BurmaNet News: May 7 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

May 7 2003 Issue #2231

INSIDE BURMA

Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi sets off for Kachin State
Kaladan: Army arrested 20 villagers fro forced labor
DVB: NCUB’s comments on political situation in Burma

DRUGS

IPS: US to Burma: Do more to cease drug production

GUNS

DVB: Burmese forces to stage joint military exercises

MONEY

Sri Media: BAT under attack from activists

Xinhua: More flights between Thailand, Myanmar to be opened
Xinhua: Thai trade exhibition opens in Myanmar
AFX: Premier Oil says restructuring expected to be completed in June

ON THE BORDER

AFP: Thai factory unrest erupts as 600 Myanmar laborers protest wages

INTERNATIONAL

Athens Banner-Herald: UGA graduate Tun Than released from Myanmar prison

STATEMENTS

U.S. Dept of State: Burma Freedom for the people
Statement of Sen. Kohl: [Wisconsin senator takes up case of man jailed for
petition]

INSIDE BURMA

Irrawaddy May 7 2003

Suu Kyi Sets off for Kachin State
By Naw Seng

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi set off for Kachin State
yesterday, where she has not traveled since 1989. Officials from the
Kachin State National Congress for Democracy (KNCD) welcomed her visit,
but some Kachin community leaders adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
Officials from the KNCD lauded Suu Kyi’s forthcoming appearance, saying
they have faith in her ability to bring about political change in Burma.
"We welcome this trip because the NLD is the sole ally of our party and we
fully believe in Suu Kyi," said Khun Sar, the former Gen-Sec of the KNCD,
who now lives in Thailand. "I believe Suu Kyi’s trip will motivate people
to be politically active."
The KNCD won three seats in parliament during Burma’s 1990 general
election. The party was outlawed in early 1992.
Some community leaders in Kachin State, however, have an opposing view
regarding the visit.
One Kachin leader in Myitkyina said members of the community have
expressed doubts that democracy activists have the people’s best interest
in mind. He added that when Suu Kyi visited Kachin State in 1989, some
Kachin felt Suu Kyi and others put their party work above the needs of the
people.
"The political situation in Kachin State will improve due to Suu Kyi’s
visit," said one Kachin youth leader in Myitkyina. "But we have to wait
and see what her vision for Kachin State is—that will determine how much
support she gets here."
Some groups, such as the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), are eager
to meet with Suu Kyi, but its status as a cease-fire group since 1994
makes such a meeting risky. If a meeting did take place, it may jeopardize
the KIO’s relationship with the military regime. "It would be a good thing
if we had a chance to meet," said Col Zau Seng of the KIO. "We [KIO]
support all activities in the name of democracy."
Political analysts in Kachin State say that the regime has reportedly
prohibited the KIO from talking with NLD members.
Suu Kyi will open several NLD offices in Kachin State during her stay.
When asked about the possibility of ethnic parties opening offices in
Kachin State as well, Khun Sar said he thought the opening of NLD offices
was a first step. But he believes Suu Kyi may have a role in the opening
of ethnic party offices in the future.
Suu Kyi is travelling with NLD chairman U Tin Oo and several of the
party’s youth members. The group is tentatively scheduled to land in
Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, next week. The group is also due
to travel to several townships outside the capital.
The Kachin State stop marks one leg of the group’s one-month trip. They
will also be stopping in Mandalay and Sagaing Divisions. It is Suu Kyi’s
longest trip since her release from house arrest last May.
______________

Kaladan News May 7 2003

ARMY ARRESTED 20 VILLAGERS FOR FORCED LABOR

A section of army went to Koin Daung village of Buthidaung Township in
Arakan State on April 20, 2003, and arrested 20 villagers for forced
labor, according to our correspondent.
The Military Operation Command (MOC-15) headquarters of Buthidaung,
previously seized 10 acres of arable lands from Rohingya villages adjacent
to the military headquarters and growing paddy with forced labor and now
the time of harvest, source further added. The arrested villagers have to
reap the paddy fields in the day and have to stay in the military
headquarters at night and were not allowed to go home. They were fed by
the villagers of Da Bru Chaung, another village nearby the military camp,
said another source to our correspondent.
Besides, they had to do other works, such as threshing, carrying, storing
the grains in the granary, put the paddy into heat, etc, source further
added.
After 4 days of continued forced labor, the villagers were freed on 23rd
April 2003, without any wages. But, SPDC authorities have declared that
there is no forced labor in Burma, said sources.
_______

Democratic Voice of Burma May 6 2003

NCUB’s comments on political situation in Burma

It has been a year since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house
arrest but there has been no sign of willingness from the SPDC to have a
political dialogue with her, said the National Council of Union of Burma
(NCUB) today.

After the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, all the actions of the SPDC
have no direction towards a political dialogue and national
reconciliation, said U Aung Moe Zaw, the secretary of NCUB.

Moreover, in order a dialogue to emerge, the Burmese people as a whole
need to strive with pressures from international communities to promote
democracy in Burma. U Aung Moe Zaw Assessed why the dialogue hasn’t
happened as follows:

U Aung Moe Zaw : It has been a year since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was
released. After the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, all the actions of
the SPDC do not point to the dialogue or the national reconciliation. The
SPDC has been doing things with the hope of getting help from the
international community only. There is no sign indicating the desire of
the SPDC for a political dialogue. The view of the NCUB is – the main
reason for this is due to SPDC’s fundamental attitude.

DRUGS

Inter Press Service May 7 2003

US to Burma: Do More to Cease Drug Production
By Larry Jagan

Burma’s leaders are angry with the international community, especially the
United States, for failing to acknowledge the government’s efforts to
stamp out illicit drug production.

But Washington says Burma is not doing enough to end the trafficking of
drugs from Burma’s Golden Triangle, which borders China, Laos and
Thailand. Thai anti-narcotics agents say more than a billion amphetamine
pills, known as yaa baa in Thai, will be produced in Burma this year. The
vast majority of which will be destined for Thailand.

Burma’s government says it has halved opium production throughout the
country during the last poppy-growing season, which ended earlier this
year.

"Poppy production is down by more than fifty percent across the whole of
Shan State, while in some areas, poppy cultivation has been reduced by
nearly two-thirds," said Col San Pwint, one of the Burmese intelligence
officers in charge of ensuring an end to the country’s drug production.

Travelling throughout Shan State along the country's border with
China—Muse is a Burmese border town—and through the areas known as Burma’s
Golden Triangle, one sees little evidence of poppy production.

Endless fields of alternative cash crops, mainly oranges, mangoes,
lychees, longans, coffee and tea, have replaced the major poppy
plantations here. Former poppy farmers have also been encouraged to
concentrate on ensuring food security by growing rice and maize.

There have even been attempts to introduce integrated farming, where
orchards are broken up with vegetable plots and fish ponds and chickens
are allowed to roam freely around the fruit plantations.

Some are also experimenting with intensive livestock projects,
predominantly chicken and pig farms, but crocodile farms as well. The
military authorities insist these crop substitution projects have enabled
the local ethnic groups to stop growing poppy and improve their standard
of living at the same time.

"The whole region will certainly be drug free by the year 2005," says Col
San Pwint.

The United Nations’ anti-drugs organization in Rangoon, which conducts
extensive surveys throughout Burma’s drug producing areas, says initial
impressions from this year’s research support claims by Kokang leaders
that they have ceased opium production.

"The Kokang have completely stopped poppy production this year and had
started crop substitution projects through their region," said the Kokang
leader, Phon Kya Shin.

Increased pressure from China was the decisive factor in convincing the
Kokang leaders that there was no option but to end opium production,
according to diplomatic sources in Rangoon.

Crop substitution among the Kokang and other groups is all part of the
Burmese government’s strategy to transform Shan State from a major world
producer of opium into a prosperous agricultural and industrial center.
New industrial development is meant to supplement the extensive cash crop
substitution projects that aim to help the poor farmers find sources of
income aside from poppy.

"Everybody in Shan State is aware that the government plans to eliminate
opium poppy production within the next two years," said Jean-Luc Lemahieu,
the head of the United Nations' anti-drug body in Rangoon, the UN Drug
Control Program (UNDCP).

"Poor farmers and local officials alike have no doubts that poppy
production will no longer be tolerated. Even those in the most remote
villages, where poverty drove the farmers to grow poppy as a cash crop,
know the deadline," he said.

But there are concerns about the long-term viability of the government’s
plans.

The top Wa and Kokang leaders, who have forced the farmers to stop poppy
production, are hoping that China will buy most of the produce that is now
being grown.

Some of the alternative crops are clearly meant to capitalize on the
Chinese market. Longans are being grown throughout Shan State because
dried longans are highly sought after for medicinal purposes across the
border.

The Wa have been growing prime-quality Chinese green tea for several years
and the Kokang have started to grow Sichuan pepper.

Most sales of the new cash crops are handled on a local bilateral basis
and rely heavily on Chinese goodwill. But there are fears that this will
not be sustainable in the long run.

"Our new crops are already inferior to the same products that are grown in
China," said the Kokang leader, Phon Kya Shin. "And I fear we will not be
able to sell them there."

He wants international aid and government support to improve the viability
of the new agricultural ventures in his region. He complained that
government interference stopped an earlier substitution project—producing
cigarettes for export to Bangladesh.

The UN anti-narcotics organization in Rangoon says the Burmese government
is being over-ambitious in its plans to stop poppy production within the
next two years. "If it is to be successful in the long run, Rangoon needs
substantial international financial support, especially for these
alternative cash crop projects," said Lemahieu.

But international aid is unlikely to be forthcoming while Burma remains
one of the world's largest producers of methamphetamines.

While Burma's military rulers are taking concerted steps to eradicate
poppy cultivation, they appear to be far less rigorous in stamping out the
production of methamphetamines in the Golden Triangle.

In the past three years, the production of yaa baa has remained at a
relatively high level. Privately, UN and US anti-narcotics agents agree
with Thai military estimates that some one billion tablets are
manufactured in Burma each year.

Until recently, most of the pills were produced in mobile laboratories
along the Burmese border with Thailand. Since the summit between Burma’s
Sr-Gen Than Shwe and the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in
February, some of the labs have moved inland.

Over the last two years, there has also been a migration of mobile
factories up to the border with Laos. US intelligence sources believe this
is where majority of methamphetamine production is now taking place, and
that some laboratories have been established across the border in Laos.

The explosion of methamphetamine production in Burma six years ago was
largely fuelled by the demand for yaa baa in Thailand. In the past two
years, demand for the synthetic drugs has also risen in China.

There is no doubt that most amphetamine production takes place in areas
under Wa control, but Wa leader Bao Yuxiang said: "We do not tolerate the
production of synthetic drugs in areas under our control."

"Anyone caught in Wa territory using narcotics or involved in the illicit
drugs trade will be executed," he said. So far no one has been executed,
but there are more than 50 people in prison for drug-related offenses.

One thing that the Wa leaders, Burma’s military chiefs and the Thai
government seem to agree on is that criminal gangs operating in Wa
territory are behind the production and trafficking of yaa baa and not the
Wa.

UN officials agree and say the manufacturers and traffickers are mainly
Chinese criminals, some with connections to Hong Kong and Macau.

But Thailand, who now officially blames criminal gangs—not the Wa—for the
flood of yaa baa into the country, is anxious for Rangoon to take more
rigorous actions against those that produce synthetic drugs in Burma.

"The next few months will be a real test for Rangoon," said one Thai
government official.

"The flood of drugs into Thailand has been stemmed in the last few months
due to the prime minister's war against drugs—so any major increase in the
coming months will reflect badly on Burma’s commitment to the battle
against drugs," he said.

The message is clear: Burma must take more effective action against the
production of methamphetamines if the international community is to take
Burma’s efforts to make the country drug free by 2005 seriously.

"At present yaa baa seems to be the most effective crop substitution
program in the Golden Triangle," remarked a senior western diplomat in
Rangoon. Inter

GUNS

Democratic Voice of Burma May 6 2003

Burmese forces to stage joint military exercises

Joint army, navy, air force military exercises will be held in the Coastal
Region Command in coming days. More than 10 combat battalions, two groups
of fighter aircraft, and warships are expected to participate in the
exercises to be held with the assistance of Russian and Chinese military
experts, according to military sources at the border.

The exercises are scheduled to take place at the No 12 Military Training
School in Pyicha village in Palaw Township, Tenasserim Division.

Military units participating are: Ten combat battalions led by Brig-Gen
Thein Htike of the Bokpyin-based No 13 Operation Control Command
Headquarters, a battalion from the Mergui-based No 505 Heavy Artillery
Base, a group of PC-7 reconnaissance aircraft from the Mergui Air Base,
and a fleet of Bell-205 transport helicopters. The level of navy
participation is not yet known.

The military exercises are expected to last 45 days and troops
participating in the exercises have already arrived in Pyicha. Three
Russian military experts and three Chinese military experts are expected
to arrive by air today.

According to earlier reports, Lt-Gen Kyaw Win, chief of armed forces
training, is already in Pyicha and is to deliver a speech at the opening
ceremony. The military observers are interested in the military movements
of the two countries (Burma and Thailand) as the SPDC's (State Peace and
Development Council) military exercises coincide with the joint Thai-US
military exercises in the neighbouring Thailand.

MONEY

SRI Media

BAT under attack from activists

The Burma Campaign UK today condemned British American Tobacco (BAT) for
giving out misleading information that exaggerated the level of the
poverty wages paid to its factory workers in Burma by 86 percent.
When challenged by the Burma Campaign UK to verify the wages paid, BAT
issued figures claiming that its lowest paid workers could earn a total of
£30 per month (Kyat 52,941). The Burma Campaign UK has now forced BAT to
confess that it had inflated the figures by over 86 per cent and that the
actual amount is £16.10 (Kt 28,074) per month. Even then employees would
have to work 24 hours overtime per week to earn what would only be
sufficient to feed their families, but not to meet any other living costs.
Sadly for these workers David Wilson from BAT's Asia Pacific office has
informed the Burma Campaign UK that "with the current economic crisis [in
Burma] we have been forced to curtail the use of overtime."

Also questionable is BAT's system of calculating payment which includes a
meal benefit that is more than the basic salary. By calling such payments
'benefits' and 'allowances' rather than including them as part of the
basic salary, it would appear that BAT has given itself the option to
withdraw these payments in particular circumstances.

Deputy Chairman of BAT Ken Clarke MP has also disputed claims by the Burma
Campaign UK that basic salaries for the lowest paid factory workers in
Burma are around 23p a day. In December Mr Clarke wrote to Vera Baird MP,
Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma saying that "the
lowest paid factory worker earns almost six times more" than this. Mr
Clarke has wittingly or unwittingly misled the Chair of the Parliamentary
Group on Burma.

"BAT often claim the reason they are staying in Burma is that they don't
want to make their factory workers redundant", said John Jackson, Director
of Burma Campaign UK. "These salaries reveal one of the real reasons they
want to stay in Burma - cheap labour."

The Burma Campaign warned that regardless of what BAT paid its workers,
its campaign would continue. "While we are unhappy that BAT misinformed us
about how much they pay their workers, a key issue is how much they pay
the dictatorship", says John Jackson. "BAT refuse to say how much they pay
the generals, but our estimates are that they have paid them 16 million
dollars in taxes alone. This has to stop. We want BAT to give its workers
an extremely generous redundancy package and get the hell out of there."

BAT has come under increasing pressure regarding its factory in Burma -
which is a joint venture with the military dictatorship. Its AGM last
month was dominated by questions about its close relationship with the
regime.
__________

Xinhua News Agency May 7 2003

More flights between Thailand, Myanmar to be opened

More flights and new routes will be opened between Thailand and Myanmar
according to an agreement signed by the two sides on Tuesday, local
website reported on Wednesday.

Under the agreement on bilateral commercial aviation rights, additional
flights between Thailand's capital Bangkok and the city of Mandalay in
central Myanmar will be allowed, Thailand's website Businessday quoted an
anonymous source as saying.

The source noted that Thailand's airlines will be allowed to operate
flights to more destinations in Myanmar.

So far, only 14 flights between Bangkok and Yangon with no more than 3,500
seats are allowed to operate between the two countries every week, and
only the state-owned Thai Airways International has the right among local
airlines to land in Myanmar.

The new agreement was made to meet demand for more flights to Myanmar and
will enable other Thai airlines to operate, said Businessday.

However, the source did not reveal the specific number of the additional
flights and new destinations and the specific date when the flights will
be open.
___________

Xinhua News Agency May 7 2003

Thai trade exhibition opens in Myanmar

A Thai trade exhibition, sponsored by the Department of Export Promotion
of the Thai Commerce Ministry, was inaugurated at the Yangon Trade Center
here Wednesday.

The four-day Thailand Exhibition 2003 is the seventh of its kind since
1998 and the first this year.

The exhibition is aimed at further strengthening the trade relations as
well as fostering the spirit of goodwill and cooperation between Thailand
and Myanmar.

Participated by over 90 companies, the exhibition is believed to provide a
unique opportunity for Myanmar traders to develop profitable business
links by meeting with prominent manufacturers and exporters of Thailand
and to explore a wide array of products and services.

The exhibits cover auto parts and accessories, chemical products,
industrial and construction materials and cosmetics.

The first Thai trade exhibition in Myanmar was held in December 1998 and
the last event took place in December 2002.

As a symbol of growing economic and trade cooperation between the two
countries,  the Thai Commerce Ministry has started holding such exhibition
twice a year since 2002.

Myanmar official statistics show that Myanmar-Thailand bilateral trade
amounted to 1,252.04 million US dollars in 2002, accounting for 23.7
percent of Myanmar's total foreign trade and standing as the highest
volume among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
during the year.
____________

AFX News May 7 2003

Premier Oil says restructuring expected to be completed in June

  Premier Oil PLC said its proposed corporate restructuring is expected to
be completed in June on receipt of final approval from the Myanmar
authorities, which is expected shortly.
    In a statement, the company said good progress has been made on the
restructuring, adding that the only significant outstanding issue
remaining in respect of the approvals required for the restructuring
is the finalisation of details relating to the Yetagun pre-emption.
    The restructuring involves the introduction of a new holding company
of Premier.
   The company said the AGM for the new holding company, initially
scheduled for May 9, has been postponed to July 15.

ON THE BORDER

Agence France Presse May 7 2003

Thai factory unrest erupts as 600 Myanmar labourers protest wages

More than 600 Myanmar textile workers have angrily protested at a
Taiwanese factory in Thailand where employers refused to increase wages
and assaulted two female employees, Mae Sot district officials said
Wednesday.

The workers destroyed several sewing machines and other equipment during a
three-hour near-riot Tuesday at the factory of Rian Thong Apparel, located
on the bank of the Moei River demarcating the Thailand-Myanmar border.

"It was caused by workers demanding more wages," an official in Mae Sot, a
border town 450 kilometres (280 miles) northwest of Bangkok, told AFP.

"Employers slapped two female Myanmar workers with shoes as they asked for
higher wages," he said.

Workers had sought a salary increase from 95 baht (2.23 dollars) to 140
baht per dozen garments assembled -- the average daily workload, he added.

Police eventually quelled the unrest, and after further negotiations the
wage increases were approved and the Taiwanese employer who attacked the
workers was replaced by a Thai manager, the official said.

There are between 600 and 700 Myanmar labourers at the Rian Thong factory,
most of them working legally, the official said.

Abuse of migrant labourers is widely reported in Thailand, where an
estimated million Myanmar nationals are thought to be working, around half
illegally. They often earn far less than the country's minimum wage, which
varies provincially.

Several garment factories along the border with Myanmar are heavily
dependent on migrant labour.

INTERNATIONAL

Athens Banner-Herald May 6 2003

UGA graduate Tun Than released from Myanmar prison
By Kate Carter

University of Georgia graduate Salai Tun Than was released from prison in
the southeast Asia country of Burma Sunday after a hunger strike directed
international attention to the plight of the 75 year-old man.

Tun Than's release from prison, however, did not come unconditionally. The
academic, who spent many years in Burma - also known as Myanmar - working
in rural development, cannot participate in any illegal political acts or
his seven-year sentence will be added to any additional penalty, according
to the Washington, D.C.-based Free Burma Coalition.

Tun Than was arrested in November 2001 for handing out pro-democracy
flyers while dressed in his academic robes. Since then, UGA's chapter of
Amnesty International has worked to bring attention to Tun Than's plight,
contacting politicians and staging a candlelight vigil Saturday night -
just hours before Tun Than was released.

''It's so hard to explain that over the months I've been working on his
case, I've become so personally involved in it,'' said Kate Vyborny, a UGA
sophomore and a member of the UGA chapter of Amnesty International. ''It's
an amazing feeling. It's hard to describe.''

Last December, former UGA Student Government Association member Brendan
Murphy introduced a resolution to call for Tun Than's release. Monday,
Murphy said he was relieved to hear that the Burmese government set Tun
Than free.

''SGA is just really happy we could play a small part (in the release),''
he said. ''We try to work hard for Athens - like the housing resolution
that's coming up - and we wanted to do something internationally as
well.''

Tun Than received a master's degree in agronomy from UGA in 1955 and has
recently suffered from serious health problems. He was released along with
17 other prisoners Sunday, but both the Free Burma Coalition and UGA's
chapter of Amnesty International said they will continue to fight for the
release of the remaining 1,400 political prisoners held in Myanmar.

''It's a huge victory, but we're definitely going to keep pressure on the
Burmese government because he wasn't the only one,'' said Vyborny. ''He
staged his hunger strike for other prisoners.''

Vyborny and her colleagues are also calling for UGA to invite Tun Than to
campus, perhaps as a graduation speaker, in the near future.

STATEMENTS

U.S. Department of State May 6 2003

Press Statement
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC

Burma - Freedom for the People

Exactly one year ago, Burma's Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the
leader of the National League for Democracy, was released from her second
lengthy period of house arrest. Unfortunately, the regime has made little
progress toward national reconciliation since then.

In the last 12 months Aung San Suu Kyi has traveled widely and seen the
support she garners even in far-flung corners of the country. Her party
has opened offices across the nation, rebuilding its capabilities and
making new contacts.

However, the rulers of Burma have continued to oppress people, harassed
Aung San Suu Kyi on her travels, and limited her party's activities. The
regime has been unwilling to begin substantive dialogue with the
democratic opposition toward national reconciliation. The regime continues
to monitor prisoners released from unjust imprisonment, to restrict their
freedoms, and to discriminate against their families. While we welcome the
recent release of Dr. Salai Tun Than and approximately 20 other political
prisoners, more than a thousand political prisoners remain behind bars
under terrible conditions, with many in bad health. The junta has also
failed to work in good faith with United Nations Special Envoy Tan Sri
Razali Ismail.

As President Bush said in a statement dated April 14, Aung San Suu Kyi's
courage has earned her the admiration and friendship of countries around
the world. It is the policy of the United States to support the National
League for Democracy as it tries to restore democracy to Burma, and we
applaud Aung San Suu Kyi's unwavering determination.

May 27 will mark the anniversary of another disappointment in Burma.
Thirteen years ago multiparty elections were held, and the National League
for Democracy won 80 percent of the seats, but they were never allowed to
form a parliament.

A year after Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest, it is past time
for the people of Burma to enjoy basic rights and economic development. We
call on the regime to take its own declarations seriously and move on
toward the restoration of multiparty democracy.
__________

Statements of Senator Kohl May 7 2003

Text: Senator Kohl Says Burmese Government Abused Dr. Salai Tun Than
(Wisconsin senator takes up case of man jailed for petition) (370)

Senator Herbert Kohl (Democrat of Wisconsin) in remarks to the Senate
May 6 criticized Burma's military rulers for their persecution of Dr.
Salai Tun Than, a 75-year-old man who was jailed for seven years for
distributing a petition calling for political reform.

"I am saddened by the conditions in which Dr. Tun Than and other
prisoners in Burma have had to live," Kohl said, "It is my hope that
the Burmese Government will recognize religious and human rights, not
only to their prisoners, but to their general populace as well."

Senator Kohl serves on both the Senate Appropriations Committee, and
the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Following is the text of Senator Kohl's May 6 remarks from the
Congressional Record:

(begin text)

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN BURMA

Senate

May 06, 2003

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today to call attention to the gross
violations of human and religious rights in Burma. Dr. Salai Tun Than,
University of Wisconsin alumni, who was released over the weekend in
Burma, initiated a hunger strike protesting the human and religious rights
violations at the prison where he was held. Dr. Tun Than had been serving
a 7-year prison sentence in Burma for handing out copies of a petition
demanding political reforms.
Dr. Tun Than, 75, has severe health problems that required medical
treatment, which he was not granted. The conditions that he and other
prisoners endured were violations of international human rights laws.
Restrictions on communications between prisoners, unsanitary prison
conditions and forced "hooding" as prisoners were transported outside are
examples of the violations. As a Christian, Dr. Tun Than also was
protesting violations in religious freedom which included not being
allowed a Bible or to receive Communion.

During my Senate career I have been an advocate for human rights and
religious freedoms for every individual across the globe. I am saddened by
the conditions in which Dr. Tun Than and other prisoners in Burma have had
to live. It is my hope that the Burmese Government will recognize
religious and human rights, not only to their prisoners, but to their
general populace as well.