BurmaNet News, June 12-14, 2004

[Editor]

June 12-14, 2004, Issue # 2495

INSIDE BURMA
SHAN: Handpicked, yes, but not all convention delegates toeing junta line
Irrawaddy: Burma’s PM Postpones Trip to Neighbors
AFP: Two members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party arrested in Myanmar

REGIONAL
Kaladan: More than 8,500 Rohingya Refugees are in Fear of Possible Attack
and Arrest in Bangladesh Camp
Nation: Burma: An albatross for both Asean and Europe

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: EU cancels Asia partnership talks in Myanmar row
AP: Myanmar rights abuses makes EU fear for ties with Asian nations

OPINION / OTHER
WSJ: Noninterference In Burma Is Not an Option
Irrawaddy: Conscripted for Karaoke

ANNOUNCEMENT
BIC: Seeking Burma Project Intern


INSIDE BURMA
______________________________________

June 14, S.H.A.N.
Handpicked, yes, but not all convention delegates toeing junta line

According to a member of a ceasefire group attending the National
Convention, that has been meeting non-stop for 4 weeks since 17 May,
Rangoon authorities are coming under fire not only from representatives of
various armed groups but also from their own stand-ins.

"Contrary to our initial presumption that everything put forward by the
generals would be endorsed meekly by the delegates," the ranking member
from one of Northern Shan State's armed groups that had concluded truce
pacts with Rangoon said yesterday, "some of them are giving us a really
pleasant surprise by speaking their minds."

For instance, he pointed out, the 48-strong workers group had submitted a
critique on continuing widespread forced labor in the country for more
than 3 hours. Likewise, the 56-strong intellectuals-intelligentsia group
that includes university professors had also given a scathing review of
the present state of affairs.

"The trouble is that although we are being allowed to present our views
freely, there has as yet been no responses from the authorities," he
added.

Besides, the Military Intelligence officers were "acting improperly" by
dissuading some delegates to submit their own separate papers. One outcome
was ten of the groups, including the United Wa State Army, that had
originally promised to back a set of proposals submitted by 23-other
groups ended up tabling their own recommendations. All together there are
105 delegates in the Other Invited Delegates group, 90 from 28 armed
organizations and 15 individuals.

The group of 23 includes Shan State Army "North", Kachin Independence
Organization, Karenni Nationalities People Liberation Front and New Mon
State Party, among others. The proposals, in short, were designed to grant
more legislative powers to the states than to the central government as
moved by the generals, disclosed one of the delegates interviewed by Radio
Free Asia.

"Nobody knows when the Convention will conclude, not even the top
government who are with us," said the delegate. "They want it not only to
be 'their way' but also to look nice. That, you know, is quite a tall
order."

The other delegate had told RFA it would be a "dish without salt" without
the participation of the elected parties and representatives in the
National Convention.

The 1,088 delegates attending the Convention have been broken down into 8
different groups: Political parties, Representatives-elect, National
races, Peasants, Workers, Intellectuals-Intelligentsia, State Service
personal and Other Invited Delegates.

For further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at:
Shan Herald Agency for News.
______________________________________

June 14, Irrawaddy
Burma’s PM Postpones Trip to Neighbors

AP/Rangoon: Prime Minister of Burma Gen Khin Nyunt has postponed a trip to
three Southeast Asian nations because he is preoccupied with a
constitution-drafting National Convention, diplomats said on Monday.

Gen Khin Nyunt, who took office last August, was scheduled to make
introductory visits to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on June 15 and 16. He
visited Malaysia on June 1 and Thailand on June 4.

“The Prime Minister postponed his visit, as it is an important period for
him to be in the country. He has a busy schedule this week concerning the
current National Convention,” Laotian Ambassador to Rangoon Chanthapy
Bodhisane told AP.

He did not elaborate, but another diplomat speaking on condition of
anonymity said some of the former ethnic guerrilla groups have made
proposals that need Khin Nyunt's attention. The diplomat did give details
of the proposals. The government does not comment on the National
Convention, which is closed to journalists.

Representatives of the militias, which signed separate cease-fire
agreements with the government some years ago, are among the 1,088
hand-picked delegates attending the assembly that began on May 17.

Billed by the ruling junta as a first step toward democracy, the
convention has been dismissed as a sham by democracy groups and Western
governments because it is being held without the country's main opposition
party, headed by detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The junta came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy movement.
It held elections in 1990 but refused to step down after Suu Kyi's party
won. Suu Kyi has been under detention since May 30, 2003, first in prison
and later under house arrest.
______________________________________

June 13, Agence France Presse
Two members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party arrested in Myanmar

Myanmar's military regime has arrested two members of opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party for alleged links to underground
organisations, an opposition source said Sunday.

Ma Than Htay and Tin Win were detained by the junta's security forces on
June 5 for alleged contact with illegal groups and were awaiting charges,
the source said.

"We are trying to get legal representation for them but still don't know
where they are being held," the National League for Democracy (NLD) source
told AFP.

It was still not clear which outlawed groups the pair were alleged to have
had contact with, the source added.

Myanmar's ruling junta released nine members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party
last Friday after they were arrested for protests marking the anniversary
of her detention a year ago.

The nine, all from the NLD's youth wing, had faced potential lengthy jail
sentences for handing out copies of the United Nations human rights
declaration at several locations in the capital Yangon on May 30.


REGIONAL
______________________________________

June 14, Kaladan
More than 8,500 Rohingya Refugees are in Fear of Possible Attack and
Arrest in Bangladesh Camp

Cox’s Bazar, June 13: More than 8,500 Rohingya are in fear of a possible
attack and arbitrary arrest at Kutupalong UN refugee camp under Cox’s
Bazar of Bangladesh, said a refugee from the camp.

These refugees have been refusing food ration and staging on hunger strike
since Wednesday, the 9th June 2004, demanding adequate protection and full
refugee status, he further said.

Although it has been already four days the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Refugee Relief and Repatriation
Commissioner (RRRC) and other concerned authorities have not taken any
necessary step yet to solve the problem, said another refugee.

Instead, a number of police have been deployed in the camp, the Arakan
Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO), in a press release dated 12th June
2004, appealed to both refugees and authorities concerned to exercise
utmost restraint and find out an amicable solution of the crisis. It also
appealed to the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International
Community to look into the grievances of the Rohingya refugees for
immediate redress on humanitarian ground.

According to the Daily Star of 12th June 2004, Abu Huraira, in-charge of
the camp, on June 7 called in police to look for criminals and illegal
goods in the camp, which was set up by the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A general diary was lodged with the
local police station against the refugees.

It may be mentioned that in April 1998 when there was similar situation,
the Bangladesh camp authorities had arrested more than 100 refugees under
fabricated criminal charges of whom 3 are still serving a jail term of 14
years and some of their huts were burned into ashes.

When asked one of the officials of UNHCR at Cox’s Bazar says, “He will
inform us later, but no response has been made until writing of this
report.

_____________________________________

June 14, The Nation
Nation: Burma: An albatross for both Asean and Europe - KAVI CHONGKITTAVORN

Burma has the tenacity to take both Asean and the EU hostage. And prevail.
This pariah state has been practising and perfecting the dark art of
divide and rule. Indeed little has changed since the 1991 Asean-EU
ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, when the Burmese issue was first raised
and discussed among the leaders of the assembled nations.

So, it came as no surprise when Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong
said last week that his country's admission into the Asia-Europe Meeting
(Asem) had 'unfairly' been tied to that of Burma. As a former foreign
minister of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, he understands and appreciates
the progress Cambodia has made and the strong international support it has
enjoyed for the past decade. Cambodia is eager to benefit from the
dividends of peace.

Who is to blame for such an agonising appeal' Who is being unfair' Asean
or the EU'

Or both' Apparently issues related to Burma have evolved into a gaming
system that both groupings can use to test each other's determination, if
not their hypocrisy. Shamelessly, the leaders of both Asean and the EU are
willing to use and bet on the future of Burma for mean political
expediency. It has been an Asean tactic to stay bundled together when
dealing with the EU, not letting the EU corner individual Asean members or
exploit the grouping's internal differences over Burma. Before Burma was
admitted to Asean in 1997, the grouping made an all-out effort to defend
the regime, saying that Asean understood Burma better than anyone else
because of the country's proximity to its members.

However, five years after Burma's admission, Asean is still struggling to
say why its method of peer pressure, of which the grouping's members are
very proud, has failed to deliver the positive results that have been
promised all along.

In the year that has passed since the Depayin incident last May, dissident
voices have surfaced from within Asean. But they have not been loud or
consistent enough. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who was
instrumental in pushing through Burma's admission, severely criticised the
country and suggested that Asean could expel Burma if it failed to modify
its behaviour. Asean insiders knew that was wishful thinking. Unlike the
Commonwealth, Asean does not have a mechanism or a charter to allow the
grouping to punish members that damage the organisation or behave badly.
At the Asean meeting in Phnom Penh last July, Cambodia was brave enough to
call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, and other members echoed that
sentiment. The world community hailed the call.

Unfortunately the budding movement was short-lived. Asean temporarily
stopped defending Burma for about 170 days, from May 31 to October 6,
2003, but in the wake of the Bali summit, the grouping shifted back to the
uneasy status quo of backing the junta. At the summit, Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra was the only Asean leader to defend Burma and its newly
appointed Prime Minister Khin Nyunt. He urged his colleagues to give the
new junta leader a chance to prove himself. With such a strong advocate,
Asean leaders were polite enough not to publicise their disagreement and
complied. Today Burma is the tail that wags Asean.

For the EU, Burma is an equally large dilemma. EU members have been torn
between two different paths, one calling for continued and tougher
sanctions against the country and the other appealing for softer measures.
The latter would reward Burma for any constructive moves with a sort of
carrot-and-stick approach.

It is an open secret that the EU does not want this controversy to stand
in the way of further economic and investment cooperation with Asean. The
EU has been refining its strategies towards the Asian region in general
and Asean in particular since 1994. Europe views Asean as a huge market
and a gateway to the rest of Asia and the Pacific. With the region's
economic recovery and infrastructure development under way, the EU does
not want to miss out on this lucrative market of over 500 million people.

After much wrangling among key members such as France, the UK, Italy,
Germany and Denmark, the EU is extending its system of boycotts from last
year without going for specific economic sanctions, as some of the members
wished. Fortunately they did agree that Burma's admission to Asem must be
contingent on a constructive engagement between the junta and opposition
groups at the National Convention and on Suu Kyi's release. That has not
yet happened. Obviously the EU would like its 10 new members that joined
the union in May to become Asem members in exchange for the memberships of
Cambodia, Laos and Burma. Although Cambodia and Laos want to join Asem as
soon as possible, they do not want to hurt Asean solidarity. Unlike Burma,
both countries have benefited from Asean-EU economic cooperation .

Ironically, this approach has given Burma a free hand to manipulate all
Asean members. Sadly but truly, Asean has since come down with an
internalised case of Stockholm Syndrome, as if Burma were the very soul of
Asean. As a rule, the grouping will not wash its dirty linen in full view
of the international community. Rather the members have chosen to endure
the agony and intransigence of a house divided.


INTERNATIONAL
_____________________________________

June 14, Agence France Presse
EU cancels Asia partnership talks in Myanmar row

The European Union (EU) decided Monday to cancel upcoming meetings with
Asian partners because of serious divisions over the attendance of
military-ruled Myanmar, officials said.

A finance ministers' meeting next month of the Asia-Europe (ASEM) dialogue
as well as another meeting in September have been both been called off,
but the EU still hopes an October ASEM summit could go ahead, officials
said.

"The meetings were called off," said an official in the sidelines of a
meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Myanmar's partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
are pushing for the country's finance minister to be represented at next
month's Brussels talks, but the EU has a visa ban in place against regime
leaders.

The talks will be the first since the EU's expansion from 15 to 25 states
in May. The EU insists its 10 newcomers will attend, but in return ASEM
wants its three newest members, including Myanmar, to be present -- which
the EU resists.

Asian countries are threatening to block admittance to the ASEM summit in
the Vietnamese capital Hanoi by the EU's 10 new members unless the bloc
allows Myanmar to attend.

But the EU insists that the junta must first release democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, who has been in house detention for more than a year, before
it can even begin to consider sitting down at the ASEM table with the
regime.

_____________________________________

June 13, Associated Press
Myanmar rights abuses makes EU fear for ties with Asian nations - ROBERT
WIELAARD

The failure by EU and Asian nations to get Myanmar's military leaders to
improve their human rights record is putting in doubt a series of
high-level European-Asian meetings this year, including an October summit
in Hanoi, Vietnam.

On Monday, the EU foreign ministers will assess how they can rescue that
summit and other meetings seen as key to forging closer political and
economic ties with China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian nations.

Asian nations want Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to join ASEM - an informal,
8-year-old Asia-Europe forum of economic and political cooperation
designed as a counterweight to America's strong ties with Asia.

The EU objects to admitting Myanmar as long as its junta detains
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, refuses to let her National League for
Democracy, winner of the 1990 general elections, take office and continues
to effectively deny it a constitution writing role.

"The release of Suu Kyi would be a very important confidence-building
measure," said an EU official ahead of Monday's EU meeting in Luxembourg.
"We are very concerned (but also) pretty firm on that human rights issue."

Asian nations have threatened to keep the EU's 10 newest members, which
joined May 1, from joining ASEM if Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are kept
out.

A July 6 EU-Asian finance ministers meeting and a mid-September economics
ministers meeting - in Brussels, Belgium, and The Hague, Netherlands,
respectively - may be scrapped unless the ASEM membership stalemate is
resolved. ASEM's expansion is to be approved at an October summit in Hanoi
which itself is now in doubt, officials said.

Several years ago, the EU imposed a travel ban on Myanmar government
officials and froze their assets in Europe. It has tried to enroll Asian
nations in getting Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to ease its crackdown
on pro-democracy forces.

Thailand and Vietnam have been "helpful (and) they feel this ASEM
membership issue is getting in the way of closer EU-Asian ties," said the
EU official, who asked not to be named.

The EU argues its newest members, mostly East European nations, cannot be
banned from ASEM.

The Netherlands, which assumes the EU presidency July 1, is very keen for
the Hanoi summit to take place because of the prospects of economic
opportunities in Asia in the years ahead, especially in China.

The Netherlands and Britain are the most vocal opponents of Myanmar's
membership in ASEM, which brings EU nations together with China, Japan,
South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.

Suu Kyi is the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Her NLD boycotted last
month's constitutional convention after Myanmar authorities rejected its
demand that Suu Kyi and the party's Vice Chairman Tin Oo be freed from
house arrest.


OPINION / OTHER
_____________________________________

COMMENTARY

June 14, Wall Street Journal
Noninterference In Burma Is Not an Option - By Mitch McConnell and Dianne
Feinstein

Burma, a primary source of narcotics in Asia and the world's second
largest producer of opium, poses an immediate and growing threat to the
region.

As a repressive and illegitimate military junta with a long track record
of human-rights abuses that rivals the Taliban, the State Peace and
Development Council in Rangoon poses a clear and present danger to the
people of Burma. The policy of noninterfer ence by Burma's neighbors and
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ensures that illicit drugs,
HIV/AIDS, and refugees continue to spill across its borders.

While regional governments bury their heads in the sand to the Burmese
threat, Asia's drug addicted and HIV/AIDS infected sons and daughters bury
their hopes for a promising future. In Thailand, an estimated three
million people were addicted to amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) last
year. According to the U.S. State Department, Burma-produced ATS enters
Thailand across the northern, northwestern and western land borders.

In China, deputy director of the National Narcotics Control Commission Luo
Feng admitted earlier this year that his country's biggest drug source
remained the Golden Triangle, and that illicit drug abuse contributed to
the spread of HIV/AIDS and social instability in China. By some estimates,
as many as 10 million Chinese could be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus
within the next six years.

In India, the former health and family welfare minister of Mizoram state,
F. Malsawma, last year advocated sealing its borders with Burma to stem
the flow of illicit drugs. The minister indicated that these drugs were
sold at a cheaper price to create a market among India's youth. According
to the U.S. State Department, one of the four major categories of
traffickers in India includes indigenous tribal groups in the northeastern
states that maintain ties to Burmese trafficking organizations.

And in Cambodia, official statistics reveal a 60% increase in drug-user
arrests from 2002 to 2003. According to the United Nations, some 100,000
methamphetamines tablets from the Golden Triangle are trafficked into
Cambodia each day, along with 10-20 kilograms of heroin.

The future for Burma's youth is similarly bleak. Denied the most basic of
human rights by the repressive regime -- including education and health
care -- the Burmese people endure forced labor, rape, and conscription.
Those who dare speak out against the SPDC and its abuses are harassed,
imprisoned, or killed. Few realize that there are between 600,000 and
1,000,000 internally displaced persons in Burma today.

In May 1990, the people of Burma spoke in favor of freedom and
overwhelmingly elected the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San
Suu Kyi, in parliamentary polls. Their voices fell on deaf ears in
Rangoon, and the military junta refused to relinquish power.

In May 2003, the SPDC ambushed Ms. Suu Kyi and the NLD in Depayin, killing
and wounding scores of innocent Burmese. Held incommunicado for a period
of time, Ms. Suu Kyi and other s enior NLD leaders were later arrested,
and today they -- and some 1,500 prisoners of conscience -- remain
imprisoned for nonviolently championing freedom and justice for the
Burmese people.  Courageously boycotting the May 17 constitutional charade
organized by the SPDC, the NLD recently called upon United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan to take the matter to the Security Council.
The U.N. -- and the world -- cannot allow their brave voices to fall upon
deaf ears any longer.

What should be done? First, the region should wake up to the immediate
challenge Burma poses to stability in their respective countries. For the
sake of Asia's youth, the destructive policy of noninterference should be
discarded in favor of intervention. In 2006, Burma is expected to assume
chairmanship of Asean; there could be no greater loss of face to that
association or the region.

Asean should give the SPDC a clear choice: immediately enter into a
meaningful reconciliation process with the equal, full and unfettered
participation of the NLD and ethnic minorities in Burma or face expulsion
from the regional grouping. This will require the release of Ms. Suu Kyi
and all prisoners of conscience.

Second, the U.N. Security Council should heed the NLD's pleas and examine
the clear and present danger Burma poses to the regio n. This must include
a discussion of Burma's narcotics production and trafficking; the spread
of HIV/AIDS throughout the region from drug use and prostitution; the
junta's use of child soldiers, forced labor, trafficking in persons, and
rape as a weapon of war; the welfare of Burmese refugees in Thailand; and
reports of SPDC interests in North Korean missiles and Russian nuclear
technology.

NLD spokesman U Lwin recently said, "The ball is now in the court of the
U.N. . . . we'll have to see what Kofi Annan will do." All who
courageously champion freedom in Burma deserve more than just lip-service
from the U.N. As U Lwin rightly points out " The U.N. cannot just release
statements [calling for Suu Kyi's release] without implementing them."
Following this long overdue discussion on Burma, the Security Council
should act to impose sanctions against the illegitimate junta in Rangoon.
Finally, the European Union should join the United States in imposing a
ban on imports from Burma. Rock star and activist Bono -- who supports
such a ban -- is right to be "ashamed" of Europe's lack of support for the
struggle of freedom in Burma.

European democrats would be wise to listen to South African Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, who said earlier this year: "To dismantle apartheid [in
South Africa] took not only commitment, faith and hard work, but also
intense international pressure and sanctions. In Burma, the regime has
ravaged the country, and the people, to fund its illegal rule. Governments
and international institutions must move past symbolic gestures and cut
the lifelines to Burma's military regime through well-implemented
sanctions."

The Bush administration must continue to push for a multilateral response
from its European allies and regional partners. If Asean, the U.N. and the
EU fail to act, Asia's youth will pay the price.

Sen. McConnell is the U.S. Senate majority whip. Sen. Feinstein is ranking
member of the Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security Subcommittee and
a member of the Intelligence Committee.

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108716629478035850,00.html

_____________________________________

June 14, Irrawaddy
Conscripted for Karaoke - By Aung Zaw

Burma’s government wants to see success at its on-going National
Convention, tasked with drafting a new national constitution. Almost every
night, a song promoting the National Convention is played on state-run TV
and Radio.

Three famous singers; Khin Maung Toe, Ringo and Htun Aeindrabo sing the
jingle on Myanmar TV—but something is not right.

Expressionless, the three gaze at their scripts and sing blankly, even
though the song is short and repetitive. The singing zombie trio in
concert.

News from the music industry in the capital indicates that these musicians
were conscripted into singing and possibly blackmailed by authorities.
Why?

At the beginning of this year, the trio went to Japan for a concert. The
Burmese community there, including exiled democracy groups, welcomed them
warmly. Bowing to requests, Khin Maung Toe, also known as Ko Toe Gyi by
his fans, sang some old favorites among pro-democracy groups.

On their return to Rangoon the Office of the Chief of Military
Intelligence, or OCMI, invited the three to “contribute songs for the
National Convention”.

 I could not believe it. I respected him a lot, but not any more. —Toe
Lwin, an erstwhile fan of Khin Maung Toe

Mun Awng, a Burmese singer in exile, suspects that OCMI pressured Khin
Maung Toe and the two other singers to perform. He said that intelligence
officers reportedly told Khin Maung Toe: “If you can sing songs for other
people [democracy groups in Japan], you can at least sing one song for
us.”

Colleagues of Khin Maung Toe in Rangoon also said that the singer was
taken by authorities and disappeared for several days. Now well aware of
the consequences, it is believed that he and the two other singers agreed
to the “requests” of the government.

But fans of Khin Maung Toe were shocked to hear him singing “policy song”.
As might have been expected, the three stars received scornfull phone
calls from their erstwhile listeners.

“I could not believe it. I respected him a lot, but not any more,” said
Toe Lwin, a young man living in Rangoon.

 If we release their albums at this time, there could be an awful and
negative response from audiences. —A music producer

Khin Maung Toe, in his early 50s, a founder of Medium Wave Band. He has
never sang songs for the military government before. Young people
respected him because he and his band were distanced from the government.
He has released more than 20 albums.

Khin Maung Toe had no comment for The Irrawaddy on the subject, save to
say: “We live here.” Perhaps, he meant, “we have no choice.” Meanwhile his
producers are preparing for the backlash.

“If we release their albums at this time, there could be an awful and
negative response from audiences,” said a producer who requested
anonymity. Reports surfaced that on the morning of May 30—exactly a year
after the Depayin massacre in Upper Burma—several youth members of the
National League for Democracy in Rangoon torched 300 cassette tapes of
music by Htun Aeindrabo and Khin Maung Toe.

However, colleagues and song-writers who know Khin Maung Toe remain
sympathetic. “Musicians have little choice here. If authorities ask us to
write a song or sing we cannot say No,” said a famous song-writer in his
early 50s who spoke on condition that he not be identified.

He and other musicians understand the decision made by the three to
cooperate with authorities and sing for the National Convention. “It’s a
painful decision, I know they didn't want to do it.”

In the past, the government has targeted popular musicians such as Sai
Htee Saing and Zaw Win Htut to promote state campaigns. The musicians paid
heavy prices. Fans quickly abandoned them, shocked to see their beloved
singers standing together with the men in drab.

“I know they don't sing from their heart,” said Mun Awng.
_____________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENT
June 14, Bank Information Center (BIC)

Burma Project Intern 2004

Where:         At BIC’s office in Washington, DC
When:         September – November 2004 (three months)
Tasks:         Assisting in advocacy campaigns, developing documents,
attending
meetings, etc
Send:         Cover letter, resume and list of references (see below for
details)
Apply by: July 15, 2004 (apply by email, fax or post)

Notes:

1. The position is full-time for three months.
2.  Preference will be given to candidates that are able to start in
September 2004.
3.  Expenses (travel to and from Washington, room and board, and other
expenses) will be covered by BIC.

Candidates should have the following qualifications:

- Commitment to promoting democracy in Burma
- Understanding of the political and economic situation surrounding Burma
- Able to read, write, and communicate well in English
- Experience in the field of defending human rights and/or environmental
protection

To apply, please send the following by email, fax or post:

Cover letter (it should describe your interest in international financial
institutions, and include details of your experience in the field of human
rights and the environment)

Resume (a summary of your education and experiences)

Two or more references (name, organization, email address or phone number
of two or more persons who know you and your work)

By email: yakimoto at bicusa.org, By fax: +1 202 737 1155

By post:
Yuki Akimoto
Burma Project Coordinator, Bank Information Center
733 15th Street NW Suite 1126
Washington, DC 20005  U.S.A.

Deadline: July 15, 2003 – Please visit:
http://www.bicusa.org/bicusa/issues/about_the_bank_information_center/index.php
to learn more