I am concerned that in the future, superpower nations will
make decisions and rule as if laws are in their own hands. The lesson to
learn from the Iraq war is that no nation is interested in anything other
than its own national interests. We have to wait and see what the future
role of the UN will be, as the new ball-game of international affairs is
now being led by the US.
Than Khe
Chairman of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)
----------------------
I DON'T know precisely about the US-led war on Iraq. As a Buddhist,
however, I don’t like killing any kind of creature. Killing is a sin.
Therefore, I’d like to ask the world’s leaders not to wage any war that
will lead to massive deaths of innocent people.
A Burmese Buddhist in Rangoon
----------------------
WE WILL have to solve problems in our country [Burma] by ourselves. I
think that our country is not in a situation like Iraq, which attracts
interference from the US. The US and its coalition have waged this war
without the consensus of the UN. Personally, I don’t like this war as it
weakens and diminishes the UN's role.
U Htain Lin
Former editor of Botataung newspaper in Rangoon
----------------------
IN GENERAL, Muslims [in Burma] have been incensed politically and
religiously about this invasive war in Iraq as well as the US support for
Israel to kill Palestinians. This war will leave the wrong sort of legacy
in history.
A spokesman from Burma’s Islamic Religious Council
----------------------
AMERICA IS bullying and suppressing Islam. Now that America is attacking
Iraq to overthrow a dictator, America must attack all the dictators in the
world, including Burma’s military regime. Why has America not attacked the
Burmese junta?
A Burmese Muslim religious leader in Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burma border
----------------------
WITHOUR PERMISSION from the UN, I think this war is unjust. America must
stop its attack on Iraq at once. In the long-term, America may conquer but
those Iraqis who do not support Saddam’s regime now may change their mind.
Then, Iraq may be a second Vietnam.
Husein
A Muslim youth from Buditaung Township, Arakan State
----------------------
I SUPPORT this war in Iraq. I think this war is to punish a dictator. Iraq
has been buying time. This war is unavoidable because the regime in Iraq
is stubborn [to give up power] like the leaders in Burma.
U Tin Moe
One of Burma’s most famous poets, now living in the US [Source: BBC
Burmese Service]
----------------------
AMERICA'S ATTACK on Iraq is to get Iraq’s oil. America itself is a
terrorist. This war can not bring peace in Iraq.
A Muslim in Karen State [Top]

March 25, 2003—The first days of the US-led war in Iraq has divided
opinion around the world. Where there has been vehement opposition, there
has also been strong support. Views from Burmese people, in exile and at
home, have been just as polarized. While Burma’s military regime has yet
to release an official position on the war, and junta leaders have so far
been quiet on the issue, others—including the opposition National League
for Democracy—have been more forward. Today, The Irrawaddy presents the
first in a series of comments about the war from noted Burmese writers and
community leaders.

THE SYSTEM of unrestrained dictatorship has led to this war 
 all nations
should work towards achieving harmony.
Excerpt from an official statement from the National League for Democracy
----------------------
I DON'T want this war, and the reasons given by the US to wage on Iraq are
not rational enough. Saddam Hussein won’t die because of the attack.
Instead, Iraqi people will die. Saddam Hussein will hide somewhere else.
Ludu Daw Amar
A respected writer from Mandalay
----------------------
THE CURRENT war on Iraq will bring about misfortune to the world community
and the American people, even America’s claim to be leader of the world.
The aim of this war is not to ‘liberate’ Iraq even though its consequence
may lead to the removal of a dictator. The US is supporting many
authoritarian regimes under the banner of the ‘war against terrorism’,
like Uzbekistan which houses 4,000 political prisoners. This war goes
beyond interests in Iraqi oil reserves. The current policy intends to
‘establish and protect a new order’ under unchallenged American power, as
top White House advisor Paul Wolfowitz put it. The war against Iraq—a part
of this ‘New American Century’ initiative—intends to demonstrate
impregnable American might, especially in the face of the anti-American
Islamic community. The apparent percussion of this policy is rising
anti-American sentiment around the world.
Min Zaw Oo
A Burmese dissident living in America
----------------------
BUSH HAS wanted to wage this war for so long ago because he wants to build
his American empire. He wants to build an unrivaled superpower and he
wants oil from Iraq. He has shown his cowboy attitude. I wanted to ask
when he said he wanted to liberate the Iraqi people and the country; is
Bush a god? I think it’s a joke. Look at world history, how many countries
do you see that have been saved or liberated because of US or UN
intervention?
Ludu Sein Win
A respected journalist and writer based in Rangoon
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WE NEED change in Burma, which is ruled by dictators. So we are happy to
see Saddam Hussein is under attack. With the tide of change in the world,
we also want to see positive changes taking place in our country. We know
that Burmese military leaders have visited Iraq several times.
A magazine editor in Rangoon who asked not to be named
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I JUST want a peaceful solution, a solution without killing each other.
Rock music originated from peaceful revolutions. We, rock musicians, have
opposed war since the war in Vietnam. We don’t like fighting. If John
Lennon was still alive, he would not like this war.
Zaw Win Htut
A famous rock musician in Rangoon
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