BurmaNet News, April 5, 2006

[Editor]

April 5, 2006 Issue # 2934


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Ex-Burmese political prisoners absconded to Thai-Burmese border

HEALTH / AIDS
Mizzima: Bird flu could spread in Burma: FAO

BUSINESS / TRADE
AP: Report: China to ship oil from Southeast Asia along the Mekong River
Bloomberg: Ivanhoe, unable to access funds, shuts copper mine

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Rangoon forges closer ties with Moscow
AP: Musician Peter Gabriel, Sen. Mitch McConnell urge more action on Myanmar
DVB: Humanitarian aid to Burma needs to be approved by opposition – Czech
Republic
DVB: Burma/Myanmar Forum 2006 in Brussels
Christianity Today Magazine: Homeland Security's catch-22 for exiles

OPINION / OTHER
International Herald Tribune: Build a circle around Myanmar - Ian Holliday

PRESS RELEASE
Canadian Friends of Burma: Ivanhoe operations shut down in Burma

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 4, Democratic Voice of Burma
Ex-Burmese political prisoners absconded to Thai-Burmese border

Two former political prisoners, a married couple, Tun Tun and his wife Toe
Toe Myint (a.k.a.) Phoe Tha Htoo, had arrived at an unidentified location
on the Thai-Burmese border on 3 April, having fled the military-ruled
Burma.

“The reason for fleeing to the Thai-Burmese border was, I took photographs
regarding the case of Ko Thet Naing Oo (who was brutally beaten to death
by the police and fire brigade members in Rangoon),” said Tun Tun.
“(Members of) the SB (Special Branch police) and Sa-Aa-Pha (Military
Affairs Security Force) said they want to see me regarding the
photographing and distribution (of the photographs). They came to see my
wife and gave an appointment for me to come and see them to discuss the
matter
I didn’t go and see them, and they came to see me. As I was not
there, they asked my wife to follow them (to their office for
questioning), but my wife refused and they all went back. So me and my
wife left for this area.”

Tun Tun added that currently, the SB and Sa-Aa-Pha members have been
closely monitoring and interrogating former political prisoners frequently
inside the country.

“They have been instructed to always tail and watch politicians (political
activists) and to tighten security measures on them. They were tailing at
the funeral of U Tin Tun. They use around 30 agents of SB and Sa-Aa-Pha at
an event. As they had to carry out the (spying) activities again from the
scratch, they are using big man power so that they could follow each
person.”

Thailand based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
spokesman Bo Kyi confirmed that there has been an increase in the
monitoring and restriction on the movement and activities of former
political prisoners within last year.

“The case of Ko Thet Naing Oo is an obvious example. Similarly, other
ex-political prisoners are subjected to intimidation and uncivilised
treatment of the authorities on each level. We are very concerned about
this,” said Bo Kyi.

He added that former prisoners are neither safe in Thailand once they had
escape from Burma as they are living in the country as aliens, subject to
the ever fluctuating policies of the Thai governments. He advised his
colleagues who are still inside Burma and still thinking to flee the
country to study the situation on the border carefully before they decide
to leave the country.

“Or else we will be in a position where the south king could not rescue
the north king. Whether you are going to leave or not depends on the
individual. There are also many difficulties on this side. I want to say
that you need to prepare your strength and morale to face them before you
leave.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

April 4, Mizzima News
Bird flu could spread in Burma: FAO

The regional coordinator of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization, Dr Wantanee Kalpravidh, said today bird flu could spread in
Burma unless more international assistance was given to the country to
detect and contain the disease.

“We cannot ignore the likelihood of the spreading [of Bird flu] if the
capacity to detect and contain the disease at early stage is not
strengthened,” Dr Wantanee said.

The FAO and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have already sent
personal protective equipment, disinfectant and sprayers, sample shipping
containers and experts to Burma to help authorities cope with the outbreak
of bird flu.

But she said there was still a risk the disease would spread.

“Due to the limited capacity in early detection which affects the response
to confine the disease at the early stage particularly diagnostic
capacity, there is still possibility of disease spreading.”

Dr Wantanee said the Burmese government had been fully cooperating with
international health workers and had reported suspected cases and imposed
strict control measures to try to stop further infections.

According to the state-run newspaper the New Light of Myanmar, Burmese
authorities have culled about 140,000 chickens and 130,000 quails in
Mandalay and Sagaing divisions where the first cases of the disease were
reported on March 13.

The newspaper also reported on the weekend the bird flu outbreak in Burma
was under control.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

April 5, Associated Press
Report: China to ship oil from Southeast Asia along the Mekong River

Beijing: China and its southern neighbors on the Mekong River have agreed
to allow oil bound for China to be shipped up the river in a trial
program, the government said Wednesday.

The program negotiated with Thailand, Laos and Myanmar starts in May and
is to last eight months, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

It described the program as a way to reduce China's reliance on the Strait
of Malacca to import oil. But it wasn't clear how that would work, because
tankers carrying Middle East crude would have to pass through the strait
before reaching the Mekong.

Under the new agreement, some 8,400 barrels of oil can be shipped on the
river each month, Xinhua said, citing Qiao Xinmin, director of the
Maritime Affairs Bureau in China's southwestern province of Yunnan, which
lies at the northern end of the Mekong.

China and Thailand will set up a joint emergency team to ensure safety on
the Mekong, Xinhua said.

China's oil imports have soared in recent years to fuel its booming economy.

____________________________________

April 5, Bloomberg
Ivanhoe, unable to access funds, shuts copper mine

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. closed its copper mine in Myanmar at the end of March
because it couldn't access offshore funds to pay the costs of the mine,
which supplied metal to Marubeni Corp., Japan's fifth-largest trading
company.

Ivanhoe has not been able to use more than $40 million held in offshore
accounts to operate the Monywa project, a 50-50 joint venture between the
Canadian miner and the Myanmar government, because of U.S. sanctions
against the Southeast Asian nation, the company said in its annual report.
No-one at Ivanhoe offices in Yangon in Myanmar, Singapore or Toronto
answered calls seeking comment.

``Both the mine's insurance broker and the offshore banking institution
terminated their relationship with the mine on account of these
sanctions,'' Ivanhoe said in the March 31 report, published on its Web
site.

Myanmar, formerly know as Burma, remains under international sanctions
imposed after the military government, which has ruled the country since
1962, refused to recognize the victory of the National League for
Democracy in elections in 1990.

Ivanhoe's plan to increase production capacity at the mine to 50,000 tons
annually also was derailed because the Myanmar government didn't grant
permits to import trucks and other equipment, the company said.

``Failure to obtain the importing permits and import the new mining
equipment in a timely manner could result in significant decreases in
copper production for 2006 and subsequent years,'' Ivanhoe said.

Marubeni wouldn't comment on the issue, said a spokesman in Bangkok who
didn't want to be named.

Mine Expansion

Expansion of Monywa had been planned for the second quarter but won't
proceed ``until all relevant issues'' between the company and the Myanmar
government are resolved, the company said. Ivanhoe also has ``a
disagreement'' with the government on export sales tax, it said.

Ivanhoe, which has copper, gold and coal operations in Mongolia and China,
is valued at C$3.4 billion ($2.9 billion). The Vancouver, British
Columbia, company is controlled by billionaire mineral developer Robert
Friedland.

Shares of the company dropped 10 cents, or 1.3 percent, in Frankfurt to
7.70 euros as of 1.48 p.m. in Germany. Ivanhoe shares also trade in New
York and Toronto.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

April 5, Irrawaddy
Rangoon forges closer ties with Moscow - Aung Lwin Oo

Amid growing international pressure—particularly from the US—to institute
long-promised democratic reforms, the Burmese junta’s lieutenant is likely
to seek diplomatic favors from Moscow during his four-day state visit,
which ends on Wednesday.

According to reports from Moscow, bilateral agreements on cooperation in
the oil sector, the fight against drug trafficking and the protection of
secret information have been reached between the two countries.

The delegation of some 60 members, led by Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, is
likely to focus primarily on military, defense and trade issues, though
some observers expect that the junta will also be looking for diplomatic
cover.

“Now that the US, the EU and even Asean [has] put pressure on the
government, they [the junta] will consider it essential to have a
diplomatic ally,” Chan Htun, former Burmese ambassador to China, told The
Irrawaddy today.

A quarterly meeting of Rangoon’s top brass several months ago acknowledged
that the junta expects more pressure from the US and aims to forge better
ties with its allies. Rangoon seems particularly nervous about the US-led
attempt to bring the Burma issue to the UN Security Council.

In February, senior US diplomats said that Washington will step up its
international campaign against the regime in Burma, aiming to table the
issue at the UN Security Council. An unprecedented first step was taken
last December with the Council received a briefing on conditions in the
military-ruled country.

Burma first established diplomatic relations with Russia (the former
Soviet Union) shortly after gaining independence from British rule in
1948.

On Saturday, junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe congratulated Belarus President
Alexander Lukashenko on his successful re-election campaign, following the
example of Russia and China, while the US and EU declared their intention
to impose new sanctions against the Lukashenko government.

“It seems that they [the government] aim to defy western powers, allying
with Russia and China” said Chan Htun. “But, such a move in the long
term—like Iran and Sudan—will only deepen the crisis that the country is
facing now.”

Maung Aye, who also holds the position of commander-in-chief of the army,
is the highest-ranking Burmese official to visit Russia since the late
dictator Gen Ne Win more than four decades ago.

____________________________________

April 5, Associated Press
Musician Peter Gabriel, Sen. Mitch McConnell urge more action on Myanmar

Washington: Musician Peter Gabriel and Sen. Mitch McConnell joined forces
Tuesday in demanding stronger action by the United Nations against
atrocities they say are being committed in Myanmar.

McConnell, a leading Republican, said that misrule by the junta that
governs Myanmar, also called Burma, "threatens the entire region, and the
world community needs to get a lot more concerned than it has been."

Gabriel praised U.S. sanctions against Myanmar's military regime and
emergency relief efforts to help thousands of Burmese displaced inside
their country.

These efforts, he said, "make the U.S. one of the few countries in the
world willing to step up to this challenge."

McConnell said that a rare U.N. Security Council briefing last year on the
political and social deterioration in Myanmar is "not nearly enough, but
at least it's a start."

Gabriel and McConnell want the United Nations to pass a binding resolution
demanding change in Myanmar, where the generals have kept pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for 10 of the last 16 years. She is
among some 1,100 political prisoners.

____________________________________

April 4, Democratic Voice of Burma
Humanitarian aid to Burma needs to be approved by opposition – Czech Republic

One of the European Union members, the Czech Republic said that
humanitarian aid to Burma should not be given without the consent and
support of Burmese pro-democracy forces within and without the country,
ruled by a military junta called the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC).

“I think Burma definitely needs humanitarian aid, but the question is how
far it is possible when this regime is there and how transparent it can
be. And we have doubts about it,” said Czech ambassador to Burma and
Thailand Mr. Jiri Sitler who recently attended the Burma/Myanmar Forum
2006 at Brussels during an interview with DVB. He also expressed his views
on EU long-term project on Burma as follows:

“There is an EU country strategy prepared for 2007 and 2013 and it will be
discussed with member states in the European parliament. But what’s very
important for our position, what we need to know, (is) how Burmese
pro-democracy groups they think about it, both in exile and in the
country. This will be actually for us to decide (decisive) things. If they
say, they agree with these strategies, then we won’t object. If they say
they don’t, won’t agree, we will follow their advice. So this is the most
important thing, what the pro-democracy groups think about it then, this
will be a Czech position too.”

When asked why the Czech Republic wants to make decision based on the
attitude of the Burmese opposition, Sitler said:

“You know, we are (our) Czech republic is a country which experienced
totalitarian regime, experienced transition to democracy and
transformation, and I think, in the 1980s, the time totalitarian regime
rather ?appreciate those who pressured our regime for a change like that
time because, Netherlands, for instance, was very vocal. So, we
appreciated very much those who criticised our regime and pressured for
change. So, it is my understanding that people in Burma/Myanmar are not
happy with their regime and they would like to see us to be very clear
about it.”

Jitler added that he explained Czech’s experience of transition to
democracy to the Burmese officials, but they were not interested.

“And of course, we also told them, we are countries which experienced
transition to democracy and if they are interested our experience, were
are ready to share our experience. But so far, I don’t think, there was no
any interest.”

____________________________________

April 4, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma/Myanmar Forum 2006 in Brussels

A meeting on the affairs of Burma, titled ‘Burma/Myanmar Forum 2006’, was
held at the International Press Centre in Brussels on 29 March.

The forum was organised by European Institute for Asian Studies and it was
attended by donors who have been giving humanitarian aid to Burma, EU
government officials and experts on Burma.

“For the time being, they have been mostly discussing what kinds of
project are being carried out, what kinds of difficulty they are facing,
what kinds of help are needed in Burma,” said DVB’s staff Moe Aye who
covered the event. “They haven’t said how effective their activities are
and what kinds of impact they have, have not been discussed.”

“The meeting is named Burma/Myanmar. It is attended by people from within
Burma, especially officials of organisations working under UN
supervision,” added Moe Aye. “And, the British ambassador to Burma/Myanmar
Vicky Bowman is found attending (the forum). And some individuals are
found attending. What is significant is the attendance of former long-term
political prisoner Dr. Khin Zaw Win. Several people are attending from
Burma. People who are accused of being (considered) controversial when it
comes to Burma affairs, David Steinberg (Georgetown University) and Dr.
Zarni are also found attending.”

When asked how come Khin Zaw Win who was released not long ago obtained
passport to attend the forum, as former political prisoners are known to
be denied passports, Moe Aye said:

“I managed to speak to Dr. Khin Zaw Win. When I asked him how he came out
of Burma, he said that he was sponsored by European Institute for Asian
Studies. He took that letter to the SB (Special Branch of the police) and
explained to them. He is not going to discuss political matter, but
HIV/AIDS matters and that’s why he wants to travel. Please issue a
passport for me, he told them. That’s how they issued the passport for him
easily. He is attending for this reason, he said. What he said was, how
many HIV/AIDS patients are there in Burma, what kinds of help (needed) and
the like. When I asked other people whether he has an understanding with
the SPDC (the ruling junta State Peace and Development Council)
authorities concerned but they said that there is nothing like that.”

____________________________________

April 5, Christianity Today Magazine
Homeland Security's catch-22 for exiles - Madison Trammel

'Ridiculous' interpretation of law bars thousands.

About 9,500 Burmese refugees have had their resettlement to the U.S.
postponed indefinitely. They were scheduled to be resettled this year, but
now have to wait for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) waiver.

The problem is that the refugees, members of a largely Christian ethnic
minority in Myanmar (formerly Burma), are suspected of providing "material
support" to a rebel army, the Karen National Union (KNU). For more than 40
years, this army has been fighting Myanmar's Buddhist-friendly military
regime, which, according to Operation World, is seeking to marginalize or
even eliminate Christianity. Many Burmese refugees have family members in
the KNU or have lived in areas under its control.

According to Jenny Hwang, World Relief's advocacy and policy coordinator
for refugees and immigration, the laws fail to distinguish between freedom
fighters and terrorist groups. "The interpretation is so general and so
broad," Hwang said, "that it is ridiculous."

The U.S. Patriot Act and the 2005 real ID Act (see "Death Sentence?" April
2005, p. 26) expanded the definitions of terrorist activity. Refugees who
have offered assistance—albeit indirect or involuntary—to a group that
engages in violence can no longer enter the country.

As a result, DHS has barred nearly 12,000 refugees from Myanmar, Colombia,
Vietnam, Somalia, and Cuba due to material support violations, according
to World Relief reports. Colombian refugees were among the first to run
afoul of the provision in 2005, because groups like the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had forced many to pay taxes or provide
lodging or provision.

"Ironically, for many of these refugees, the very circumstances that form
the basis of their refugee/asylum claim have been interpreted in a way
that has made them ineligible," the 19-member Refugee Council USA said in
a statement.

The U.S. accepts more refugees each year than any other nation. According
to Bill Strausberger, a spokesman for DHS's Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS), the bureau is working with the Departments of State and
Justice to create a standard for evaluating exceptions to the material
support provision. Strausberger said the U.S. tradition of welcoming
refugees has not changed.

Until USCIS issues its exception guidelines, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees must redirect material support cases to other
countries, most of which accept only a small number of refugees each year,
or suspend their resettlement.

A handful of congressional leaders—including Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.,
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and members of the bipartisan House
refugee caucus—have sent letters to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. They
are pressing him to quickly establish rules for the material support
waiver.

"According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the [material
support] bar, as currently interpreted, could affect up to tens of
thousands of the refugees identified by the Department of State for
resettlement," Lieberman and Kennedy wrote. "This was not the intent of
Congress."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

April 5, International Herald Tribune
Build a circle around Myanmar - Ian Holliday

Hong Kong: With each passing month, Myanmar's military dictatorship
retreats further from international society. Last week's triumphant
unveiling of a new jungle capital at Pyinmana for the annual armed forces
day parade marked but the latest of many steps. All that diplomats could
do was pick up the live TV feed in Yangon, 320 kilometers away.

As the generals disappear into the woods and reinforce their bunker
mentality, America desperately needs to rethink its Myanmar strategy.
Washington has ratcheted up sanctions to encompass comprehensive bans on
investment and trade. In many respects this is a laudable response to a
regime that flagrantly trampled on democracy in 1990, and has ruled
through fear and repression ever since.

The sole flaw in America's sanctions strategy is that it is not working
and will never work. Myanmar is a pariah state in the West, and few major
investors now think of going there. In Asia, however, frustration with a
regime that increasingly treats its neighbors with disdain has little
economic impact. Myanmar's extensive natural resources and low wages
remain a major draw for regional investors.

Just ahead of the Pyinmana display, the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations discovered that its leverage over a regime admitted to its ranks
nearly nine years ago is close to zero. When the Malaysian foreign
minister, Syed Hamid Albar, finally visited Yangon on a fact- finding
mission as Asean chairman, he was denied permission to meet the opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ended up returning home a day early.

Albar, who deemed his visit a success, will file a report on Myanmar's
road map to democracy at the Asean ministerial meeting to be held in Bali
on April 17-18. But regional leaders will be hard-pressed to come up with
a viable way forward. There is every chance that Myanmar's Asean
membership will be suspended in the months ahead. Few in Pyinmana will
care about that.

Beijing is equally devoid of ideas for change. When its own progress has
been built on integration with the global economy, China may worry about
Myanmar's growing isolation. But it is not about to put pressure on the
generals. Other Asian powers feel they have little chance but to shadow
Chinese engagement with Myanmar.

In this context, the United States must develop a policy that moves beyond
rhetorical appeals to human freedom and ritual assurances that it will
always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Aung San Suu Kyi and the oppressed
Burmese masses.

At the end of 2004, when the tsunami hit Southeast Asia, the United States
took only three days to assemble a humanitarian coalition of the willing
to lead relief efforts. The core group, announced by President George W.
Bush on December 29, 2004, comprised the United States, Australia, India
and Japan. It was widely seen as an effective coordinator of the relief
program.

Today, as political disaster unfolds in Myanmar, Washington should take
another look at this grouping. Australia and Japan are strongly committed
to democratic reform in Myanmar and even in dark days have sought to keep
dialogue channels open. Although India has felt a necessity to match
China's close embrace of the generals, its commitment to democratic ideals
is clear.

It would not be difficult for the United States to revive this grouping
and put it on the Myanmar beat. In New Delhi at the start of March, Bush
went out of his way to strengthen bilateral ties with India. In Sydney in
mid- March, trilateral talks between the United States, Australia and
Japan reached very positive conclusions.

With a strategy of this kind, America could counter the baleful effects of
China, and give hope to Myanmar's 55 million citizens. Furthermore, the
core group of four could easily draw in additional partners, as happened
during the tsunami relief effort. Asean member states should be brought on
board as quickly as possible.

Building a democratic circle around Myanmar would not require an immediate
withdrawal of U.S. sanctions. Equally, when both India and Japan are
better suited for the task, the United States need not be placed in an
overt leadership position. But unless Washington takes the initial lead,
nothing will happen to break the Myanmar stalemate.

Senior U.S. officials up to and including the president now take every
opportunity they can to place Myanmar on regional and global agendas. They
should continue to do so. At the same time, they should also take
practical steps to devise an active policy for democratic reform inside
Myanmar.

Ian Holliday is a professor of policy at the City University of Hong Kong.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

April 4, Canadian Friends of Burma
Ivanhoe operations shut down in Burma

For Media Advisory, April 4, 2006, 17h30
Contact: Tin Maung Htoo (519) 860-4745, or Jameel Madhany at (613)884-8015

Ottawa: Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) has learned that Vancouver-based
Ivanhoe Mines ceased production at its copper mine near Monywa, Burma on
March 30 2006, according to its annual report issued yesterday. The
company cited expected decreases in production, inability to import
additional mining equipment, and an additional 8% tax imposed on copper
exports from Burma. The company also said that it is concerned about
timely approvals for the expansion of the Letpadaung deposit.

Ivanhoe Mines was operating in Burma on the basis of a joint-venture with
Burma’s state-owned Mining Enterprise No.1 (ME-1); the biggest mining
company operating in Burma. It invested USD $150 million in mid-1990 and
an additional USD $390 million was planned to invest in the expansion of
Letpadaung project, located six miles southeast of the existing
Ivanhoe-operated mine in Burma. The company’s stated ambition is to
increase annual production to 200,000 tons of copper within four years,
making it one of the largest copper mines in the world.

Until recently, Ivanhoe Mines has made steady profit - more than $25
million each year – from the existing S&K Mine. It stands out as one of
the most profitable foreign operations for Ivanhoe, and was once
considered the pearl of their mining empire. Ivanhoe has also diversified
and entrenched its investments in Burma by partnering in ventures such as
the Modi Taung gold project, holding 65% of its shares.

CFOB does not support any foreign investment that contributes
significantly to the viability of the military junta governing Burma,
without any discernable benefit to the Burmese population. CFOB
particularly opposes the fact that Ivanhoe willingly entered into a
joint-venture with the military, thereby guaranteeing millions of dollars
to the coffers of the repressive junta. CFOB is also aware of situations
that shed light on the role of Ivanhoe Mines in environmental degradation,
such as waste drainage into the nearby river, Chindwin, and complicity in
forced labor, for instance in building roads that benefit Ivanhoe’s
operations..

Recently, Vancouver-based shareholder activists submitted a shareholder
resolution, calling on the company to prepare a report to shareholders
describing the corporation’s direct and indirect security arrangements
with the regime, policies and management practices that preclude it from
directly or indirectly benefiting from forced labour. However, Ivanhoe
Mines refused to include the resolution in the circular for the 2006
Annual General Meeting on May 12th.

CFOB regards the cessation of Ivanhoe’s business operation in Burma as a
first step in the right direction, towards the complete withdrawal of all
investment from Burma. CFOB believes that the social, political and
economic situation in Burma is not stable enough to secure both the
profitability and security of foreign investments. The shutdown of
Ivanhoe’s operations in Burma sheds light on how difficult it is to do
business in Burma in the absence of a coherent rule of law and enforced
regulations in the country.

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB)
145 Spruce St. Suite 206
Ottawa, ON   K1R 6P1
Tel: 613.237.8056
Fax: 613.563.0017
Email: cfob at cfob.org
Website: http://www.cfob.org