BurmaNet News, November 18, 2005

[Editor]

November 18, 2005 Issue # 2848

INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar backs off threats to withdraw from ILO
Khonumthung News: CNF denies hands In Matupi incident

HEALTH/AIDS
FT: Burma upset at loss of $98m health grant

BUSINESS/TRADE
Irrawaddy: Foreign investment in Burma hits US $7.6 billion

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: ILO meeting ends with grave concern over Burma
Mizzima: EU parliament passes resolution on Burma Security Council talks
Irrawaddy:Bush urges Asean to move on Burma
Irrawaddy: Concerns over freedom remain as internet forum closes
DVB: MEP demands UN Security Council to prioritise Burma issue

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: No more megaphone diplomacy, please
Jakarta Post: The paranoia Myanmar junta

PRESS RELEASE
Office of the Press Secretary: Press briefing with National Security
Advisor Stephen Hadley

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

November 18, Agency France Press
Myanmar backs off threats to withdraw from ILO

Military-ruled Myanmar has backed off its threat to withdraw from the
International Labour Organization, voicing its willingness to cooperate
with the UN agency, the ILO said Friday.

The ILO met with the ambassador of Myanmar in Geneva and requested
"effective dialogue" to discuss forced labour issues, it said in a
statement.

Last month Myanmar threatened to withdraw from the ILO, saying the UN
agency was interfering in its internal affairs by trying to help forced
labour victims.

"Taking into account the willingness expressed by the ambassador to
cooperate, the governing body requests the government at various levels,
including the senior leadership, to take advantage of the time available
between now and March 2006 to resume an effective dialogue with the
Office," the ILO said.

The ILO has been allowed to maintain a liaison office in Yangon, but the
junta has sharply limited its activities. In August and September, the ILO
office said it had received 21 death threats.

UN special envoy on human rights, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, welcomed the
move, calling it "a very positive step".

"I think it is very important for the ILO to continue to work in finding
ways to end forced labor and other labor issues," he said.

"This was a sound gesture and initiative by the Myanmar government," said
the UN human rights envoy, who is preparing to submit a report on
Myanmar's human rights records to the human rights commission in March
next year.

Since taking the post in December 2000, Pinheiro had visited Myanmar six
times but the junta has refused his entry since November 2003.

Myanmar plans to convene the next round of constitutional talks on
December 5, the first step in their self-proclaimed "road map" to
democracy.

But critics have described the talks as a sham since they have been
boycotted by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy.

Pinheiro argued that political transition is difficult and Myanmar was no
exception compared with other military-run governments.

"Our role is to take this seriously so that transition will achieve
democracy. But every transition in the world is a complicated process.

No transition in the world is cozy and easy," he said.

The party led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace
Prize recipient, scored a landslide victory in Myanmar's 1990 elections
but the military, which has run the country since 1962, ignored the
result.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions against
Myanmar for its suppression of the country's pro-democracy movement.

____________________________________

November 16, Khonumthung News
CNF denies hands In Matupi incident

The Chin Nation Front (CNF), in its Press Released dated 15 November 2005,
denies its involvement in the Matupi shoot out, where a juvenile and a
minor was killed and six persons were injured.

The statement strongly denied the accusation of the CNF by some media as
the Chin National Army (CNA), the armed wing of CNF, responsible in the
'Matupi Football Match Tragedy' on 12th November. The Press Communiqué
stated, "There is absolutely no basis whatsoever to this accusation and is
only part of a routine and deliberate attempts by the military junta to
discredit its opposition."

The spoke person of CNF, Mr. Paul Sitha, told Khonumthung in telephone,
"The Burma Digest (BD) flashed the incident as 'Chin retaliation' and the
Allied Press (AP) accused the CNA. The party has to make this statement as
there is no involvement of the CNA in the incident."

In the query to the presence of the CNA in that area, Mr. Smith said that
he have confirm, from the CNA official, that its cadres are not in that
areas presently, and there could be no activities as such in that area.

The spokesperson says, "It is natural that the Burmese army were not happy
with their Commanders, the soldiers often attempt the life of their
officers. We should not be misguided though the wife of Col. San Aung was
injured." when asked whether the army open fire up on their officer.

The spokesperson further says that two soldiers of the Light Infantry
Battalion (LIB) 304 opened fire up on the people, and this is the account
of the eyewitnesses, when inquired about the real culprit of the
indiscriminate shooting. He stated, "The people were very sure that it was
the doing of the army, ask any eyewitness and thy will confirm this fact."

The Press Release stated, "Founded in 1988, the Chin National Front is an
organization whose aim is to lead the fight for self-determination for the
Chin people and democracy in the Union of Burma.  In trying to achieve
this end, the Chin National Front places highest regard for the protection
of the security and welfare of the Chin people. Since 1995, the CNF has
adopted and strictly adhered to the Geneva Convention relating to Military
Code Conducts."

The 'Matupi Football Match Tragedy' of November 12, was another incident
of intolerance in a football match played in the same field. The first
incident of occurred in September 9 2005, when the Burmese army lost the
football match to the 'All Department Team', an onlooker civilian eye was
damage by the army.

____________________________________
HEALTH/AIDS

November 18, Financial Times
Burma upset at loss of $98m health grant - Amy Kazmin

Burma’s health minister has strongly criticised the Global Fund for
HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria for its recent decision to terminate
$98m (€84m, £57m) in health grants for the military-ruled country, calling
the move “uncalled for, and unwarranted”.

Dr Kyaw Myint, a UK-trained medical doctor, expressed deep disappointment
at the way the fund had treated Burma, saying the abrupt pull-out would
hit “people on the streets” who face the three killer diseases. “Whoever
pulled the trigger for this termination will be held morally responsible
for the plight of these people, who are going to suffer for want of
money,” he told the Financial Times.

The Global Fund stunned Burmese health officials, many European donors and
international aid agencies when it declared in August it was terminating
its planned $98m, five-year grant for Burma, one of the largest health
initiatives ever envisioned for the impoverished country.

In its explanation, the fund - a Geneva-based public-private partnership
that is supposed to dispense health aid regardless of political
considerations - cited new travel restrictions on foreign aid workers that
it said would make it impossible adequately to monitor use of the grants.

But Dr Kyaw Myint said the temporary travel restrictions, which he and
international aid workers say have been eased, were insufficient reason to
cancel a programme with vast implications for many lives.

“They should have consulted us, or at least give us warning signals that
we are falling behind, so we can improve it, and try to satisfy their
needs. But they didn’t do that. They just terminated - just chopped us
off.”

Many Rangoon-based foreign aid workers believe the Global Fund wanted an
excuse to withdraw from Burma after sustained pressure from hardline US
congressmen and activists, who opposed the health aid programme on the
grounds that it could boost the credibility of the military government.
The US is the biggest single donor to the Global Fund.

Dr Kyaw Myint declined to speculate on political forces behind the fund’s
decision. But he noted that in Uganda – where Global Fund had concerns
about potential misuse of funds – grants were merely suspended and once
the government took steps to allay these the concerns the flow of aid
resumed.

Burma, dubbed an “outpost of tyranny” by the US, has one of south-east
Asia’s most severe HIV/Aids epidemics, with a UN estimate that up to
610,000 of the country’s 52m people may have the virus.

Burma’s national Aids programme estimates that about 40,000 people are in
immediate need of life-saving anti-retroviral treatment. Burma also has
one of the world’s highest TB burdens, with around 97,000 cases detected
each year, while malaria is the country’s leading cause of death.

Global Fund monies were to have helped the government, international NGOs,
and local organisations increase availability of anti-retroviral drugs,
expand voluntary counselling and testing, condom promotion, and enhanced
efforts to battle TB and malaria.

Dr Kyaw Myint remained optimistic in spite of the Global Fund pull-out,
however. He said Burma’s battle against HIV/Aids, TB and malaria would
intensify, and hoped other international donors that have recognised
Burma’s willingness to confront the health challenges would step in to
help fill some of the financial gap.

____________________________________
BUSINESS/TRADE

November 18, Irrawaddy
Foreign investment in Burma hits US $7.6 billion

Total foreign investment in Burma has reached US $7.646 billion in the 17
years since the military assumed power in 1988. According to the
Rangoon-based journal Weekly Eleven News, the junta's Foreign Investment
Commission lists Singapore as top of the 27 international investors, with
$1.572 billion spread across 72 projects. Britain ranks second with $1.431
billion across 38 projects, followed by Thailand with $1.341 billion
invested in 55 projects. Malaysia ranks fourth and Hong Kong fifth.

The oil and natural gas sectors dominate foreign investment with $2.494
billion, or 32.69 percent, with Thailand's PTTEP and Malaysia's Petronas
the two largest single investors in the field. The next largest area of
investment is the manufacturing sector with $1.61 billion, followed by
livestock and fishery with $1.063 billion, real estate with $1.025 billion
and mining with $534.19 million, according to the report. Foreign
investment in agriculture—which 60 percent of the country's population
depend on—amounts to just $34.35 million.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

November 18, Mizzima News
ILO meeting ends with grave concern over Burma - Alison Hunter

The International Labour Organization’s Governing Body wrapped up its
294th session in Geneva today with expressions of concern over the
disintegration of relations between the group and the Burmese government.

Burma was on the agenda of the meeting that started on November 3 and
delegates voiced alarm over a recent ILO report detailing death threats
against the groups’ Rangoon representative Richard Horsey and an apparent
government-backed media campaign against the organisation.

In a concluding report, the ILO Governing Body said some members wanted to
address the issue of Burma at the 2006 International Labour Conference and
return to measures suggested in 2000 when an unprecedented ILO resolution
was passed under article 33 of the organisation’s constitution.

The resolution called for the possible review by all members of their
relationship with Burma and the requesting of international organisations
that they reconsider cooperating with the Burmese military.

The concluding report showed delegates rejected military attempts to
influence the ILO, “through various forms of pressures and intimidation,
including that of withdrawal, in contradiction with the commitment that
the Authorities have consistently pledged to the eradication of forced
labour in cooperation with the Organization”.

In a November-7 letter to the ILO Director General Burma’s labour minister
U Thaung said, “ . . . at present we are compelled to seriously consider
the withdrawal of

Myanmar from the ILO due to the desire of the entire populace . . .”

The letter went on to say the government thought there was still time to
save their relationship with the labour group.

The Governing Body’s report also called for an end to restrictions on the
activities of ILO representative Richard Horsey.

“The Governing Body reiterated its full confidence and support for the
Liaison Officer of the ILO . . . [the Burmese government was] also
earnestly warned about the responsibility they would have to bear under
international law for any consequence that could result from their
attitude,” the concluding report said.

The report says Burma’s ambassador to the group showed willingness to
cooperate and that delegates suggested the junta spend the time until the
International Labour Conference in March resuming effective dialogue with
ILO representatives in Rangoon.

The body also demanded that the Burmese military stopped the use of forced
labour and the persecution of activists such as Su Su Nway and Aye Myint.

____________________________________

November 18, Mizzima News
EU parliament passes resolution on Burma Security Council talks

The European Parliament passed a resolution yesterday calling for Burma’s
urgent inclusion on the UN Security Council agenda.

The resolution also called for the empowerment of the UN Secretary General
to mediate Burma’s national reconciliation efforts and for the Security
Council to enforce economic sanctions on the country.

Members of the parliament (EP), which can make foreign relations
recommendations to the Council of the European Union, condemned the
Burmese military’s disregard for the welfare of the Burmese people
according to an official EP statement.

“Parliament demands the immediate release and full freedom of movement and
expression for Aung San Suu Kyi, Hkun Htun Oo, General Hso Hten, other
political leaders and all political prisoners held by the State Peace and
Development Council,” an official statement said.

“It insists that the SPDC immediately initiate a meaningful dialogue with
the National League for Democracy and ethnic groups to bring about a
return to democracy and respect for human rights, including ethnic
minority rights and state rights in Burma.”

The motion for the resolution was presented to the parliament by MEP and
Foreign Affairs Committee member Simon Coveney who recently returned from
a trip to the Thai-Burma border.

In a statement before presenting the motion Coveney said, “The military
dictatorship rejects and frustrates . . . change, despite claiming to have
"a road map to democracy" plan underway. Only the international community
at its most powerful at UN Security Council level can bring about pressure
to force the change that is so desperately required.”

Members of the EP called for the strengthening of EU policy on Burma and
said the results of the National Convention would not be recognised unless
several conditions were met including the release of NLD members and the
assurance of a due democratic process.

The resolution also called for the banning of EU-registered companies from
making new investments or extending loans to Burmese state-owned
enterprises and for the appointment of an EU envoy to Burma who would work
for the release of Aung San Su Kyi and other political prisoners.

The resolution expressed support for ‘Threat to Peace - A Call for the UN
Security Council to Act in Burma’ commission by Vaclav Havel and Desmond
Tutu and urged all members of the EU and the International Labour
Organization to review their relations with Burma as called for by ILO
Governing Body members.

____________________________________

November 18, Irrawaddy
Bush urges Asean to move on Burma - Shah Paung

US President George W Bush on Friday urged Asean leaders to use their
neighborly influence on Burma’s military regime—which Washington earlier
this week called one of the world’s “worst regimes” on human rights and
free speech—to move towards democratic change. But the leaders told him
they could not change their policy of “constructive engagement,” rather
than confrontation, towards the country, which is a member of the
grouping.

Bush raised the issue with seven of Asean’s 10 leaders at the annual
meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference forum in Busan, South
Korea. American officials accompanying Bush said he wanted a “frank
discussion” with Asean about how the grouping could work with the US to
improve people’s lives in Burma.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told newsmen on Thursday of
Washington’s concern about the “appalling” human rights situation in
Burma. After Bush’s meeting with the seven Asean leaders, Philippine
Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said the president wanted the Rangoon
regime to keep its promise to move towards democracy.

Bush’s spokesman, Mike Green, told reporters after the meeting that Burma
was a “high priority” for the president. Bush was interested in “how he
can collectively try to improve the situation for the people there
[Burma].”

On October 31, Bush had made the surprising move of meeting Charm Tong, a
young Shan State human rights activist, in the White House. After Bush’s
meeting with Asean leaders in Busan, she told The Irrawaddy she was happy
that Burma was a priority for Bush and that he wanted Asean to help. “We
hope governments in the region will now put pressure on Burma to make
political changes, “she said.

But there was skepticism about Asean’s role from veteran opposition leader
Amyotheryei Win Naing, who told The Irrawaddy from Rangoon:  “We, the
democratic forces, feel reluctant to rely on the Asean countries. Asean
has done nothing to help us.” Similarly, spokesman for main opposition
party the National League for Democracy U Lwin commented: “Asean is not
doing anything for Burma.”

____________________________________

November 18, Irrawaddy
Concerns over freedom remain as internet forum closes - Clive Parker

International human rights and freedom organizations say they are
concerned that countries such as Burma or China may be given the chance to
administer the internet, claiming they represent the worst in online
freedom of expression.

The World Summit on the Information Society—which ended in Tunis, Tunisia
today—is the latest meeting in a process aimed at deciding how the
internet will be administered in the long-term. Most countries want to see
the US, through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers,
give up its monopoly on appropriating domain names and controlling access
to the worldwide web.

The situation has led rights groups and activists—Reporters without
Borders, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, among others—to
warn the UN and the international community against assigning authority to
countries such as China, Burma and North Korea, which complain the current
system infringes on their “sovereignty.”

Responding to the situation, RSF yesterday posted a list of 15 countries
it calls “the enemies of the internet,” which included Burma, China and
Vietnam.

“This country is among the very worst enemies of internet freedom,” it
said about Burma.

Although the statement echoes others released previously, many are worried
that countries deemed “enemies” will effect a damaging blow to online
freedom of expression in trying to push their own agenda as the world
debates the future of internet administration.

Speaking yesterday in Tunis, the General Secretary of the International
Federation of Journalists Aidan White gave a stark warning to the
international community.

“The absence of commitment to implement fundamental free expression
principles confirms the view of many in media that the WSIS will not
create an enabling environment for an information society based on
democratic values,” he said to the gathered representatives of world
governments and civil society.

White welcomed the inclusion of freedom of expression in the Tunis
Commitment—a joint agreement to which all countries involved in
discussions are bound—stating, however, that “many journalists will
believe it only when they see it.”

President of the International Federation for Human Rights Shirin Ebadi
speaking at the opening day of the conference on Wednesday also warned of
the dangers posed by non-democratic governments playing a role in the
future of global internet control.

“Certain governments are not truly elected by their people and do not
respect the will and the interests of their people in the decisions they
make internationally,” she said.

Ebadi also warned of non-governmental organizations supposedly
representing civil society but which have been created by non-democratic
governments, acting on their behalf in negotiating the terms of internet
agreements.

Rangoon’s representative in Tunis maintains that Burma will abide by
democratic principles in its internet development, both internally and as
a potential party to global monitoring.

Burma’s deputy representative, Nyunt Swe, speaking to WSIS delegates
yesterday afternoon, said: “Our unequivocal support for the Geneva
Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action will be reiterated.”

“The Information Society shall be premised on the purposes and principles
of the Charter of the United Nations and international law,” he added.

However, critics point out that Burma and several other countries have
flouted many of the procedural agreements signed in Geneva in 2003 during
the first WSIS forum.

“We reaffirm
as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
expression; that this right includes freedom to hold opinions without
interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through
any media and regardless of frontiers,” the declaration made two years ago
in Geneva said.

Burma’s three representatives to WSIS—Nyunt Swe, along with First
Secretary Ba Hla Aye and Director Khin Maung Oo—did not reply to requests
for a response on the issue.

For now, the internet remains in the hands of the US following an accord
reached on November 15. However, the Government Advisory Board— a body
which represents world government in discussions with ICANN—has already
been promised it will be offered a bigger say on internet issues in the
future, a point that will be discussed in Vancouver, Canada, in two weeks.

Burma is not a member of the GAC, but its Asean partner, Malaysia, is the
chair, and China, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam are all members—most of which continue to attract criticism
for their restriction of internet content.

“The [current] situation can certainly be criticized but the proposed
remedies seem much worse,” RSF warned prior to the opening of this week’s
summit.

“The world’s
most repressive countries want to hand over control of the
Internet to an independent supra-national body such as the United Nations.
But the UN’s clumsy record on human rights
makes the prospect a chilling
one.”

____________________________________

November 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
MEP demands UN Security Council to prioritise Burma issue

Simon Coveney TD Fine Gael MEP (Member European Parliament) for the South
of Ireland presented a motion for a resolution on Burma to the European
Parliament on 17 November.

The motion calls on the UN Security Council to address the situation in
Burma as a matter of urgency and to empower the UN Secretary-General to
mediate in Burma in order to bring about national reconciliation and a
transition to democracy. It also calls on the UN Security Council to take
the necessary measures to impose economic sanctions against Burma in an
effort to force change.

Coveney is just back from a week in the Thai-Burmese border where he
visited refugee camps, emergency health clinics and voluntary
organisations working with the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing
conflict in Burma.

"Burma is a complex makeup of different ethnic groups living in different
regions within the country, but the solution to Burma’s problem may not be
so complex," Convey said. “Tri-partite talks between the military, ethnic
groups and Aung San Suu Kyi are required as a matter of urgency.”

He added that “only the international community at its most powerful at UN
Security Council level can bring about pressure to force the change”.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

November 18, Irrawaddy
No more megaphone diplomacy, please

The United States is again turning the heat up on those “outposts of
tyranny”—military-rule Burma, Stalinist North Korea and Iran.

Attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in South Korea’s
Busan this week, US President George W Bush pledged to help restore
democracy in Burma, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described
the junta as “one of the worst regimes in the world.”

While many in the region, including China and India, want to engage with
Rangoon, Washington maintains a correct and bold stance towards the
repressive regime. Many Burmese who are prisoners in their own country
will admire Bush’s statement.

It is to be hoped that Bush’s message reaches not only the Burmese
military leaders but also the junta’s friends and apologists around the
region. Many, however, turn a deaf ear to the messages uttered by Bush and
Rice.

Bush’s latest statement on Burma seeks the involvement of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations in pressing the junta to adopt reform. The
regional bloc’s secretary-general, Ong Keng Yong, meanwhile, declares that
the group is to continue engaging with Rangoon, although Asean’s so-called
“constructive engagement” policy has been a failure.

This year, Asean leaders were faced with the embarrassing question of
whether to accept Burma’s chairmanship of the group in 2006. They broke
their silence on Burma, and voiced their concern and frustration. Burma
finally backed off.

Asean’s confrontation with the problem child in their ranks was long
overdue. Again, Ong KengYong has come out in defense of the group’s
“engagement policy” with Burma. Good luck, Ong Keng Yong—the generals in
Burma will be pleased with your approach.

It seems that President Bush, despite living in the West, has more
comprehension of how it is to live under tyranny. “The people of Burma
live in the darkness of tyranny but the light of freedom shines in their
hearts. They want their liberty and one day they will have it,” he
declared.

How that is to be achieved still demands an answer, however. It is time
that the US takes a pro-active leadership role on Burma.

The US policy on Burma over the past year has at least been consistent.
Washington has imposed sanctions on Burma, and has called on the world to
join in lobbying for the Burma issue to be discussed by the UN Security
Council. President Bush recently held a 50-minute meeting at the White
House with a Shan human rights campaigner, Charm Tong.

These are strong indications that the Bush administration is serious in
its desire to see political change in Burma.

During the tour the US president is now making in Asia he and his
administration officials should try to seek the advice of governments in
the region and forge relationships with those who share Washington’s
concern with events in Burma. It is time for concrete and firm action to
be taken, under American leadership.

If we fail to take this action this time around, the US and its allies
will be seen as having just exercised “megaphone diplomacy”.

____________________________________

November 18, The Jakarta Post
The paranoia Myanmar junta

Again and again Myanmar's neighbors have abased themselves in front of the
global community out of a desire to demonstrate solidarity with their
impoverished neighbor, all the while harboring unwarranted hopes for an
improvement in Myanmar's conduct.

Myanmar's long-suffering neighbors continue this outward show of
supporting and engaging a country that has become the problem child of
Southeast Asia, although many of these neighbors are beginning to wonder
how much longer they can afford to defend Myanmar while its leaders
continue with their shameless behavior.

The members states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
will receive another dose of humiliation on Friday, all in the name of an
increasingly unstable neighbor that more and more people agree has to go.

U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to deliver some harsh words on
the issue of the Myanmar military regime, which is the target of economic
sanctions by the U.S., when he meets with the leaders of ASEAN members
states -- excluding Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, who are not APEC members
--  on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit in Busan, South Korea on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi in Kyoto, Japan, on Wednesday, Bush said: "The abuses by
the Burmese (the former name of Myanmar) military are widespread and
include rape, torture, execution and forced relocation."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking on the same day in Busan,
described Myanmar as one of the world's worst regimes and strongly
criticized ASEAN for being too soft on the junta, which has been a source
of continuous embarrassment for the regional grouping since joining in
1997.

"I understand that a lot of countries that are neighbors of Burma feel the
need to engage them, but I would hope that that engagement also takes the
form of being serious about the really quite, quite appalling human rights
situation in Burma."

In response to Bush's criticism, will the ASEAN leaders sing the same old
song about constructive and persuasive engagement with the military junta
in Myanmar? The leaders of ASEAN, including President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono,
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Philippine President Gloria
Macagapal Arroyo, Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi and Singapore's Lee Hsien
Loong, must realize it would be very difficult to deny the truth of
President Bush's statement.

ASEAN has taken several measures meant to pressure the junta in Yangon.
Myanmar will not be allowed to take over the rotating chairmanship of
ASEAN next year, being replaced by the Philippines. Such actions, while
not exactly tough, are meant to push the regime to honor some of the many
promises it has made in the past, including the promise to release
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Laurete Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been
under house arrest for much of the past 15 years. Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy won the military-approved general election in 1990,
but the military has steadfastly refused to recognize the results.

Why do the other members of ASEAN continue to hold out hope for rational
behavior from a junta that jails one of its most senior members, Gen. Khin
Nyunt, for no apparent reason? And now the military junta in Myanmar is
relocating government offices and official residences to a jungle in
Pyinmana, some 320 kilometers north of the capital Yangon. The relocation
will be completed in April and several of the relocated offices have
already opened for business.

The New York Times and international news agencies like the Agence
France-Presse have cited the fear of an invasion by the United States as
the apparent reason for the move to the jungle. Maybe the junta leaders
believe Myanmar holds the kind of strategic importance to the U.S. that
Iraq does and are taking a cue from Saddam Hussein, who built bunkers all
around his country to guard against invasion.

Whatever the reason, if it was not so sad this jungle relocation would be
laughable.

Paranoia would perhaps be the best explanation for the generals' decision
to pick up and move to the jungle.

For how long will ASEAN allow itself to be held hostage by this paranoid
regime? Indonesia, as the largest and one of the most influential members
of ASEAN, and the third world's largest democracy, after India and the
United States, should show some leadership on this issue.

ASEAN must move forward and enhance its position in the international
arena, for the sake of the welfare of the people in the region. ASEAN is a
respected organization and one of the most successful regional groupings
in the world, but for years in its encounters with the international
community Myanmar has damaged the group's image and credibility.

Enough is enough for the Myanmar regime, and not just because of pressure
from the U.S. or the European Union. For the 53 million people of Myanmar
and the stability, security and welfare of all of the countries of
Southeast Asia, ASEAN must have the courage to tell Myanmar's generals
they are no longer welcome until they return to the people of Myanmar the
power they have stolen.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

November 18, White House Office of the Press Secretary
Press briefing with National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on APEC
summit meetings

MR. HADLEY: Good evening. I thought I might go through a little bit of the
day the President had today, give you a little bit of the highlights, and
then answer some -- give you a preview of tomorrow and answer whatever
questions you've got.

There was an emphasis that it is important to proceed on trade as an
effort -- as an element of a more prosperous world and as an element,
also, of raising people out of poverty. But it was also recognized that
there are other elements that are required in order to achieve progress.
We need to deal with the issue of terrorism. There was discussion about
cooperation on the war on terror, progress in the war on terror, and a
mutual reaffirmation of the commitment to succeed; discussion about energy
security and the need to, over time, move beyond a hydrocarbon economy;
cooperation -- the need for cooperation on avian flu.

There was also a discussion about Burma and expression by a number of
members in the meeting of the importance that Burma move forward on the
road map to democracy, which was set out some time ago -- the need for
progress on that, which we have, to date, not seen.

The President made clear to those in the meeting that the United States
remained engaged, and would remain engaged, in Southeast Asia; that it was
an area of strategic importance to the United States. He expressed concern
about the plight of various peoples in distress: the people in Pakistan
struggling to recover from the earthquake, the people of Burma and North
Korea.

Q: The second one, on Burma. The Southeast Asian leaders -- some of their
aides are saying that they told the President that they agreed the
situation is not great in Burma, in fact, it's bad, but they think that
rather than isolation, rather than pressure, they'd like to see some
constructive engagement. What is the United States' position on that?

MR. HADLEY: Well, they have -- our position is that the Burmese government
ought to do what the Burmese government said it would do, by progress down
the democracy road map, and that the problem is we have not seen that
progress. I think the other leaders who spoke it on agreed, and they
undertook in their various conversations to be speaking with the Burmese
authority about it. And they suggested that other countries in the region
who might have interest -- have influence with the Burmese government
should pick up and make this an issue in their dialogue, as well.