BurmaNet News: June 18 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

June 18 2003 Issue #2264

INSIDE BURMA

Irrawaddy Suu Kyi held under state protection act
DPA: Myanmar’s beleaguered democracy party to mark Suu Kyi’s birthday
Narinjara: Increased conscripts in the Burmese Army

MONEY

WMA: Thailand targets China and Myanmar as fuel export markets

INTERNATIONAL

AFP: ICRC barred from seeing Suu Kyi, but will visit other Myanmar detainees
AFP: Canada may toughen policy against Myanmar if Suu Kyi not released
BurmaNet News: McConnell urges expulsion of Burmese ambassador
Irrawaddy: Unocal in court over human rights abuses in Burma
DPA: Protests planned against Myanmar regime on Suu Kyi’s birthday
AP: Myanmar’s opposition leader, North Korean nuclear crisis top agenda at
Asia-Pacific meeting

REGIONAL

Irrawaddy: More hunger strikes for Suu Kyi’s release
FT: Asean steps up pressure on Burma to free Suu Kyi
DPA: Australian foreign minister decries sanctions against Myanmar
AFP: Asia’s top security grouping calls for release of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi

STATEMENTS

Convening Group of the Community of Democracies: Declaration on situation
in Burma
Burma Campaign UK: Parliamentarians across the world demand UN action on
Burma

INSIDE BURMA

Irrawaddy June 18 2003

Suu Kyi Held Under State Protection Act
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

June 18, 2003—Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being held
under a law to protect the country from the dangers of destructive
elements, according to UN envoy Razali Ismail. However, the junta insists
they are protecting her from physical harm.
Razali told the BBC that Suu Kyi told him during their meeting last week
that she is being detained in accordance with section 10(a) of Burma’s
1975 State Protection Act. The statute allows authorities to detain anyone
who is suspected of committing, or planning to commit, an act which
endangers the security of the state.
Those charged under the 1975 State Protection Act can be held for up to
five years without trial. In the past, when Suu Kyi was held under house
arrest, she was charged under Section 10(b) of the Act. But the tougher
conditions set by 10(a) will mean this time she will face time in prison,
and not be confined to house arrest.
Secretary of the Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
(Burma), Ko Tate says: "The detention of her [Suu Kyi] under 10(a) means
that she is a destructive element. That is totally in contrast with the
junta’s words that they are protecting her from personal danger." The
junta commonly calls dissidents, including National League for Democracy
(NLD) members, "destructive elements."
Burma’s Foreign Minister Win Aung said during the recent Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Phnom Penh, "Let us not call it
detention. What we would like to say is that for the time being we protect
her from personal harm." Since being placed in custody on May 30, the
military leaders have repeatedly insisted Suu Kyi is being kept in
"protective custody."
Moreover, Win Aung said the regime is protecting Suu Kyi due to rumors of
a possible threat on her life. "We have heard there were some assassins
coming in the country," he said. "We don’t know who their target will be."
While Win Aung failed to offer evidence backing the assassination claims,
analysts inside and outside Burma see the junta’s theory as an excuse for
Suu Kyi’s continued detention. "It’s ridiculous to hear that," a lecturer
from Mandalay University told The Irrawaddy today. "However, nobody will
take it seriously. Who could be the assassins except for them [the
military leaders] and their loyalties?"
On June 16, the junta officially announced that it released 46 people
arrested in the May 30 attack, and that the International Committee for
the Red Cross (ICRC) will be allowed to meet the rest of those held in
connection with the clash in Upper Burma. One of the people still in
custody is NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo, who is said to be detained in Kale
prison, northern Sagaing Division.
An ICRC spokesperson told news agencies that the group has yet to receive
official approval for any prison visits
_________

Deutsche Presse Agentur June 18 2003

Myanmar's beleaguered democracy party to mark Suu Kyi's birthday

Myanmar's beleaguered National League for Democracy (NLD) planned low-key
ceremonies Thursday to mark the 58th birthday of their jailed leader, Aung
San Suu Kyi.

Members of NLD township committees in the Yangon (Rangoon) areas of Bahan
and Yankin said Wednesday they would perform "meritorious deeds" on behalf
of Suu Kyi at the capital's Nyaungdon Monastery.

NLD members were also expected to hold a Buddhist ceremony at Yangon's
famed Shwedagon Pagoda, wishing Suu Kyi good health and long life on her
June 19 birthday.

Although no extraordinary security was visible Wednesday in Yangon,
military authorities were expected to keep a close watch to make sure the
birthday celebrations did not swell into large-scale anti-government
demonstrations.

Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi has been detained at a secret location since
her arrest on May 30, following a clash between her followers and a
military-backed mob armed with clubs and spears.

The country's junta claimed four people were killed and 50 injured in the
clash, but dissident sources inside and outside the country have placed
the death toll at 70 or more.

After the clash the government closed down all NLD offices in the country
and also suspended classes at all colleges and universities in an apparent
effort to minimize anti-government protests.

Suu Kyi was believed to be held at the junta's notorious Insein Prison,
north of the capital.

Worldwide protests were planned Thursday against the continued detention
of Suu Kyi and the crackdown on the NLD, according to the anti-junta Free
Burma Coalition.

Rallies were to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand; New Delhi; Tokyo and
Nagoya in Japan; Mount Lawley in Australia; Brussels; London; Toronto; New
York; Washington; San Francisco; and Austin, Texas.

"We are calling on people around the world to support Aung San Suu Kyi and
Burma's democracy movement," said Ko Ko Lay, an anti-junta Myanmar student
activist in San Francisco.
____________

Narinjara News June 18 2003

Increased Conscripts in the Burmese Army

In the face of large numbers of deserters, the Burmese Army is confronting
an acute manpower shortage.  Quoting sources in the army our correspondent
said that to keep the entire military machinery running conscription has
been stepped up across Rakhine State in the western part of Burma.

But people’s reluctance to join the army has caused obstacle in getting
suitable number of recruits.  All the deserters of the Army in the last
five/six years have been called to join the armed forces and in a strongly
worded notice they have been warned that the ultimate consequence of not
complying with the official order is a prison sentence for three years.

A member of the Light Infantry Battalion 430, Tun Aye who recently fled to
a neighbouring country and who has deserted the army for the last four
years has told our correspondent that all the deserters and those who are
absent without leave have been ordered to be caught and send for immediate
military duties.

Besides that in an official statement the Western Commander also ordered
the recruitment for the army to be carried out according to the following
method, beginning June 03:
1.  Each of the headquarters of the different defence forces in the state
has to conscript at least two every month.
2. Each battalion stationed across the state has to recruit at least two
new recruits every month.
3.  Each of the companies has to recruit at least one person every month.

The non-compliance of the above official direction would entail fines and
the responsible officials in the armed forces would face drastic measures,
the official order said.

Previously the conscription was made through office orders issued to the
village tracts for the supply of conscripts.  Every village was
compulsorily ordered to provide the necessary number of recruits, and the
non-compliance always meant trouble and fines for the villages.  With the
new orders in force from June the villagers are once again at a loss,
fearing the forced conscription orders that were withdrawn at the pressure
from the international communities to be placed once again.   Like before
the villagers are apprehensive of the fact that the new order would make
their lives miserable once again since the army men would come for large
sum of bribes if they fail to comply with the demands for new recruits, A
village headman from border town said.

Tun Aye also said that the corruption and whimsical rules by the top brass
of the armed forces are much to blame for the large-scale desertion of the
army, as they create miseries and dissatisfaction among the rank and file.

MONEY

World Markets Analysis June 18 2003

Thailand Targets China and Myanmar as Fuel Export Markets
By Mike Hurle

The Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT Ltd) has identified China and
neighbouring Myanmar as the principal export markets for its refined fuel
products over the coming decade. PTT had already applied to the Chinese
government for a concession to operate as an oil trader after full
liberalisation of the Chinese market in 2005. With the potential for
double-digit growth in fuel demand, China is seen as the key to relieving
the current surplus of refining capacity throughout Asia. Neighbouring
Myanmar is a smaller and less certain market, although economic growth
would inevitably increase the country's dependence on imported fuels.
Myanmar currently imports around half a million tonnes of petroleum
products, accounting for just under half of its total domestic demand. PTT
is looking at options to supply fuels to both south-west China and Myanmar
via overland routes, but at present there is very little infrastructure
development between the countries and as yet no plans have been announced
for cross-border pipelines with either country. PTT holds minority stakes
in Thailand's four largest refineries and also holds an 80% stake in the
smaller Bangchak refinery.

INTERNATIONAL

Agence France Presse June 18 2003

ICRC barred from seeing Suu Kyi, but will visit other Myanmar detainees

YANGON, June 18 (AFP) - The International Committee for the Red Cross
(ICRC) said Wednesday the Myanmar junta had refused its request to see
detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi but had agreed to visits with all
other opposition members rounded up after violent clashes last month.

ICRC delegation head in Myanmar, Michel Ducraux, said after a meeting with
Home Affairs Minister Tin Hlaing that he was optimistic the organisation
would
be allowed to see Aung San Suu Kyi at a later date.

"For the time being the access is denied," he told AFP. "We are hopeful and
we continue to ask for immediate access to her."

Aung San Suu Kyi was put under "protective custody" after the May 30
clashes which broke out on a political tour of northern Myanmar.

"I will see Tin Oo and all the other NLD persons," said Ducraux, adding
that the meetings were due to begin in the next few days.

"We have been given access to all the persons who were arrested and are
detained in connection with the clash that occured on May 30 -- with one
exception."

Ducraux said it was very hard to determine how many people were detained in
the crackdown, and declined to give an estimate, saying the figures would
become clearer once the jail visits had begun.
________

Agence France Presse June 18 2003

Canada may toughen policy against Myanmar if Suu Kyi not released

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Canada's foreign minister said Wednesday
his country may take tougher measures against Myanmar if pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains a prisoner of the military regime.

"We believe that the generals need to understand that Suu Kyi has to be
released
and released as immediately as possible and given an opportunity to carry
on her political role in the country," Foreign Minister Bill Graham told
reporters.

The minister said Canada has already withdrawn preferential tariffs and would
consider what other measures could be taken if the Nobel Peace Prize winner
is not released from military custody.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has traditionally opted for a
policy
of "constructive engagement" when dealing with Myanmar, avoiding direct
criticism
of its military regime or any involvement in its domestic affairs.

But ASEAN ministers veered from this policy Tuesday when they urged the junta
to release Suu Kyi.

"We found that constructive engagement has not worked," Graham said.
________

BurmaNet News June 18 2003

MCCONELL URGES EXPULSION OF BURMESE AMBASSADOR
New Report Recommends UN Security Council Action against Burma

 Senator Mitch McConnell called for the downgrade of US diplomatic
relations with Burma, urging the administration to send Burma’s
ambassador back to Burma until imprisoned democracy leader, Aung San Suu
Kyi, is released.

“Diplomatic relations with Burma should be downgraded by sending Burma’s
ambassador in Washington back to Rangoon until such a time that Aung San
Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners are freed,” McConnell said. The
announcement came during a press conference conducted by Senator
McConnell, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Mathea Falco, Chair of Council on
Foreign Relations Task Force on Burma, unveiling the Task Force’s report
on Burma.

Falco, Feinstein, and McConnell also urged the US to advance the sanction
strategy to the United Nations Security Council through an emergency
session to denounce the regime’s crackdown on the Burmese democracy
movement, a recommendation detailed in the CFR report. “
The United States
should urge the Security Council to hold an emergency session on Burma to
discuss imposing targeted sanctions, which could include denying visas to
leaders of the military regime, the Union Solidarity Development
Association (USDA) and their families, freezing their assets and imposing
bans both on new investment in Burma and on importing goods produced in
Burma.”

At the press conference, McConnell decried the military regime’s “game of
‘catch and release,’” referring to the May 30th assault on democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s caravan, which precipitated her arrest. “We need
a forceful response to the junta’s blatant attack on democracy. It is not
enough to free Suu Kyi and other political prisoners
. Pressure should
only be lifted when dialogue leads to the successful conclusion of Burma’s
struggle for freedom,” said McConnell. Suu Kyi has been held under house
arrest off and on since the 1990 democratic elections, which her National
League for Democracy (NLD) won overwhelmingly, but that the regime refuses
to recognize. The Nobel laureate has been held in detention by the junta
since May 30th.

Senators Feinstein and McConnell encouraged further sanctions on the
military junta, and hailed the almost unprecedented speed with which the
new sanction legislation, Burma Freedom and Democracy Act, passed in the
US Senate.
_________

Irrawaddy June 18 2003

Unocal in Court over Human Rights Abuses in Burma
By Chris O'Connell

Judges in San Francisco listened to arguments Tuesday in order to
determine if 15 Burmese villagers can proceed with their federal lawsuit
against the American corporation Unocal.
The lawsuit accuses the oil giant of being complicit in human rights
abuses perpetrated against the villagers while Unocal collaborated with
the Burmese military to build a natural gas pipeline in the southern part
of the country. The villagers say that they were subjected to murder,
torture, forced labor and rape by the military while constructing the
Yadana pipeline.
During the hearing, lawyers for the villagers argued that Unocal was
complicit in the abuses, and drew comparisons to companies that benefited
from slave labor in Nazi Germany. Unocal said it had no control over the
actions of the military during the construction of the pipeline, Reuters
reported.

Unocal has consistently denied knowledge of the abuses, saying, "This
company has never encouraged or participated in human rights violations in
any way."
A federal court dismissed the case in 2000, but an appeals court
reinstated it last year, saying that Unocal could face a trial for "aiding
and abetting" the Burmese military in the commission of human rights
abuses.
The case is being closely watched. Many multinational corporations worry
that a ruling in villagers’ favor could open the floodgates for hundreds
of lawsuits.
Both the US State Department and the Bush Administration supported Unocal
in briefs filed for the case. The administration asked the judges to
dismiss the case, citing the numerous extraneous lawsuits that could arise
against American corporations for human rights abuses abroad if the court
allows the case to continue.
"While the United states unequivocally deplores and strongly condemns the
anti-democratic polices and blatant human rights abuses of the Burmese
government," the brief reads. "It is the function of the political
branches, not the courts
to bring about change in such situations."
Tyler Giannini, director of the human rights organization Earth Rights
International (ERI), which documented the abuses and is representing the
villagers in court, believes the judges will allow the case to continue.
"This hearing is very important and we are very optimistic that the
plaintiffs will finally have their day in court," Giannini said.
ERI filed suit a separate suit against Unocal on behalf of the villagers,
whose name and location remain anonymous by court order, in the California
Superior Court. The trial for that case will begin in July. A decision on
the federal case could come any time within the next year.
______

Deutsche Presse Agentur June 18 2003

Protests planned against Myanmar regime on Suu Kyi's birthday

Activists plan to rally at Myanmar (Burmese) embassies an other
installations in eight countries Thursday to protest the junta's crackdown
on democracy activists, the Free Burma Coalition said.

Thursday is the 58th birthday of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who
has been in detention since a bloody May 30 attack on her motorcade blamed
on pro-government paramilitaries.

Rallies were to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand; New Delhi; Tokyo and
Nagoya in Japan; Mount Lawley in Australia; Brussels; London; Toronto; New
York; Washington; San Francisco; and Austin, Texas.

"We are calling on people around the world to support Aung San Suu Kyi and
Burma's democracy movement," said Ko Ko Lay, a Burmese student activist in
San Francisco.
________

Associated Press June 18 2003

Myanmar's opposition leader, North Korean nuclear crisis top agenda at
Asia-Pacific meeting
By DIRK BEVERIDGE

Top Asia-Pacific nations insisted Wednesday that Myanmar immediately
release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi - as they grappled
with ways to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis and better fight
terrorism.

Myanmar's military government has said Suu Kyi will be released when
tensions ease, but Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said that was not
good enough.

"We believe that the generals need to understand that Suu Kyi has to be
released ... immediately ... and given an opportunity to carry on her
political role in the country," Graham told reporters before the opening
of the 23-nation ASEAN Regional Forum.

The United States, Japan, New Zealand and Australia also demanded freedom
for Suu Kyi, a day after the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations issued an unprecedented rebuke that said she should be released.

Foreign ministers attending the day-long ARF conference, including U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, are also seeking to peacefully persuade
North Korea to give up any nuclear ambitions.

China's Li Zhaoxing told reporters a nuclear-weapons-free Korean peninsula
was necessary "for world peace and stability" and pledged to seek further
talks on the issue, but he did not say when that would happen. Malaysia
offered to serve as a neutral host to talks, its national news agency
Bernama reported Wednesday.

Powell said en route to the meeting in Cambodia's capital he would tell
other ministers that North Korea "will have to stop this nuclear weapons
development program" and the key was multilateral dialogue.

"I don't think we're in crisis mode, but it's a dangerous situation,"
Powell said. "We're working on it, working on it very hard and we believe
we can find an answer."

North Korea did not send its foreign minister to the meeting, as many had
hoped. A lower-level diplomat came in his place.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said he "regretted" the absence of
his North Korean counterpart, Paek Nam Sun. "His participation in our
meeting could further enhance the dialogue and thus contribute to the
peaceful settlement of the Korean peninsula issue," Hor Namhong said.

Washington charged in October that North Korea acknowledged having a
secret nuclear program, then cut off oil shipments to the largely isolated
state. Pyongyang then backed out of a nonproliferation treaty and it last
week threatened to develop a nuclear arsenal to deter any U.S. hostility.

Li, China's foreign minister, said North Korea's security concerns must be
adequately addressed.

The ministers also were discussing a beefed-up fight on terrorism,
including better monitoring of who is coming and going across
international borders through information sharing and issuance of
passports that are harder to fake, according to a draft of a statement to
be released later.

The meeting comes amid a flurry of anti-terrorism activity in the region,
which some fear is seeing a dangerous rise in Islamic extremism.

Thai authorities recently arrested four Muslim men who were allegedly
planning to bomb foreign embassies in Bangkok in October, when U.S.
President George W. Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi are expected for a summit of Pacific Rim
leaders.

The suspects were allegedly tied to the terror network Jemaah Islamiyah,
blamed for the bombings last year on the Indonesian resort island of Bali
that killed 202 people.

Indonesian prosecutors began a trial Monday for an Islamic militant
accused of being behind the Bali attack and described as a former fighter
in Afghanistan for alleged global terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Cambodia recently arrested four men - a Cambodian, two Thais and an
Egyptian - as the authorities broke up a local Islamic group allegedly
linked to Jemaah Islamiyah.

Suu Kyi's arrest on May 30 prompted global condemnation, and some said
just her freedom will not be enough.

"We want to see Aung San Suu Kyi released as soon as possible and be
allowed to participate in the political process in (Myanmar) in a
democratic way," Powell told reporters.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The regional forum includes
ASEAN plus Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan,
Mongolia, North and South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia and
the United States.

REGIONAL

Irrawaddy June 18 2003

More Hunger Strikes for Suu Kyi’s Release
By Aung Su Shin and Staff Reporters

Three Burmese staging a hunger strike in the Thai-Burma border town of Mae
Sot were arrested last night by Thai police. And in Bangkok another nine
people are demonstrating outside the offices of the UN High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR).
Dr Khin Sein, 40, Bo Bo, 35, and Taing Hmu, 24, started refusing food and
piled crockery outside Khin Sein’s residence at 8.00 am yesterday. Posters
calling for the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has
been in protective custody since May 30, were also posted on Khin Sein’s
front gate on Mae Sot–Mae Tao road.
The men belong to the Campaign for Community Voice of Burma, a group led
by Khin Sein. The group was set up just last week and already has 54
members.
The hunger strikers also called on the US to take military action on
Burma, just as they did during the recent war on Iraq. "We can not rely on
just the UN effort which has been delayed, and on Asean [Association of
Southeast Asian Nations] leaders who are only seeking their own interest
and will do nothing for the people of Burma," Khin Sein said before being
apprehended.
Because the men are illegal immigrants in Thailand, the protest broke Thai
law. Yesterday evening, Mae Sot Police Superintendent Col Sonkrang
Sankakorn negotiated their surrender with the help of Dr Cynthia Maung, a
locally-based health worker who has won several awards for the work she
does at her clinic on the Thai-Burma border. The three men were taken
across the border to Myawaddy, opposite Mae Sot, earlier this afternoon.
And in the capital yesterday, six people started a hunger strike outside
the Burmese Embassy. Thai authorities moved the men to the headquarters of
the UNHCR, believing them to be illegal migrants. The protest continued
and an extra three people have also joined the demonstration. They plan to
refuse food for 58 hours, since tomorrow is Suu Kyi’s 58th birthday. If
successful, the nine people will finish their action tomorrow at 6.00 pm
Bangkok time.
______

Financial Times June 18 2003

Asean steps up pressure on Burma to free Suu Kyi SUMMIT WARNINGS:
By AMY KAZMIN

South-east Asian countries yesterday urged Burma's military rulers to free
detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and move towards democracy, in
a reflection of the intense pressure now on the region to foster reform.

Japan, Burma's largest single aid donor - excluding Rangoon's patron China
- also warned Tokyo could cut off millions of dollars in assistance to
Burma, if its ruling generals failed to free Ms Suu Kyi and take steps
towards political change.

"The Japanese government has been making it very clear that if the
situation continues it will be very difficult to continue the policies of
engagement," Hatsuhisa Takashima, a Japanese government spokesman, said in
Phnom Penh yesterday.

The Association of South East Asian Nations' unprecedented call for "a
peaceful transition to democracy" in Burma is a break from the
long-standing tradition of "non-interference" that has allowed Burma to
participate in Asean meetings without concern that its poor human rights
record or inept economic management would be criticised.

But Ms Suu Kyi's arrest on May 30 - after what Washington has described as
a violent attack against the Nobel laureate and her followers - has
overshadowed Asean. The group welcomed Burma into its fold in 1997,
arguing that "constructive engagement" would lead to progress.

Amid growing international condemnation of the violent move against Ms Suu
Kyi, several south-east Asian leaders have abandoned diplomatic niceties
to voice deep frustration at the junta for crushing hopes that a
UN-brokered "national reconciliation process" might lead them to relax
their tight grip on power.

The explanation proffered by Win Aung, Burma's foreign minister, that Ms
Suu Kyi is now being held in "protective custody" to shield her from an
assassination attempt convinced "nobody", one diplomat said.

S. Jayakumar, Singapore's foreign minister, said Asean ministers made it
clear to Burma that the new crackdown on the democracy movement was as "a
setback, not only for Myanmar . . . but also a setback for Asean".

Indonesia proposed that Asean send a ministerial delegation to analyse how
Burma could accelerate constitutional reform, which the junta has said is
a pre-requisite for establishing democracy.

The pressure on Asean to do something to break Rangoon's political
deadlock is acute because Burma - which the military regime has renamed
Myanmar - is due to take over Asean chairmanship in 2006.

Though Asean is unlikely to resort to "megaphone diplomacy", or move
towards sanctions against Burma as demanded by the US, Jose Ramos Horta,
foreign minister of Timor Leste, said he expected a new, more concerted
effort by regional leaders to urge the generals to change.

Yoriko Kawaguchi, Japan's foreign minister, said yesterday that the junta
must "initiate genuine efforts towards national reconciliation and
democracy, and to take steps in becoming a responsible and respected
member of the international community".
_________

Deutsche Presse Agentur June 18 2003

Australian foreign minister decries sanctions against Myanmar

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denounced on Wednesday the
sanctions route that U.S. and E.U. members proposed against Myanmar,
unless it releases democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The United States has used sanctions in the past and it did not work,
Downer told reporters outside the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), after
meeting with Myanmar's foreign affairs minister U Win Aung.

"Those sanctions haven't worked, haven't changed anything in Burma
(Myanmar)," he said. "Screaming and stamping feet doesn't achieve
anything."

U.S. President George W. Bush and lawmakers in Washington have been
calling for tough measures against Myanmar, after clashes between
pro-government supporters and Suu Kyi's democracy movement, which
subsequently left her detained "for her own protection", Myanmar
authorities said.

Australia's foreign minister objected to critics who said the reason
sanctions against Myanmar are not working was a lack of backing from
countries in the region.

"I doubt that would make a difference if others got onboard unless China
and ASEAN also did," Downer said. "And I think that's whistling in the
wind."

Downer lent his voice to ASEAN's call for the immediate release of Suu
Kyi, and complained about the regime's intransigence in previous years.
But he said he was encouraged by the Myanmar foreign minister's reaction
to criticism this time around.

"I've been to eight ARF meetings with two foreign ministers and they say
the same things," Downer said. "This time he understands the strength of
the feeling here."

Downer also said ARF members were calling for a robust statement towards
North Korea on its weapons development programme. Diplomats attending the
ARF meetings said nearly all foreign ministers addressed the issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who spoke with reporters en route to
Phnom Penh late Tuesday, also said the refusal of North Korea's foreign
minister to attend the meetings would not deter from tackling the issue.

"I don't know who will be there for North Korea. I don't think it'll be
the foreign minister, but the North Koreans will be in the room when I
will once again make the case that they have to stop this nuclear weapon
development programme that they have underway," Powell said.

"The way to do it is through multilateral dialogue," he added. "The
president (Bush) is still confident that we can achieve a political and
diplomatic solution."

The ARF includes ASEAN nations and 13 other countries - including
Australia, Canada, European Union, India, New Zealand, Russia and the
United States - and focuses on regional political and security issues.

Leaders at ARF plan to release statements concerning increased cooperation
on counter-terrorism and border security, as well fighting piracy and
other threats to maritime security.

The ARF will be followed by the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC)
on Thursday, at which the Southeast Asian alliance will hold joint
meetings with foreign ministers from individual countries.
______

Agence France Presse June 18 2003

Asia's top security grouping calls for release of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

PHNOM PENH, June 18 (AFP) - Asia's top security grouping called on
Myanmar's military government Wednesday to release opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, in a joint statement released at the conclusion of annual talks
here.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) "looked forward to the early lifting of
restrictions placed on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD (National League for
Democracy) members" arrested in the country's north last month, the statement
said.

It was a repeat of the historical call made Tuesday by ASEAN foreign
ministers that marked a significant departure for the 10-member bloc from
their rigid and longstanding policy of non-interference in members' affairs.

The ARF members "urged Myanmar to resume its efforts of national
reconciliation and dialogue among all parties leading to a peaceful
transition
to democracy," according to the statement.

They also expressed support for the UN secretary-general's special envoy to
Myanmar, Razali Ismail, who brokered democracy talks between Aung San Suu Kyi
and Myanmar's junta which collapsed following her arrest last month.

The joint statement followed strong demands by US Secretary of State Colin
Powell earlier Wednesday for Southeast Asian nations to step up pressure on
Myanmar.

"This is not a matter of ASEAN interfering in Burma's (Myanmar) internal
affairs," a senior US State Department official quoted Powell as telling the
ARF meeting in the Cambodian capital.

"It is a question of ASEAN insisting that one of its members heed the deep
concerns of its neighbours and of the international community," Powell said,
according to the official.

"Burma is attempting to use its sovereignty as a shield behind which it can
violate the fundamental rights of its citizens with impunity."

STATEMENTS

DECLARATION OF THE CONVENING GROUP OF THE COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES ON THE
SITUATION IN BURMA

The Convening Group of the Community of Democracies expresses its deep
concern for the unjustified arrest of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, democratic
leader of Burma and Nobel Peace Price Winner. This repressive and
anti-democratic action has lead to an international condemnation. We
demand her immediate release and that of others Burmese democratic
political leaders. All of them have been unfairly detained.

Likewise, we reiterate the previous appeal to the military authorities of
Burma to promptly re-establish a transparent process to return to
democracy and respect for fundamental human rights.

Santiago de Chile, June 17th, 2003.
_________

MEDIA RELEASE

Embargoed 00.01 19 June 2003
PARLIAMENTARIANS ACROSS THE WORLD DEMAND UN ACTION ON BURMA
MPs FROM 14 COUNTRIES CALL FOR RELEASE OF AUNG SAN SUU KYI
184 BRITISH MPs DEMAND ECONOMIC SANCTIONS

As Aung San Suu Kyi spends her 58th birthday under arrest,
parliamentarians from Europe and Asia have written a letter to Than Shwe,
the dictator of Burma. They warn Than Shwe that they will be lobbying
their governments to increase pressure on the regime, including taking the
issue to the UN Security Council. They are also demanding the immediate
release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, and that the
regime end violent attacks on the democracy movement.

Signatories to the letter include former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook MP,
former development minister Clare Short MP, Senator Kraisak Choonhaven,
Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Thailand, Neil Kinnock, Riaz Fatyana,
Chairman of Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights, Pakistan, and
Maung Maung Aye who was elected as an MP in the 1990 elections in Burma
ignored by the regime.

In the letter the parliamentarians express their "frustration and anger
over the unnecessary and unacceptable situation that has been allowed to
develop."

It goes on to say: "It appears to be that the interests of your regime and
some of its members are being placed ahead of the needs of the country and
the people. This is unacceptable and cannot be ignored by the
international community."

At the same time184 British MPs - over a quarter of all MPs - have signed
an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for targeted investment sanctions
against Burma. EDM 1331 calls for Britain to implement investment
sanctions unilaterally if it cannot get agreement for sanctions with its
EU partners. Earlier this week the EU failed to agree any significant
response to the crackdown in Burma. Signatories to the EDM include former
Cabinet minister Frank Dobson MP, former minister Glenda Jackson MP, and
Vera Baird MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Burma.

John Jackson, Director of the Burma Campaign UK, welcomed the letter and
the EDM. "Democrats around the world have united to demand action, and
Than Shwe ignores this at his peril. It is a sign that patience is running
out, governments across the world are coming under increasing pressure to
take action against Burma's dictatorship."

For more information, or a copy of the letter, contact John Jackson,
Director of the Burma Campaign UK on 020 7281 7377, mobile 07961 357 391,
or Mark Farmaner, Media Officer, on 020 7281 7377, mobile 07941 239 640.