BurmaNet News: April 30 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

April 30 2003 Issue #2226

INSIDE BURMA

Xinhua: Runway completed at Myanmar’s new stadium
DVB: Interview with Mai Theingi Tun Than on the condition of her father,
Dr. Salai Tun Than

REGIONAL

AFP: Thailand announces plans for economic quadrangle with neighbours
Xinhua: Chinese, ASEAN leaders call for exchanges, cooperation in tackling
SARS

INTERNATIONAL

Capital Times: UW grad in Burma on hunger strike; 75-year-old dissident
jailed since 2001
Daily Cardinal: UW graduate begins hunger strike in Burmese prison
Beacon: UA protesters go hungry: Students seek action against sweatshops

INSIDE BURMA

Xinhua News Agency April 30 2003

Runway completed at Myanmar's new stadium

A new runway of the National Stadium of Myanmar has been completed
recently after reconstruction for one and a half month.

The new runway of the stadium located in Thuwunna township in Yangon was
built by the China Nanjing Sports Science Company Limited.

The runway is the first in Myanmar which conforms to the standard set by
athletics' world governing body the International Amateur Athletics
Federation (IAAF).

The 7,000-square-meter runway, covered with polyurethane rubber, cost of
47 US dollars per square meter, more than 50 percent less than that
offered by companies of other countries.

With the new eight-lane runway, the stadium now can host contests of track
and field, long jump, high jump, pole vault, discus, hammer throw, javelin
and shot put.

The quality-class and durable polyurethane rubber used in the project is
produced by China's Nanjing Jinling Chemical Factory.

The original runway of the stadium was built by a Japanese company and put
into service in the 1980s.  The IAAF had not recognized any results
produced on the runway as it was not up to IAAF standard.

Xiao Yuhang, a leading executive officer of the China CVC ( Group) Company
which won the project contract, told Xinhua that since Myanmar's entry
into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1997, sports
exchanges with other member countries had increased, with more
competitions held in the country.

Having the new runway in service would help to promote the country's
sports development and exchanges with other countries, Xiao added.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma April 30 2003

Interview with Mai Theingi Tun Than on the condition of her father, Dr
Salai Tun Than

Mai Theingi Tun Than : There was a phone call to our house. Then, on the
evening of 27th of April, two agents from the Military Intelligence came
to our house and they asked me questions such as if they released him Dr.
Salai Tun Than, could we be responsible for him and the like. Then, I knew
that something was happening inside the prison.

DVB : What is his reason for staging the hunger strike?

Mai Theingi Tun Than : The main reasons are – there are lacks of basic
human rights and religious freedom in prison.

DVB : How do they prohibit him from practising his religious beliefs?

Mai Theingi Tun Than : As soon as we were allowed to see him in prison, we
gave him a bible to read as he read it at home every day. They (prison
authorities) took it away and said that they needed to check it or they
have lost it and gave other excuses like that and never let him read it.

DVB : We have heard that healthcare in prison is very poor. What is Dr
Salai Tun Than’s health condition now?

Mai Theingi Tun Than : As he is very strong mentally, you would not be
able to see his real health condition from his physical appearance. But if
I have to say about the mental condition, he is facing many depressing
things. As he is getting older, he always feels not well whenever there is
a change of weather. He had problems with his bones and he is unable to
see well because of his eye problems.

DVB : Do they torture him physically?

Mai Theingi Tun Than : As far as we know, they do not torture him
physically. But, like the usual practises in prisons, he is only allowed
to get out of his cell blindfolded. Whenever people from the ICRC and UN
come to meet him, he is supposed to be able to talk to them freely, but
when they are gone, he would be interrogated. What did day ask you and the
like? Other prisoners are also interrogated.

REGIONAL

Agence France Presse April 30 2003

Thailand announces plans for economic quadrangle with neighbours

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced Wednesday plans to
create an economic quadrangle involving Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, after
holding talks with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

The Thai premier said he had proposed the idea to the other countries'
leaders on the sidelines of Tuesday's emergency SARS summit attended by
ASEAN countries and China.

"We agreed with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar that we would create an
economic strategy together to increase income," he told reporters.

"It is a very good idea. It will not only help this region but will help
narrow the gap between new and old members of ASEAN," Hun Sen said.

Thaksin said Thailand could join with the other three countries in feeding
the world with its agricultural production, thereby boosting the region's
economy and helping solve other problems such as illegal workers by
expanding employment.

"If jobs could be generated in Cambodia, there would not be difficulties
with Thailand when Cambodia labourers come here," Hun Sen said.

The four countries' foreign ministers plan to work on the idea at a
meeting in the northern city of Chiang Mai in July, ahead of a leaders'
meeting in Myanmar, for which no date has yet been set.

The meeting between Thaksin and Hun Sen was their first since anti-Thai
riots rocked Phnom Penh in January and led to Thailand downgrading
diplomatic relations with its neighbour.

Rampaging mobs looted and torched the Thai embassy, causing damage
estimated at 5.9 million dollars, which Cambodia paid to Thailand in
March.

Dozens of Thai businesses were also damaged in attacks, for which
compensation negotiations are continuing. Thailand's initial damage
estimate was 46.8 million dollars.

Relations were normalised at an April 11 meeting of the countries' foreign
ministers.

The two leaders vowed to strengthen their ties further.

"The incident was a nightmare, but we have learned to prevent such an
incident reoccurring," Thaksin said. "Relations are back to normal and we
will make them better."

Thaksin also said that a joint cabinet meeting between the two countries
which was postponed in the wake of the riots would go ahead on May 31.

Cambodia will be the third country with which Thailand has held a joint
cabinet meeting, following Singapore and Malaysia, in an initiative by
Thaksin aimed at boosting relations with neighbours.
__________

Xinhua News Agency April 30 2003

Chinese, ASEAN leaders call for exchanges, cooperation in tackling SARS

Leaders of China and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) called Tuesday for exchanges and cooperation to effectively tackle
the challenges posed by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

In a joint statement issued here following their special meeting on SARS,
the leaders expressed their deep concern about the mounting threat to life
and health of the people in Asia and the world as a whole due to SARS,
noting that SARS has already had an adverse impact on the economy and
society of the countries in the region.

The leaders called for exchanges and cooperation among the ASEAN members,
and stressed the need for concerted efforts in the region and the rest of
the world to effectively tackle the challenges posed by the deadly
disease.

In a fresh bid to contain SARS, the leaders agreed to promote exchange of
information and share experience in respect of SARS control and
prevention, according to the statement.

The leaders also emphasized the importance of strong leadership, political
commitment, multi-sectoral collaboration and partnership at the national
and regional levels to fight the epidemic.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attended the special meeting along with the
leaders of the ASEAN member countries.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

INTERNATIONAL

Capital Times (Madison, WI) April 29 2003

UW GRAD IN BURMA ON HUNGER STRIKE; 75-YEAR-OLD DISSIDENT JAILED SINCE 2001
By Aaron Nathans

A jailed Burmese dissident has launched a hunger strike, says a
UW-Milwaukee activist who is seeking his release.

Salai Tun Than, who received his doctorate in crop nutrition from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1959, was imprisoned by Burma's
military junta in November 2001. Than's crime was conducting a solitary
protest in front of Rangoon City Hall, donning an academic gown and
reading a speech in which he called for freedom and the end to 40 years of
dictatorship.

Than, 75, started his hunger strike over the weekend, activists said.

"His options are die in jail on their terms, or die in jail on his terms.
He's trying to make his statement, his one last stand," said Kim Jacobson,
president of the Free Burma Coalition. She is a UW-Milwaukee student.

"He's had enough of playing by the government's rules. He wasn't going to
take their abuse anymore," she said. Than, a Baptist, has asked for a
Bible and to receive communion, but was denied it, she said.

His daughter spoke at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee several weeks ago, she
said.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., spoke out on the Senate floor earlier this
month about Than's plight, Jacobson noted. He's just one of several
notables who have spoken up, she said.

"It doesn't seem to be enough," she said, and Americans need to put more
pressure on the Burmese government, which changed the country's name to
Myanmar. "We're obviously concerned that because he's an old man, he may
not last very long."

President Bush recently spoke in favor of the democracy movement
burgeoning inside Burma, said Jeremy Woodrum, director of the coalition's
Washington office. The president made no mention of Than, but it was a
good start, Woodrum said.

Numerous human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, the Asian Human
Rights Commission and Amnesty International have condemned Than's
imprisonment. Amnesty International has named him a prisoner of
conscience.
______________

The Daily Cardinal (University of Wisconsin Student Newspaper) April 30 2003

UW graduate begins hunger strike in Burmese prison
By Beth Skopp

Many alumni donate money to the university from which they graduate.
However, UW-Madison alumnus Dr. Salui Tun Than has been donating something
else to the world community-himself. He has been fighting for basic human
rights in his homeland of Burma. Sometime within the last day Than began a
hunger strike in prison where he is currently serving a seven-year
sentence.

"Now it has become much more media because at the age of 75 there's a
question of how long he can last without food, considering his already
deteriorating health," said Kimberly Jacobson, president of the Burma
Refugee Relief Coalition at UW-Milwaukee.

Some 1,400 persons have become political prisoners in Burma, including
Than, who was arrested after his solo protest in front of Rangoon City
Hall, where he donned an academic cap and gown to show his desire for
freedom of education.

"It's not just any case because he's one of Burma's most prominent
political prisoners," said Jeremy Woodrum, director of the Free Burma
Coalition offices in Washington D.C. "These aren't criminals. They are men
who, [for example], wrote a poem about democracy."

Than is fighting for better treatment for his fellow prisoners. His cell
is without a bathroom and when he asks to read the Bible given to him by
his family, he is denied. In fact, his family can only visit him twice a
month for 15 minutes each time.

"Imagine a student here going back to his or her respective country and
being treated like this," said Sonali Saluja, coordinator of Amnesty
International at UW-Madison and a UW-Madison junior. "I think this
illustrates how human rights really hit close to home."

For this reason, groups in Milwaukee and Madison are working to free Than
and to raise awareness of the problems in Burma. According to Saluja,
Amnesty International has written letters to both the United States and
Burmese governments.

"I think it's incredibly important for students to know what's going on in
the world in general and also to know that alumni are good for more than
dollars, that they are making an incredible stand on issues," Jacobson
said.

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has made a statement expressing his concern
for the doctor and criticizing the regime in Burma. Additionally,
President Bush made a statement commending Burma's democracy movement the
day before Than began his strike.

"It's important for members of Wisconsin's [government] to speak out on
his behalf," Woodrum said. "I think the only thing the Burmese government
responds to is pressure."
____________

The Beacon Journal April 30 2003

UA protesters go hungry: Students seek action against sweatshops
By Carl Chancellor

Sara Cutlip complained of dizziness and feeling weak, but she insisted her
commitment to ridding the University of Akron campus of products made in
sweatshops is stronger than ever.
Since last Wednesday, Cutlip has been on a hunger strike hoping to
persuade UA to join an organization that monitors working conditions in
foreign factories.
``I've had some bad jobs, jobs where I've been sexually harassed. But I
was never raped. Jobs where I had to work overtime when I didn't want to,
but I've never been locked inside the factory,'' said Cutlip, sipping from
a water bottle labeled with a phrase that sums up her feelings --
``sweatshops suck.''
The junior theater arts major is one of 10 members of the campus activist
group STAND -- Students Taking Action for a New Democracy. These members
have decided not to eat until the university takes their demands
seriously.
What STAND wants is to ensure that sweat shirts, caps and other products
bearing the school's logo are not made in sweatshops.
The group is concerned a company with ties to sweatshops in Myanmar
produces logo apparel under a licensing agreement with UA. Myanmar, which
used to be called Burma and is ruled by a repressive military regime, has
been cited by several human rights organizations for child and slave labor
abuses.
STAND member Nathan Ruggles said it's his group's goal to make certain
that UA logo ``clothing that students purchase is not made with the blood,
sweat and tears of children and forced labor.''
It's a position that the university strongly agrees with, said Paul
Herold, university spokesman.
``We and STAND have the same objectives. We don't support any sort of
sweatshop operation,'' Herold said. He noted that the university recently
adopted a resolution stating that all products bearing the school's logo
are to be ``sweat-free'' -- as in not made in sweatshops.
What the student activist group and the university can't seem to agree on
is how best to accomplish that ``sweat-free'' status.
``We are at an impasse. The impasse is that they (STAND) want us to join
the Worker Rights Consortium,'' said Herold.
The Washington, D.C.-based consortium monitors factories, primarily
foreign factories, to make sure the workers who make the clothing are
being treated fairly, and that the working conditions are just and humane,
Herold said.
The consortium, which has more than 100 colleges and universities as
clients, charges membership dues based on the amount of licensing fees
schools get for letting manufacturers use their names and logos.
Last year, UA indicated it would join the group but has since moved away
from that position.
Ruggles complained that the university ``went back'' on its promise and
said that the recent resolution made by the university is ``inadequate and
not worth the paper it was printed on.''
Herold said the university has a stringent code of conduct concerning
clothing manufacturers. Furthermore, he said he isn't sure about the
effectiveness of the consortium.
STAND has demanded UA immediately end the business relationship.
Herold said no sweatshop links have been substantiated. However, he said,
the university was ``re-evaluating'' the business relationship.
``We believe the university has acted in good faith,'' Herold said.
Still, Cutlip and the other hunger strikers are determined to continue
their protest.
``I'm drinking only water. I've lost 12 pounds already, but I'm not giving
up,'' said Cutlip.
Cutlip indicated that other STAND members would step in to take the place
of hunger strikers who can't continue.
The administration is concerned about the health of the protesters but
doesn't see a change in the university's position, Herold said.
``We've told STAND that the health services folks are available to them,
but at this point this is an exercise of free speech,'' said Herold.