BurmaNet News, May 10, 2005

[Editor]

May 10, 2005 Issue # 2715


INSIDE BURMA
SHAN: State of emergency ordered
Irrawaddy: Bomb scare at sports stadium increases fear in Rangoon
DVB: Aung San Suu Kyi's safety in jeopardy, says western diplomat
Reuters: Myanmar urges vigilance as post-bomb rumours swirl
AFP: Some relatives left in dark over fate of Myanmar blast victims

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Shops and markets close as tension rises in Tachilek

BUSINESS / FINANCE
Thai Press Reports: Future Thai exhibition in Myanmar in doubt
Xinhua: Singapore company to strengthen crude oil exploration in Myanmar

ASEAN
AFP: Thailand seeking to end Myanmar's ASEAN chair deadlock: Thai FM

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: US to broaden ties with Southeast Asia, but not limit China: Zoellick

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Rangoon’s response preposterous
South China Morning Post: If carrots don't work, it may be time for the stick
National Post (Canada): Stand up for democracy in Myanmar

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 10, Shan Herald Agency for News
State of emergency ordered - Hawkeye

Rangoon has ordered a state of emergency in each of the 12 military
regions in Burma beginning

Besides all imports from China has also been suspended.

Shan businessmen residing in Maesai agreed saying they were unable to move
any merchandise across the border beginning yesterday, 9 May.

In Tachilek, curfew from 22:00 - 06:00, was imposed starting 8 May, but
was announced through the public address systems only yesterday, they
said.

The said emergency measures were enforced following three bomb blasts in
Rangoon that killed at least 11 and injured 162 on 7 May.

______________________________________

May 10, Irrawaddy
Bomb scare at sports stadium increases fear in Rangoon - Nandar Chann

A suspicious object, thought to have been a bomb, was found near a sports
stadium in Rangoon on Monday. Since Saturday’s devastating bomb attacks in
Rangoon, many scheduled activities that could have drawn large crowds have
been cancelled, according to residents.

The object was discovered near a public phone booth at the Aung San
Stadium in Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township around 1 p.m. Monday. Local
residents alerted security forces, who later blocked off nearby roads and
ordered people to leave the area, sources said.

“Bomb experts came and took the object away because local police did not
want to remove it,” Myint Oo, an eyewitness, told The Irrawaddy by
telephone from Rangoon. The local police denied that it was a bomb.

Several events, including two scheduled concerts by the popular Burmese
band Emperor, were cancelled in the wake of Saturday’s bombings. Zaw Win
Htut, Emperor’s singer, had planned to perform at a fashion show at Yangon
[Rangoon] Trade Center—where one of the bombs exploded on Saturday—but
narrowly escaped. The trade center blast reportedly killed a young Burmese
model from the Arrow Model Agency. Other models were also injured.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday warned about 200
Thais living in Rangoon to avoid crowded areas. He added that those
planning to visit Burma should be careful because the situation is
difficult to forecast.

Hong Sung Wook, First Secretary and Consul of South Korea’s embassy in
Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy that South Korea’s National Intelligence
Service on Tuesday issued a travel warning to its citizens to postpone any
travel in Burma. Those deciding to go were urged to leave contact
information with Korean embassies and to be particularly cautious in
crowded public places like hotels and restaurants.

There are about 800 South Koreans living in Burma. One South Korean woman
was injured in Saturday’s bombings.

The bombings occurred at the Dagon Center, Junction-8 Center and the
Yangon [Rangoon] Trade Center, where a Thai trade fair was in progress.
Burmese government officials placed casualties from the powerful
explosions at 11 dead and 162 wounded.

An eyewitness who visited Rangoon General Hospital, however, told The
Irrawaddy that the number of people killed in the attacks is much higher
than the government figure.

Officials at Rangoon General Hospital refused to answer questions from The
Irrawaddy, saying that they were ordered not to speak to news agencies
about the number of people killed or the condition of the wounded.

Local residents said that they are afraid of what is happening in Rangoon
and that they hate such terrorist activities. Many refuse to leave their
homes—except when unavoidable—over concern for their security.

______________________________________

May 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Aung San Suu Kyi's safety in jeopardy, says western diplomat

A western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told DVB that the
safety of Burma's democracy leader and Nobel laureate, Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi who has been kept under house arrest since May 2003, is increasingly
becoming a matter of serious concern.

The diplomat insisted recent deadly bomb blasts in the capital Rangoon and
the second capital Mandalay indicate that the authorities of ruling junta,
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), are unable to protect its own
citizens or unearth the real culprits.

The increasing dangers of violence are not only threatening the lives of
Burmese people but also the safety of Aung San Suu Kyi who is being
detained at her lakeside home in Rangoon, the diplomat said.

But the NLD spokesman U Lwin said that whatever happens to her is the
responsibility of the junta as she is living under the "care of the
state".

"We are not allowed to take care of her. The authorities are doing that.
Whatever happens to her, it is their responsibility," he said.

______________________________________

May 10, Reuters
Myanmar urges vigilance as post-bomb rumours swirl - Aung Hla Tun

Yangon: Military-ruled Myanmar urged public vigilance against "terrorist
acts" on Tuesday as rumours swirled over who was behind a series of
weekend bomb attacks and whether more people had died than state media has
reported.

A news blackout after Saturday's bombings has stoked speculation that the
number of victims -- 11 killed according to state media -- was much
higher.

Doubts have also surfaced about the junta's charge that ethnic guerrillas
and pro-democracy exiles were behind the attacks on 2 upscale shopping
malls and a trade centre in the former Burma.

"We just don't know who to blame," U Ba Tin, a 73-year-old retired
government employee, said after he had heard that rebel groups had accused
the junta of orchestrating the blasts.

"I really feel bad and disappointed with our situation".

The city was slowly returning to normal on Tuesday, with most shopping
malls re-opening. But many people were still afraid to venture into public
places after rumours of unexploded bombs spread through the capital on
Monday.

"We can't stop shopping or using public transport, but when parents go
out, the kids are left at home," said Ba Tin said.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, again
denounced Saturday's "terrorist acts" in an editorial on Tuesday, and
urged citizens to guard against "destructive elements within and without,
with the intention of encroaching upon the sovereignty of the Union".

But the junta, which censors newspapers and radio and blocks Internet
sites that might carry news on events inside and outside the country, has
released no new details of the incident.

"We were ordered not to tell you anything," a hospital official said when
asked about the toll, which has remained officially at 11 dead and 162
wounded.

Witnesses have said it was probably higher, a view backed by security
sources in neighbouring Thailand. One of the bombs exploded during a Thai
exhibition at Yangon's trade centre.

"Our sources in Myanmar said there were 21 killed and 165 injured, of
which 40 were critical," a Thai security official told Reuters in Bangkok.

MANY THEORIES

The government has blamed three ethnic rebel groups and exiled
pro-democracy activists for the bombs, which it said were hidden in bags
and timed to explode five minutes apart.

Rebel leaders have denied the charge and security analysts have questioned
whether the ethnic groups would be capable of such coordinated attacks.

"It must have been carried out by very well-trained saboteurs in a
organised group," one Yangon-based Asian diplomat said.

A Western diplomat said many residents doubted the government's view that
its traditional enemies were behind the worst attack in the capital in two
decades.

"A lot of Burmese people say it's just the government setting off the
bombs because they need an excuse to clamp down further," said the
diplomat.

Another theory has focused on remnants of military intelligence, the
powerful unit dismantled after the purge of former Prime Minister Khin
Nyunt in October last year.

Some 38 former confidants of Khin Nyunt, whose MI unit controlled a vast
business empire, were convicted in April, but the fate of the former prime
minister is not known.

"There are all kinds of rumours circulating but nobody knows for sure who
was behind it. The thing is, this regime has no shortage of enemies," the
Western diplomat said.

(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat in BANGKOK)

______________________________________

May 10, Agence France Presse
Some relatives left in dark over fate of Myanmar blast victims

Yangon: Myanmar nationals who fear their relatives were caught up in
Yangon's deadly bombings said Tuesday they were in the dark over the fate
of family members, as the junta restricted some information about victims.

Officials in the military-run state reported 11 people killed and 162
wounded in a series of bomb blasts which rocked Yangon Saturday.

Following the initial reports in state media there has been a virtual news
blackout on the bombings, even as witnesses, Myanmar hospital doctors and
Thai authorities said the death toll was far higher.

"I went to Yangon General Hospital hoping to get some news about my son,"
a woman told AFP, referring to the hospital where most victims were taken
after the blasts at two upscale shopping centres and a convention hall.

The woman's son, missing since the attacks, worked at the Junction Eight
shopping centre, one of the blast sites.

"They wouldn't say whether he was seriously injured or dead," she said.

Other relatives also complained that they were given no information about
their missing relatives.

Authorities, who have imposed a tight security cordon around Yangon
General and North Okkalapa hospitals, the two state facilities receiving
blast victims, were also banning the transfer of the wounded to private
clinics or hospitals.

Victims of criminal cases that fall under police jurisdiction, such as the
bomb blasts, must be treated in state hospitals and their transfer
elsewhere is forbidden, sources said.

"They are not allowing bodies to be removed," a relative said.

But later Tuesday some family members were seen entering Yangon General
and meeting with wounded relatives. Others told AFP there had been no
restrictions on access.

Authorities and relatives said some cremations of victims had already
taken place and that a few more were due in the coming days.

A doctor helping treat the wounded admitted Tuesday that Yangon's official
death toll was deflated.

"The government figures are too low," he told AFP.

On Monday a senior Thai official in Bangkok said 21 people, all Myanmar
nationals, were killed in the blasts.

Yangon has blamed the attacks on an alliance of ethnic rebel groups and
pro-democracy exiles. The groups have denied responsibility.

A commentary in Tuesday's official Mirror newspaper urged Myanmar
nationals to "wake up" to the threat against the population.

"That they have targeted the innocent general public tells us this was not
meant as a challenge to the military government. They are sending out a
direct challenge to the people of Myanmar," according to the commentary.

_____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 10, Irrawaddy
Shops and markets close as tension rises in Tachilek

Residents of Tachilek, the Burmese market town on Thailand’s northern
border, were told Tuesday to close down shops and markets as tension rose
tangibly in the area. A 10 PM to dawn curfew has been in force in the town
since Saturday’s bombings in Rangoon. Foreigners were told to leave
Tachilek and make for Thailand.

Rumors circulated in Tachilek on Tuesday that bombs had been found in the
town, but these reports could not be confirmed. There was also talk of
concern about a possible attack by the Shan State Army (South).

According to eyewitnesses, security is tight in the border town and
vehicles are being thoroughly checked by police

In Myawaddy, the Burmese border town adjoining Mae Sot, in Thailand’s Tak
province, Burmese security officials were searching people crossing the
border on Tuesday.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / FINANCE

May 10, Thai Press Reports
Future Thai exhibition in Myanmar in doubt

Thailand is reconsidering whether to proceed with the 'Thailand
Exhibition' in Myanmar planned for November following the bomb blasts in
the capital Yangon on Saturday.

The bomb explosions, one of which rocked the Yangon Trade Centre where the
first 'Thailand Exhibition' trade fair in Myanmar was being held, has
forced the government to reconsider its participation in the fair
scheduled for November at the same venue, the deputy Commerce Minister
Suriya Lapwisuthisin told journalists while he waited for the arrival of
128 Thai businessman from Yangon.

The Thai government had planned to organise a 'Thailand Exhibition' in
Myanmar twice a year, the second was scheduled for November. The
government would have to review security measures before deciding whether
to participate, Mr. Suriya said.

Two Thais were slightly injured in the explosion and Thai goods at the
exhibition were slightly damaged, the deputy minister told journalists.

The goods on display will returned to Thailand next week, according to the
Myanmar authorities.

_____________________________________

May 10, Xinhua General News Service
Singapore company to strengthen crude oil exploration in Myanmar

Yangon: A Singapore-based oil company, the Myanmar Petroleum Resources
Limited (MPRL) Exploration and Production, has planned to drill six more
new test wells in an onshore oil field in central Myanmar's Magway
division this year, Myanmar Times reported in this week's issue.

Injecting 8.5 million US dollars more in the oil exploration activities in
the Mann oil field, the company will continue to carry out the undertaking
in partnership with the state-run Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE)
under a 14-year contract valid until 2014, the Myanmar Times quoted the
company's representative as saying.

The Mann oil field, 570 kilometers north of Yangon, has 650 oil wells, of
which 243 are in production with 2,400 barrels of oil a day, while daily
gas output amounts to over 3.6 million cubic-feet (101,941 cubic meters),
it said.

According to sources, the MPRL Exploration and Production has injected an
investment of 76 million dollars in the activities since 1997.

With the possession of 19 onshore and three major offshore oil and gas
fields, Myanmar has a total of 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude
oil reserve and 87 trillion cubic-feet (TCF) or 2.46 trillion cubic meters
(TCM) of gas reserve.

The Central Statistical Organization statistics show that Myanmar produced
9.9 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas and 7.16 million barrels of crude
oil in the fiscal year 2003-04. Gas export during the year went to 5.66
BCM, earning nearly 600 million dollars, while crude oil import worth
13.18 million dollars the same year.

Since Myanmar opened to foreign investment in late 1988, such investment
in the sector had reached 2.5 billion dollars as of the beginning of 2004,
the figures also reveal. Foreign oil companies engaged in the oil and gas
sector mainly include those from Australia, Britain, Canada, China,
Indonesia, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand.

_____________________________________
ASEAN

May 10, Agence France Presse
Thailand seeking to end Myanmar's ASEAN chair deadlock: Thai FM -
Boonradom Chitradon

Bangkok: Thailand is working towards ending a regional deadlock over
military-ruled Myanmar that could see Yangon forego its chairmanship of
ASEAN in 2006, senior Thai officials and sources said Tuesday.

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said the kingdom was seeking
a diplomatic solution to the crisis, as 78 of 200 Thai senators signed a
petition Monday pressuring their government to oppose Myanmar taking up
the rotating chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.

The senators' motion followed similar moves by legislators in Malaysia and
the Philippines to deny next year's chairmanship to Myanmar, which has
been run by the military since 1962, unless it implements democratic
reforms.

"The government is working on it and as a matter of fact we have the same
goal (as the senators)," Kantathi told reporters.

"I can't disclose any details because it's a sensitive issue.

"What I can say about my work is that it's the best thing for ASEAN and
Myanmar's internal problems," he said, sidestepping questions of whether
Yangon was prepared to assume the chairmanship or step down.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Thailand had already formulated its
position about Myanmar's chairmanship, which has dominated virtually every
recent ASEAN meeting, but it would not be diplomatically prudent to reveal
it.

"Thailand has decided (its position) but we will not publicly speak out,"
Thaksin told reporters. "Sometimes it is not positive to speak out."

The European Union and United States have warned they may boycott ASEAN
meetings if Myanmar heads the grouping as scheduled next year and does not
act on repeated pledges to introduce reforms, including releasing
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

A Thai government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Yangon would likely abandon plans to lead ASEAN.

"Myanmar is looking for a suitable time to announce its withdrawal from
the chairmanship," the official told AFP.

A Thai intelligence official also said Myanmar could forego its chance to
head the Southeast Asian bloc due to intense regional and other
international pressure over Yangon's rights record, in particular its
detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"They will have to withdraw at the request of other ASEAN members, because
Myanmar would not be able to organise successful meetings" should dialogue
partners such as the United States and Europe boycott, the intelligence
official said.

Analysts and diplomats have speculated that Myanmar would use its internal
security problems as an excuse to give up the chairmanship, particularly
after bombs in Yangon Saturday killed at least 11 people and injured 162.

"Now they could have an excuse ... to relinquish the chairmanship of
ASEAN," a Western diplomat in Yangon said.

"This could push the military to say 'Look, we have internal problems that
we have to solve, therefore it is better if we don't take the
presidency'."

Kantathi said he held talks with Myanmar, ASEAN, US and European officials
at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Japan last week, and all agreed
Thailand should proceed with its efforts.

A senior European official at ASEM on Saturday told AFP that European
efforts to get Myanmar to reform were being undermined by a lack of
political pressure from Asian nations.

The 38-nation ASEM grouping released a joint statement calling for
democracy in Myanmar without making more concrete demands, amid ASEAN
member nations' reluctance to interfer in the domestic affairs of their
neighbors.

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

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 10, Agence France Presse
US to broaden ties with Southeast Asia, but not limit China: Zoellick

Singapore: The United States is intent on deepening economic and political
ties with Southeast Asia but not by trying to contain China's rising
influence in the region, US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said
Tuesday.

On the last leg of a six-nation tour of Southeast Asia, Zoellick said he
had also been reassured the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) was committed to stronger economic ties with the United
States.

Aside from Singapore, Zoellick, who is the most senior US official to
visit Southeast Asia during US President George W. Bush's second term,
visited Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

"It would be very useful at the start of the president's second term to
have a chance to consult with our partners and friends in the region,"
Zoellick told reporters here in explaining the purpose of his 10-day trip.

"And I think if there is any core theme, it's that we believe that it is
in the broader Asian interest to have a strong, healthy, dynamic ASEAN.

"And in so far as we can help and support that process, we are looking for
ways to try to do so and my visit is one small contribution."

Zoellick said discussions held with leaders during his trip showed
Southeast Asia wanted to continue to have strong economic ties with the
United States, which remains the region's major export destination.

"I think there is a sense that I received from the countries that I
visited there is a very strong interest in US economic ties for many of
these countries," Zoellick said.

"The countries I visited represent over 500 million people... so it's a
core part of our global outlook."

Zoellick emphasised ASEAN was the fifth largest trading partner for the
United States, with trade between the two worth about 136 billion US
dollars.

However he also said the United States had no intention of trying to
contain China's growing presence in Southeast Asia.

"From the US perspective, the key message is that we believe that we
should have our own activist engagement with Southeast Asia and that a
policy to try to limit or restrict China would be both foolish and
ineffective," he said.

China and ASEAN last year signed a deal to liberalise trade barriers and
pave the way for a more comprehensive accord planned for 2010 that could
see the creation of the world's largest free trade zone.

Zoellick's visit also had strong political spin-offs, with the diplomat
announcing while in Vietnam that Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai
had been invited to meet Bush in Washington on June 21.

The visit will be the first by a Vietnamese leader since the end of the
Vietnam War 30 years ago.

It was also announced on Tuesday that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong will meet with Bush in July.

Zoellick referred on Tuesday to maritime and counter-terrorism security
issues that were discussed during his visit to the six nations, but did
not broaden his comments from those given earlier in the trip.

In Malaysia, Zoellick offered US help to ensure security in the
pirate-plagued Malacca Strait and oversaw the renewal of a 10-year-old
defence pact between the two nations.

Zoellick also reiterated the United States' concern over the political
situation in ASEAN member Myanmar, where opposition leader and Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house detention.

"We are very troubled by the events in Burma... the fact that Aung San Suu
Kyi Kyi remains in detention, the lack of movement on democracy issues,"
he said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

The other three members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia and Laos.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 10, Nation
Rangoon’s response preposterous

Burma’s blaming of the ‘usual suspects’ for the latest bombs is highly
questionable; it’s time Thailand stops backing the junta

It was hard for outsiders to follow what was really happening inside Burma
in relatively quieter times. So, when three bombs went off in Rangoon on
Saturday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 160 more, it was
extremely difficult to get a grip on the real situation in our
neighbouring country. Immediately after the violent incidents, the
military junta imposed a news blackout. As usual, the international
community was scrambling to find out more about what had happened and why
in this secretive, military-ruled country. Junta leaders claimed that the
attacks on a trade centre and two upscale supermarkets were the handiwork
of ethnic-minority guerrillas acting in collusion with pro-democracy
activists. However, the views of this ruthless regime must be taken with a
large measure of salt.

This is not the first time the regime has blamed the “usual suspects”.
It’s inconceivable to think that these so-called enemies of the state, who
have always been closely monitored by government spies, would have had the
ability to plant powerful bombs inside the capital, which for years has
been put under tight security.

To do that, one has to assume that these people are not only very
knowledgeable in bomb making, but also that they possess top-notch
organisational skills and were able to acquire the chemicals and
ingredients required to build the explosive devices.

On the other hand, such highly specialised skills are common among members
of the armed forces and the intelligence community. It is absurd to
suggest that pro-democracy activists have the bomb-making capability, let
alone that they possess the total disregard for innocent lives required to
carry out such violent acts.

One doesn’t have to stretch the imagination too far to be more than a
little sceptical of the regime’s claims: their assertions are simply
far-fetched and self-serving.

By putting the blame on the opposition, Rangoon could be trying to mislead
the regional and international communities about the political situation
inside Burma. Rangoon may yet get what it wants from other countries by
portraying the capital city as besieged by terrorists bent on setting off
bombs in public places.

It doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to suspect that the military junta
may have a hidden agenda.

First, it is possible that Burma is trying to tell Asean that the
political situation inside its borders remains unstable and dangerous.
This would provide justification in the future for Burma to postpone the
annual Asean meeting, which it is supposed to host next year. Citing
political turmoil in the country would be a way to for both Burma and
Asean to save face.

Second, there are deep rivalries within Burma’s military and intelligence
community. The influence of former intelligence chief Khint Nyunt, for
example, can still be felt and it is possible that some of those
disaffected elements might still be seeking revenge.

Finally, it is interesting to note that Thais were the only foreign group
affected by the bombings. Although the bombs were not specifically aimed
at killing and maiming Thais who were participating in a trade fair at the
trade centre, it should serve to remind the Thai government that
supporting and abetting this rogue state does not help ensure the
well-being of Thais who are living and working in that country, or advance
Thailand’s national interest.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should know the situation in Burma best
because he has always been the first to comment about situations inside
Burma, and he has done so with unnerving accuracy. This time, however, his
insightful comments were conspicuous by their absence. He said only that
the government was ready to evacuate the estimated 200 Thais living in the
capital to safety if need be at any time.

Better still, instead of pondering the consequence of these attacks,
Thaksin should withdraw his support for Burma and review his shameful
policy to allow the authoritarian regime in Rangoon to destroy democracy,
commit flagrant human rights violations and other atrocities.

Thailand and indeed Asean must dissociate themselves from such an evil
regime. That will be an important first step toward a democratic Burma
that is responsive to the aspirations of its people and committed to a
form of national unity that embraces all ethnic groups. Failure by
Thailand and Asean to address the Burma issue, will perpetuate the
suffering of people in Burma, undermine Asean hopes to become a regional
group to be taken seriously by the international community and keep alive
a festering source of political instability in the region.

_____________________________________

May 10, South China Morning Post
If carrots don't work, it may be time for the stick

The bombings in Myanmar at the weekend - the worst in more than 20 years -
throw the country's many problems into sharp focus.

Those responsible for the blasts at Yangon shopping malls and a trade
centre, killing 11 and injuring at least 162, have not been identified.
The military junta was, predictably, quick to blame its enemies. The
terrorist attacks, it said, were the work of various ethnic rebel groups
and pro-democracy activists. It accused them of being intent on disrupting
"community peace and stability".

These groups have denied involvement and there is, as yet, no evidence to
suggest they are to blame. Relations between the government and the Karen
National Union have, however, deteriorated since the ousting of relatively
moderate prime minister Khin Nyunt last October. Another theory is that
the deadly blasts were the result of struggles within the government -
perhaps the work of Khin Nyunt's allies. This has also not been
substantiated.

Whoever is to blame, the bombings point to instability not stability. The
international community has recently stepped up its efforts to pressure or
persuade the government to improve its human rights record and introduce
democratic reforms. Last week, the European Union held unprecedented
ministerial talks with officials from Myanmar at the Asia-Europe Meeting
in Kyoto. The EU has extended its sanctions against the country, but is
still providing aid in the form of support for health and education
services.

Myanmar was promised that more help would be forthcoming if it agreed to
EU demands. These include the release of political prisoners - notably pro
-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been back in detention for the
past two years. The EU approach is sophisticated and the resumption of
dialogue welcome. The offering of carrots is generally preferable to the
waving of sticks. But engagement does not always produce results - and it
has, so far, had little impact on Myanmar's military rulers.

Myanmar has made a lot of noise about its democratic reforms but there has
been little meaningful progress. Matters will come to a head soon. Myanmar
is due to take over the leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations next year. The grouping has long favoured constructive engagement.
But it will face international isolation if Myanmar is allowed to take the
helm without making changes to the way in which it governs. Legislators in
the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are already pushing for Myanmar's
chairmanship to be withheld - with good reason. Trade with the EU and US
could be disrupted if such action is not taken.

Myanmar has a choice. There are steps it can take that would allow it to
take the coveted chairmanship as planned. It should start by releasing Ms
Suu Kyi from her long period of house arrest.

_____________________________________

May 10, National Post (Canada)
Stand up for democracy in Myanmar - Stockwell Day, National Post

On May 3 and 4, delegates of the government of Myanmar (formerly known as
Burma) attended a meeting of senior economic officials in Toronto -- at
the invitation of the government of Canada. Ken Sunquist, Assistant Deputy
Minister of International Business at International Trade Canada,
co-chaired the meeting. He responded to protests about the invitation by
asserting that while "we discourage companies from trading and investing
in Burma," we could not miss an opportunity to "show them the benefits of
working together toward a different future."

This is typical of the sheepish line our government takes whenever an
opportunity appears to make repressive regimes pay a price for their
brutal suppression of their own people.

Myanmar's ruling junta is a savage regime. In 1990, it threw out the
result of a democratic election and has ruled with an iron fist ever
since. The winner of that election -- Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi -- remains under house arrest to this day.

Many journalists are languishing in Myanmar's prisons. The Democratic
Voice of Burma, a radio station broadcasting out of Norway, recently
carried an interview with a journalist released after 10 years of torture
and imprisonment. Freedom House, the universally-respected human-rights
watchdog, ranks Myanmar the second-worst human-rights violator in the
world.

What makes last week's meeting in Canada so odd (not to mention
infuriating) is that our government pretends to officially discourage
investment in Myanmar, as well as travel. In December, 2004, the Commons
foreign affairs committee and the subcommittee on human rights both passed
a motion denouncing the Myanmar regime and calling upon the government to
release its political prisoners.

The conference in Toronto is now over and done -- despite our protests.
The embassy of Myanmar in Ottawa will now be emboldened to report home
that Canada's protestations about democracy and human rights are only
window-dressing, and the people of Myanmar who secretly crave freedom will
read the censored media reports and wonder why Canada does not speak up.

All this comes at a sensitive time. A recent coup in Myanmar overthrew the
prime minister, General Khin Nyunt. Regime hardliners believed he was
turning soft and was considering moving the country back toward democracy.
Now, the prison doors are opening even wider, to accommodate the
colleagues of the former PM.

Instead of talking about business opportunities, we should be telling
Myanmar's junta about our commitment to the promotion of democracy and
human rights -- and how this commitment is forcing us to contemplate the
speedy termination of diplomatic recognition.