BurmaNet News, April 25, 2006

[Editor]

April 25, 2006 Issue # 2948


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burmese Army’s Karen attacks “worst since 1997”
DVB: Innocent civilians arrested in the aftermath of blasts in Rangoon
Xinhua: Myanmar to lift restrictions on bird-flu-affected areas
DVB: Political cleansing: Mandalay NLD vice-chairman Saw Htay resigns
Bangkok Post: Nuclear claims deserve scepticism

HEALTH / AIDS
Reuters: Thailand wary of bird flu outbreaks among neighbours

DRUGS
Nation: Big drug bust in Burma

REGIONAL
AFP: Myanmar Muslim migrants stranded on Indonesian island

INTERNATIONAL
Press Association (UK): Hague pledge on human rights

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Lots of hot air, too little action

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 25, Irrawaddy
Burmese Army’s Karen attacks “worst since 1997” - Clive Parker

Burmese Army offensives against rebels and civilians in Karen State are
the largest for nearly ten years, creating more than 11,000 newly
displaced people, Karen rebels and medical relief teams say.

They say attacks have slowly escalated in the past two months, a period
when the Burmese Army traditionally launches offensives against insurgents
ahead of the wet season from May until October. However, the Karen
National Liberation Army and Free Burma Rangers say the current offensive
is on a scale not seen since the Burmese Army seized great swathes of
Karen state in attacks that prompted thousands of people to flee to
Thailand in 1997.

“The situation in western and northern Karen State is now worse than at
any time since,” the FBR told The Irrawaddy.

A Karen National Union official in Mon Township warned that “the coming
rains may not stop these attacks.” The KNLA has received intelligence that
the army has continued to send supplies of food and troops to army camps
in the area, suggesting the junta may be planning a longer term campaign.

The attacks have already caused widespread devastation, according to
witnesses. Reports say the Burmese Army is deliberately destroying
anything it believes will help sustain the Karen resistance. Whole
villages have been burned down, including food supplies and cooking
equipment—a common tactic by the military, the Karen said.

Burmese soldiers based at Play Htsa Lo army camp in Mon Township told a
local headman that people in the villages of Yu Loe and K’mu Loh would be
killed if any were seen in the area after April 20.

There are also reports that a new force of more than 850 Burmese troops
from an army camp in Muthey, Mon Township began moving south in three
columns on Sunday in what appeared to be a new part of the offensive.
Three battalions of Military Operations Command 16 moved into the southern
part of Toungoo Township further north last week, shelling villages and
chasing away people, creating 500 new internally displaced people.

FBR has documented the torture and killing of a number of Karen in recent
weeks. One nine year-old girl, Eh Yawh Paw, was shot in Mon Township on
April 9 and survived the attack, only to discover that her father, Maw
Keh, and 80-year-old grandmother had been killed. Their bodies were found
near Ka Ba Hta on April 19 and were believed to have been killed by
Burmese troops who swept the area, firing at civilians and destroying rice
supplies on March 27. In Mon Township 13 villagers have been killed and
three wounded by the Burmese Army since recent attacks began.

Meanwhile, further reports have documented incidences of decapitation, the
extensive laying of landmines in and around villages and the firing of
mortar rounds at civilians in Toungoo Township.

The current offensive has been concentrated in a north to south corridor
running about 75 miles from Toungoo down to Shwegyin in Karen State where
the Burmese Army has established new camps and a more permanent presence.

Although the fighting is taking place less than 60 miles south of Pyinmana
in some cases, the KNU believes the new capital has had little to do with
the upsurge in attacks, although the bigger troop presence in the area has
made skirmishes more likely.

The Army instead appears to be cutting off the Karen on the westerly
plains from the hills further east in a bid to strangle the Karen
insurgency movement, FBR and KNU say. The area is now said to be littered
with landmines.

The result has been the displacement of more than 11,000 people. More than
1,000 have fled east in the direction of the Salween River on the Burmese
side of the border with Thailand, the FBR said on April 25. About 400 of
these have crossed the frontier and entered Thai refugee camps, the
Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People said.

____________________________________

April 24, Democratic Voice of Burma
Innocent civilians arrested in the aftermath of blasts in Rangoon

Since the occurrence of a series of bomb blasts in Rangoon on 20 April,
more than 30 innocent people including five children have been arrested in
Rangoon Mingala Taungnyunt Township and detained at the notorious Insein
Jail.

A local resident told DVB that the local township authority members Chit
Ko Ko and Than Ngwe announced that houses would be raided to check guest
lists and some people came out on the streets to evade the surprise checks
and got arrested as a result.

“They arrested several people who were walking on the streets. There were
some youngsters among them. There were some 4-5 standard (9-10 year old)
pupils and some child nurturing mothers, some pregnant women. The majority
of them are women.”

All the detainees were transferred to Insein Jail under the ‘feet-binding’
act, according to eyewitnesses.

“(They were) transferred to Insein Jail. 37 people in all. Five children,”
a policeman on duty at Mingala Taungnyunt Police Station told DVB when
contacted for confirmation.

Local residents also said that the police, Union Solidarity and
Development Association and reserve fire brigade members have been
carrying out erratic arrests of innocent people with the excuse of having
suspicions.

When DVB contacted the police earlier, they insisted that no one was
arrested.

____________________________________

April 25, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar to lift restrictions on bird-flu-affected areas

Yangon: Myanmar will lift restrictions on bird-flu-affected areas before
the end of this month after claiming that the avian influenza has been
under control since April 6, said a statement of the Livestock Breeding
and Veterinary Department Tuesday.

Arrangements are being made to ensure regular flow of commodities after
the lift, the statement said.

According to the statement, since the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in 13
townships in two divisions of Mandalay and Sagaing in central Myanmar,
altogether 9,206 fowls from 408 poultry farms and 5,606 quails from 137
quail farms were culled and 330,000 fowls and 320,000 quails destroyed.
Besides, about 100,000 eggs about 80, 000 quail eggs were also destroyed.

During the outbreak of the disease, ban on transport of fowls, ducks,
quails and their eggs and movement of equipment used in poultry farms,
promotion of bio-security and public education were undertaken, it added.

The statement revealed that Myanmar received 660,000 US dollars of aid in
terms of pesticide and laboratory equipment from the Food and Agriculture
Organization, Japan International Cooperation Agency, National laboratory
for Animal Health and Livestock and Development Center of Thailand as well
as one million renminbi yuans from China for use in disease control and
equipment and medicines worth of 2.1 million dollars from the Japanese
government.

Myanmar reported for the first time on March 13 the outbreak of H5N1 bird
flu in the two divisions as some 112 chickens died of the disease on March
8 in a poultry farm in Pyigyidagun township in Mandalay.

Since the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, Myanmar has placed five townships in
Sagaing division and eight in Mandalay division under restriction and
movement control of animals, temporary closure of markets and disease
investigation into poultry farms were undertaken.

The five townships in Sagaing division include Shwebo, Khin U, Kanbalu, Ye
U and Monywa, while the eight in Mandalay division comprise Pyikyidagun,
Amarapura, Chanmyathazi, Chanayethazan, Maha Aungmye, Aungmyethazan,
Singaing and Kyaukse.

After the initial outbreak in the 13 townships, investigation was made on
poultry farms in the areas with 470 samples being examined, of which 33
were detected with the H5N1 deadly virus but with no evidence of human and
other animal infections from the H5N1 being found.

____________________________________

April 24, Democratic Voice of Burma
Political cleansing: Mandalay NLD vice-chairman Saw Htay resigns

Mandalay Division National League for Democracy (NLD) vice-chairman and
Singu Township elected representative (MP) Saw Htay was ‘given permission’
to resign as ‘he was fed up with the NLD because of personal grudge and
division within the party’ and that he ‘expressed his support to the
seven-point Road Map and the National Convention’, according to a recent
announcement in Burma junta’s mouthpiece, the New Light of Myanmar.

But a divisional organising committee member Win Mya Mya told DVB that Saw
Htay was forced to resign due to various types pressure piled on him by
the authorities.

“When it comes to the position of U Saw Htay’s resignation, I assess that
U Saw Htay resigned because he was given various pressures,” insisted Mya
Mya Win. “No letter (of resignation) arrived at our Mandalay Division or
the Central (NLD) in concerning with the resignation of Sayagyi (great
teacher) U Saw Htay. We learnt about it through the media based on the
pamphlets (newspapers) of the higher authority organisation.”

When asked how Saw Htay was pressured, Win Mya Mya said:

“As for the pressures, inside the country, politicians who are carrying
out the NLD politics are enduring the onslaughts of the political world.
After Dipeyin (Massacre), there have been some coaxing-method pressures
for resignation with business incentives and negotiations. Therefore, we
don’t know how Sayagyi U Saw Htay was forced to resign. But Sayagyi U Saw
Htay was a very dutiful person when he was carrying out duties in the NLD.
He was someone who had complete faith in the politics of the NLD. Sayagyi
U Saw Htay’s health started to deteriorate in the beginning of 2005. He
faced every kind problem in economical and social situations, and took a
long leave from the beginning of 2005. When one is away from the
divisional and township organising (committee) and the township for health
reason thus or due to various reasons, there are certain pressures to
resign by means of threat and coaxing, (which are applied on you)
alternatively. We are unable to say exactly as to how Sayagyi U Saw Htay
was pressured and coaxed for resignation. Only Sayagyi U Saw Htay will
know that.”

Win Mya Mya maintained that Saw Htay didn’t quit the party because he lost
his political belief or because he supported the junta’s seven-point
roadmap as claimed by the paper, but due to relentless pressures put on
him. She added that other NLD leaders within the division such as
Sinkkaing Township chairman, retired army captain Tun Sein, divisional
organising committee chairman, retired army colonel San Hla Baw who has
been resting for reasons of health and the elected representative of
Myingyan Township Maung Maung Win, have all been under pressures and
coaxed with monetary incentives to resign from the party and quit it.

“They do that with the go-betweens/agents,” Maung Maung Win told DVB.
“They say why not you start a little business and the like. They
approached us a little bit and beating about the bush. As we are the
persons who do not accept this kind of things, they dared not say much.
The reason being, we are firm persons (hard-cores). Our general secretary
(Aung San Suu Kyi) told us that we have to be firm/strong. Those who are
firm will have no problem. As soon as they (agents) know that they could
not enter, they just stepped back. It depends on the person who is tested
on. Here, as for our organisation, there is no hand-raising, no knees
bending (surrendering) whatever you entice us with. As for us, if we have
to die, we will die.”

According to other NLD members, the local authorities of Burma’s military
junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in some townships of
Mandalay and neighbouring Magwe Divisions, said that they are wiping out
the party by 2006, using all available means, by hook or by crook.

____________________________________

April 24, Bangkok Post
Nuclear claims deserve scepticism - Maxmilian Wechsler


>From time to time allegations appear that the military rulers in Rangoon

have embarked on a nuclear weapons programme, but thus far none have been
substantiated, writes

Burma has many strikes against it in the eyes of the international
community, ranging from human rights abuses and the suppression of
democracy to drug trafficking. Speculation that the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) is maintaining nuclear research facilities have
been in circulation for quite some time, and in the past the SPDC has
openly stated its intentions to develop nuclear power. There have also
been rumours that Burma is actively pursing a nuclear weapons programme,
which obviously would be of great regional and global concern. Thus far,
however, there is no evidence of the existence of any nuclear facilities
in Burma other than maps drawn by people who claim to have inside
information.

Only last week a Burmese opposition media organisation, the Democratic
Voice of Burma, carried a story saying that "residents of Lunkyaw and
Taungdaw villages, Mandalay Division's Kyaukse Township in central Burma,
have been living in fear due to mysterious explosions". The article went
on to say that the villagers had presumed the cause to be "weapons tests
carried out by the 'nuclear' battalion' run by the SPDC". The villagers
reported that there have been almost nightly explosions and rising flames
since the beginning of April. When they inquired about the disturbances,
"they were told by local authorities to shut up and stay put if they don't
want their villages to be relocated".

The DVB story goes on to say that the "nuclear battalion" is based in
Taungdaw and made up of artillery and communication units and that the
testing facility was built into the nearby Setkhya Mountains in 2000 and
includes a complex tunnel system. The operation "is said to be supervised
by the SPDC army officers who were trained in Russia, according to sources
close to the military," the article concludes.

There have also been some very recent allegations baffling experts and
analysts, as well as some exiles, that the military regime in Burma "seeks
to acquire a nuclear reactor in order to build an atomic weapon".

The allegations were made by a woman claiming to have been a civilian
employee of the Ministry of Defence in Rangoon from 1999 until December
2004. She apparently defected to Thailand not long ago and has been
"hiding" with her Burmese husband in the Don Muang area of Bangkok. The
woman requested anonymity because she fears being kidnapped by the agents
of theSPDC as she is, in her own words, a "very important defector". She
produced a name card identifying herself as a member of the Overseas
National Students' Organisation of Burma. The card contains her contact
number and e-mail address and also a colour photo of herself.

She claimed that the position she held as a purchasing controller in the
Ministry of Defence for several years made her privy to many "secrets"
regarding the purchase of weapons and military equipment.

"Information on the SPDC's nuclear ambitions should be revealed to the
world, so that the United States will invade the country as it has done in
Iraq," she said. The woman and her husband would like to migrate to the
United States because they believe it is too dangerous for them to live in
Thailand.

"We could be arrested by the Thai police because our visa expired several
months ago," she added.

The defector said that the SPDC has been sending both military officers
and civilians to North Korea and Russia since 2000 to be trained in
nuclear-technology systems. Four officials were also dispatched to Japan
in 2001 to study the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in 1945.

She said that the SPDC nuclear weapons programme is codenamed the "Ayelar
Project" as it is located in the Ayelar area, not far from the new capital
city of Pyinmana.

"The facility is disguised as a flour mill but they are actually
researching and developing atomic weapons and learning how to enrich
uranium. The equipment has been smuggled from many countries, including
India and Singapore," she claimed.

During a two-hour interview she never once suggested that the alleged
nuclear programme might be intended for peaceful purposes. She said that
two Pakistani scientists arrived in Burma in December 2000 to help with
the efforts to produce a nuclear bomb.

In fact, Indian newspapers reported in 2001 that two Pakistani nuclear
scientists alleged to have links with Osama bin Laden - Dr Suleiman Asad
and Dr Mohammad Ali Mukhtar - were granted political asylum in Burma. But
reports of their presence in Burma were refuted by the SPDC.

It is important to keep in mind that to date the claims of a Burmese
nuclear programme have come mostly from dissidents who may be trying to
spur the international community toward direct action against the military
rulers.

Said one western analyst: "Only the top SPDC officials can fill the gaps
between the allegations and the facts, and they enjoy keeping everyone in
suspense." He added that western intelligence organisations have failed to
penetrate Burma's secretive hierarchy, noting the "fiasco" of the
inability to detect a whole new Burmese capital under construction for
several years.

'UNNECESSARY

PROLIFERATION RISK' In January 2002 then SPDC Foreign Minister U Win Aung
told the BBC that Burma was committed to developing a nuclear research
facility for medical purposes and possibly to generate nuclear power.

A few days later, in the first official statement on the issue, the
Burmese military government confirmed through Deputy Foreign Minister Khin
Maung Win that it planned to build a nuclear reactor with help from Russia
which would be used for peaceful purposes. The reactor which was being
negotiated with the Russians was a 10MW pool-type nuclear research
reactor.

Nuclear research reactors are primarily used as a source of neutrons for a
variety of purposes, including scientific research and industrial
development. The reactors are also used to create radioisotopes for
medical research applications.

Most Asian countries have at least one research reactor - only Burma, Laos
and Cambodia do not.

As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Burma is
banned from developing nuclear weapons, but it can operate a reactor for
peaceful purposes under safeguards laid down by the International Atomic
Energy Authority (IAEA).

Historically Burma's official position has consistently been opposition to
the use of nuclear weapons. It was among the first countries to become a
State Party to the 1963 Partial Ban Treaty. In 1995 Burma entered into a
safeguards agreement with the IAEA, as required under the NPT, and the
same year signed the Treaty of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free
Zone.

Yet international suspicion of Burma is reflected in the nervous reactions
to reports of its alleged nuclear ambitions. In February 2002, a spokesman
for the US State Department told Agence France-Presse: "We expect the
government of Burma to live up to its obligations and to not pursue
production of weapons-grade fissile materials."

In 2003, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar
called Burma's attempt to acquire a nuclear reactor "troubling". He argued
that even a civilian reactor poses "an unnecessary proliferation risk"
because terrorists could steal nuclear material from it."
It was revealed in late 2003 that the Russian deal had been shelved
because the SPDC allegedly couldn't reach a final agreement with Moscow
concerning payment. The Russians rejected the deal because the SPDC wasn't
in a position to pay for the reactor. Rangoon wanted to make a 10 percent
advance payment but the Russians wanted 25 percent.

It was reported in November 2005, however, that Russia has resumed talks
on helping Burma to build a nuclear research facility reactor. According
to Mizzima News Group, the spokesman for the Russian's atomic energy
ministry, or Minatom, said that final discussions were being held on the
price and financing of the nuclear research facility. "The government of
Myanmar has enough money, I think, so we will continue the negotiations."

A source said that the construction of the US $150-million facility would
be handled by the Burmese authorities, while the fuel and expertise for
the project would come from Moscow.

"The SPDC has been very effective in hiding things," pointed out a foreign
expert on Burma. He added: "They could hide from everyone a plan to move
their capital from Rangoon to Pyinmana until the day they have chose to
make an official announcement which took everyone by surprise. So why
couldn't they hide their nuclear plans, which might include building
nuclear weapons?"

DISSIDENT DUPLICITY

Certain dissidents have been quick to fan suspicions that Rangoon may be
working on a weapons programme. Reports published by several dissident
organisations often give minute details on the SPDC's activities, for
example, how many chickens, pigs or sacks of rice were stolen by the SPDC
troops from villagers living in a certain area of the countryside.
However, such groups have drawn a total blank when it comes to unearthing
plans for a nuclear weapons programme, although they also failed to spot
the construction of Pyinmana.

One analyst urged caution in regard to any dissident claims concerning
nuclear weapons. "Why would one of the poorest and the least developed
countries in the world embark on a nuclear bomb project?" he asked.

"Iraqi dissidents gave the United States fabricated intelligence
concerning their country's alleged weapons of mass destruction and nuclear
capabilities which led to the invasion by the Americans. And some Burmese
dissidents are trying to do the same, hoping that this would be the case
and they would be subsequently appointed to high positions in a future
administration," said the expert. "An SPDC nuclear programme, especially
one which could build a weapon, is merely the wishful thinking of a few
exiles and their sponsors. They are looking for an opportunity to exploit
the issue for their own benefit," he added.
Most foreign diplomats familiar with Burmese military affairs agree that
it is extremely unlikely that Burma would attempt to develop nuclear
weapons because just making the preparations would mean destruction of the
regime. They couldn't hide the facilities or the equipment, which would
all have to be imported.

Moreover, the SPDC could hardly afford to fund a nuclear reactor, let
alone make nuclear weapons - something even the most hardcore dissidents
privately concede, although one admitted to saying the exact opposite to
foreign backers just to "keep them on a string".
Responsible opposition figures are not interested in spreading falsehoods
which could come back to haunt them. A leading exile with many contacts
inside Burma dismissed the defector's claim of the SPDC's ambitions to
build a nuclear bomb because if would cause them unending troubles.

During a private conversation the exile, who was elected as a Member of
Parliament in the 1990 general election, said that "the SPDC wants to use
nuclear energy to generate electricity, as well as for medical purposes
and research, but absolutely not to construct an atomic bomb.
"They are not so stupid as to get into this - it would ultimately destroy
them. They really want to improve the supply of electricity in the country
and a nuclear power-station would improve it. It is well-known that
power-shortages exist everywhere in Burma, including in Rangoon," the MP
said, adding that hydro-electric power plants could not satisfy the
increasing demand for electricity.

As indicated by a limited survey conducted inside Burma, the people also
don't believe the government would be so stupid as to build nuclear
weapons, but in general they agree with the idea of generating electricity
through nuclear power.

Burma has said it not only wants make the country energy-sufficient but
wants to export electricity to neighboring countries such as Thailand. The
supply of electricity inside Burma has been improving steadily of late,
with power outages decreasing.

This trend should continue as Burma expands its electricity-generating
capabilities by building more power stations. A source in Pyinmana said
that the city now has electricity 24-hours a day, contributed by the
recently constructed 280-megawatt Paunglaung hydro-electric underground
power station located near Pyinmana Township, in Mandalay Division.

In order to improve the present power supply situation and to meet the
future power demand, the Burma Ministry of Electric Power has laid down
both 5-year short term and 30-year plans. The latter is composed of six
five-year plans.

Within the time-frame of the first 5-year plan from 2001 to 2006, the
Ministry of Electric Power had planned to develop 14 hydropower projects
and 1 coal-fired thermal power station. Some power stations are already
operational and some are being built, including the 780-megawatt Yeywa
plant located near Kyaukse Township in Mandalay Division which is
scheduled for completion this year.

By using nuclear power to generate electricity Burma would improve even
further their grid. An expert on energy issues said that "nuclear power
also generates a large amount of low cost electricity without omitting air
pollution or greenhouse gases. France, for example, has built 58 nuclear
power plants and now gets more than 78 percent of its electricity from
nuclear power."

According to a western diplomat based in Bangkok, "It is nonsense to say
that Burma plans to purchase nuclear technology from Russia or North Korea
in order to build a weapon.

"What some Burmese dissidents are attempting to do is what their Iraqi
counterparts did before them- the result was the invasion of Iraq, the
consequences of which are well known to everyone."

One dissident agreed, saying that some Burmese exiles are attempting to
duplicate the Iraq fiasco, when raqi dissidents fed the United States
misinformation about weapons of mass destruction and the nuclear
capabilities of Saddam Hussein. He said that any invasion of Burma by the
US would be a disaster for the country. "What we need from the Americans
is financial and other assistance. We will do the rest."

IAEA GIVES BURMA POOR MARKS

An International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) inspection team reported
in 2001 that it had serious doubts about Burma's ability to use nuclear
energy safely. The world's premier organisation for promoting the safe and
peaceful use of nuclear energy has repeatedly said that Burma would have
to upgrade its regulatory framework for nuclear power considerably if it
is not to become a country of concern.

The United States, Europe and China have in the past said Burma is not
following the agency's advice on how to prepare for nuclear energy. The
IAEA inspection found that safety standards were well below the agency's
minimum requirements.

Independent experts point out that Russia, the likely supplier of Burma's
nuclear technology, has a poor safety record, with several reactor
accidents.

Even if Burma were to develop nuclear power, at the present time it is
inconceivable that the IAEA would allow it to enrich its own uranium.
There is always a chance that it would undertake such a project on its
own, as Iran is apparently doing. In such a case however it would take
many years to produce enough irradiated fuel for reprocessing into
weapons-grade plutonium for Burma to make its own nuclear weapons or to
become a supplier of weapons-grade plutonium to other countries or groups.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

April 25, Reuters
Thailand wary of bird flu outbreaks among neighbours - Vissuta Pothong

Bangkok: Thailand, where bird flu has not re-emerged for months, is
tightening border surveillance and giving equipment and training to poorer
neighbours battling the disease, officials said on Tuesday.

The stepped-up effort against H5N1, the virus which has killed 14 Thais
since 2004, followed a ministerial meeting on Monday to discuss the threat
posed by outbreaks in neighbouring countries, such as Myanmar and
Cambodia.

"Even though the bird flu situation in Thailand has calmed down, we cannot
rest," Health Minister Pinij Charusombat told the meeting.

"Scientists worldwide expect bird flu to spread further this year and
there is the possibility of a human pandemic because the virus could
mutate," Pinij said.

Thailand, which has banned imports of live poultry from Laos, Myanmar,
Cambodia and Malaysia, has also imposed stricter border controls to
prevent poultry smuggling.

Once among the worst-hit countries when the virus swept across parts of
Asia in late 2003, Thailand has not reported a case in more than 4 months.

But the virus is spreading fast in secretive, military-ruled Myanmar,
which is now battling more than 100 outbreaks in poultry since H5N1 was
found a month ago.

In Cambodia, where a 12-year-old boy became the country's sixth bird flu
victim earlier this month, bird flu persists mainly in provinces abutting
Vietnam, the hardest-hit country in terms of human deaths.

The Thai cabinet was to decide on Tuesday how to allocate 100 million baht
($2.6 million) previously approved for assisting neighbours in bird flu
surveillance.

EYE ON BORDER

Health officials are bracing for a possible bird flu outbreak along the
Thai-Myanmar border, fearing the disease could come across in smuggled
poultry.

"We have been on alert. We have been following the situation closely,"
Patjuban Hemhongsa, chief medical officer in the border province of Tak,
told Reuters.

Bangkok has urged vigilence by non-governmental organisations and medical
teams working with refugees who fled the former Burma and live in camps on
the Thai side.

Chris Lom, spokesman for the International Organization of Migration
(IOM), said "generally, the camps are very well covered in terms of
monitoring and in terms of preparation".

Thailand has sent experts to Myanmar to provide training on collecting
samples, diagnosing and building a database to combat the spread of the
disease.

But there is a serious lack of resources in a country decayed by 40 years
of military rule.

Health workers in the field are poorly equipped, no monitoring system for
poultry is in place and villagers forced to cull birds receive little or
no compensation, raising fears that they will hide sick birds, Thai
officials say.

"It's weak point is that they do not have a monitoring system for
indigenous chickens," senior Thai Agriculture Ministry official Nirandorn
Uangtrakulsook said.

"Also, it is difficult to get access in remote areas due to the lack of
communication," he said. ($1 = 37.54 Baht)

____________________________________
DRUGS

April 25, The Nation
Big drug bust in Burma

Military and narcotics officials along the northern border are upbeat over
reports that their Burmese counterparts intercepted 13 million
methamphetamine tablets bound for Thailand, an army source said on
Tuesday.

The speed pills, also known as yaba, are believed to have been produced by
the 20,000-strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), a pro-Rangoon outfit that
has operated with impunity in an autonomous region since it obtained a
ceasefire agreement with the Burmese junta in 1989.

Since 1999, the UWSA has been forcibly relocating villagers living in
their area along the Chinese border to newly built towns across the border
from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Wa leaders claim the relocation is part of an opiumeradication programme,
but Thai officials see the growing presence of ethnic Wa villagers in
UWSAcontrolled area as a threat to national security.

According to the source, an official from the Narcotics Control Board and
an officer from the US Drug Enforcement Agency were invited to Keng Tung,
a commercial centre of Burma's Shan State, for a meeting with Burmese
officials about the drug situation in the Golden Triangle.

The pair was informed about the seizure of 13 million tablets, as well as
the detention of 25 drug traffickers and confiscation of 100 AK47 rifles.

The drugs, along with the men and weapons, were said to belong to a UWSA
unit under the command of Wei Hsuehkang, one of Golden Triangle most
notorious warlords, according to the source.

Wei, indicted by a US Federal Court for heroin trafficking, has a US$2
million reward on his head.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

April 25, Agence France Presse
Myanmar Muslim migrants stranded on Indonesian island

Jakarta: A boat carrying 77 Myanmar Muslims bound for Malaysia where they
hoped to find work became stranded on a small Indonesian island after
running out of fuel, an Indonesian navy commander said Tuesday.

The boatpeople are ethnic Muslim Rohingyas from Myanmar's Arakan state,
said Colonel Aswoto Saranang, a navy commander in Sabang island, off the
northern tip of Sumatra island.

The Myanmarese, all men aged from 20 to 35, were taken to navy
headquarters in Sabang after their boat landed on nearby Rondo island on
Saturday, he said.

Saranang said the boatpeople had told officers that they left
military-ruled Myanmar for economic reasons and were not fleeing
persecution.

"They said they left their country not because they were oppressed or
subjected to violence. They simply want to find better livelihoods,"
Saranang told AFP.

Some of them have relatives who work in the Malaysian state of Penang.

"They are determined to go there, even if they have to work as menial
laborers," he said.

He said the men had been at sea for a week and had not eaten for three
days when they were found.

They have been given food, clothes and medical treatment at the navy
headquarters, he added.

The officer said officials were consulting with Jakarta on what to do with
the Myanmarese.

"But if they decide to continue their journey, we will give them food,
clothes and fuel," he said.

In 1992, more than 200,000 Rohingyas, about a third of their population,
fled over Myanmar's border into Bangladesh, accusing the Yangon military
regime of persecution.

About 20,000 remain in two refugee camps while others are living illegally
in the surrounding area.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

April 25, Press Association
Hague pledge on human rights - Daniel Bentley

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague will today pledge to put human
rights at the heart of Conservative foreign policy.

Speaking after the first hearing of a new Conservative Human Rights
Commission, he will urge the international community to exert more
economic and political pressure on ``brutal regimes'' who terrorise their
own people.

In the latest move by the Tories to reposition themselves as a
compassionate centre-ground party under leader David Cameron, Mr Hague
will describe a ``moral obligation'' to speak out against torture, rape
and murder.

He will also sound encouragement to activists who protest and demonstrate
against human rights abuses in countries like North Korea, Zimbabwe and
the Sudan.

The Conservative Human Rights Commission, set up during the Tory Party
conference in Blackpool last October, was today holding its first hearing
into the plight of human rights workers in Burma.

After the meeting in Westminster, Mr Hague will say: ``Human rights abuses
in the 21st century cannot be tolerated. Yet, across the world, unjust
imprisonment, detention without trial and torture continue to be seen.

``In countries as varied as North Korea, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, the Sudan
and Belarus, serious human rights abuses are occurring.

``Recently I was in Darfur, where I saw for myself the tragic consequences
of ethnic cleansing which continues almost unchecked before the eyes of
the international community.

``Human rights do not apply solely to the Western world, nor do they
reflect standards from which particular cultures or religions can choose
to opt out. They exist to protect people everywhere against political,
legal, and social abuses.

``Our foreign policy must be pro-active in supporting democracy and those
who bravely champion freedom in their own countries. It must put economic
and political pressure on brutal regimes, and it must seek to hold them to
account.

``The abuses and violence that have taken place in Zimbabwe in the context
of land occupations, the profound human rights and humanitarian crisis
endured by Burma's ethnic minority communities, and further repression in
Belarus, cannot be ignored.''

Mr Hague will add that championing freedom, justice and human rights is
also in Britain's national interests.

``It has become increasingly clear in recent years that dictators do not
make good partners - politically, commercially or strategically,'' he will
say.

``They sow instability, reek of corruption, and threaten their own people.''

The commission was due to hear today from Burmese dissident Charm Tong.

Ms Tong, 24, has been an outspoken critic of the country's human rights
abuses, including systematic rape, extra-judicial killings and the use of
forced labour.

Before today's hearing, she said: ``The UK must increase pressure on the
regime by banning new investments in Burma, taking Burma back to the UN
Security Council and providing more support for refugees, internally
displaced people and pro-democracy groups.''

Today's was to be the first of a series of hearings into different
countries and themes by the commission, which is chaired by Conservative
MP Gary Streeter (South West Devon).

It intends to produce an annual report highlighting abuses around the
world and studying the Government's responses to them.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

April 25, Nation
Lots of hot air, too little action

Asean's impotence has been exposed once again, this time by its failure to
find common ground on Burma

Asean did what it does best at its meeting of foreign ministers in Bali
last week: engage in yet another bout of rhetoric, posturing and
manoeuvring that generates a lot of hot air and precious little action. It
is a game Asean has played for as long as anyone can remember, but its
pitiful attempt to persuade Burma's repressive military junta to restore
democracy in that tortured country is conspicuous for the absence of real
progress there after more than a decade of trying.

At the end of two days of talks by the group's foreign ministers last
week, Asean decided not to bring additional pressure to bear on the
Burmese government, in order to give Rangoon some breathing space to
implement national reconciliation and democratisation the way it sees fit.
Adoption such a "wait and see" attitude is typical Asean, particularly at
a time like now, when there is a dearth of new ideas and a lot of
frustration with the way the junta has stonewalled international pressure.

A deep sense of embarrassment was evident when it became clear Asean had
failed to find common ground on what further steps to take to convince or
compel the brutal Burmese dictators to treat their own people better.
Burma has been a continuous thorn in Asean's side, because it has exposed
the regional grouping's impotence in regard to its serious shortage of new
initiatives.

In quintessential diplomatic doublespeak, Thai caretaker Foreign Minister
Kantathi Suphamongkhon said the group expected to see "evidence of
concrete progress" in the short term, adding that there was a certain
time-frame - which he did not specify - against which Asean would gauge
progress or the lack thereof in Burma.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, in his capacity as Asean's
special envoy to Rangoon, expressed dissatisfaction with what he saw
during his recent fact-finding mission to Burma. He was prevented from
meeting pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other key "stakeholders"
in Burmese politics.

Syed Hamid told reporters at the end of the meeting in Bali last Thursday
that differences over Burma were dividing Asean members. Despite this, the
Malaysian reportedly told his Asean counterparts he did see some positive
developments in the military-ruled country.

For example, the junta is in the process of drafting a constitution. This
will be followed by a referendum to decide whether the proposed new
charter is acceptable to the Burmese people before a "free and fair"
general election is held to pave the way for a democratically elected
government to run the country.

Syed Hamid voiced his confidence that the constitution-drafting process
would be concluded within two years. So it could sound as if there might
actually be something positive for Asean to look forward to. But, as
everyone knows, there is no guarantee that any of this will happen.
Similar wishful thinking has been used by Asean as a fall-back position
too many times before, with virtually nothing positive coming of it and
Asean exposed to ridicule by the international community.

Previously, Asean tried collective "constructive engagement" to try to
persuade Rangoon to reform. When that failed, the grouping encouraged
individual members to engage Burma bilaterally. It has yet to be seen if
this more flexible approach will work as intended.

Asean reiterated its position, calling on Rangoon to release Aung San Suu
Kyi unconditionally and strictly follow to its road map to democracy.

It is interesting to note that the lack of progress in Burma has been met
by a sense of resignation and apathy among Asean members instead of an
acute sense of urgency and need for fresh initiatives.

Syed Hamid's findings on the situation in Burma was bad enough, but the
disappointing news from the meeting itself was much worse. It is ironic
that a regional organisation that aspires to the coveted status of "global
player" taken seriously by the international community, fails to take
itself seriously.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

April 17, Refugees International
Burma: Internal Conflict and Displacement require Further UN Security
Council Engagement

Four months after the first ever briefing on Burma at the United Nations
Security Council, armed conflict and widespread internal displacement
continue to take place in the country. Burma has the worst internal
displacement crisis in Asia. In 2005, there were estimated to be at least
half a million internally displaced persons in eastern Burma alone. The
vast majority of this population belongs to ethnic minority groups.

Wide-ranging human rights abuses by the Burmese military, fighting ethnic
insurgent groups, has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their
homes. The Burmese government targets civilians in conflict areas to cut
supplies of food, funds, recruits and information to the resistance groups
and undermine their strength by severing their links to the local people.
To a lesser extent, violations are also being carried out by insurgent
groups fighting the government. Even in ethnic states where armed conflict
has come to an end, ongoing human rights abuses by the military and
large-scale development and infrastructure projects are uprooting large
numbers of people.

In eastern Burma’s Karen State, an informal ceasefire agreement in 2004
between the Karen political leadership and the Burmese military regime
raised hopes that there would be a reduction in armed conflict and the
associated abuses. Following the informal ceasefire, the number of
skirmishes between the Burmese military and the Karen ethnic army
decreased. However, the conflict has worsened dramatically in recent
months following the Burmese government’s 2005 decision to change the
country’s capital from Rangoon to the remote outpost of Pyinmana.

Some analysts believe that the government’s motivation for changing the
capital to Pyinmana, closer to the eastern Burma border, is so it can
better maintain control over ethnic territories along the border. Reports
from the Thai-Burma border indicate that since the capital’s relocation,
thousands of unarmed civilians have been forced to move by the military,
which, in trying to secure the area around Pyinmana, is carrying out a
concerted violent campaign against the ethnic groups.

Villagers in Karen State have largely borne the brunt of the latest
assault. According to reports, in the last few weeks vicious attacks by
the military, during which civilians are being beheaded and villages
torched, have displaced 7,000 Karen people. The majority of the recently
displaced is hiding in jungle areas with little food or basic necessities.
Many in hiding can’t be accessed by groups trying to assist the displaced.
Others are fleeing across the border into Thailand.

Such violence over the past decade has led to more than a million Burmese
becoming refugees in neighboring countries. Internally displaced people in
Burma, after exhausting all survival options, cross national borders in
search of asylum. Today Burma has the largest refugee outflow in all of
Southeast Asia.

In the light of these developments, Refugees International urges the
United Nations Security Council to agree on new initiatives to seek a
resolution to the political crisis in Burma, without which the large-scale
internal displacement and refugee crises will persist.