BurmaNet News, March 1, 2005

[Editor]

February 29, 2005 Issue # 2665

INSIDE BURMA
Shan Herald Agency for News: Ceasefire leader takes leave amid crisis
Xinhua: E-society project underway in Yangon
AFP: Myanmar magazine suspended over Valentine's Day ad
Irrawaddy: Uncertainty in Rangoon
SHAN: Army bombards village of allies
Narinjara: 27 Muslims arrested with human trafficking gang in Akyab

HEALTH / AIDS
Xinhua: Int'l aid helps Myanmar fight TB

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Malaysia launches crackdown on migrants

INTERNATIONAL
Financial Times: Bush targets 'tyrants' in human rights report

STATEMENT
Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky: Remarks to
the Annual Conference of the U.S. Campaign for Burma

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 1, Shan Herald Agency for News
Ceasefire leader takes leave amid crisis - Pegasus

Sai Leun a.k.a Lin Mingxian, leader of Mongla, has taken sick leave for
the third time since 2001 when he suffered the first attack from a massive
stroke that had left him paralysed for months.

Mongla, opposite Daluo (Talaw in Shan) of Yunnan and 87 miles northeast of
Kengtung, the capital of eastern Shan State, has since late December been
undergoing a series of "Made in China" difficulties: electricity power
shutdown, restrictions on Chinese citizens visiting its 3 plush casinos
and now the possibility of being cut off from China-based telephone lines
by 31 March.

Lin's domain, officially designated as Shan State Special Region #4 by
Rangoon and National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State by his
group, and enjoys 350,000 tourists and $ 10 million revenue annually,
according to its own figures, had already been hit hard once by a
six-month border closure in 2003 brought about by Beijing's replacement of
paramilitary border police force with regular troops.

Sai Leun, who had resumed his leadership just a year ago, was reported to
have relegated the job to his second-in-command, Hkun Hsanglu, a local
Shan at a meeting a few days before the latter departed for Rangoon to
attend the National Convention that was reconvened on 17 February. "But
everyone knows the real power is in the hands of Lin's trusted lieutenants
Tin Shwe, Min Ein, Kyi Myint (Zhang Zhiming)and Htein Lin (Lao Erh)," said
an insider source.

The power switch-off from China has already resulted in the city's
localities getting electricity on rotation just like the rest of Burma.

Lin Mingxian, 59, is a native of northern Shan State's Panghsai, opposite
Yunnan's Wanting. He was a communist commander in the area until he,
together with other former pro-communist groups, concluded ceasefire pacts
with Rangoon in 1989. The reason for his sudden "retirement" is not known.
"He doesn't look as bad as he was two years ago," commented a source who
recently met him.

______________________________________

March 1, Xinhua General News Service
E-society project underway in Yangon

Yangon: An e(electronic)-society project is underway in the capital of
Yangon, targeting to complete by 2007, according to the Yangon municipal
authorities Tuesday.

Providing information and services on-line by the Yangon City Development
Committee (YCDC), the program has been introduced as part of the national
e-government project which began in 2002.

The e-government project in the capital, which is also part of the
implementation of the e-government agreement reached at the ASEAN Summit
in Singapore in October 2000, has developed websites for 22 ministries and
the YCDC, said the municipal authorities.

Aiming at narrowing the information technology gap among member countries
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the e-government
project at the YCDC represents one of the five projects that Myanmar
decided to implement under the agreement.

The master plan covers computerization of a range of municipal activities
including land management, market management and banking system as well as
setting up database related to land, buildings, roads, markets, water
supply, drainage and parks and gardens.

Myanmar attaches importance to developing human resources to computerize
government activities. Besides having some trained IT experts to work in
e-government projects, the country is also receiving assistance under
e-ASEAN programs.

Being one of the signatories to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated
at the 2000 regional summit, Myanmar has formed the e- National Task Force
to support the IT development, working towards establishing links with
other member nations.

With the aim of boosting the country's software industry, the first ever
Myanmar Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Park in Yangon was
established in January 2002, followed by the setting up of the second one
in the country's second largest city of Mandalay in August in 2003.

Meanwhile, Myanmar signed a series of memorandums of understanding in 2003
with companies from Malaysia and Thailand and an ASEAN organization on ICT
development.

Myanmar started introducing e-education data broadcasting system in
January 2001. The country was awarded for ICT development in 2003 by the
Asian Oceanian Computing Industry Organization.

______________________________________

March 1, Agence France Presse
Myanmar magazine suspended over Valentine's Day ad

Yangon: Myanmar's strict censors have suspended a local magazine over an
advertisement for Valentine's Day, which is banned in the military-ruled
state, an editor and international press monitors said Tuesday.

"The privately-owned monthly Han Thit (New Style) was told in mid-February
that it was suspended for the months of April and May for carrying a
Rangoon restaurant's advertisement for a St. Valentine's Day celebration,"
Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association said in a joint
statement.

The junta has barred commemorations of the lovers' day as it is seen as
arising from negative Western influences, the groups said.

An editor at the small monthly acknowledged the infraction.

"But it was not only because of the Valentine's Day ads. It was also
because we had changed some of the design of the magazine after they had
been approved by the board," the editor told AFP.

"We have since put up an appeal and the officials have responded
positively by reducing the ban by one month," he said.

The two media watchdogs also appealed for an immediate end to the junta's
policy of "advanced censorship" imposed on all media.

All publications in Myanmar must send their drafts to a so-called
"scrutiny board" for approval prior to publication.

The suspension follows Han Thit's one-month ban in September 2004 for
allowing the headline of a censored article to appear in its table of
contents, and an October 2003 ban for referring to a writer blacklisted by
the board, they added.

Three other publications were similarly punished last month.

Nwe Ni and Myanma Dana monthlies were banned for a month in February
because their cover pages had not been passed by censors, the groups said.

And the Voice, a weekly journal, was suspended for two weeks last month
for publishing an allegedly false report about construction of a
government hotel, they said.

____________________________________

February, Irrawaddy
Uncertainty in Rangoon - Aung Zaw

Even high-ranking officers are not sure where they stand

Last month, rumors in Rangoon indicated a bitter quarrel had broken out
among the regime’s three top leaders and that the generals had a bizarre
gun battle, resulting in the death of a bodyguard. A major military
reshuffle was expected, and some senior high ranking officials, including
the prime minister, were about to be axed, so the rumors went.

Some observers think the gun battle story was sparked by the death “on
duty” of Lt-Col Bo Win Tun, 42, Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye’s personal
assistant. Many believe he was killed in the cowboy-style shoot out. There
was no official explanation of how he died.

The rumor mills were further fed by the mysterious public disappearance
for weeks of newly appointed Prime Minister Lt-Gen Soe Win. It prompted
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to say that political tension in
Burma was rising.

As anticipated, all top brass subsequently appeared in public in an
obvious show of unity. But many remained unconvinced that all was well.

Since the removal of former military intelligence chief and prime minister
Gen Khin Nyunt in October last year, the regime’s stability and unity have
been continually questioned. Military watchers say the effects of the
purge are still being felt in Rangoon, and within the armed forces.

High ranking officials in Khin Nyunt’s now-disbanded military intelligence
network have also been put on trial behind prison walls in Rangoon. Their
testimony could well put many other officials in danger.

“There is a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” said one veteran journalist
based in the capital. He lamented: “Even high ranking officers are not
sure where they stand at the moment— if they are found to be linked to
Khin Nyunt, they will be fired and face trial.”

Some local observers said the generals may have disagreed about the
National Convention on drawing up a new constitution, which reconvened in
late February, and how to deal with ethnic minority groups. Some army
leaders wanted powerful Wa and other ethnic groups to be disarmed.

The generals may be quarreling, but this time the main struggle is
believed to be between Army Commander Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye and his junta
boss Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Maung Aye was supposed to take over the helm from Than Shwe several years
ago. But he remains deputy chairman of the ruling State Peace and
Development Council, or SPDC.

Oddly enough, Maung Aye was only recently given the newly-created rank of
deputy senior general, suggesting that Than Shwe was not ready to leave.

Than Shwe is also thought to be grooming Gen Thura Shwe Mann to head the
armed forces. Military watchers say Shwe Mann, who is known to be an
assertive number three in the ruling junta, is being groomed to take over
from Than Shwe. The junta leader still holds the most powerful military
position of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. But it is unclear
whether Maung Aye or Shwe Mann will be given this top position.

Observers say Maung Aye is the “John Wayne of Burma.” He is known as a
quick-thinking combat commander. Unlike Maung Aye, Than Shwe is more like
a chess player and schemer, thus making Maung Aye stand out like a sore
thumb and maybe likely to be axed.

Many observers are also doubtful that Maung Aye, 65, will be given the
number one position. Since 2000, there has been strong speculation within
SPDC circles that if Than Shwe retired he will bring down Maung Aye with
him.

Maung Aye, who was from Defense Services Academy (Batch 1), seems to have
lost much of his clout, some critics believe. But those in Maung Aye’s
camp are thought to have said that Than Shwe has lost the plot. They think
Maung Aye seems to have his own vision.

Maung Aye (some former friends says he is half-Chinese) was believed to
have been behind Khin Nyunt’s downfall. The two were at loggerheads for
many years. But this does not necessarily mean Maung Aye’s star is rising.

If Than Shwe thinks Maung Aye is becoming a threat to his throne, he won’t
be spared. But it could be premature to regard Maung Aye as a threat.
Military observers say Than Shwe does not brook any hint of a threat, and
would use a charge of high treason against his rivals.

Than Shwe didn’t even tolerate his own former boss, Ne Win, who spent his
last days under house arrest. Ne Win’s grandsons are under detention
charged with high treason, and his favorite daughter, Sandar Win, is still
under house arrest.

Some analysts say Maung Aye is smart enough to figure out what’s going on.
One western businessman with a keen interest in Burma, commenting on the
tension, said:  “This is an unsustainable situation. It won’t work.” He
added: “My opinion is the fight will continue. But Than Shwe has all the
cards and he can push a button to remove his rivals anytime he wants.”

Cynically, the businessman said that in this dog-eat-dog business “the one
who pulls the gun the fastest will be the winner.”

____________________________________

February 28, Shan Herald Agency for News
Army bombards village of allies

A border village controlled by a pro-government militia group was razed to
the ground by unanticipated shelling by a Burma Army unit last Tuesday, 22
February, according to Shan and Thai sources:

Paker, a 24-household Akha village in Tachilek's Loi Tawkham tract,
opposite Chiangmai's Mae Fah Luang district, was pounded with 60 mm mortar
shells between 03:00 - 05:00, destroying 21 homes. Both Shan State Army
and Thai army sources nearby agreed that they counted 11 flashes coming
out from the Burma Army's Mae Maw base in possession of Mongpiang-based
Infantry Battalion 43, about 1 mile southwest of Paker. "But we heard only
8 explosions," remarked a Shan officer from his Loi Kawwan base. "3 of it
must have gone faulty."

At 10:40, 4 trucks with 4-wheel drives were seen coming to the remains of
the village. It was later reported that they were militia fighters from
Nampong, northeast of Paker, who afterwards met with Burma Army officers.
Nothing however was reported how the meeting went.

On the following day, the monthly Township-level Border Committee (TBC)
was held in Tachilek, where the Thai side reportedly inquired after the
previous day's shootings. To which the Burmese side replied there was an
attack mounted on the said village by Shan rebels.

Villagers who had fled to the border from the scene however maintained the
attackers were the Burma Army and not the SSA. Altogether there were 5
households that had arrived at Piangfah Internally Displaced Persons (IDP)
village, located opposite Mae Fah Luang district near the SSA's Loi
Kawwan.

The arrivals nevertheless were unable to explain the reason for the Army's
sudden outburst. "But this is the time of the year when we Akhas visit
neighboring villages to serenade", said a youth. "I don't know if it had
rubbed the Burmese soldiers the wrong way."

Paker militia force is part of the larger one at Nampong, led by Col
Yishay a.k.a Chaiwat Pornsakulpaisarn, who is wanted by Thailand on drug
charges.

_____________________________________

February 28, Narinjara News
27 Muslims arrested with human trafficking gang in Akyab

Akyab: 27 Muslims were arrested by Akyab police, along with a trafficking
gang, while they were preparing to depart to Malaysia by motor boat, said
a police report.

The incident took place in the middle of the night, on 24 February, when
police arrested them in the Than Ban Chaung Creek, near the Akyab main
post office.

Among those arrested, 8 were women, and there were not any children involved.

According to police sources, the traffickers were paid close to 250,000
Burmese Kyat a person before leaving for Malaysia.

All arrestees were from the Unbala and Nazi Wra Quarters of Akyab, the
capital of Arakan State. Following their arrest, they were sent to the
Akyab Central Jail, according to a policeman from the Zee Gri Gate police
outpost, by phone yesterday.

All involved denied the accusation that they were trying to leave for
Malaysia, but they confessed that they were preparing to leave for
Rangoon, the police added.

Even though police department refused to disclose the names of the
traffickers, the group was reported to be from the Unbala Quarter, and
were apparently linked with some army officials.

The authorities also arrested Army Sergeant Thein Theik, from Nazi Para, a
Muslim village outpost in the Akyab Township, on 2 Feb for his involvement
in a human trafficking case, along with his colleague, Mr Bodu Shouku, a
known human trafficker.

_____________________________________
ON THE BORDER


____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

March 1, Xinhua General News Service
Int'l aid helps Myanmar fight TB

Yangon: The Geneva-based Global Drug Facility (GDF) is helping Myanmar
fight tuberculosis (TB) and its aid for the country against the disease
has reached 2.57 million US dollars so far this year, the local Myanmar
Times reported in this week's issue.

The GDF aid in terms of anti-TB medicines, which is part of the
international aid that Myanmar has received, is providing treatment to
over 100,000 TB patients in the country, the National TB Program of the
Ministry of Health was quoted as saying.

The GDF began extending aid to Myanmar in 2002 under a three- year grant
program which is extendable, according to the sources.

Myanmar stands as a country with high incidence of TB that affects mainly
young adults, it added.

Meanwhile, the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) is also
disbursing an initial aid of 7 million US dollars to Myanmar under a grant
agreement to help the country fight TB component as part of the 98.5
million dollars' aid for a five-year project against the three diseases.

The global fund will strengthen the human resource capacity of Myanmar's
national TB program, expand the coverage and improve infrastructural and
technical capacity, health officials said.

With the global fund, Myanmar's treatment success rate for TB is expected
to surpass 85 percent in terms of cured rate and to reach 70 percent in
terms of case detection rate, according to the officials.

These treatment success rate targets are set by the World Health
Organization (WHO).

Myanmar started applying the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course
(DOTS) strategy in 1997 in treating TB as recommended by the WHO and the
strategy has covered over 300 townships in the country.

According to the ministry's figures available, out of 70 percent of its TB
case detection rate registered in 2002, 82 percent were cured.

TB is among Myanmar's top three priority communicable diseases. The others
are HIV/AIDS and malaria.

The GFATM's grant for TB is expected to lead toward the release of funding
for malaria and HIV/AIDS components.

_____________________________________
REGIONAL

March 1, Irrawaddy
Malaysia launches crackdown on migrants - Aung Lwin Oo

The Malaysian government launched a crackdown on illegal migrants on
Tuesday following the end of a four-month amnesty. Burmese migrants were
among those apprehended in pre-dawn raids.

The crackdown sparked protests by migrant workers and human rights groups.
“We feel the crackdown is unnecessary,” said Elizabeth Wong, Secretary
General of the Kuala Lumpur-based National Human Rights Society, or HAKAM.
“This can’t solve the problem of illegal migrant workers.”

The Malaysian government last October gave illegal migrants four months to
leave the country, after appeals from Indonesia and the Philippines to
allow them sufficient time to go. Some 400,000 left, but Malaysian
officials estimate that about 500,000 remain.

Most of the migrants from at least seven South and Southeast Asian
countries, including Burma, work on Malaysian plantations, in factories
and on construction sites. Many of them are seeking asylum status through
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“The situation is too bad,” said one Burmese worker in Kuala Lumpur.
“Arrests are being made even at bus stops.”

Local reports say bounties are being offered to Malaysians who help the
authorities apprehend illegal migrants.

Another Burmese migrant told The Irrawaddy by telephone: “I have no choice
but to hide. I have no money left, and I have debts to pay off.” He said
he had lost his job and had failed a medical test that would have enabled
him to work legally in Malaysia.

A similar crackdown against illegal migrants was launched by the Malaysian
authorities in 2002, leading to accusations of human rights violations.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 1, Financial Times
Bush targets 'tyrants' in human rights report - Guy Dinmore

Washington: The Bush administration "put dictators and corrupt officials
on notice" yesterday, using its annual report on global human rights
practices to focus the spotlight on changes in the Middle East, as well as
continuing abuses in Cuba, China, North Korea and Burma.

A senior State Department official, presenting the voluminous 2004 report,
emphasised the theme of advancing democracy and freedom that was struck by
President George W. Bush in his second inaugural address and State of the
Union message.

"This report is the embodiment of President Bush's commitment that the US
will stand shoulder to shoulder with those who live in tyranny and
hopelessness and struggle for a better life," commented Paula Dobriansky,
undersecretary for global affairs.

There would be "consequences" for dictators and corrupt officials, she
said. "If freedom and democracy work in Muslim nations like Indonesia,
Turkey, Afghanistan and Iraq," she asked, "why should they not be the norm
in Iran, Libya, Syria and Saudi Arabia?"

The report covers every country, bar the US. A senior official said a US
report on its own human rights problems, which he acknowledged in prisons
and elsewhere, "wouldn't have any credibility".

Human rights watchdogs said the findings also questioned the credibility
of the controversial US policy of "renditions", where the US sometimes
sends suspected terrorists to countries like Egypt and Syria for
interrogation. Both countries were heavily criticised by the US for their
human rights abuses, including the torture of prisoners.

Iran was identified as one of several countries where a poor human rights
record got worse. Listed were summary executions, disappearances, torture,
amputation, flogging and arbitrary arrests as well as restrictions on
freedom of speech, the press and religion.

Key allies also came in for criticism. Saudi Arabia's record was summed up
as remaining "poor overall with continuing serious problems, despite some
progress". The abuses listed mirrored those in Iran. The report also
noted, with some delicacy, that there was widespread public perception of
corruption among "some" members of the royal family.

Criticism of Israel was muted. However, the report mentioned abuse of
Palestinian detainees by Israeli security forces, poor detention
conditions, discrimination against Arab Israelis, and trafficking in women
and foreign workers.

The longest section of the report -at 153 pages - was devoted to China.
Senior officials said its human rights record remained a top concern of
the Bush administration and a barrier to development of economic and
political relations with the US. "Throughout China, and notably in Tibet,
affronts to the dignity of human life abound," Ms Dobriansky commented.

Summing up, the report said China's human rights record "remained poor"
and the government continued to commit numerous and serious abuses.
Although highly critical, the conclusion appeared milder than a year ago
when Washington accused Beijing of "backsliding on key human rights
issues".

_____________________________________
STATEMENT

February 26, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky
Remarks to the Annual Conference of the U.S. Campaign for Burma

Thank you Michelle for that introduction.  I commend you and today’s
participants for your tireless devotion to the cause of Burmese freedom. 
Your resolve and determination are inspiring.  Thanks also to Jeremy
Woodrum and Aung Din for organizing this event, and the members of the
U.S. Campaign for Burma, for their steadfast support for the Burmese
people.  I also would like to recognize Charm Tong, this year’s recipient
of the Reebok Human Rights Award.

We meet today to address the dire situation in Burma, where a small cadre
of dictators continues to rule without the consent of the Burmese people. 
Virtually every basic human right is routinely abused, and those in
control do not offer even the pretense of acting in the best interests of
their people.

We also have come to discuss our hope for Burma, and to stand in
solidarity with those who are denied the individual rights and liberties
that are the birthright of every man and woman everywhere.  In this, we
are joined by governments and individuals around the world who are working
to help the Burmese people in their struggle for freedom.

The time is long overdue for the Burmese people to be represented by a
government of their selection.  This was the course charted by one of
modern Burma’s revered founders, Aung San, father of Aung San Suu Kyi.  In
turning his talents against colonialist powers and then against Imperial
Japan, he foresaw a Burma that was independent and free.  Before
independence, he remarked: “We have seen that the greatest of our national
tasks is to win national freedom.”  But he also knew instinctively that
the cause of freedom was not for the fainthearted.  In the same speech, he
said: “This then is how we must conceive of our freedom struggle, that it
may run several gauntlets before it comes to its destined goal and that it
cannot be treated as a question of days, months or even years.”

Aung San knew that freedom and democracy are not easy to achieve.  But he
knew they were worth fighting for, and while he did not see a free Burma
in his life, he did know it was his nation’s destiny.  That destiny has
been delayed by Burma’s rulers, but it can never be destroyed, and every
dawn brings us one day closer to when a free Burma can join the
ever-expanding community of democracies around the world.

For those of us gathered here, and those who suffer in Burma, this has
been a long struggle.  In 1989, when I was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State in the Human Rights Bureau, I gave a speech on Human Rights Day,
which I titled Dreams and Defiance.  I described the regime’s brutal and
ruthless crackdown on dissent and the brave defiance of Aung San Suu Kyi. 
Earlier that year, she had been traveling around Rangoon and was
confronted by Burmese army soldiers, the same ones who had recently
massacred thousands of unarmed citizens demonstrating for democracy.  The
soldiers aimed their rifles at her and warned her she would be shot if she
proceeded.  Aung San Suu Kyi slowly and calmly walked through their ranks,
ignoring the threats on her life.  Such is the indomitable spirit of those
who fight for Burmese freedom.

One lesson of the last century is that tyranny is not easily surmounted. 
The long struggle of the Burmese people is proof of that.  But another
clear lesson is that the fight can be won, indeed, it almost always is
when free nations work together and join forces with those who seek
liberty within an oppressive country.  In that same speech in 1989, I
noted numerous affronts to freedom and democracy committed by governments
in Central and South America, Central Europe, the still-existent Soviet
Union, South Africa, and elsewhere.  Since then, there has been a
relentless tide of freedom that has swept away dictatorship after
dictatorship.  The elections in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine remind us
that all people everywhere aspire to freedom and deserve a government of
their choosing.  This is true of the Burmese too and is something for
which they yearn and their captors fear.  I have no doubt that Aung San’s
vision of a free Burma ultimately will be fulfilled.

We will continue to help the people of Burma in their struggle.  We need
to press the world to stand firm against the junta and remind people
everywhere of precisely what is going on in Rangoon.  They must know that
the junta rules by decree and is not bound by any constitutional
provisions guaranteeing fundamental human rights or rule of law.  Security
forces continue to torture prisoners, commit rape and engage in
extrajudicial killings.  The junta monitors the communications of its
citizens and searches their homes without warrants.  The junta also
forcibly relocates large ethnic minority populations, confiscates land and
property, uses forced labor and conscripts child soldiers.

Other human rights concerns revolve around violence against women and
trafficking in persons.  Burma is a source, and to a lesser extent,
destination country for persons trafficked for sexual and labor
exploitation.  Economic mismanagement by the government, corruption by
local officials, and forced labor policies are driving factors behind
Burma’s huge trafficking problem.  Burma also remains the world’s second
largest producer of illicit opium, and remains a primary source of
amphetamine-type stimulants in Asia.  While some progress has been made in
fighting drugs, the results are far from satisfactory.  Last year, the
U.S. Government again could not certify Burma as a nation that is making
acceptable progress toward achieving the goals of the U.N. convention on
the control of narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Those responsible for this misrule maintain their control through
surveillance, harassment of political activists, intimidation, arrests,
incommunicado detention, physical abuse, and restrictions on citizens’
contacts with foreigners.  Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since the
brutal attack on her convoy by surrogates of the government on May 30,
2003.  Last December, the junta extended her indefinite detention for at
least another year.  There are over 1,000 political prisoners in Burma. 
Despite its highly publicized prisoner releases, the government arrested
at least 85 democracy supporters in 2004; of which 43 remain in prison.

With conduct like this, it is clear why Secretary of State Rice recently
noted that Burma is one of the world’s outposts of tyranny.  Those in
power in Rangoon should understand that we hold them solely responsible
for the well-being and safety of Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political
prisoners.  They should release these citizens immediately and
unconditionally, engage the democratic opposition in a meaningful dialogue
leading to the establishment of democracy, and ensure respect for the
fundamental human rights of the Burmese people.

For its part, the United States is employing a variety of tools against
the repression in Burma.  President Bush signed the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act on July 28, 2003.  The law and an accompanying Executive
Order imposed additional U.S. sanctions against the Burmese government,
including a ban on the import of Burmese products, a prohibition on the
export of financial services, a targeted asset freeze, and visa
restrictions against the junta and United Solidarity Development
Association, the junta’s mass mobilization organization.

The U.S. works with like-minded countries, both bilaterally and
multilaterally, to maintain maximum international pressure on Burmese
leaders.  We have called on the EU and other governments to consider
additional sanctions, including a prohibition on importing Burmese
products.  Broader agreement on such measures would send a strong message
to the junta.

We support programs that promote democratic values, human rights, the rule
of law, and good governance.  We fund organizations whose work focuses on
democracy promotion and capacity-building activities for Burmese exile
groups, and the collection and dissemination of information on democracy
and human rights.  We also support journalist training, media development
and several scholarship programs to prepare Burmese youth for leadership
roles in a free society.  All of this humanitarian and democracy-related
assistance is channeled through non-governmental organizations.

Many of you in this room and many who will hear these remarks in Burma
have toiled for a long time at securing the freedom of the Burmese.  As
Aung San said, the struggle will take time.  But it will not be
interminable.  Democracy is on the march around the world, including Asia.
 While the dictators of Rangoon may project an image of control, those who
have fought tyranny around the world and those who fight it from within
Burma, know just how ephemeral and weak this power really is.  It cannot
ever defeat the universal desire of freedom.  We do not know the exact day
Burma’s dictatorship will end, but we do know that it will end one day.

Until then, the people of Burma should know that they have our unwavering
support in their fight for liberty.  As President Bush said in his
inaugural address last month, All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can
know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your
oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. 
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America
sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.

And so we will continue to work with you until the day that a free Burma
with a true, elected government, takes its rightful place in the community
of democracies.  I thank you for your steadfast and strong commitment to
this important cause.