BurmaNet News, February 22, 2006

[Editor]

February 22, 2006 Issue # 2905

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: Burmese military launch new attacks on Karen
Irrawaddy: Prison Porters on the Front Line
SHAN: Junta to hold meetings in new capital
SHAN: SPDC places restrictions on ICRC movements in Kengtung
DVB: Burma hasn’t decided where to welcome Indian and Indonesian presidents
Narinjara: Security tightened in Maungdaw
SHAN: Imprisoned Shan commander goes on trial

ASEAN
World Markets Analysis: Indonesian Visit May Signal Resumption of Engagement

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Bangkok Conference Targets Human Traffickers - Sai Silp
Kyodo: Cambodia, Myanmar seek Japan's investment, technical aid to boost
trade

___________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 22, Mizzima News
Burmese military launch new attacks on Karen - Kanyamaw

The Burmese military have launched fresh attacks on residents of Toungoo
district, northern Karen state, killing and arresting people at random and
forcing thousands to flee to the surrounding jungles.

Fresh batches of troops moved into Taungoo last month as part of an
operation against the Karen National Liberation Army brigades one and two.

Burmese infantry battalions 66 and 124 have been operating in Thandaung
and Htantapin in Taungoo and have banned farmers from their land and
planted landmines around villages.

According a report by the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People,
between February 8 and 14, at least 135 people were kidnapped from Kaw
Thay Der, Kaw Law Kar, Ku Thay Der and Sar Bar Law Khi villages for use by
the military as forced labourers.

On February 15, the mutilated body of an unidentified person was found in
Bla Khi area. The victim’s throat had been slit and left hand cut off,
CIDKP said.

The Karen National Union’s information officer David Takabaw said about 20
Karen civilians were reported to have been killed by the Burmese military.

“Thousands of the Karen villagers are now hiding in the jungles and some
are on the way to flee into Thai-Burma border,” Takabaw said.

“The military is committing human rights abuses on Karen civilians and
also it’s obvious that they don’t respect the peace talks that we have
verbally agreed upon.”

The KNU and the military started peace talks two years ago when Karen
leader general Mya visited Rangoon in January 2004.

The KNU said they are willing to continue peace talks but that the
military had consistently refused to meet them.

___________________________________

February 22, Irrawaddy
Prison Porters on the Front Line - Khun Sam

Government troops are using prisoners as porters in recently-launched
offensives against the Karen National Union, Burma’s largest remaining
ethnic insurgency army, according to sources at the Thailand/Burma border.

Aung Min, one such prisoner who recently fled fighting on the front line
in Karen State, spoke to The Irrawaddy today. He said that about 200
prisoners, who had been jailed in Arakan State, were transferred to Thaton
prison, Mon State, in late January.

According to Aung Min, the 200 prisoners were then divided into groups and
assigned Burmese troops to follow. Aung Min said he was grouped with 43
other prisoners and told to carry supplies for Light Infantry Battalion
251, as they traveled from Thaton to Pha Pun, in Karen State on February
4th.

He said that during the journey, one inmate, 31-year-old Than Tun from
Arakan State, was shot dead as he was sick, and too weak to carry on.

Aung Min said he recalled the Burmese soldiers telling the porters: “You
are not going on a pilgrimage. If you can’t continue carrying, you won’t
be left behind alive.”

Aung Min fled 10 days into the journey in fear for his life. “I became
more and more shocked,” he said. “I knew I would be tortured, like my
friends, if I couldn’t carry on, and they would not treat me if I got
sick.”

Aung Min said he had been arrested in April 2004 for illegally importing
rice, and subsequently sentenced to 7 years in Sittwe prison, in Arakan
State.

Other sources on the Thailand/Burma border confirmed that monks from
Rangoon’s notorious Insein prison were also being forced to serve as
porters on the front line in Karenni State.

Padoh Mahn Sha, general secretary of the KNU told The Irrawaddy today that
there have been several recent skirmishes between Burmese troops and the
KNU. The government has launched three military operations near Taunggu
Township, about 56 miles from Burma’s new administrative capital of
Pyinmana. The area is currently under the control of the KNU’s Brigade 2.
It is thought these latest offensives are part of an ongoing government
operation to flush out insurgent armies active near to Pyinmana.

___________________________________

February 22, Shan Herald Agency for News
Junta to hold meetings in new capital

Burma's military government which had abruptly moved to Pyinmana, the
unfinished new capital from Rangoon last November, is due to resume its
weekly meetings there beginning today, reports Chai Sayam from the border.

The Trade Policy Council, chaired by Vice Senior General Maung Aye, will
meet every Thursday starting tomorrow, while the cabinet meeting will be
on Fridays, said the source from Pyinmana during a telephone interview.

Many civil servants are taking leave every one or two months and some of
them have failed to show up even though their leave has long expired, he
told S.H.A.N.

However he was unable to say much. "The superiors are visiting," he said
and hung up.

According to other news agencies, the new capital at Kyetpyay near
Pyinmana, 244 miles (390 km) from Rangoon, is to be renamed Naypyidaw
"Royal City".

____________________________________

February 22, Shan Herald Agency for News
SPDC places restrictions on ICRC movements in Kengtung - Phu Murng

The ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) has been working in
Kengtung for many years since 1999, but since January 2006, their
movements are under restriction, causing some staffs to quit, according to
Pegasus from the border.

The local authorities did not allow them to work freely; they are not
allowed to visit villagers in rural area and prisoners in the jails by
themselves. But they still can carry on their movements, as long as a
government official can accompany them.

There were 4 foreigners and 11 local staffs, which include Shan, Burman
and Lahu but now 1 foreigner and 9 locals remain. The restrictions had
forced some of the staffs to quit their jobs, according to the source.

The ICRC used to rent 2 houses in Kengtung the biggest township in eastern
Shan State, one located at Nawng Tong village in the west of Nawng Tong
Lake for office, and the other one located at Wiang Mai (Myo Thit) village
in the east of town for lodgings. But now that the work force has been
reduced, all of them are staying and working at Myo Thit.

The ICRC established its presence in Burma 1986 with physical
rehabilitation programmes for mine casualties and other disabled people.
Later on in 1999 its delegates have been working regular visits to people
deprived of their freedom in Shan, Karen and Mon states, according to ICRC
webpage.

____________________________________

February 21, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma hasn’t decided where to welcome Indian and Indonesian presidents

Burma’s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
still hasn’t decided from which airport its officials and leaders are to
welcome the Indian and Indonesian presidents who are visiting Burma soon.

At a news conference held in northern Shan State town Lashio, SPDC deputy
foreign minister Kyaw Thu and Information minister Brig-Gen Kyaw San were
unable to give a definite answer when journalists asked them about the
matter.

According to a high ranking official from Ministry of Information, who
doesn’t want to be identified, the SPDC chairman Gen Than Shwe harbours
the desire to welcome the presidents at Aye-la Airport which is close to
the country’s new capital near Pyinmana. But the international aviation
body hasn’t yet notified the junta whether the airport is up to the
international standard or not, and foreign dignitaries won’t be able to
land at the airport.

More importantly, it is not sure whether foreign diplomats will dare to
land at an airport which has never been opened officially, the official
added.

___________________________________

February 22, Narinjara
Security tightened in Maungdaw

Security has been tightened in Maungdaw town in the western border of
Burma, after a riot broke out between local Buddhists and Muslims in
central Burma last Friday.

According to a local source, several groups of armed police personnel have
been deployed at every intersection and mosque in Maungdaw to quell any
untoward incident.

At the moment, however, the situation in Maungdaw Township is normal,
according to local townspeople.

Yesterday, Lt Col Thein Thay, who is in charge of the Military Operation
Bureau based in Buthidaung, unexpectedly came to Maungdaw and held a
meeting with law enforcement agencies including: the Maungdaw Township
authority, the District Council, the police department and officials of
the special riot police department, said an official.

During the meeting, the authorities discussed the security of Maungdaw and
decided to deploy security forces in and around Maungdaw Township.

This apart, Nasaka forces are on high alert and are closely watching the
situation in Maungdaw.

Last weekend a riot broke out in Magwe Division in central Burma where a
few people were killed and at least two mosques were destroyed.

___________________________________

February 22, Shan Herald Agency for News
Imprisoned Shan commander goes on trial

A commander of the Shan State Army 'South' and his 31 colleagues who
surrendered to the Burma Army on 2 January have been on trial at the
Lashio prison since 14 February, according to an insider source from the
border.

Lt-Col Khun Kyaw aka Than Gyaung, 40, alone faces 11 charges which include
drug abuse, drug trafficking, murder, rebellion, destruction of public
property and conscription of child soldiers.

Five lawyers have been assigned to defend the SSA men: Maung Maung Aye, U
Aung Myint, Daw Mabel and two others, all of whom are said to be former
Special Bureau officers.

"He is being advised by his defense counsels to plead guilty to all the
charges in exchange for a meeting with the media, an early release and an
amnesty for his parents in Moenyin," said the source.

According to the source, Khun Kyaw had earlier refused to cooperate with
Rangoon authorities and was not allowed to appear before the press
conference held on 17 January. Among those shown to the foreign media was
Maung Soe Naing, a 13-year old boy, alleged to be a member of the SSA
'South'. However Col Yawdserk, the leader of the SSA 'South', had
dismissed the charge as a ploy to discredit his group. "This is not a Shan
person. It is clearly a Burmese boy," he told Reuters, waving a photo of
Soe Naing printed out from the Internet. "They are trying to fabricate,
but not doing good enough job to get people to believe them."

The defense lawyers have also reportedly counseled 3 young members, "over
18 but look younger", to testify they are under 18, so they could win an
early freedom.

Khun Kyaw, formerly a leader of the All Burma Students Democratic Front,
surrendered after a 4-month chase by the Burma Army across northern Shan
State.

____________________________________
ASEAN

February 22, World Markets Analysis
Indonesian President's Forthcoming Visit to Myanmar May Signal Resumption
of Engagement - Elizabeth Mills

It was announced yesterday that Indonesian president Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono will make an official visit to Myanmar on 1 March. It is unclear
what has spurred the visit, but it comes after the ruling junta cancelled
a visit by the envoy from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) last month, arguing that senior leaders were too busy to see him.
Ahead of Susilo's visit, the UN envoy to Myanmar, Paolo Serghio Pinheiro,
has reportedly been in talks with a number of key Indonesian leaders; news
agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Pinheiro is seeking to
establish what policy line Susilo will take during his meetings with the
junta. Possibly signalling the renewal of engagement, AFP also reports
that the junta is currently considering rescheduling the visit by ASEAN
envoy and Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar. It appears that the
junta is looking at a possible meeting ahead of April's ASEAN meeting.

Significance: The junta has become notably more hardline since the
internal purge that began in October 2004, leading to an interruption in
engagement with the outside world. The regime has long faced pressure from
the United States and the European Union (EU), but moves by ASEAN to
pursue a more critical line regarding its domestic policy prompted a
backlash, culminating in the cancellation of Syed Hamid's visit. Susilo's
visit is therefore an interesting one, potentially bridging the divide
between the ostracised Myanmar and the rest of ASEAN. The Indonesian
president's stature ensures that the junta cannot cancel the meeting; on
the contrary, it is likely to welcome such a high-profile official visit.
It remains unclear what line Susilo will take, but he is expected to sign
an agreement aimed at improving bilateral relations, pointing to a new
wave of engagement.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

February 22, Irrawaddy
Bangkok Conference Targets Human Traffickers - Sai Silp

More than 2,000 victims of human traffickers, most of them women and
children, were rescued by Thailand’s Ministry of Social Development and
Human Security from 2000-2005, a conference in Bangkok was told on
Tuesday.

Most of the rescued 2,128 were stateless women and children from Burma,
Laos, China, Vietnam and hill tribe communities, according to figures
presented by the ministry’s Office for the Promotion of the Well-Being and
Protection of the Disadvantaged. The conference was organized to address
the problem of human trafficking in the Mekong sub-region.

Supang Chanthawanit, Director of Chulalongkorn University’s Asian
Institute, told The Irrawaddy that children who had been orphaned or whose
parents were drug addicts were particularly at risk. The conference had
heard that many victims of human traffickers had come to Thailand to
escape the violence in Burma. Now, however, the center of prostitution on
Thailand’s northern border with Burma had switched from Mae Sai to the
neighboring Burmese town of Tachilek, where business was being operated
from vans to escape police attention.

Rotsukon Thariya, secretary of the Anti-Trafficking Co-ordination Unit,
Northern Thailand, told The Irrawaddy that traffickers were also avoiding
the authorities by using mobile phones to contact customers. Friends and
relatives of the victims were also being recruited into the trafficking
business, attracted by “agents’ fees.”

Supang said victims of human traffickers included Burmese and Cambodian
workers recruited to man fishing vessels based in the Thai port of Ranong,
on the Burmese border.

“Some of them are forced to work hard in deep-sea fishing boats,” he said.
Traffickers resorted to drugs to force men to crew boats.

Rotsukon said legal penalties weren’t strict enough to deter the
traffickers. The big operators were also difficult to catch, and
co-operation among concerned agencies was also insufficient.

____________________________________

February 22, Kyodo News Service
Cambodia, Myanmar seek Japan's investment, technical aid to boost trade

Visiting high-ranking officials from Cambodia and Myanmar are seeking
investment and technical assistance from Japanese companies to enable the
less-developed Southeast Asian economies to expand trade with Japan.

Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh and Tint Thwin, director of the
Myanmar Commerce Ministry's International Trade Promotion Department, both
said China has been increasing its presence in the two countries as a
major investor and called on Japanese firms not to miss the business
chance.

The representatives visited Japan to promote specialty products of their
countries at the four-day Mekong Exhibition in Tokyo through Friday.

The fair showcases furniture, interior accessories, textile products,
food, silks and spa items provided by 31 companies in five Southeast Asian
economies. The three others are Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodian items on display at the event include peppers and products made
of "golden silk," or threads extracted from yellow cocoons, while Myanmar
is mainly exhibiting various types of beans and teakwood beds designed
with advice from a Japanese expert.

Cham Prasidh said that even though Cambodia can enjoy preferential
treatment in trade with Japan due to its least-developed-country status,
the country cannot expand exports without technical assistance to clear
Japan's strict requirements on sanitary standards and specifications,
which constitute non-tariff trade barriers.

"You have to know the phytosanitary requirement of Japan...Even though
you've got duty-free (arrangement), you cannot sell. That is why we need
Japanese investors because they know what is in their country's
requirement," he told Kyodo News in reference to fruit exports to Japan.

The technology of Japanese businesses will make Cambodian products "very
clean, very safe and meet the requirement," enabling the country to export
them, the minister said.

Tint Thwin also said in an interview with Kyodo News that Myanmar lacks
financial and technical aid from other countries due to its military rule.
The United States maintains economic sanctions against the junta.

"In grading up our products, we need technical know-how. There should be
support from high-tech countries such as Japan," he said.

Although many Japanese business missions have visited Myanmar and Japanese
trading houses have branch offices there, no full-fledged business
activities have been made by Japanese companies due to the country's
political situation, the director said.

Tint Thwin said that while he can understand that foreign investors shun
the Myanmar market because of the military junta, businesses should care
about the more than 50 million Myanmar people.

"You don't like the government or believe the government. It is OK. There
are so many ways to give money or technology directly to Myanmar people,"
he said, adding that many workers of the former British colony can speak
English at the convenience of businesses.

As for China, Cham Prasidh said the country has become Cambodia's No. 1
investor, with many garment factories established with Chinese capital.
But to Cambodia, relying only on investment from China causes risks and
the country hopes to diversify its business partners, the minister said.

"Japanese businesses are very cautious and still exploring our market.
They make study after study and the process is too long," he said.

The Myanmar official said because his country is located between China and
India, the two economies have been approaching the Southeast Asian
nation's market for projects on its resources such as natural gas as well
as forestry, agricultural and fisheries products.

"In the globalization era, it is first come, first served. The West people
call Myanmar 'virgin land' or untouched land. I don't understand why
Japanese people are not willing to invest in our country," Tint Thwin
said.

Both Cambodia and Myanmar are planning to set up special economic zones to
attract more foreign investment in the near future, the two said. In
Cambodia, the port city of Sihanoukville will be granted such a status,
while Thilawa near Myanmar's commercial hub Yangon will become an
industrial area, they said.

The two economies are members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, with which Japan has been negotiating a free trade agreement.

Cambodia, with a population of about 14 million, posted a 7.6 percent
growth in gross domestic product to $4.2 billion in 2003.

Myanmar's economy expanded by 12.2 percent in 2005, according to local
media reports. Its GDP stood at $9.6 billion in 2003.

In 2002, Japan's imports from Cambodia and Myanmar amounted to $68 million
and $100 million, respectively. Exports to those countries from Japan
stood at $77 million and $127 million the same year.