BurmaNet News: October 9, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

October 9, 2003 Issue #2344

INSIDE BURMA
TPR: ASEAN Power Grid Project Study Ready by Year-End

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Grant for Border Health
Kaladan: Burmese Nasaka Gave Ultimatum to Bangladesh Businessmen

MONEY
Vietnam News: Vietnamese businesses have signed at least 10 contracts to
export to Myanmar
Guardian: Sportswear boycott urged over Burma links: Football-kit firm
accused of aiding brutal regime

GUNS
BP: Shan Shown the Door

REGIONAL
AP: China to discuss Salween dam project
VOA: ASEAN Leaders Fail to Censure Burma on Human Rights Record
AP: Hundreds of foreign activists in Thailand blacklisted before APEC summit

INTERNATIONAL
BBC: US rejects Burma progress report
AFP: For Myanmar junta, Southeast Asia holds carrot while US wields stick
Standard: Journalist Protests Over Suu Kyi Arrest

EDITORIALS
Age: A Club Worth Joining In Spite Of Its Faults


----INSIDE BURMA----

Thai Press Reports   October 9, 2003
ASEAN Power Grid Project Study Ready by Year-End

Section: Corporate News - The feasibility study on the Asean Power Grid
project, a huge power project that aims to meet future demand for
electricity among Asean members, will be completed in December,
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) governor Sittiporn
Ratanopas, pictured right, said yesterday.

But in order to sustain the project, he said Association of South East
Asian Nations (Asean) member countries will need to invest a total of $
100 billion over the next 12 years.

He added that based on a preliminary study conducted on the project, the
upper part of Asean, particularly Myanmar and Laos, is suitable for
hydroelectric power projects, since the two countries have sufficient
water resources.

He said the hydropower plants will be able to serve demand for
electricity, especially during peak periods. Malaysia and Indonesia, which
have abundant supplies of natural gas and coal, are suitable locations for
power plants powered by fossil fuels, he added.

When asked about the electricity supply line system connecting Asean
countries, Sittiporn said that of the 14 projects proposed, only 11 of
them have been determined to be economically sound.

Two of them, the Thailand-Laos and Thailand-Cambodia electricity
transmission line projects, are under construction.

The remaining nine are being evaluated, he said. They include electricity
transmission line projects connecting Thailand and Myanmar; Malaysia and
Singapore; Malaysia Sumatra, Vietnam and Laos; Cambodia and Vietnam;
Singapore Sumatra, Singapore and Batam; Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei; and
Sarawak and West Kalimantan.

He also said the transmission line project between Laos and Cambodia was
considered to be uneconomically feasible because of low demand for
electricity in the areas covered, while the Borneo Island-Malaysia project
has been scrapped since it is too costly.

He said annual electricity demand among Asean members was 62,000mw and
that the figure is projected to rise to 116,000mw in 2010 and 163,000mw in
2015, an increase of about 6,800mw, or 7.3 percent a year.


----ON THE BORDER----

The Irrawaddy   October 9, 2003
Grant for Border Health
By Aung Su Shin/Mae Sot

Officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the
Thai government today announced the receipt of a US $1.4 million grant for
the health care of Burmese migrants in Thailand.

Lance Bonneau, a senior officer from IOM and Dr Pakdee Pothisiri, deputy
permanent secretary from the Thai Public Health Ministry, met at Mae Sot
Hospital to sign a memorandum of understanding on the terms for spending
the grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The funds will go to health care providers in the Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and
Tha Saung Yang districts in Tak Province and the Mae Sai, Chiang Saen and
Muang districts in Chiang Rai Province.

"We are going to use this money to control and prevent diseases and for
basic health issues such as sanitation and clean water," said Dr Pakdee.
"The target population is 40,000 people."

He added that Thai health officials contacted IOM in 2000 about receiving
money to help cover the cost of treating Burmese migrants in Thai
hospitals.

Mae Sot Hospital Director Dr Kanoknart Phisutthakun, said the hospital
spent 15 million baht (US$ 375,000) last year treating Burmese living in
Thailand as well as internal refugees who traveled to Thailand for health
care.

Thai officials allow Burmese to seek treatment at Thai hospitals for
humanitarian reasons, said Dr Pakdee. The issue of cross-border travel for
health care purposes was discussed at last week’s Thai-Burma Health
Ministers meeting in Chiang Rai, he added.

"The Burmese [health] minister said they were trying to prevent the
Burmese from going to Thailand but they cannot because of the fighting
with ethnic groups along the border," said Dr Pakdee.

USAID provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance on behalf
of the US government. The IOM is an NGO based in Geneva.


Kaladan News    October 09, 2003
Burmese Nasaka Gave Ultimatum to Bangladesh Businessmen

Cox’s Bazar, Ocober10: The Burmese Nasaka (Border Security Force) has
given an ultimatum to two Bangladeshi businessmen for immediate released
of seven arrested Burmese nationals by Bangladesh police, said Hamid
Mohamed Ershad, a local reporter.

Seven Rakhine (Burmese nationals) including one Aung Kyaw Sein has been
arrested on 4th October 2003 by police in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar District
under the accusation of passport Act.

On hearing of the information, the Nasaka forces were very angry with two
famous Bangladeshi businessmen named Masood and Hashem who hail from
Partia and Teknaf respectively and they were given ultimatum by the Nasaka
to release the arrested persons without any condition within 5-days or by
October 10. The said two businessmen invested huge money in Arakan State,
Burma for business purpose. If the arrested persons will not be released
on aforesaid day, the invested money of the two businessmen would be
seized and all kinds of legal and illegal trade between the two countries
would be closed. Therefore, the two businessmen have been trying with
their best to release the Burmese nationals without taking any rest, he
further said.

Since the Nasaka’s ultimatum, the two businessmen have been trying to get
a charge-sheet passed with police officials by bribing a large amount of
money and to seek bail from the court but District magistrate denied bail
yesterday.

Mr. Mohamed Yahaya, an officer-in-charge of Ukhiya police station said, “
These 7-Burmese nationals were arrested with suspicion. Though they came
to Bangladesh with legal passport, they were openly moving in Cox’s Bazar
area without any fear of their expired date of passport and there is no
opportunity for any Bangladeshi to overstay, even for an hour in Burma. He
also said that some Rakhines from Burma take shelter in Rakhine villages
of Bangladesh and leak out secret information of Bangladesh with hiding
faces, which may be danger of Bangladesh entity. So, this trial will be
taking by   Bangladesh laws.”

Some Bangladeshi local elites think that these arrested Burmese nationals
might be spies of the Nasaka and partners of the said smugglers
(businessmen), unless why the Nasaka gave ultimatum to those businessmen
and would stop both legal and illegal border trade!


----MONEY----

Asia Pulse   October 9, 2003
Vietnamese Paper Highlights – October 9, 2003

VIETNAM NEWS

- Vietnamese businesses have signed at least 10 contracts to export to
Myanmar after the Vietnam Exhibition 2003 in Yangon, according to the
Trade Promotion Department of the Ministry of Trade. Fifty-two Vietnamese
companies showcased their products at the exhibition in the Myanmar
capital from October 1 to 4.


The Guardian (London)   October 9, 2003
Sportswear boycott urged over Burma links: Football-kit firm accused of
aiding brutal regime
By  Vivek Chaudhary and Jason Rodriguez

Football fans are being urged by campaigners to boycott the sportswear
firm Kappa, which supplies some leading teams, following claims that many
of its products sold in Britain are manufactured in Burma.

Teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Wales and Italy wear kits supplied by
Kappa, but campaigners for democracy in Burma claim that it is
inadvertently helping the country's brutal military regime by buying
products made there.

The Burmese regime has been heavily criticised over its human rights
record. Textile exports are one of the biggest sources of revenue for the
Rangoon regime, which is believed to have killed thousands in its
suppression of democracy in the country. Campaigners claim that last year
alone pounds 50m worth of textiles were imported to Britain from Burma.

Last month the Burma Campaign, a British-based pressure group that
campaigns for democracy, scored a victory after JJB Sports, the UK's
largest sports retailer, agreed to withdraw stock. Campaigners have also
sent hundreds of letters and emails to Kappa's headquarters in Italy
asking for it to withdraw from Burma.

Mark Farmaner, for the Burma Campaign, said: "We have contacted the
company several times and have not received any response. If they are
willing to show us that they have pulled out, we will call off our
boycott."

But Kappa says it stopped manufacturing in Burma earlier this year and
that it no longer has any business links in the country. A spokesman for
Kappa GB said: "We no longer source any products from Burma. Our head
quarters in Turin are responsible for sourcing products around the world.
We stopped doing business in Burma at the start of this year. It became
clear that we had to move to another country."

Mr Farmaner, however, claims to have found Burma-made Kappa products in a
London shop last month. "If Kappa are no longer manufacturing in Burma, we
want to see the evidence," he said. "In the meantime our message to
football fans and all sports fans is contact Kappa and tell them that you
are boycotting their goods."

The campaign is being supported by pro-democracy campaigners within Burma
who have also called for sanctions against other specific products that
generate high revenue for the regime. Last month Aung San Suu Kyi, the
pro-democracy campaigner detained for a total of 14 years, was once again
put under house arrest.

A spokesman for JJB Sports, founded by former Blackburn Rovers footballer
David Whelan, said: "The company accepts there was an oversight (on
stocking Burmese-made products), which will be remedied. We have been in
contact with the campaign and have reiterated our commitment not to
purchase goods that have been manufactured there."


----GUNS----

Bangkok Post    October 9, 2003
Shan Shown the Door

Those with an eye on border developments in the upper north had not been
expecting the order last week from the army for the Shan State Army to
close any military outposts it might have inside Thailand.

The move, interpreted as further appeasement of the military junta in
Rangoon, was spearheaded by new Army Commander Chaisit Shinawatra, who
said the new border policy did not allow for any Burmese rebels to use
Thai territory as a launching pad for attacks on Rangoon forces.

The announcement came on only the third day of Gen Chaisit, a cousin of
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, assuming his new post.

"Could this latest border incident have anything to do with Foreign
Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's recent trip to Rangoon?" questioned one
seasoned border watcher.

A security source said a deal had been struck with Rangoon calling for
Thailand to make a well-meaning gesture in return for Burma to move
against the illicit drug industry operating in districts just across the
border from Thailand. Mr Thaksin is reported to be unhappy with the level
of cooperation he has received from Rangoon in dealing with the drug
trade.

The Shan State Army's 727th division has been told to move its base from
Doi Kham, just inside Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao district. The base was set
up two years ago but the Shans supposedly had not been told officially
they were on Thai soil.

"This is an instruction from high above demanding us to take action," a
middle ranking officer with the 3rd Army said of the new get tough order.

The officer said he was worried the order would compromise national
security and hurt the country in the long run.

It is an open secret that ethnic rebels operating along the border such as
the Shan State Army have long been regarded as close allies by Thai border
troops. Information provided by these rebels has played a crucial role in
the 3rd Army's past successes against drug traffickers, an intelligence
officer said.

The officer said the United Wa State Army, the group generally understood
to be the biggest drug trafficker in this region, and Rangoon forces
posted along the border played a part in the drug trade.

"We all know this and the premier himself is aware of this," the officer
said. "We still hope Rangoon will reciprocate (to the push against the
Shan and other groups) by getting serious on the drug issue."

Gen Chaisit, the prime minister's personal choice as army commander, has
said the army under his command would abide strictly by the government's
policies.

He said his forces would not allow any group to use "our border area as a
safe haven or as a launching pad for cross border attacks".

Canal funds diverted

The secretary-general of the committee studying the feasibility of
developing the Kra Canal is in hot water over the allocation of 12 million
baht from a fund set up to cover the study costs.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the deputy prime minister in charge of the
committee, was reportedly visibly unhappy at the last committee meeting
when ACM Charoon Wutikarn could not explain why the fund under the control
of the Klong Thai Foundation had been mismanaged.

Gen Chavalit asked Pol Lt-Gen Roongroj Yomakakul, his secretary and a
former head of the Central Investigation Bureau, to head a committee
looking into the suspected misuse of the fund.

Around 14 million baht has reportedly been taken from the fund since early
this year, after Phuket Pass Project made an initial payment of $ 1
million in exchange for being awarded the contract to conduct the study.
The company has promised a payment of $ 50 million baht altogether.

The Klong Thai Foundation should have been managed by Gen Chavalit's
committee but the regulations drafted with ACM Charoon's approval allowed
the foundation members full authority to disburse funds.

Gen Thienchai Sirisamphan heads the foundation and is joined by ACM
Charoon, as the secretary-general, Adisak Techa-adisak, the Phuket Pass
Project chairman until recently, and Vice-Adm Somboon Sukphan.

It was ACM Charoon and Mr Adisak who approved the withdrawal of 12 million
baht. The foundation's rules allow any two members to withdraw funds.

ACM Charoon told Gen Chavalit's committee the money was borrowed by Mr
Adisak for use in attracting foreign investors to the project _ at the
same time as Mr Adisek's company was supposed to be paying another $ 49
million into the foundation. The explanation drew quite a bit of laughter
from committee members as ACM Charoon's close relationship with Mr Adisak
is generally known.

Gen Thienchai, the foundation head, is reported to have been unaware of
the loan.

Another two million baht is said to have been spent on the project's
administration costs.

Gen Chavalit's committee has filed a complaint against ACM Charoon with
Bangkok's Bung Kum police station and legal action will be taken if he
fails to return the 12 million baht.

"Someone has to take responsibility for this, otherwise the national
committee's image will be tarnished and it will be publicly discredited,"
said an aide to Gen Chavalit.

ACM Charoon has asked for time to return the money, and in the meantime
Pol Lt-Gen Roongroj's committee will look into the management of the fund.

Gen Chavalit's committee is to report to the cabinet soon on the study
progress. The cabinet approved the study on Oct 16, 2001. The committee is
expected to ask the cabinet for more time as there has been little
progress on the study due to differences among committee members.

Go to the top of the class

Chaturon Chaisaeng has defied the doomsayers in the past by hanging on to
his seat in the cabinet since his appointment in February 2001. This has
been managed despite his lack of support from a political faction or a
monied backer. Those who look on him favourably say this is owed to his
good performance.

Mr Chaturon, currently a deputy prime minister after starting out as
justice minister, oversees society and education affairs. He has proved a
good coordinator among the agencies falling under his control.

He has won paudits for the national campaign against drunk driving.
Although there has been no substantial drop in the death toll, the
campaign is seen as having got off to a good start in tackling the high
incidence of road accidents, especially during long holiday breaks.

Alongside the road safety campaign, Mr Chaturon has moved to restrict the
advertising of alcoholic drinks on television. Past governments have
talked about restrictions but compromises have always been reached with
the drink producers.

Mr Chaturon has said the success of any drinking campaign depended mainly
on police, as they enforce the rules. He plans to pursue the campaign with
new measures.

Mr Chaturon has also been congratulated for his supervision of education
affairs. It was he who arranged for administrators to explain Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's reform policies so they could be translated
into action.

Sadly though, these policies have not been introduced into schools and Mr
Thaksin is reportedly unhappy with the education minister. Pongpol
Adireksarn is tipped to be relieved of the portfolio in a cabinet
reshuffle expected this month, post-Apec.

His successor will be a member of the prime minister's Thai Rak Thai party
as the portfolio is part of its quota. He must have a good knowledge of
education affairs and also must be wilful enough to bring to heel those at
the Education Ministry who oppose change.

The name of Mr Chaturon has come up as being such a man, although he has
declined public comment, preferring to keep his head down and pursue a
project to protect the nation's youth _ another assignment, like education
reform, received directly from Mr Thaksin.

Mr Chaturon plans to seek cabinet approval for wholesome media programmes
aimed at the young. The idea calls for the Public Relations Department to
reserve 15% of the air time of all its media for such programmes.

The deputy prime minister is also seeking the cooperation of the military
controlled media.

If the project is successful, the producers of these programmes are
expected to become a new force in what we see and hear in and on the
nation's media.


----REGIONAL----

Bangkok Post   October 9, 2003
China to discuss Salween dam project
By Anchalee Kongrut

The Thai and Chinese governments will talk about investment in the Salween
dam project during the Apec meeting, said Sitthiporn Rattanopas, governor
of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).

Mr Sitthiporn said the China Export and Import Bank, which is taking part
in building the Three Gorges dam in China, the world's largest dam, had
shown an interest in investing.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand was touting the idea of
building Salween dam along the Thai-Burmese border.

The project would comprise two dams. The first dam, called the upper dam,
would be built on the border of the Salween wildlife sanctuary and able to
generate 4,540 megawatts of power.

The lower dam on the Salween national park would generate 792 megawatts.
Together, they would flood about 20,000 rai of prime forestland on the
Thai side and about 35,000 rai on the Burmese side. They would cost 277
billion baht (US$6.15 billion).

The project was part of the Asean Power Grid project to build network of
power grids for Asean member countries. Mr Sitthiporn said the talks on
the Salween project would only be preliminary and no contractual
commitment would be made.

``Don't protest against this dam because Egat is not going to build it.
Please give us time to conduct study,'' said Mr Sitthiporn while adding
the project would be impossible without public consent. Mr Sitthiporn said
the price of electricity would be reduced by 15 satangs for every
kilowatt-hour unit if the project was built.


VOA News   October 8, 2003
ASEAN Leaders Fail to Censure Burma on Human Rights Record
By Tim Johnston

BALI: The annual meeting of the leaders from the Association of South East
Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has disappointed the hopes of human rights
campaigners by failing to censure member-nation Burma. But the failure has
not come as a surprise for many activists.
Before the annual two-day ASEAN meeting, hopes had been high that Burma
would come under public pressure to reform its abysmal human rights record
and move towards democracy.

ASEAN nations have traditionally been reluctant to criticize other members
of the club, but recently countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia have
called for the military junta that runs Burma to release opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.

But there has been no criticism at the current meeting. Instead, the
leaders put out a statement welcoming a vague blueprint for democracy
issued by the Burmese authority. The ASEAN statement failed to mention
Aung San Suu Kyi, who was put in what Rangoon calls "protective custody"
since a government-backed mob attacked her convoy on May 30.

Sunai Phasuk is a Thai human rights campaigner, and he says ASEAN's policy
of "constructive engagement" has failed and that he believes the
reluctance of ASEAN nations to criticize one of their own is rooted in
their own indifferent rights records.

"ASEAN is an association of governments and it is an association of
governments which have a very bad record of human rights and democracy,"
he said. "Not only the issue of Burma; we have the issue of Aceh; the
extrajudicial killings in Thailand; the lack of freedom in Laos, Vietnam;
the political violence in Cambodia; the lack of political pluralism in
Malaysia and Singapore; the increasing discrimination against Muslims in
the Philippines
 All these are major concerns."

He believes that the only way that the Burmese authorities can be
persuaded to move towards democracy is for the United States and the
European Union to continue to apply pressure not just directly to Rangoon,
but also to Burma's regional and economic partners.

The military in Burma decided to hang on to power after an overwhelming
general election victory by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy in 1990. Since then, the Nobel peace Laureate has spent more
than half her time under house arrest.


Associated Press Worldstream   October 9, 2003
Hundreds of foreign activists blacklisted before APEC summit

Hundreds of foreign activists have been blacklisted and banned from
entering Thailand before a summit meeting of 21 world leaders this month,
police said Thursday.

National police chief Gen. Sant Sarutanond said the activists would be
refused visas until after the Oct. 20-21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
meeting.

He did not elaborate, but The Nation newspaper reported that a circular
has been sent to Thai embassies and consulates in 100 countries
instructing them not to issue visas to the activists until after the APEC
meeting.

Thailand's government has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate
protests or demonstrations during APEC, provoking angry reactions from
critics and democracy activists who accuse Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra of trampling on people's basic rights.

Sant said foreign activists who live in Thailand but are currently outside
the country will not be allowed to re-enter until the meeting ends.

"Foreigners who live here and go out to cause trouble in other countries,
they will not be allowed to return," he said.

At least one coalition of 10 local private advocacy groups has said it
will still demonstrate during the summit.

"We have no intention of creating confusion or pressuring the government.
We just want to call for the benefits that the Thai public deserves from
this APEC meeting," said Suwit Watnoo, an activist from the Network of
Globalized Civil Groups for Peace.

The Council of Northeastern Small-scale Farmers said an estimated 20,000
poor farmers from across Thailand would camp out in Bangkok during the
summit to highlight their grievances.

Activists say they believe the government also wants to prevent
potentially embarrassing protests against neighboring Myanmar's military
dictatorship.

A number of Myanmar activists have already been prevented from entering
Thailand, said Sunai Phasuk of the local human rights group Forum Asia.


----INTERNATIONAL----

BBC News   October 9, 2003
US rejects Burma progress report

Washington has sharply disagreed with the Association of South East Asian
Nations over the situation in Burma.
The US State Department rejected a statement by Asean at the close of its
annual summit, which said there had recently been "positive developments".

A spokesman said he saw no progress in Burma, and none could be achieved
until the regime allowed the democratic opposition a full role in
politics.

He also demanded the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader.

Asean ended its summit in Bali by saying that Burma had been making
progress, and added that it welcomed the "roadmap" to democracy revealed
by Prime Minister Khin Nyunt.

However, there was no mention in the statement of Aung San Suu Kyi, who is
currently under house arrest.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said any "roadmap" was
meaningless unless the opposition was allowed a full role.

"They noted, quote unquote, 'positive developments'," said Mr Boucher.

"We don't see those and we don't see any need for a road map unless it has
full participation of the opposition, and that's the way forward to us."

He called for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released unconditionally and for her
party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), to be allowed to reopen
its offices.

Asean - which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Burma - also described
American sanctions against Rangoon as "not helpful".

The US imposed a blanket trade ban after Aung San Suu Kyi's latest arrest
following a clash between her supporters and pro-junta demonstrators on 30
May.

Burma's political crisis dates back to 1990 when the NLD won a landslide
election victory which the regime refused to recognise.


Agence France Presse   October 9, 2003
For Myanmar junta, Southeast Asia holds carrot while US wields stick
By Pascale Trouillaud

Myanmar's ruling junta was spared from humiliating criticism at this
week's Southeast Asian summit, only to be assailed later by the United
States, but neither the carrot nor the stick approach has had any success
in pushing the regime towards democracy.

As the junta maintains its tight grip on power, muzzling the democratic
opposition and confining its leader Aung San Suu Kyi to her home, the two
approaches are likely to collide when US President George W. Bush meets
Asian leaders in Bangkok this month.

Bush, who will also make an wide-ranging tour of the region, is almost
certain to raise the Myanmar issue in the strongest terms at the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.

At their talks in Bali this week the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) hailed recent events in Myanmar as "positive developments"
and said international sanctions would not help bring about democratic
change.

The ASEAN resolution, which would have been music to the ears of the
generals in Yangon who have few friends in the international arena, also
lent its support to the junta's new "roadmap" to democracy.

The initiative, which envisages "free and fair" elections and a new
constitution but does not mention Aung San Suu Kyi or any timeframe for
reform, was described as a "pragmatic approach" that deserves
"understanding and support".

ASEAN opted not to grapple with an issue that threatened to overshadow the
summit, and retreat from an unprecedented stand made in June when it urged
Yangon to release Aung San Suu Kyi before the Bali meeting.

Instead, the Myanmar regime enjoyed a large measure of understanding and
tolerance from ASEAN which chose to strictly observe its much-criticised
ban against interference in member nations' affairs.

Newly appointed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt was given time to prove
his reputedly pro-reform credentials, despite being a key figure in the
ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) since it was installed
in 1988.

And there were no objections as Foreign Minister Win Aung denied there
were any restrictions against Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held at her
lakeside residence with the phone lines cut and all visitors turned away
by military intelligence agents.

"We do not call it house arrest or anything like that. She is now at home
recuperating," he said, referring to major surgery she underwent last
month which forced an end to four months of detention at a secret
location.

ASEAN "wants to give them a last chance to prove they are sincere (about
embarking on reforms). They decided to give them the benefit of the
doubt," said one well-informed analyst in Yangon.

However, Washington has little doubt that the notoriously intransigent
regime has no intention of shifting to a democracy while it holds the
opposition leader and her deputies in custody.

With regards to the "positive developments" praised by ASEAN, State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: "We don't see those and we
don't see any need for a roadmap unless it has the full participation of
the opposition."

"No proposal for a roadmap is meaningful without the full participation of
the democratic opposition," he said in a curt response late Wednesday.
"That for us is the way forward, that for us is the only way forward."

However, observers in Yangon noted that the military government invariably
responded negatively to such sharp criticism and that the US comments were
not likely to have the desired effect.

"The Americans speak to them too harshly, they can't accept this," noted
one Yangon-based diplomat who said the softly-softly ASEAN approach was
more likely to have an influence on Myanmar's political deadlock, although
not any time soon.

"One of the reasons behind ASEAN's timid response in Bali is that they
have been persuaded that you don't make progress in these things by using
pressure," the diplomat said.

The analysts also said that in the absence of any better option, the
roadmap should not be dismissed out of hand but instead used as a base on
which to begin building a framework for change in Myanmar.

"ASEAN's comments on the roadmap are working in the same direction as
Razali," the analyst said, referring to UN envoy Razali Ismail who visited
Yangon early this month on a mission to get the two sides talking.

"I imagine that Khin Nyunt gave ASEAN certain guarantees about the
participation of all the parties involved" in a promised national
convention to write a new constitution, he said.

It is considered vital that Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD) and other pro-democracy groups including ethnic political
parties are involved in the the convention which is the first step in the
roadmap.

"Razali said this was the very first step and that it was essential that
this first step is made on solid ground," said the diplomat. "There is a
glimmer of hope."


The Standard   October 9, 2003
Journalist Protests Over Suu Kyi Arrest
By Paris Lord

A freelance journalist staged solo protests at the Myanmar and Indonesia
consulates-general yesterday to protest against the continuing house
arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi (is) the legitimate leader of Burma who won the election in 1990
and who has been in detention ever since, courtesy of the Myanmar
generals,'' Hong Kong resident Isabel Escoda said. I am outraged at the
inhumane treatment shown by the May 30 attack on her and her colleagues,
and her recent surgery and continued house arrest,'' the Filipina said.
Such an act by the Myanmar dictators flouts all civilised rules and hurts
Asia's image.'' Escoda said she was embarrassed that Philippine president
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had not expressed outrage at the treatment of Suu
Kyi.

On her first protest, Escoda taped a sign to the door of the Myanmar
office in Wanchai and left a large blue poster beneath the country's seal.
Consular officials tried to seize a reporter's camera, and then
photographed Escoda and the reporter as they were leaving the Sun Hung Kai
Centre.

At the Indonesian consulate in Causeway Bay, Escoda presented a letter to
first secretary Razal Nasrun, who said he would pass it on to the acting
consulate-general. Indonesia is currently hosting the annual meeting of
the Association of South East Asian Nations.


----EDITORIALS----

The Age (Melbourne)   October 9, 2003
A Club Worth Joining In Spite Of Its Faults

ASEAN shows how much work remains to be done before Asia openly embraces
Australia.

Unlike last year, Australia has not sought "dialogue partner" status at
the Association of South-East Asian Nations' annual summit. The
disreputable nature of members such as Burma, which has also exposed how
ASEAN is hamstrung by internal differences, makes the Australian
Government's contention that it did not actively pursue a place at this
week's summit seem both reasonable and convenient. And if Burma's presence
is awkward now, what of the 2005 summit it is due to chair? ASEAN's
reticence in challenging Burma's detention of opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and her colleagues exposes it to embarrassment now and in the
future. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer observed only two years ago that
"ASEAN ministers will say to you quite frankly, 'We're all talk and no
action'." (He did add this was "a bit of exaggeration".) Accordingly, why
bother with ASEAN? Australia has in recent times made significant progress
in bilateral relations with its member countries. This year it signed a
free trade agreement with Singapore and is seeking another with Thailand.
Mr Downer can point to counterterrorism agreements with Malaysia,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, and security dialogues with the
last three and Vietnam. Informal ties are bolstered by increasing numbers
of ASEAN members' students at Australian educational institutions.

For all that, Australia has long pursued a place at ASEAN summits and this
year's venue offers a poignant reminder of why it should. The choice of
Bali, where 88 Australians died in the bombings of a year ago, and summit
host Megawati Soekarnoputri's reason for that choice, to show that
terrorism would fail, underscore the perversity of ASEAN's exclusion of
Australia, Indonesia's close partner in this and other investigations.
Australians might wish their Government could one day opt for Groucho
Marx's equally perverse response to a club that did deign to accept him:
"I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member." Yet
Australia cannot ignore the fact that China, Japan, South Korea and India
have signed ASEAN security accords and been invited to help build a
European-style economic community by 2020. The plan's significance has
increased with the collapse of the World Trade Organisation's Cancun round
of talks. Though this is the work of decades, and ASEAN's record is one of
procrastination and compromise, Australia cannot risk being permanently
marginalised when the value of ASEAN trade already exceeds $1 trillion a
year. (Australia's two-way trade with ASEAN totalled $34 billion last
year.) For now, patience is appropriate, with figures such as Malaysia's
Mahathir Mohamad maintaining the snub at his last summit before
retirement. But Australia should take care not to convey the idea that it
views the matter with complacency or indifference. ASEAN is still too
important a club for Australia to feel comfortable about its exclusion.