BurmaNet News, December 10-12, 2005

[Editor]

December 10-12, 2005 Issue # 2862

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Burma junta orders troops to stock up ammos and supplies

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima: Burmese migrant workers arrested in Mae Sot
Asian Tribune: Burma's Rohingyas ask neighbours's sympathy and understanding

HEALTH/AIDS
AFP: Myanmar reports slight fall in HIV rate, seeks outside help

ASEAN
Mizzima: NLD welcomes calls for ASEAN meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi
Irrawaddy: Amnesty International calls on Asean leaders to pressure Burma
Financial Times: Asean steps up pressure on Burma's junta
Bangkok Post: Junta invites Asean chair to tour Burma

REGIONAL
DVB: S. Korea urges Burma to follow up its pledge to democratize

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN says Myanmar must prove aims with constitution

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima: USDA: The junta’s partner in crime
Philippine Daily Inquirer: Unacceptable
The Nation: Letter from KUALA LUMPUR: Rangoon faces rare pressure from Asean

STATEMENT
Statement on NMSP's Decision not to participate National Convention

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
There may be trouble ahead: Burma junta orders troops to stock up ammos
and supplies

Burma’s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), on
1 December, ordered its military commands throughout the country to stock
up extra ammunitions and supplies in advance, presumably in preparation
for any trouble arising from the reconvening of its ‘National Convention’.

Similarly, the commanding office of artillery battalions also issued a
directive ordering its troops to move heavy artillery pieces and shells to
secret locations by 5 December, according to sources close to the Supreme
Command HQs.

It is not clear why the orders were given by the junta, but they coincided
with the time the US was trying to get Burma issue discussed in the UN
Security Council and put more pressures on the junta, according to Burmese
political and military observers.

“There are some examples of the junta pointing out (?to its followers) the
constant threat of the invasion by the USA,” an exiled Burmese army expert
Htay Aung told DVB. “In this situation, it is possible that the junta is a
bit worried and ordered its commands to stock up extra supplies and
ammunitions. The other thing – the junta has reconvened the National
Convention willy-nilly, however much people don’t support it. In some
cases, some organisations didn’t re-attend the convention. Some ceasefire
groups inevitably had to attend because they were pressurised greatly.
Therefore, they could face some difficulties at the convention. If the
ceasefire groups oppose (the junta) after they put forward their
proposals, it is making advanced military preparations thus so that it is
ready now – that is my assessment.”

Moreover, there had been reports of some disagreements between the army
and the ministries during the relocation of government departments in
November to Pyinmana Kyappyay region. The generals seem to be worried that
there could be instability within the army itself and they had carried out
such measures to prevent these from happening, according to Htay Aung.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 11, Mizzima News
Burmese migrant workers arrested in Mae Sot - Han Pai

Thai police arrested 127 illegal Burmese migrant workers at a knitting
factory in Mae Sot on Thursday.

The workers have been detained in a prison in Mae Sot and sources told
Mizzima their employer had been ordered to pay a fine for hiring them
without the necessary documentation.

About 500 Burmese migrant workers are employed at the factory but most
have official work permits.

"They have no stay permit at all. Our factory recruited the new comers
also who have not got stay permit and work permit so that the police came
and arrested them," Aung Aung, a worker at the factory, said.

Mogyo from the Joint Action Committee, an organisation that provides legal
aid, said his group could provide the men with legal assistance. He also
said it would be possible to hold the employer accountable for the
workers' arrests under the Thai 'Workers Rights Protection Act'.

"This law stipulates that the employer must take full responsibility for
the workers disregard of having work permit or not. In this case the
employer must pay all damages and loss arising out of the arrests
irrespective of making payment or not to the police and court. We shall
negotiate with the employer and police in this case," he said.

____________________________________


December 13, Asian Tribune
Burma's Rohingyas ask neighbours's sympathy and understanding - M Rama Rao

Burma's ethnic minority, Rohingyas, who are facing persecution at home,
have asked neighbors particularly Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia to be
sympathetic towards Rohingya refugees. help us also to gain civic rights
and human rights at home, the youth leaders of the community said in an
open appeal under the aegis of Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF).

Lauding the efforts of the United Nations and other world agencies to see
an end to all forms of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment, the RYDF said, the world body should take serious note of
the report prepared by the likes of former Czech President Vaclav Havel
and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, titled "Threat to the
Peace: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma".

In a statement in connection with the observance of world human rights day
, RYDF said in a statement that there have been gross violation of human
rights of various ethnic groups that have been living in Burma.

"As part of a highly orchestrated and criminal government strategy to deny
legitimate rights to the minorities, the State Peace & Development Council
(SPDC) regime uses rape, humiliation, torture, arbitrary arrest, extra
judicial killing, forced relocation, taxation, ethnic, religious and
racial discrimination against the Rohingya people as weapons of war
towards ethnic cleansing in Arakan State', the RYDF said in the statement.
"The situation is not unique to the Rohingya, but also includes many other
ethnic groups like the Kuki, Naga, Pa-o, and Paloung in other parts of the
country".

It lamented that the Rohingya people were even denied and deprived of
their basic and fundamental rights to their citizenship in Burma. 'As a
result, there are approximately four million Rohingyas of Burma who are
the victims of statelessness. They have no land to stay or to claim their
citizenship in the world, while their participation in Burmese democracy
movement is regrettably objected to by some fellow countrymen'.

The RYDF has voiced concern that Rohingya refugees are living in
deteriorating health, economic and social conditions in countries
adjoining Burma. "They also face a danger of forced deportation,
extra-judicial killing, arbitrary arrest, and extortion. Their children
are deprived of education, health and sanitation.

It appealed to the Governments of Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and
Saudi Arabia to play a 'meaningful' role to protect the refugees and
stateless Rohingya.

Central Executive Committee of Rohingya Youth Development Forum has also
asked the leaders of the ASEAN and neighboring countries of Burma to
review their policies towards the SPDC regime.

____________________________________
HEALTH/AIDS

December 12, Agence France Presse
Myanmar reports slight fall in HIV rate, seeks outside help

Myanmar has reported a slight decline in its HIV rate over the past five
years, but still needs outside help to keep fighting the disease, a health
official said in a report published on Monday.

Between 2000 and 2005 Myanmar's HIV rate fell to 1.3 percent of the
population from 1.5 percent, Min Thwe, deputy director of Myanmar's
National AIDS Programme, told the semi-official Myanmar Times.

Min Thwe also said anti-AIDS efforts had to target young people,
especially women, because the men-women ratio of infections had worsened
to 3:1 in 2005 from 4:1 in 2000.

Among the combined efforts against the disease, anti-AIDS workers run a
"100 percent condom use" promotion campaign in 128 townships and
programmes in 58 townships to stop HIV transmission.

"The impact would be much more significant if we can conduct activities
such as 100 percent condom use in 80 percent of the country's 324
townships," he was quoted as saying in the weekly's edition published on
Monday.

The national programme's activities have been hampered by the decision in
August of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to
withdraw 54 million dollars in funding from the military-ruled country,
Min Thwe said.

Global Fund is a partnership of public and private donors, communities,
non-governmental organisations and world bodies.

The Myanmar programme had in 2005 planned to operate 10 teams offering
counselling, testing and treatment of sexually-transmitted diseases, but
could only start three teams, he said.

"If we would like to see a significant impact, we need to scale up the
activities that require human and financial resources as well as technical
know-how," Min Thwe reportedly said.

Despite the Global Fund's withdrawal, there were many other donors
interested in funding anti-AIDS programmes, Min Thwe said.

"Those who understand that the disease knows no boundary have informally
pledged us to help fight the disease."

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 12, Mizzima News
NLD welcomes calls for ASEAN meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi -Jessicah Curtis

The National League for Democracy said today they were pleased with calls
from delegates at the 11th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur to be allowed to
meet the party's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burmese military officials have in the past prevented people from seeing
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since 2003.

NLD spokesperson Nyan Win told Mizzima the party welcomed ASEAN's apparent
change in attitude toward democracy in Burma.

"I think it shows that ASEAN is more interested in Burma and for
reconciliation in Burma," Nyan Win said.

"In the past the ASEAN countries did not talk about Burma because they say
they do not want to interfere."

The calls for an ASEAN delegation to be allowed to meet the democracy icon
came from Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar yesterday. Since his
public statement, other ASEAN leaders have also voiced support for the
move saying they wanted Aung San Suu Kyi to be free.

Nyan Win said Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent a total of 10 years in
detention in Burma, would be pleasantly surprised by the ASEAN
politicians' calls.

"She doesn't know about that. We can not talk to her at all. She would be
very surprised to know this information," Nyan Win said.

He also said he hoped a potential visit would put the necessary pressure
on the regime to release the NLD leader.

Reports released today quoted Burmese officials as saying they would allow
ASEAN delegates to meet with Aung San Su Kyi, but doubt remained over
whether a group of officials would be allowed to see her at the same time.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rangoon refused to
comment on the issue today when contacted by Mizzima.

____________________________________

December 12, Irrawaddy
Amnesty International calls on Asean leaders to pressure Burma - Shah Paung

Amnesty International today urged Asean leaders meeting in Kuala Lumpur to
increase pressure on Burma to stop punishing peaceful dissent and to
release all political prisoners.

The appeal came in a report, “Travesties of Justice—Continued Misuse of
the Legal System,” issued on the first day of a two-day summit in the
Malaysian capital. The summit will be followed on Wednesday by a meeting
bringing together the leaders of Asean and six other Asian countries:
Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

The report said the Burmese military government continues to abuse the
justice system to silence peaceful dissent. “People are being prosecuted
for reporting human rights violations and talking to journalists,” said
Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director, Purna Sen, in releasing the
report.

“Lengthy prison sentences are handed down to political figures for
engaging in political discussion,” she said. “Torture continues, and
people are dying in suspicious circumstances in prisons. The use of
imprisonment to silence senior political leaders is presenting a
significant obstacle to a resolution of the political deadlock in the
country.”

Purna Sen said that while it was the responsibility of all governments to
ensure that flagrant violations do not continue in Burma, “Asean has
particular responsibility to address grave human right violations in one
of its member states.”

The Amnesty International appeal was welcomed by Burma’s opposition
National League for Democracy. An NLD spokesperson said the party believed
it would “have some effect.”

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
also welcomed the Amnesty International report. AAPP joint secretary Bo
Kyi said: “It will be good if the leaders of Asean make a decision at the
Asean summit to do something to protect the human rights violations.”

AAPP is a Burmese rights group that supports political prisoners and has
won rapidly increasing international attention since its founding in March
2000. It is now regarded by the media and other human rights organizations
as a major source of information about political prisoners and related
issues.

Earlier this month, AAPP launched a book documenting instances of torture
in Burma’s prisons, titled “The Darkness We See: Torture in Burma’s
Interrogation Centers and Prisons.”

____________________________________

December 12, Financial Times
Asean steps up pressure on Burma's junta - Amy Kazmin in Kuala Lumpur

Burma's military junta has come under unprecedented public fire from
Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) members for failing to
make faster progress on political reforms, with one regional government
calling the extended house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi "a slap in the face
of Asean."

In an unusual step, Asean members, now gathered for their annual summit in
Kuala Lumpur, have asked the military regime to allow an envoy
representing the group to visit the country and meet Aung San Suu Kyi, the
Nobel Peace Prize-winning pro-democracy leader, so as to assess Burma's
political reform efforts.

Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia's foreign minister, told journalists that
Burma's junta had long depended on Asean members to "speak on their
behalf" and to shield it from international pressure for dramatic
political change.

But after years of behind-the-scenes diplomacy have failed to result in
any evident relaxation of the military's grip on power, Asean members are
clearly running out of patience with Burma's generals, with Mr Syed Hamid
openly calling the political deadlock in Rangoon an embarrassing problem
for the entire region.

Journal from Burma

South-east Asian governments - which issued a rare joint call for Ms Suu
Kyi's freedom in 2003 - were said to be particularly angered by the
junta's recent decision to extend the pro-democracy leader's house arrest
for another six months.

Ong Keng Yong, Asean's secretary general, confirmed that Nyan Win, Burma's
foreign minister, was told by one angry counterpart that Ms Suu Kyi's
continued confinement was "a slap in the face of Asean," though Mr Ong
refused to identify the minister who made the statement.

To retain Asean's goodwill and public support, Mr Syed Hamid warned that
the regime now must demonstrate tangible progress towards democracy, and
also allow an Asean envoy to independently assess the political reform
situation on the group's behalf.

"We cannot be keeping on promising people, yes, we have seen them and,
yes, they are committed to the road-map," Mr Syed Hamid told Reuters in a
weekend interview. "We must be able to come back to ourselves and say,
yes, I have met Aung San Suu Kyi, yes, I have met with some of the
political leaders, and they are really undertaking their own political
reconciliation."

Burma's military junta is currently holding a national constitutional
drafting convention, which the regime says is the first step in a
seven-step "roadmap to democracy" that will supposedly lead to national
elections for a new parliament - albeit one with 25 per cent of the seats
reserved for military appointees.

But with no definite time frame for the completion of the convention - and
with Ms Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy not participating in
the constitutional talks, many western governments see the process as
merely a stall tactic by the junta to ease international pressure for
change.

Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, said Burma's progress
towards political reform was as fast as "glue flowing uphill."

Recently, a caucus of south-east Asian lawmakers vowed to lobby for the
expulsion of Burma from Asean if it fails to make greater progress towards
democratic reforms, and civil liberties over the next year. The US has
also been increasingly vocal about the need for change in Burma. At
Washington's urging, the UN Security Council has agreed to hold an
informal discussion on the situation in the country.

____________________________________

December 13, Bangkok Post
Junta invites Asean chair to tour Burma – Achara Ashayagachat

Burma yesterday agreed to invite the foreign minister of Malaysia, as
Asean chairman, to see for himself the situation inside the country, in a
bid to ward off possible public criticism by individual Asean members. The
agreement came after Asean leaders, who were attending the 11th Asean
summit, spent one full hour at an informal dinner on Sunday discussing the
lack of progress in Burma's democratisation process.

The high-level pressure on Burma at the closed-door function was
apparently in response to its repeated refusals to allow the entry of UN
special envoy Razali Ismail and special rapporteur on human rights Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro.

Leaders of Malaysia and the Philippines have made public comments upon
arriving here at the weekend criticising the lack of progress of
democratisation in Burma as well as the continued detention of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Sources said some member nations were also expected to issue separate
statements to demand Burma implement its democracy roadmap, and that has
contributed to the Burmese turnaround.

Burmese Prime Minister Soe Win's agreement to invite Malaysian Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who chairs Asean, has satisfied other Asean
leaders, who did not make any further effort to inquire if Mr Syed Hamid's
delegation would be able to meet Mrs Suu Kyi.

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said after accompanying Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the retreat yesterday that Burma was not
discussed either at the formal meeting or at the retreat yesterday as all
sides already concluded the matter in principle at the informal dinner.

About meeting Mrs Suu Kyi, leader of Burma's National League for Democracy
opposition party, Mr Kantathi said the Burmese prime minister said he
would consult with other leaders in Rangoon.

Earlier on, Mr Kantathi said, the Asean leaders discussed whether the
delegation to Burma should compose of past, current and future
chairpersons of Asean, but the Burmese prime minister agreed to invite
only the current chairman from Malaysia.

``We hope that having an Asean delegation going inside Burma would be a
step towards the release of Aung San Suu Kyi,'' Mr Kantathi said.

The Asean Chairman Statement contained a paragraph calling on Burma to
release those placed under detention without mentioning Mrs Suu Kyi's
name.

Mr Syed Hamid said visiting Burma was not an interference but a chance to
see if any progress had been made as announced by Rangoon.

``The foreign ministers as well as the leaders have told them that it is
not sufficient just to say that the constitution drafting process has
resumed, and Asean needs to see and feel and learn first-hand about any
progress to be able to convince the international community on the Burma
road to democracy,'' he said.

He did not reveal when and how often he would go to Burma and dismissed
suggestions that membership suspension or expulsion from the grouping
would be an option if progress was not made.

``We remain engaged with Burma no matter how difficult it is,'' said the
Malaysian foreign minister.

An Indonesian parliamentarian Theo Sambuaga, representing the Asean
Inter-Parliamentary Organisation, said Asean should issue a stronger
message to pressure Burma on democracy and Mrs Suu Kyi's immediate
release.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
S. Korea urges Burma to follow up its pledge to democratize

South Korea, on 11 December, has urged Burma to move swiftly on its
roadmap to democracy, saying the lack of progress is holding Seoul back
from seeking stronger ties, according to a report by AP from Kuala Lumpur.

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon made the appeal when he met his
Burmese counterpart, Nyan Win, on 9 December, on the sidelines of a
regional summit in the Malaysian capital.

"We've told Myanmar (Burma) that we share serious international concerns
over democratization," said Lee Hyuck, chief of the South Korean Foreign
Ministry's Asia-Pacific affairs bureau. "We said relations between the two
countries would develop further if democratization proceeds well."

But South Korea stopped short of urging the release of detained democracy
leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from detention, according to
officials.

Meanwhile, another report said that Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah
Badawi has called on Burma to allow the Association of South East Asian
Nations (ASEAN) delegates to visit the country to assess progress on human
rights and democracy if it wants the forum’s continued support.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar also expressed his
exasperation at the refusal by Nyan Win to set out Burma's position in
weekend talks.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 11, Agence France Presse
UN says Myanmar must prove aims with constitution

Myanmar's military rulers should act quickly to produce a new national
constitution as proof of their intention to move towards democracy, UN
special envoy Ali Alatas was quoted saying on Sunday.

"We believe the pace (of reform) can be quicker because of the pressure we
are experiencing from ASEAN's dialogue partners," the Bernama news agency
quoted him saying as he arrived for this week's ASEAN and East Asian
summits.

He said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was not trying
to dictate to Myanmar but that the group wanted it to "see the advantages
of greater progress towards democratisation."

The envoy also urged Myanmar's military junta to allow all political
parties to participate in the ongoing reconciliation process and in the
drawing up the new constitution.

"Two years ago, ASEAN foreign ministers asked Myanmar to allow all
political parties, including the National League for Democracy party, to
participate in the reconciliation process," he said.

But the slow pace of change had led to severe international criticism, he
said.

The lack of progress toward democratic reform in Myanmar has caused
growing unease among the country's Southeast Asian neighbours as well as
the wider world community. The country has been ruled by the military
since 1962.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi remains
under house arrest, and her National League of Democracy has boycotted
talks on what the regime calls a "road map" to democracy.

Sporadic negotiations aimed at drafting a constitution have been dismissed
as a sham by the international community including the United Nations,
European Union and the United States.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 11, Mizzima News
USDA: The junta’s partner in crime - Zin Linn

The Union Solidarity and Development Association held a press conference
at its headquarters on December 6, to clarify the objectives of the
organisation.

The groups’ secretary general, Maj. Gen. Htay Oo told journalists the
group could become Burma’s newest political party.

The junta obviously has plans to convert the ‘non-governmental
organisation’ into a pro-military political force and the USDA could be a
trick up the general’s sleeves if they are ever forced to face another
election.

Burmese people know the USDA is actually a military-backed terrorist group
and is closer to being a military wing than a non-political development
group.

Formed in 1993, the group has grown boasting a membership of almost 12
million people across Burma. It is affiliated with the Burmese Red Cross,
the Women’s Affairs Committee, military-backed welfare groups and retired
military members.

Large sections of the USDA’s charter show it was formed and designed to
actively combat Burma’s democracy movement and attack, both physically and
psychologically, activists and anti-military groups.

One section of the charter says, “With cooperation and assistance from the
authorities, opposition members and their families must be prevented from
acting in ways, socially or commercially, that pose a threat to our
organisation or to the state.”

Another section says, “The weaknesses that exist within family members of
opposition parties must be studied and exploited”, and another states,
“Hardheaded opposition individuals will eventually become shaken and
agitated and most people will lose confidence in them”.

While the existence of the group is nerve-racking enough, the fact they
wield such a large membership is even more perturbing.

Htay Oo boasted at the press conference, “If two people stand on the
corner of a street, I can say one of them is a USDA member.” If the USDA
was to become a political group they would have a far greater support base
than other smaller democracy groups and would certainly give the NLD a run
for its money.

The USDA is also disturbingly well organised and members of the
association are required to attend a variety of courses including basic
military training. They are planned for use by the military to help squash
any potential uprisings.

People still remember the incident in November 1996 when Aung San Suu
Kyi’s convoy was attacked by people wielding iron bars and motorcycle
chains. Many people say they clearly saw USDA members grouping and taking
instructions from the military minutes before the incident happened.

Aung San Suu Kyi said military security officials stood by and watched the
violent attack. She has also compared the USDA to Hitler’s notorious Storm
Troopers.

There is no doubt the USDA’s main patron is Than Shwe and the 1996
incident, like the Depayin massacre in 2003, was a calculated military
attack against the NLD.

The Depayin attack, when 250 NLD members were attacked and many shot by a
group of 5000 troops, police and USDA members, made it clear the USDA was
becoming the one of the nastiest pro-military groups in Burma.

It is obvious the group is capable of all manner of trickery. It is also
obvious they were founded with the demise of the NLD in mind.

But the military’s attempts in the past to discredit the opposition and
accuse Aung San Suu Kyi of being a ‘neo-colonialist lackey’ have not
worked and Burmese people still look to her as the true leader of the
country.

After the regime’s failure to win, or even save face, in the 1990 election
failed they have had to come up with new ways to prolong their rule,
thwart the opposition and make the international community think they are
doing the right thing.

So in an act of deception, the junta organised the sham National
Convention with the intention of drafting a constitution that would help
them maintain their grip on power. Any constitution drafted during the
National Convention will be designed to ensure the military has a role in
any future Burmese government.

For this reason, many opposition groups, including the NLD, have refused
to take part in the meetings, making it impossible for the military to
pass them off as constructive or democratic.

The suspicions that former prime minister Khin Nyunt’s road map to
democracy would mean nothing but more delays have proven to be
well-founded and there is no end in sight to the junta’s bogus political
reforms.

The latest session of the National Convention is the same as all the
others – full of government supporters and cronies who have an interest in
prolonging military power.

Lt. Gen. Thein Sein, chairman of the National Convention Convening
Committee, took the podium on December 5 and warned, “External and
internal elements are trying to derail the national convention process at
a time when it is going smoothly and successfully. Beware of the dangers
of subversives.”

Smoothly and successfully are hardly the words most people would use to
describe the convention, except perhaps USDA officials.

While it is obvious they should, it is doubtful the military would yield
to international pressure and release the country’s political prisoners
immediately and unconditionally.

While a national cease-fire and an effective National Convention are in
the true interests of Burma the generals and the USDA are unlikely to
change their tune.

If the USDA is panning to become a political party, there is little hope
for military-backed political and democratic reforms.

Zin Linn is an ex-political prisoner and exiled writer. He is an executive
member of the Burma Media Association, which is affiliated with the
Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers.

____________________________________

December 11, Philippine Daily Inquirer
Unacceptable

IN 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi led the National League for Democracy to a
legislative election victory in Burma (Myanmar). Fifteen years later, the
country’s military dictatorship continues to refuse to honor the results
of that election. In fact, in the last 10 years, it has kept Suu Kyi, the
daughter of modern Burma’s founder and the vital center of that country’s
democratic struggle, either in prison or under house arrest, without
benefit of trial.

Recently, and contrary to its promises, the military government (called,
in characteristically Orwellian terms, the State Peace and Development
Council) extended Suu Kyi’s house arrest for another six months. (Years
ago, the military government had also renamed the country Myanmar.) The
extension is yet another in a long line of appalling decisions, and is
completely unacceptable.

It is high time, indeed, as the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus
declared after its meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week, for the
international community to press Burma to meet its democratization
commitments and release Suu Kyi and the many other opposition politicians
and activists from prison or detention: “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi [is] a
legitimate leader with an integral role in the achievement of the
democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar. Her detention without
trial for more than 10 of the past 17 years is completely unacceptable.”

If Burma fails to do so within a year, the lawmakers from different
Southeast Asian countries pledged “to campaign for the suspension of
Myanmar’s membership of Asean.”

In the Asian context, where the language of diplomacy is even more
non-confrontational than usual, the statement of the inter-parliamentary
caucus is bracing and forthright. In case the Burmese military government
failed to appreciate the statement’s import, one of the Malaysian cabinet
ministers who played host to last week’s meeting, Nazri Aziz, made sure to
tell reporters that the junta’s treatment of Suu Kyi was a throwback to
the days of Hitler and Stalin. (To which we can imagine a Burmese military
general nodding in agreement: “Exactly.”)

The Asean lawmakers also endorsed the inclusion of the Burma situation in
the agenda of the UN Security Council. (For the first time ever, the UN’s
highest policymaking body will officially discuss Burma sometime in the
next two weeks, in part because of pressure from the United States.) Given
the realities of the Burmese situation, however, we have to say that even
the lawmakers’ admirably candid declaration did not go far enough. Two
years ago, in response to international pressure, the military government
of Burma publicly committed itself to the so-called “roadmap to
democracy.” Two years after, it has become clear that the country’s
military rulers have no intention of following the roadmap, much less of
going on a real journey. They continue, in the words of the caucus, “to
perpetrate gross and systematic human rights abuses against the
pro-democracy movement, ethnic nationality communities and human rights
defenders.”

In July this year, the military junta succumbed to international pressure
and agreed to skip its turn as next year’s chair of the Asean. But any
hopes this seemingly newfound agreeableness may have raised were
completely dashed, after the junta suddenly decided to move its capital to
a remote and incompletely built town (inaccessible, not coincidentally, to
the diplomats working in Burma), and after it extended Suu Kyi’s house
arrest.

In other words, Asean’s almost decade-long policy of “engagement” with
Burma has failed. The idea was to bring the country into the international
fold, and then, through cooperative arrangements, through bilateral and
multilateral partnerships, to encourage its military rulers to eventually
allow greater public participation in politics and governance. Eight years
after joining the Asean, however, Burma remains decidedly undemocratic.
The military government is grossly abusive of its people’s rights; the
repression and the junta’s focus on remaining in power have turned
national issues—such as narcotics production and the spread of
HIV/AIDS—into international concerns.

Suu Kyi and her league of democracy activists must be released, yes; but
even if or when that happens, suspension from the Asean must remain a
ready option.

____________________________________

December 12, The Nation
Letter from KUALA LUMPUR: Rangoon faces rare pressure from Asean - Marisa
Chimprabha

Burma has faced a new wave of pressure ahead of the latest Asean Summit
that starts today. But this time, the pressure for swift political reform
and the immediate release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is coming
from Burma’s best friend, Asean.

Asean has been caught off guard by Burma’s latest political decisions,
particularly the decision to extend the house arrest of Suu Kyi for
another six months and the military regime’s decision to relocate its
capital from Rangoon to Pyinmana.

Both issues seem to be last straws for Asean, which has until now been a
loyal defender of Burma, both before and after the country joined it in
1997. But Asean is now losing face, particularly in the eyes of Western
countries, because it was not informed of either decision before the
announcements were made.

Therefore came Asean’s rare attack on Burma ahead of the Kuala Lumpur summit.

Before the summit, the Malaysian government as well as other Asean members
had remained silent over Burma’s extension of Suu Kyi’s house arrest and
the administrative relocation.

Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win seemed unprepared for the controversy
when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur to prepare for the arrival of Burmese
Prime Minister Soe Win.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Syed Hamid earlier said the summit was not a
meeting about Burma. However, after the start of the foreign ministers’
meeting, he told reporters that Burma is an embarrassment and a burden on
Asean.

He told the media after a bilateral meeting with Nyan Win that he had
voiced Asean’s concern about Burma’s lack of political progress to the
Burmese minister, who he said seemed unable to give a satisfactory
response. He added that Burma needed to affirm a timeframe for swift
political reform.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi also emphasised that Burma needs
to display a commitment to positive political development to allow Asean
to effectively defend it, adding that Asean must take into account
pressure from the international community on this matter.

Asean foreign ministers also proposed sending a team to Burma in response
to the repeated refusals of Burma’s military junta to allow the entry of a
UN special envoy into the country.

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said the initiative was
proposed because Asean wants to find out what is really happening in
Burma. However, the minister said he had no idea if the team will be
allowed to meet Suu Kyi.

It has also been suggested that this year’s Asean Summit chairman’s
statement will contain “strong” wording about Burma at the urging of
Indonesia. Previous statements have contained more conciliatory terms when
referring to Burmese-related issues.

The Philippines is also calling for swift political reform in Burma. Its
Foreign Minister, Alberto Romulo, said his country would be willing to
forgo its Asean chairmanship next year in favour of Burma, on the
condition that Burma releases Aung San Suu Kyi and speeds up its “roadmap”
to democracy.

The Philippines took over the chairmanship from Burma earlier this year,
after the international community threatened to boycott the grouping.

The future of Burma is worth watching now that Asean and six other
dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South
Korea – will meet at the East Asia Summit on Wednesday. The EAS comprises
two Asian economic powerhouses, China and Japan, plus Australia, which has
close connections with the US.

Australia criticised Burma recently after it signed Asean’s Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation in order to join the EAS on Saturday.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also urged China and Japan
to put more pressure on the country, which he said did not show any signs
of positive political developments. Although the EAS is still in its early
stages, it could become a platform for Australia to voice its criticisms
of Burma.

Maybe if Asean wants to avoid Burmese issues dominating its ministerial
and summit meetings, it should do more to persuade Burma, as one of its
members, to make these reforms as soon as possible.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

December 12, New Mon State Party
Statement on NMSP's Decision not to participate National Convention

(1) We, the undersigned overseas Mon organizations, welcome the New Mon
State Party's decision not to participate further in the SPDC-sponsored
National Convention, since the views and proposals of the delegates in
previous sessions of the Convention have been ignored and free and open
discussion has not been allowed.  We sincerely believe that the NMSP made
the right decision and one that represents the best interests of the
entire Mon people both abroad and in our homeland.

(2) By refusing to invite Burma’s democratic leaders and by rejecting the
proposals submitted by 13 ceasefire groups, the SPDC has plainly shown
that the Convention will bring neither genuine peace nor democracy to the
country and that it will fail to establish a federal union that can
guarantee equal rights for Burma’s diverse ethnic nationalities.

(3)  We are convinced that the National Convention is nothing more than an
attempt to prolong military rules in Burma, because most of the
representatives have been hand-picked by the military junta and have been
prevented from free discussion and open debate during the gathering.

Since we seek the restoration of democracy and self-determination for the
Mon people, we support the NMSP in its struggle to establish a democratic
federal union for the Mon people and other nationalities in Burma.

Therefore,

1. We urge all Mons and others around the world to show solidarity with
the NSMP and provide any support needed in case pressure is exerted on the
NMSP by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) due to its
withdrawal from the sham National Convention.

2. We urge the United Nations Security Council to put greater pressure on
Burma to eliminate human rights violations against the country’s ethnic
nationalities and all of the people of Burma.

3. We urge international communities to put pressure on the ruling SPDC to
open the way to national reconciliation through a tripartite dialogue with
democratic and ethnic forces in the country.

4. We call on ASEAN to expel the SPDC from membership in the association.

5. We call on the SPDC to immediately and unconditionally release all
political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi and   Hkun Htun Oo.

Euro-Mon Community
Finn-Mon Association
Mon Canadian Society
Monland Restoration Council (USA)
Mon Workers Union (Thailand)
Mon Unity League