BurmaNet News: July 30 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

July 30 2003 Issue #2295

INSIDE BURMA

Xinhua: Myanmar never yields to pressure, intimidation: govt statement
NMG: Four NLD members jailed, three under trial
AP: Myanmar calls US sanctions against it counterproductive
DVB: Reactions to US sanctions
Australian: Junta uses newspaper to discredit Suu Kyi
AP: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi to be released by October, Indonesian
minister says

MONEY

Xinhua: Thai businesses shut down in Myanmar to flee US sanction
Guardian: BAT is irked by minister’s call to quit Burma

REGIONAL

Xinhua: Thailand’s ‘road map plan’ just advice to help Myanmar: spokesman
Xinhua: Philippines asks Myanmar to free Suu Kyi

INTERNATIONAL

AFP: Amnesty fails to deliver petition on Suu Kyi’s release to Myanmar
diplomats
AP: Amnesty International calls for probe into May 30 attack on Suu Kyi party
Nation: US wants ASEAN to exert more influence
AFP: Rights group slams Myanmar FM’s ‘public relations tour’

ON THER BORDER

Chinland Guardian: Update on the existing condition of the refugees from
Burma in Mizoram State

STATEMENTS

Amnesty: Myanmar: Justice on trial

INSIDE BURMA

Xinhua News Agency July 30 2003

Myanmar never yields to pressure, intimidation: govt statement

The Myanmar government made its first official response Wednesday to the
new sanctions imposed on the country by the United States, saying its
people have never yielded to pressure and intimidation and will never do
so.

US President George W. Bush signed on Tuesday a bill imposing sanctions on
Myanmar to punish its government for the continued detention of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK). The legislation of the sanctions, which
include banning imports from Myanmar and  freezing the military
government's assets in the United States, was overwhelmingly approved
earlier by the US Congress.

The sanctions also expand the current ban on granting US visas to Myanmar
leaders and codify existing policy that opposes new international loans or
technical aid to the nation.

A statement of the Myanmar Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said the country
regrets over the decision of the US government to approve the new
sanctions which it said will in no way be helpful to the relations between
the two countries nor will it contribute to Myanmar's efforts for
consolidating national reconciliation and building a democratic society.

Commenting that sanctions and embargoes do not work, the statement warned
that they only hurt the ordinary people and are deemed as being
counter-productive.

Myanmar is committed to the path of national reconciliation and democracy
and is determined to build a peaceful, modern and developed nation, the
statement said.

The tightening of sanctions against Myanmar by the US government came
after Yangon arrested ASSK, general secretary of the National League for
Democracy (NLD), and put her in a secret location on account of the May 30
incident, in which ASSK's convoy was reportedly ambushed by government
supporters when she was making a political trip in the north of the
country. The government claimed that four people were killed and 48 others
injured in the bloody clashes between NLD supporters and pro-government
protesters.

Since then, the international community, including the United Nations, the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States, the
European Union (EU), Canada and Japan, has been urging the Myanmar
military regime to immediately release ASSK. Of them, the EU, along with
the United States, has also stepped up sanctions against Myanmar, while
Japan suspended its economic aid to the country to press for ASSK's
release.

In the latest development, the recent Fifth Asia-Europe Meeting in Bali
has also called on the Myanmar government to release ASSK and ensure
freedom of political activities in the country.
_________

Network Media Group July 30 2003

Four NLD members jailed, three under trial

July 30 (NMG)  Four members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for
Democracy (NLD) who involved in Depeyin Massacre were given up to 2 years
in jail while other three members  were put into trail at
Chan-Aye-Thar-Zan court in Mandalay, said in Monday press statement of one
exile Burmese opposition group  Network for Democracy and Development
(NDD).

U Sein Htun, a chairman of Sint Kuu township NLD along with other three
members who involved in Depeyin Massacre were sentenced on July 20 with
the charge of grievous and simple hurt (PC 325 and 336), the statement
said.

In another scenario U Saw Htee and U Kan Htun, vice-chairman and secretary
of Mandalay NLD respectively were arrested on July 18 in connection with a
case of crashing wind-shield of car while Suu Kyi was visiting at Mandalay
division.

Meanwhile military government on July 18 publicity announced that the
junta had already released 91 people who were connected with Depeyin
massacre.

In the NDD’s statement, father of Suu Kyi’s driver, Kyaw Soe Lin, who is
also the treasurer of Mandalay division NLD was arrested on the way back
after he visited his son at Khamti Prison and he was charged along with U
Saw Htee and U Kan Htun at Mandalay court.

“In reality, the authority detained vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer
of NLD Madalay division because of they esthetically helped Suu Kyi’s
Mandalay trip though the government pointed out they were in connection
with some form of mob attack there,” revealed by Kyaw  Kyaw, president of
NDD.

According to a opposition group formed in ad-hoc committee to re-visualize
Depeyin Crisis, more than 90 members of Mandalay division NLD were
arrested since the crisis.

However, the government never admitted how many people were arrested
related to the case.

One of the residents from Mandalay said “Most of NLD member are hiding in
the secret places and some of them were already arrested and it is really
difficult to confirm in details of who are really arrested.”

On 30th May 2003, the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her
supporters were brutally attacked by government affiliated mob in her
upper Burma organizing tour and Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of her party
had been arrested till now.

Although there has been several reports on arresting Aung San Suu Kyi’s
followers, there were no report on the thuggish of junta.
______

Associated Press July 30 2003

Myanmar calls U.S. sanctions against it counterproductive
By AYE AYE WIN

Myanmar's military government on Wednesday expressed regret over economic
sanctions imposed by the United States, saying they would damage relations
and hurt ordinary people.

President George W. Bush on Monday signed a law and issued an executive
order aimed at pressuring Myanmar's rulers to release opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and introduce democratic
reforms.

The law bans the import of products from Myanmar, also known as Burma. The
executive order freezes assets of senior Myanmar officials and prohibits
virtually all remittances to Myanmar.

"This action will in no way be helpful to relations between the two
nations," Myanmar's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "Nor will it
contribute to Myanmar's efforts for consolidating national reconciliation
and building a democratic society."

In explaining the sanctions, Bush said that "By denying these rulers the
hard currency they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong
incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma."

Myanmar's exports to the United States totaled about US$356 million in
2002 and accounted for about one-third of the Southeast Asian nation's
total exports.

"The world has already shown that sanctions and embargoes do not work.
They only hurt the ordinary people," the Foreign Ministry statement said.
Myanmar has claimed in the past that many thousands of factory workers,
mostly in the garment industry, would lose their jobs if the United States
enacted a ban on products from Myanmar.

The United States had already banned the issuing of U.S. visas for
Myanmar's leaders and opposed new international loans or technical aid to
the nation. It has forbidden new U.S. investment in Myanmar since 1997.

The ministry said it was "most regrettable" that Washington had not chosen
instead to cooperate with Myanmar to help establish democracy.

Myanmar's military government was widely condemned for detaining Suu Kyi
and members of her National League for Democracy party after a May 30
clash between her followers and government supporters as she was making a
political tour of northern Myanmar.

The government said the violence was provoked by Suu Kyi's supporters, but
accounts from opposition sources described it as an ambush by
government-orchestrated thugs in which as many as several dozen people may
have died.

The European Union has also decided to tighten its sanctions against
Myanmar's government.
______

Democratic Voice of Burma July 30 2003

Reactions to US sanctions in accord with Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act
US President George W. Bush signed Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act on
Monday closing US market to imports from Burma. The law will take affect
after 30 days.

Although the SPDC has dismissed the US sanctions on Burma as ‘cannons with
no balls’, the people of Rangoon told the DVB that they are immediately
becoming effective and many factories in Hlaing Thaya in Rangoon have been
closed down as a result.

Moreover, some garment factories in New Pale Township are also being
closed down by their Taiwanese employer and she planning to move her
factories to Cambodia, said a Rangoon resident as follows:

A Rangoon resident : They are moving their company to Cambodia. They have
already considered the move before the sanctions became effective. The
company boss is a woman from Taiwan. They did warn people that they are
withdrawing their activities here. After the Dipeyin incident, they became
quite frightened and they immediately planned to move to Cambodia. The
employees are not given compensations. They all lost their jobs. My
daughter is working in the factory in Pale. They have 300 employees there.
Tiger Beer has 400-500 employers and the like
they could have 100,000 to
200,000 workers in the whole country.

A Burmese economist Dr. Zaw Oo said that the US economic sanctions are not
Thingyan ceremonial cannons (without cannon balls) as claimed by the SPDC
but they will genuinely hurt the regime as follows;

Dr Zaw Oo : This law is quite wide-ranging. They have banned all exports
from Burma and according to last year’s data, Burma exported US$ 400
millions worth of goods to the USA. These goods seem to be still in Burma.
If they could sell these goods to other countries, you could say that the
sanctions are ‘cannons without balls’. But the problem is out of the $400
millions, 90% of them are garment and textile goods. These goods were
exportable to the USA because of the import quotas allowed to Burma. What
I mean is - these Burmese exports are for the USA only. You can’t export
them to other countries. These export goods are likely to get stranded in
Burma. These can’t be sold in Burma either. As investors are starting to
leave Burma, there could be some stronger repercussions.

Dr. Zaw Oo also comforted the workers who are directed affected by the
sanctions as follows:

Dr Zaw Oo : As the whole country is in trouble, the workers are likely to
be affected too. It is not a good situation for anyone. I do feel for them
but whatever it is – you won’t have to wait for too long. Currently, while
the US government is piling on more pressures, it is also starting to look
for less painful way out of Burmese political difficulties. Meanwhile, we
have to face the problems together until we have a democratic market
system. In the future when there is democracy, we could earn twice or
thrice the amount of what you are earning now. As they say, the higher the
water, the more magnificent the water lily; when the country’s situation
is better, the people could fare much better. I want to encourage you to
face the problems with courage with a view to the future.

Burmese opposition groups based on the Thai-Burma border also welcome the
US concerning sanctions to be imposed on Burma and they insisted that it
is an essential and crucial time to take punitive measures on the SPDC.

DVB’s Aung Lwin Oo reports:

Aung Lwin Oo : Firstly, the general secretary of the NCUB, U Aung Moe Zaw
commented on the US sanctions as follows:

U Aung Moe Zaw : It is time to take punitive measures on the military
junta in Burma. It is time to impose multilateral sanctions on the SPDC
through the UN. Above all, it is time for the international community to
start political intervention in Burma through the UN as soon as possible.

Aung Lwin Oo :Phado Mahn Sha, the general secretary of the Karen National
Union (KNU) expressed the views of the KNU as follows:

Phado Mahn Sha : We fully support the law concerning the sanctions. We
believe that we will have political changes in Burma sooner only when we
have biting sanctions on the SPDC. That is the reason why we give our
support. Moreover, we believe that the law is compatible with the
interests and benefits of ethnic nationals and people of Burma.

Aung Lwin Oo :Moreover, U Aung Moe Zaw also described what should be done
continuously in order to solve the current political difficulties in
Burma:

U Aung Moe Zaw : Although the USA has ratified the bill for democracy in
Burma, we still don’t know where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is being detained
now. The situation in Burma is still complicated. In this situation, we
want to urge the USA government to discuss the affairs at the UN Security
Council and to continue to put more pragmatic and severe pressures on
Burma as soon as possible.

Aung Lwin Oo :Similarly, Phado Mahn Sha also gave his opinions on the
future actions as follows:

Phado Mahn Sha : It could not be done by the USA alone. Other countries
need to join and give a hand. For example, if the EU, Japan, China and
ASEAN follow suit, there will be instant effects. But, you can’t do it
with international pressures alone. Workers, farmers, in a word, the
people as a whole, and ethnic nationals and the political parties who
represent them inside Burma should enthusiastically fight the SPDC.
___________

The Australian July 30 2003

PROPAGANDA Junta uses newspaper to discredit Suu Kyi
By Kimina Lyall

THE New Light of Myanmar usually publishes little that is new -- or light,
for that matter -- in the journalistic sense of the word. Instead, the
publication simply reads as a checklist of the activities of the senior
generals of the Burma's State Peace and Development Council.

For example, last weekend, secretary number one, General Khin Nyunt, "left
here by helicopter" and inspected agricultural projects designed to make a
green belt around Rangoon.

You won't find here a table of the local currency's exchange rate
(officially it is fixed at six to the US dollar; on the street it hovers
between 800 and 1200). There's been barely a mention of the run on
state-run banks earlier this year that threatened to plunge the country
into fiscal disaster.

The state-run newspaper, which uses the military junta's name for the
country in the title, did not mention the release from house arrest last
year of Burma's most famous citizen, Aung San Suu Kyi, following a
tradition of not mentioning her name at all for many years.

No more. In a sudden departure from the normal lists of new dams, roads
and bridges, the tabloid decided a few weeks ago to publish an "article"
from a true deep throat.

The writer, a Maung Yin Hmaing, was billed as a member of the "inner
circle" of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, someone close enough
to have "access to her compound" and all too ready to spill the beans.

Three weeks later, and he's still going. The result so far is more a
thesis than an "article": 18,000 words and counting.

It was not until instalment seven of "Daw Suu Kyi, the NLD Party and our
Ray of Hope" that Maung Yin Hmaing declared his association, claiming to
be a member of the Central NLD Youth who travelled with Suu Kyi (Daw is an
honorific that roughly means Aunty) on her May trip to Chin state that
ended in violence and her "temporary" detention at an unknown military
guesthouse.

But Burma activist exiles in Thailand have never heard of him, instead
insisting he is a ghost writer, probably a member of military intelligence
who shadowed Suu Kyi's trips to the countryside. They say the Defence
Force Intelligence Bureau, formerly Military Intelligence, is the body
responsible for publishing newspapers, and it takes no outside
contributions for articles.

But according to the lengthy piece, the self-styled whistleblower has had
his conscience pricked and decided to "wash dirty linen in public".

His "dirt" on Suu Kyi, however, provides the light relief. Listed among
her many transgressions are revelations that the Nobel Peace Prize winner
occasionally loses her temper; she once stood on a table (unbecoming for a
Burmese woman) to deliver a speech; and she gave chocolates to some
villagers ("health tonic or vitamins would be more appropriate").

But the deep throat also had the power of insight. From one incident, when
someone taking photographs of her on a boat trip uncharacteristically
irritated Suu Kyi, he was able to deduce much. "As someone who knows all
the ins and outs of Aunty Suu, I could tell just by watching her manners
and facial expressions ... what her real intentions were. This set me
thinking as to what problem she was about to stir up and on what flimsy
excuse!"

Maung Yin Hmaing goes on to reveal that the NLD youth packed clubs and
stones on the trip -- a new revelation that continues the junta's attempts
to blame Suu Kyi for the May 30 violence that activists claim took up to
70 lives.

Whoever actually wrote the articles, diplomats interpret them as a sign
the junta is determined to incarcerate Suu Kyi for the foreseeable future.

And while Maung Yin Hmaing decided mid-way through his writing that "my
only wish was that if possible, Aunty Suu would not speak another word",
it seems he has no intention of following suit. As of the end of last
week, the report, already in its ninth day, remained "to be continued".
__________

Associated Press July 30 2003

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi to be released by October, Indonesian minister
says
By CHRIS BRUMMITT

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi may be released from
detention before October, Indonesia's foreign minister said Wednesday.

"We have an assurance from Myanmar that the Suu Kyi case will be finished
before the ASEAN summit," Hasan Wirayuda said on the sidelines of an Asian
and African ministerial meeting in the city of Bandung in West Java
province.

Wirayuda did not elaborate, but the Indonesian government has been seeking
to coax Myanmar's military junta into releasing the Nobel Peace Prize
laureate.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations - or ASEAN - will hold its
annual summit in Bali at the start of October. The 10-member regional
grouping which includes Myanmar and Indonesia has been under pressure to
help broker a solution to the crisis.

However, Ali Alatas - a former foreign minister and adviser to Indonesian
President Megawati Sukarnoputri - said ASEAN will not follow U.S.
President George W. Bush in closing U.S. markets to imports from Myanmar
to protest Suu Kyi's detention.

"ASEAN's policy is clear. We don't believe that isolating Myanmar or
applying economic sanctions is either correct of effective," Alatas said.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung - who also is attending the Bandung
conference - said Tuesday that Suu Kyi's release could trigger unrest in
the country.

Suu Kyi is being held in a government guesthouse in Yangoon and she is in
good health, he told reporters.

On Monday, Win Aung met Megawati to discuss the Suu Kyi's fate.

The military detained Suu Kyi after a deadly May 30 clash between her
supporters and junta backers. Authorities said she was detained for her
own protection.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has sent envoys to several Asian countries,
including Thailand and Japan, to explain Suu Kyi's detention.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won general elections in
1990, but was barred by the military from taking power.
MONEY

Xinhua News Agency July 30 2003

Thai businesses shut down in Myanmar to flee US sanction

Thai enterprises are closing down their businesses based in Myanmar for
fear of the fallout of the US sanction, the state-run Thai News Agency
(TNA) reported.

Around 20 factories in Myanmar belonging to Thais and other nationals
began to shut down some two months ago in anticipation of sanctions, the
Federation of Thai Industries' (FTI) Deputy President Kiertiphong
Noijaiboon was quoted by TNA as saying.

Kiertiphong denied there might be severe impact on the Thai businesses in
Myanmar, noting that most of the Thai enterprises relied on low labor cost
and export quotas to the United States to make profits.

Among the 100-odd foreign-owned enterprises in Myanmar, only 10 belonged
to Thais, he said, and most of them focused on fabric and electronic
components production.

He also pointed out that the US sanction on Myanmar would deteriorate
poverty and drive more Myanmar people to Thailand.

The FTI had warned border-based production plants of the situation,
according to Kiertiphong.

The US congress on July 16 voted in favor of diplomatic and economic
sanctions against Myanmar, including the freezing of assets and a trade
ban, to bring pressure to bear on the Myanmar government to release
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained since late May.

Following the US action, the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
expressed his concern over the likely increased influx of illegal Myanmar
workers to Thailand.

At present, there are nine camps on the Thai-Myanmar border accommodating
some 125,000 refugees from Myanmar.

Meanwhile, about 1,500 Myanmar refugees have received United Nations High
Commission for Refugees' (UNHCR's) political refugee cards which entitle
them to move only in their designated camps, according to Thai Foreign
Minister Surakiat Sathirathai.
_______

Guardian July 30 2003

BAT is irked by minister's call to quit Burma: Cigarette maker says it is
being saddled with human rights decision that should fall to government
By Simon Bowers

British American Tobacco yesterday hit back at ministerial calls for it to
withdraw from Burma because of the country's human rights record,
challenging the government to either impose sanctions on the military
regime or mind its own business.

Earlier this month Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien summoned BAT
chairman Martin Broughton to a meeting and appealed to him to pull out of
Burma, where government crackdowns in re cent months have led to the
re-arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and, allegedly, the
killing of up to 100 of her supporters.

Mr Broughton said yesterday he was still considering Mr O'Brien's request
but a spokesman said the BAT chairman was "frustrated" at being asked to
take a decision he believed should fall to government. "It is not an issue
for businesses to decide," the spokesman said, making a distinction
between "human rights in the workplace" - such as pensions, pay and
conditions - over which businesses have a responsibility and "wider human
rights", which are a matter for politicians.

"Martin believes you could easily find any number of groups that have
objections to the way things are done in every part of the world. This is
the thin end of the wedge . . . Don't forget, we also do business in China
and Iran."

The spokesman recalled how BAT, which makes Lucky Strike, Kent and Dunhill
cigarettes, had weathered political pressure to withdraw from South Africa
during the apartheid regime and from Argentina during the Falklands war.

Separately, Mr Broughton said recent months had brought discussion about
the future of BAT's Brown & Williamson, the third biggest player in the US
with a market share of 11%.

The division is losing ground to market leader Philip Morris, with which
B&W is locked in a price war. It is also under pressure from smaller
manufacturers selling cut-price cigarettes.

Mr Broughton acknowledged the future of B&W was a pressing issue but one
over which shareholders were "polarised". BAT's institutional investors
are said to be split 50-50 on whether to increase B&W's presence in the US
- most likely through a merger with number two player RJ Reynolds - or to
pull out of the American market.

"As a management team we have made no secret of the fact we are open to an
acquisition in the US," Mr Broughton said. He believes he has convinced
many BAT sharehold ers the threat of litigation has been overplayed,
leaving a number of compelling acquisition prospects in the US.

Other institutional shareholders, he said, had told him: "We will support
you on anything but not on an acquisition in the US." They are said to
remain concerned about exposure to tobacco litigation.

BAT, the world's second largest cigarette-maker, announced pre-tax profits
for the six months to June 30 had dropped 25%, in line with expectations,
to pounds 762m, largely due to restructuring costs.

REGIONAL

Xinhua News Agency July 30 2003

Thailand's "road map plan" just advice to help Myanmar: spokesman

Thailand's "road map plan" which has been floated to the Myanmar
government and ASEAN members is just an advice to help Myanmar reach the
national reconciliation and democratization, a Foreign Ministry spokesman
said Wednesday.

Speaking at the weekly press conference, spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow
explained that the "road map plan" is conceived as a way to help achieve
positive political developments in Myanmar and reduce international
pressure on the ruling government, however, the content of the "road map"
should depend on Myanmar.

"It's just an idea for 'road map', the 'road map' itself must come from
Myanmar," he said.

Sihasak said that it's Thailand's responsibility to help Myanmar by
proposing viable ideas such as drawing road map or setting up Myanmar
Forum, but to accept the ideas or not is the right of Myanmar.

He stressed that Thailand, as a neighboring country of Myanmar, has
proposed to Myanmar clearly that the government should have a plan toward
national reconciliation and democracy and the first step is showing its
efforts to the outside world.

Myanmar should respond to the calls of international community including
ASEAN with effective measures, Sihasak said, noting that the international
community must give positive response to Myanmar 's every step toward
reconciliation and democracy as well.

He also denied that the Myanmar Forum proposed by Thailand is to replace
the Myanmar government's role in resolving the deadlock in the country
arose by the arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is only a way to help Yangon to achieve a positive end, the spokesman
said, adding that Britain, Austria and several ASEAN members expressed
interest in participating in the forum.
_________

Xinhua News Agency July 30 2003

Philippines asks Myanmar to free Suu Kyi

The Philippines government has asked the Myanmar government for the
immediate release of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Foreign
Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said Wednesday.

This was conveyed to Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win in a
meeting here on Tuesday, Ople told reporters.

Maung Win came here on Tuesday as a special envoy of Myanmar leader Than
Shwe to discuss the situation in Myanmar and the issue of Suu Kyi. He
already left Manila Wednesday.

"I told special envoy Maung Win that it is the strong desire of the
Philippine government to see Daw Suu Kyi and the members of her National
League for Democrats released and allowed to pursue their political
activities," Ople said.

He said he also told Maung Win that the Philippines strongly supports a
proposal by Indonesia for a group of foreign ministers from the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to visit Myanmar.

"In this way we could not only meet Daw Suu Kyi, but we could also
reassure the leadership and people of Myanmar that ASEAN respects
Myanmar's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expresses to them
ASEAN's desire for Myanmar to partake of all the advantages of membership
in ASEAN," Ople said.

He also expressed the hope that genuine efforts for national
reconciliation be exerted by Myanmar as this was the understanding when
the country was admitted as a member of ASEAN in 1997.

Maung Win briefed him on the recent developments in Myanmar, but did not
give an assurance as to when Suu Kyi would be released, Ople said.

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

INTERNATIONAL

Agence France Presse July 30 2003

Amnesty fails to deliver petition on Suu Kyi's release to Myanmar diplomats

Human rights group Amnesty International failed Wednesday to deliver a
petition calling for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi to the Myanmar embassy here, an AFP correspondent at the scene
reported.

The gates of the mission remained firmly closed as a group of around 30
people, including 20 Myanmar refugees, gathered outside hoping to hand in
a petition seeking the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other
members of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

"We have gathered about 23,000 signatures of support and we want to
present them now to the Myanmar officials at the embassy to protest
against the attacks of May 30," said Amnesty International Japan
campaigner Sonoko Kawakami.

Aung San Suu Kyi and an unknown number of NLD members and supporters were
detained after a mob backed by the military junta attacked her convoy as
she travelled in the north of the country on May 30.

Kawakami said Amnesty would now deliver the petition, which was signed by
British film star Sean Connery and 27 Japanese lawmakers among other
signatories from round the world, by registered mail, to ensure the
Myanmar officials got it.

Earlier Wednesday Amnesty released a report urging Myanmar's military
junta to bring to justice the culprits behind the May 30 attacks in which
dozens are feared to have been killed.

Also on Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said Yangon
had assured Jakarta that the issue of Aung San Suu Kyi's detention would
be "resolved" before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
summit on October 7-8.
___________

Associated Press July 30 2003

Amnesty International calls for probe into May 30 attack on Suu Kyi party
By GRANT PECK

Amnesty International urged Myanmar's military government Wednesday to
release Aung San Suu Kyi and allow an investigation into a clash between
her supporters and a pro-junta group.

The London-based human rights group, in a report on justice in Myanmar,
also called for the release of members of the Nobel Peace laureate's
opposition National League for Democracy party.

Myanmar's government said in a statement that it hasn't seen the report
but "looks forward to studying (Amnesty International's) recommendations
and observations and welcomes any constructive commentary."

Suu Kyi and her colleagues were taken into custody after a May
confrontation between her party members and government supporters while
she was on a political tour of northern Myanmar.

The crackdown triggered worldwide condemnation of Myanmar's military
government. To pressure Myanmar, President Bush on Tuesday signed a law
banning the import of products from Myanmar, also known as Burma.

The government said Suu Kyi's supporters provoked a fight, but opposition
sources described it as an ambush by government-supported thugs in which
up to several dozen people were killed.

"The events of 30 May show all too clearly the need for accountability,"
said the Amnesty report. "We urge the (government) to permit an
independent, impartial and prompt investigation into the violent attack on
NLD members."

Scores of opposition members were detained after the incident. The
government last week announced that 91 had been released, and that 40 -
all but one of them NLD supporters - remain in jail.
____________

Nation July 30 2003

US wants Asean to exert more influence

The United States has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) to play an active role in solving the political deadlock in Burma
and force the junta to meet Asean standards.

President George W Bush said in a statement as he signed a sanction bill
to punish the junta that Rangoon's behaviour is inconsistent with Asean's
standards and goals. "Burma should not be permitted to tarnish Asean's
record as a positive force for progress," he said.

Asean is waiting for consent from the junta to send a mission to Rangoon
to end a political deadlock after the May 30 incident that led to the
detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The US, the European
Union and Japan have imposed sanctions to secure her release. Repression
by the Burmese regime contributes to problems that spill over borders,
including refugees, drug trafficking and the spread of HIV/Aids and other
diseases, Bush's statement said. "These nations must play an important
role in resolving the current crisis," it said.

Thailand, an immediate neighbour, is working to hold a forum on a "road
map" toward national reconciliation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Surakiart Sathirathai will meet with his Burmese
counterpart Win Aung tomorrow to discuss the proposal. Many countries,
including China, Malaysia, United Kingdom and most recently Australia,
have expressed strong support for the discussion, he said.

"Much work has been done on the road map, however, it is diplomatically
inappropriate to reveal it before discussing it with Burma," he said.
____________

Agence France Presse July 30 2003

Rights group slams Myanmar FM's "public relations tour"

Rights group Forum-Asia Wednesday slammed as a waste of time and money a
regional tour by Myanmar's foreign minister Win Aung to attempt to calm
the furore over the detention of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Win Aung carried a message to Indonesia this week from junta chief General
Than Shwe saying that Myanmar, formerly called Burma, was doing what it
could to normalise the situation before releasing the opposition leader.

"If the Burmese military junta wants to convince ASEAN countries that the
situation in Burma is improved, they should focus on the restoration of
democracy and human rights standards, beginning with the release of all
political prisoners, rather than wasting time and money on a PR (public
relations) tour," group secretary-general Somchai Homlaor said in a
statement.

Myanmar's foreign minister is due to travel to Thailand Thursday for a
discussion on Thailand's proposal for a "road map" for democratic reform
and national reconciliation in the military-ruled state.

He will also attend talks on economic development with his counterparts
from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos on Friday.

But Forum-Asia said Thailand should demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
and other political prisoners as a precondition to economic talks. She was
detained after a junta-backed mob attacked her convoy as she travelled in
the north of the country on May 30.

It also urged the restoration of democracy and improvement of the human
rights situation in Myanmar before any talks.

Myanmar said Wednesday that Aung San Suu Kyi may be freed before October,
according to Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda.

"Myanmar has told Indonesia that they hope that before the ASEAN summit
(Aung San Suu Kyi's case) will be resolved," he told reporters.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) called last month for
Myanmar to releaes the Nobel peace laureate in an unprecedented statement
on the internal affairs of a member.

In an attempt to explain the junta's actions, Win Aung and his deputy Khin
Maung Win have visited an number of regional countries in recent weeks,
including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Japan.

ON THE BORDER

Chinland Guardian July 30 2003

Update on the existing condition of the refugees from Burma in Mizoram State
By Salai Za Ceu Lian

Despite the great hope of bringing the current problem back to normalcy,
the condition of Burmese people taking refuge in Mizoram state rather  is
getting worse day after day. Now the local authority have forcedly evicted
already all Burmese migrants and refugees - living in the blocks such as
Electric, Chanmari and centre of Aizawl city - from their home.

As per the new order issued again by the local authority, all foreigners
are now giving a report by showing their identification such as Ration
Card, driving licence and voting card to their respective block (Veng)
authority.

In line with the order issued by YMA, MHIP, JAC and VCP, Burmese mostly
ethnic Chin migrants and refugees staying in Aizawl started vacating their
locality as the deadline set for their eviction is 31st July, 2003.
However, these deadlines for evicting the Burmese citizens issued by the
local authority such as YMA, MHIP, JAC and VCP are not compatible and
different from each other.

The worst of all at present is in everyday bases, the local Mizos are now
up roaring with the loud speaker throughout the city of Aizawl by raising
their voices, “ Get out Burmese from our vicinity, go back to Burma, and
vacate our house immediately and etcs”.

The reliable source Khawnutum News and other local eyewitness confirmed in
their report that the rapist is not a migrant from Burma but a Mizo
citizen. Now the Burmese citizens have been held a scapegoat for what
their own Mizo citizen had committed reprehensible rape case.

In the midst of such tragic hardships Burmese citizens are going through,
the local Mizo in different blocks are taking advantage by asking Indian
currency Rs. 500 from every individual with a promise to protect them from
the ongoing eviction.

Though the Chin in Burma and Mizo in India are one and originated from the
same ethnicity as a human beings, the people identified themselves as Mizo
in India mostly do not treat the Chin people from Burma as if their
siblings.

Instead of welcoming their own blood siblings from Burma, the local Mizo
authority conducted this severe eviction from their land despite the fact
that they are aware of the hardships their fellow brother Burmese
especially ethnic Chin people have been undergoing the rampant human right
violations back home in their country, Burma, under the present military
Junta.

On the other hand, as the news of ongoing eviction of Burmese people
taking refuge in Mizoram state is spreading, the brutal military regime in
Burma is waiting for deportees from the Indo-Burma border checkpoints.

STATEMENTS

Amnesty International July 29 2003

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE

  Myanmar: Justice on trial

In a major report released today, Amnesty International strongly urges the
Myanmar Government to bring to justice those found responsible for the 30
May violent attack on National League for Democracy (NLD) members. The
report also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, NLD General Secretary, U Tin Oo, NLD Vice-Chairman, and all
other NLD members and supporters arrested for expressing their peaceful
political views.

        "We are gravely concerned by the violent attack on the NLD and the
subsequent crackdown on all political opposition activities.  We
urge the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC, the military
government) to permit an independent, impartial and prompt
investigation into the violent attack on NLD members." Amnesty
International said today -- exactly two months after the attack.

        "Now, more than ever, the Burmese people need the support of the
international community. Today Amnesty International's members in
Japan will hand over a petition to the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo,
signed by tens of thousands of people from around the world.  We
hope the SPDC will heed this call for justice," the organization
stressed.

        In the report published today, Amnesty International outlines its
major concerns about the administration of justice in Myanmar,
reflecting comments from the SPDC in response to a Memorandum
submitted to them. The report covers the following areas: arrest
and pre-trial detention; torture and ill-treatment; trials of
political prisoners; discussion of some of the key laws in force
relating to human rights; prison conditions; and mechanisms for
the investigation of human rights violations. The document also
makes detailed recommendations to the government about reform of
the justice system there.

        "Improvement of the justice system will take time, but such reform
must be made a priority if human rights are to be protected. The
events of 30 May show all too clearly the need for accountability
and an end to impunity in Myanmar", the organization said.

        An unknown number of people are still detained or missing in the
aftermath of 30 May, although  -- in a welcome development -- the
SPDC announced on 23 July that 91 people arrested in the context
of the 30 May violence had been released. However, over 1300
political prisoners remain in Myanmar's prison system, sentenced
after trials falling far short of international fair trial
standards by laws which effectively criminalize the right to
freedom of expression.

        "It is imperative that the SPDC clarify the whereabouts of those
who are either missing or in detention after the 30 May events. In
addition, the release of all prisoners of conscience and the
facilitation of an independent investigation are steps the
government must take to begin to redeem the situation."  Amnesty
International said.

        In the wake of the 30 May violence and its aftermath,  various
members of the international community have expressed their
concern and called for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi and others.  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), the government of Japan, the European Union (EU), the USA
and the UN Secretary General have all condemned these attacks and
arrests.

        "We welcome these statements by such a wide variety of nations and
organizations throughout the world.  Sustained and concerted
efforts on the part of the international community should continue
until these problems are solved.  The people of Myanmar must not
be forgotten", Amnesty International said.

        In the interest of finding a solution to the human rights crisis
in Myanmar, Amnesty International expressed full support for the
work of Ambassador Razali Ismail, the UN Secretary General's
Special Envoy, and Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN Special
Rapporteur on Myanmar. It urges the SPDC to cooperate fully with
them in the fulfilment of their mandates, which include visits to
Myanmar, and to grant them unimpeded access to anyone they request
to meet while visiting the country.

Background

        On 22 May 2003 Amnesty International submitted a 29-page
memorandum to the SPDC after the organization's first ever visit
to the country between 30 January and 8 February 2003. Since then
political tensions escalated sharply during the NLD's tour of
Upper Myanmar culminating in a violent attack against the party on
30 May.  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, and other NLD members had
been travelling in Upper Myanmar, with the prior permission of the
SPDC, during the month of May.  As larger and larger crowds
gathered to see the NLD leaders, tension increased between the NLD
and the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), an
organization established, organized, and supported by the SPDC.

        On the evening of 30 May, some 200 NLD members,  including Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo, were  attacked by a crowd of 
hundreds of individuals, reportedly from the USDA, while
travelling on a remote road from Budalin to Dapaiyin, outside of
Monywa, Sagaing Division. All the available evidence indicates
that the attack was premeditated. According to a press conference
given by the SPDC on 31 May, four people were killed and 50
injured. Unofficial reports indicate that the death toll is
considerably higher.

         In a rural area after nightfall, attackers armed with sharpened
sticks, clubs and iron bars blocked the NLD motorcade and began
attacking NLD supporters and the vehicles in which Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, and other NLD leaders were travelling. NLD
Youth members and others attempted to protect the leaders, and
some were reported to have been injured or killed in the effort.
Many other NLD supporters were reported to have been beaten by
attackers, several of them beaten to death.  Some people managed
to escape but Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo, and many other NLD
members and supporters who fled the scene, were later detained.
__________

All Burma Federation of Student Union July 30 2003

Statement of ABFSU upon the International Sanctions on Burma's regime

1. Since after the May 30 affairs where the military dictators had planned
the assassination attempts towards Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and
other democracy activists, the International governments and organizations
have measured the various pressures and sanctions on Burma's military
regime. US president George W. Bush signed into law the “Burmese Freedom
and Democracy Act”, passed both by the US Senate and House. We, ABFSU
welcome the present US sanctions on Burma, as it would encourage
pro-democracy movement of Burma.

2. Although the international community measures various pressures on the
Burma junta, Burma  regime still ignore all the pressures and suggestions
on Burma's political changes. The regime have  rejected the resolutions of
United Nations for many years. It seems that the regime think they can
always trick the international communities, while they brutally oppressed
its own people and democracy activists. We perceive the May 30 terrorist
attacks committed by the government-sponsored thugs as the unacceptable to
Burmese people as well as the international community. This is a serious
case, which jeopardizes not only the rule of law, peace and stability of
Burma, but also regional stability.

3. We call the international governments including of US, EU, Australia
and Asia for more pressure on Burma's regime, in order to release all the
political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo, conduct
on  inquiry the May 30 events by the independent commission, to implement
the 1990  election result, and to end the military rule in Burma.
Therefore, we urge the governments to put these issues of Burma at the
United Nation's Security Council.

Foreign Affairs Committee
All Burma Federation of Student Unions
30 July, 2003.