BurmaNet News, July 15, 2005

[Editor]

July 15, 2005 Issue # 2761


Dear Readers,

An article published in BurmaNet yesterday entitled “NLD welcomes the
extension of US sanctions” (DVB) was published on July 14, 2004, not July
14, 2005, which was implied by its inclusion in the yesterday’s edition of
BurmaNet.

The Editor


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Burmese government said set to appoint new Deputy PMs
DVB: Burma said to order ministries to relocate to new capital by September

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima: Burmese nationals driven out of Mizoram
Narinjara: Burmese refugee killed in a Bangladesh refugee camp

BUSINESS / FINANCE
AP: Myanmar to purchase hydropower equipment from China for nation's
biggest dam
Mizzima: Chinese traders buy 4,000 tons of timber from Burma

ASEAN
AP: Indonesia will not object if Myanmar skips ASEAN chairmanship
AFP: Indonesia laments Rice's absence from ASEAN meeting

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Condi less than candid on Burma
Irrawaddy: Pitching Burma’s women against ‘The Lady’

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

July 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese government said set to appoint new Deputy PMs

It has been learned from sources close to the War Office that the
structure of SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] military
government is to be changed soon. According to them, two deputy prime
ministers are to be appointed and those who have been nominated at present
are Lt Gen Ye Myint and Education Minister U Than Aung, who is related to
the SPDC chairman. Although it has been difficult to confirm this report,
one of the relatives of U Than Aung said the report is true.

____________________________________

July 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma said to order ministries to relocate to new capital by September

A senior executive from the Education Ministry told DVB [Democratic Voice
of Burma] that an official notification has been issued ordering all the
government ministries to move to the new capital, Yezin, near Pyinmana by
September the latest.

At least 30 companies are currently involved in the construction of the
new capital, Yezin, which is expected to be completed by August.

A senior construction company official told DVB apart from the new
capital, Yezin, another new satellite town is being built at Kyetpyay
Village near Pyinmana.

Furthermore, the same official said the construction of a new 1,000-bed
military hospital will begin by the end of this month. He also explained
that construction of new Yezin city and Kyetpyay town began in 2001.

Another company official said all the buildings are ultramodern and Yezin
city is about 15 times larger and more sophisticated than the current
Pyinmana city. He also predicted that Yezin Agriculture University would
be relocated in the near future.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

July 15, Mizzima News
Burmese nationals driven out of Mizoram

Authorities in Mizoram on Wednesday arrested a number of Burmese nationals
living in the northeast of India. They were eventually sent across the
border to Burma.

The arrests began on July 13. Those detained include Burmese nationals
working as goldsmiths, vendors at local markets. They were kept in a
lock-up in Aizawl, capital of Mizoram, and were taken today to the
India-Burma border town of Champhai by a prison bus.

“At about ten this morning, a prison bus carrying over 40 Burmese
nationals, left Aizawl for the India-Burma border to deport them,” an
eyewitness told Mizzima over telephone.

Among the deported are two political activists, who earned their
livelihood as goldsmiths. Though they showed proof of residence and
permits issued jointly by the District Council of Aizawl and the National
League for Democracy (Liberated Area), the police rejected them saying
“they were permitted to stay but not work.”

While most Burmese nationals living in Mizoram take up various jobs like
workers in road construction, goldsmiths, carpenters and vendors, a few
reportedly indulge in illegal trade, which has offended the state
government.

Though not officially declared, an estimated 50,000 Burmese migrants and
refugees reside in the state.

“As for us, weavers, it is not yet clear whether we will be arrested. But
all Burmese nationals seen outside are being arrested,” said a Burmese,
working in a weaving firm.

Apart from weavers, other Burmese nationals are apprehensive about going
to town.

Similar arrests were conducted for illegal migrants last year. And the
state government launched a new scheme of issuing permits to foreigners
with 300 Indian rupees for registration. However, only a few turn up to
register themselves.

Meanwhile, the Indo-Burmese border was reportedly closed down restricting
the entry of goods as well as people.

____________________________________

July 15, Narinjara News
Burmese refugee killed in a Bangladesh refugee camp

A Burmese Muslim refugee leader was hacked to death in Nayapara Refugee
Camp in southern Bangladesh.

The refugee leader, U Mohamad Houssein, aged 38, UNHCR registration number
(3761) was killed around 11 pm this Tuesday, July 12th, says a source from
the camp.

The police are currently interrogating three other refugee leaders in
regards to this murder.

The wife of the deceased, Rohimar Khatu, is asking the police to charge 13
refugees in the camp in relation the incident.

There is a schism in the refugee in the camp; those who want to go back to
Burma soon and those who do not want to go back to the military-ruled
Burma. Mohammad Houssein is the leader of those wishing to return home.

Many of the refugees in the camp believe that this killing must be related
to the schism and committed by those who do not want to go back to Burma.

Burmese Muslim refugees number up to 20,000 in Bangladesh. They are
staying in two camps, Kutupalaung and Nayapara, in southern Bangladesh,
Cox’s Bazaar District.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / FINANCE

July 15, Associated Press
Myanmar to purchase hydropower equipment from China for nation's biggest dam

Yangon: Myanmar's military government signed agreements Friday to purchase
equipment from a consortium of state-owned Chinese companies to build the
country's largest hydropower plant, officials said.

The Ministry of Electric Power agreed to purchase equipment from China's
CITIC Technology Company Ltd. and Sino-Hydro Corp. Ltd. worth US$125
million ([euro]97 million), said the officials, speaking on condition of
anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.

The majority - US$113 million ([euro]87.6 million) - will go to purchase
equipment for the plant such as a turbine generator and transformer. The
remaining US$12 million ([euro]9.3 million) will pay for other hardware.

At 790 megawatts, the Ye Ywa hydropower plant will be the country's
largest. It is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of
Mandalay, which is 720 kilometers (450 miles) north of the capital.

Much of Myanmar faces power shortages because the country's electricity
supply has been unable to keep up with rising demand. Myanmar cannot
afford to import much oil.

Several Chinese companies are involved with hydroelectric power projects
in Myanmar. China's Yunan Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corp.
agreed to sell Myanmar machinery worth US$80 million ([euro]62 million)
earlier this month. It will be used to build a 140-megawatt plant north of
Yangon.

The same company built the 280-megawatt Paung Laung power plant near
Pyinmana, 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of the capital. Another Chinese
company has signed an agreement to build a US$150 million ([euro]116
million) plant in Myanmar's northern Shan State.

____________________________________

July 14, Mizzima News
Chinese traders buy 4,000 tons of timber from Burma - Myo Gyi

Military authorities in Burma have sold over 4,000 tons of timber and
other logs, seized from smugglers, to Chinese traders.

The logs were stacked in the football ground in Hnam Hkam town in the
Northern Shan State of Burma. These were sold last week to three Chinese
traders by an order from Burma's Northeastern Region Military Commander.

The logs were loaded into trucks and carried away to China's Zhenkang
district in Yunan province. The logs were seized from illegal timber
smugglers in April 2005.

"The traders hired trucks in Hnam Hkam to carry away the logs. The hiring
charges for a T- 2000 truck, which can carry up to (20) tons, per trip,
that is Hnam Hkam to Zhenkang, costs 15,000 Kyats," said a local truck
driver.

Hiring eight T- 2000 trucks, the traders, reportedly, took away nearly
2,000 tons of timber.

"As far as I know, the authorities sold the logs in two phases. Nearly
half the logs kept in the football ground have been carried away in what
is probably the first trip," he added. The rest of the logs are likely to
be sold next month, said a military source.

According to military analysts in the border, the Burmese authorities have
been selling logs to China as payment for weapons and military equipment
procured from China.

____________________________________
ASEAN

July 15, Associated Press
Indonesia will not object if Myanmar skips ASEAN chairmanship

Jakarta: Indonesia said Friday it would not object if military-ruled
Myanmar bows to international pressure and skips its turn as chairman of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"Considering the current situation and conditions in that country we can
understand if they chose to postpone their chairmanship," Foreign Ministry
spokesman Marty Natalegawa said, without elaborating.

The United States and the European Union have warned that they would stall
funding for ASEAN development projects and boycott meetings if Myanmar is
allowed to take its turn as chairman of the regional group next year.

ASEAN has said it will not force Myanmar to vacate its seat and member
states traditionally avoid commenting on each other's internal affairs.

Washington and Europe object to Myanmar's poor human rights record, lack
of democracy and detention of hundreds of political activists, including
celebrated pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Some Southeast Asian diplomats feel ASEAN's reputation would be damaged if
Myanmar becomes chairman. Myanmar has yet to give a clear indication of
its intentions.

Last month, Indonesia's Parliament issued a nonbinding resolution urging
the government to boycott ASEAN meetings next year if Myanmar takes over
the chairmanship of the regional grouping.

Myanmar's current military government took power in 1988 after brutally
crushing a pro-democracy movement. In 1990, it refused to hand over power
when Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in general elections. Suu Kyi
has been under house arrest for much of the past 14 years.

ASEAN's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

____________________________________

July 15, Agence France Presse
Indonesia laments Rice's absence from ASEAN meeting

Jakarta: Indonesia said Friday that a decision by US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to skip a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) was regrettable.

"Condoleezza Rice's absence is something to be regretted because this is
the first time that the United States is not represented by its secretary
of state," foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told a press
conference.

"This is something unusual but regardless, the ASEAN dialogue process will
move forward. (Rice's absence) will not get in the way of dialogue at the
ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum)," Natalegawa said.

Regional diplomats have confirmed that Rice will not attend the ARF, the
only official security meeting in the Asia-Pacific region, and
post-ministerial conference in the Laos capital of Vientiane on July
28-29.

The post-ministerial dialogue involves ASEAN and its key trading partners,
notably the United States, European Union, China, Japan and Russia, as
well as the ARF.

It will be the first time in about two decades that a US secretary of
state has not attended the annual ASEAN foreign ministers' summit and the
ARF.

Rice, who is expected to visit Africa during the ARF meeting, will be
represented by her deputy, Robert Zoellick.

Some analysts have said her absence is calculated to put pressure on ASEAN
to make sure military-ruled Myanmar does not take up the group's rotating
chairmanship next year.

Concerns over Myanmar have become a sticking point, and Washington has
warned that ASEAN's reputation would be tarnished if Yangon took up the
leadership of the 10-member grouping.

Speaking in Thailand on Monday, Rice urged Southeast Asian nations to
press the junta to reform and said there could be a "possible case for
reconciliation" if it freed Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from
house arrest.

Analysts have warned that Rice's non-attendance could hurt US credentials
in the region and deepen doubts over its importance to US foreign
policy-makers.


_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

July 13, Nation
Condi less than candid on Burma

If Rice skips the Vientiane meet, it would speak volumes about US
frustrations with Asean’s vacillation on the pariah state

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said all the standard stuff without
ruffling the feathers of either Thailand or Asean on critical issues. Her
first visit to Thailand focused on the crisis in Thailand’s restive
southern region, the US role in humanitarian tsunami-relief efforts and
Burma. Rice was careful in her remarks about the situation in southern
Thailand, which has already escalated into a war zone, with more than 800
killed since January 2004. She made it a point to go along with the Thai
government’s line, saying it was a domestic issue and that there was no
evidence of links between local insurgents and international terrorist
organisations. Apparently, the arrest of Hambali, one of the most wanted
international terrorists, in Ayutthaya in August 2003 and who is now in US
custody, proved nothing of any consequence.

Interestingly, the US and Thailand see eye to eye on the situation in the
South, saying it has nothing to do with the international war on
terrorism; ie, the fight against insurgents in Iraq, for which Thailand
contributed more than 400 troops for a year after the fall of the Saddam
Hussein regime.

In the meantime, the US has taken a number of steps, including economic
sanctions, to try to pressure the Burmese junta to make political progress
and release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, she said. Washington has
also urged its allies and partners, including the European Union and
Japan, to do likewise.

But Rice should have been more candid about Burma and told it like it is,
that the US is not at all happy with Asean or Thailand over their policy
of appeasement towards the pariah state, which has been roundly condemned
by the international community for its flagrant human-rights violations.

“I did talk about the need to have the Burmese government make progress.
We hear from time to time from representation [in Rangoon] that there will
be progress, but there is no real progress,” said Rice.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon also demonstrated that he, too,
knows how to say all the right things.

Thailand shares Washington’s goal of promoting democracy and national
reconciliation in Burma, and the government will continue to convey to the
junta the message of concern from the international community, he said.

The minister added that he expected progress on the “roadmap” for peace
that was proposed by former Burmese prime minister Khin Nyunt and that the
junta would draw up a new constitution, free pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and other dissidents and hold a general election in the near
future.

What he didn’t say was that the wishy-washy Burma agenda he inherited from
the Thaksin I administration has been a perpetual kiss of death for
Burma’s fledgling democracy. Bangkok just cannot get it through its head
that Rangoon will never see Thailand as an honest broker.

In regard to Rice’s decision not to attend the upcoming Asean ministerial
meeting in Vientiane, one can always say there is something else more
worthwhile to do, or that there are more important meetings to attend, or
blame it on her extremely tight schedule.

If the above-mentioned reasons were considered valid for forgoing a major
Asean meeting, then there’s probably be no way she would be able to make
it to any Asean meeting ever again.

In a way, she may be right. There are not enough good reasons for Rice to
go ahead and actually attend the Asean meeting. It’s easy to accuse Rice
of insensitivity towards a region that has the potential to become a
friend in need to the US, especially when Washington is reaching out to
the global community to fight terrorism and attempting to strengthen its
sphere of influence to counter China’s international ascendancy. But it’s
high time that Asean re-evaluated itself.

It can start with putting its house in order by placing more pressure on
Rangoon to deal with Burma’s so-called “internal problems” and the
self-serving behaviour of that country’s immediate neighbours, especially
Thailand.

But more importantly, Asean needs a new mindset – one that takes into
account new global realities and higher standards of behaviour expected of
members of the international community – in order to find its rightful
place in the world. Failure to do that will lead to Asean becoming
marginalised and irrelevant.

_____________________________________

June 15, Irrawaddy
Pitching Burma’s women against ‘The Lady’ - Clive Parker

The words of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye and Gen Soe Win are
no longer in fashion, it seems. When you need to counter the negative
publicity surrounding the 60th birthday of ‘The Lady’, what better way
than to use the remaining 27 million women in Burma to do it for you?

Since June 18th, the day before Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, the Myanmar
Women’s Affairs Federation has been attacking Burma’s best-known female on
a daily basis. And although Burma’s national women’s day passed more than
10 days ago, the reporting of the event and the rhetoric that came out of
it continues.

The group has in the past month accused Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption,
threatening the destruction of Burma and even encouraging women
trafficking. The only antidote, it says, is either the continued detention
of the 60-year-old or, as suggested earlier this week, deportation.
Nothing new coming from Burma’s ruling junta, perhaps, but this approach
is actually in keeping with the recent evolution in their approach to
public relations.

Only last month Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan called for a
reinvigorated media effort to combat ‘internal and external destructive
elements.’ If the MWAF were not so clearly linked to the Tatmadaw (armed
forces) it might possibly have come out of the past 30 months of Suu Kyi
bashing with a shred of credibility. The organization’s president, Than
Than Nwe, is the wife of Secretary-1 Lt-Gen Thein Sein, while the wives of
Snr-Gen Than Shwe, Prime Minister Gen Soe Win and almost all of the top
generals are patrons of the organization. Khin Nyunt’s wife was head of
the organization, until of course the former prime minister was ousted
last October.

While the MWAF began in December 2003 with barely a whimper and celebrated
national women’s day last year equally as quietly, the junta now seems to
have realized its usefulness. Sources in Burma say the recruitment process
for the organization works in a similar way to that of the Union
Solidarity and Development Association, the brainchild of Snr-Gen Than
Shwe. The wives of soldiers are expected to join, while application form
‘donation ceremonies’—during which the MWAF membership is offered—have
been widely reported in The New Light of Myanmar. As a result, the group
now boasts more than one million members.

There is, of course, one vital flaw. The opinions expressed by the head of
the MWAF are those of the wives of the military’s top brass and therefore
inseparable from the official party line. Clearly no member of the MWAF
would be permitted to express a differing view. The junta’s claim that the
organization represents the will of the female half of the country is as
absurd as any previous propaganda. Given the chance to express their
opinions freely, as in the 1990 elections, Burma’s women would surely
reject the ideologies of the junta’s latest political project.

Burma’s military government is trying to force its beliefs on the
country’s 27 million ladies for the simple reason it is scared of the will
of just one. Masquerading in women’s clothes, however, is unlikely to have
much effect.