BurmaNet News, May 11, 2006

[Editor]

May 11, 2006 Issue # 2960


INSIDE BURMA
SHAN: Christian evangelists detained by Wa

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan: Bangladesh minister urges UNHCR to help repatriate refugees
Irrawaddy: New Thai policy on migrant schools welcomed
Thai Press Reports: Laos, Myanmar to upgrade common border gate

HEALTH / AIDS
Thai Press Reports: Myanmar (Burma) - bird flu outbreaks raise alarm in
region

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Burma-Yunnan trade standstill following arrests

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Cambodian opposition plans Burma caucus
DPA: Kofi Annan Thailand-bound

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: British MPs call for support for displaced Karen
AP: Advocates say U.S. law confuses refugees with terrorists

OPINION / OTHER
Conservativehome.com: Mrs Beckett - prove us wrong - Ben Rogers

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 11, Shan Herald Agency for News
Christian evangelists detained by Wa

A group of 38 people returning to Shan State from a Christian congregation
held in northern Thailand were detained on 18 April by the Wa authorities
in Mongmai, also known as Mongmau, north of the Wa capital Panghsang,
according to Thai, Lahu and Shan sources:

Charges against them include giving sermons and distribution of papers
without official permission, said a Shan source in Maesai. 19 of them,
mostly young people in their teens, were released later, but the rest are
reportedly still under custody.

"The Wa seem to believe that they have been sent into their areas to spy
on their activities," said a Lahu source.

Another pointed out that prior to the recent arrest, some 250 people
returning from another religious gathering, 23-27 March, at the village of
Nawngkhio in Chiangmai's Chiangdao district, were held up and interrogated
in Mongton across the border by Wa officials, before allowing them to go
on their way.

Many believe the source of the Wa's current touchiness could be traced to
the US indictment of 8 Wa leaders, including Bao Youxiang and Wei
Hsuehkang, on 24 January 2005. At the time, the Wa had accused some
missionaries and their families in Thailand for providing "false
information" to the Americans.

Nevertheless, the Wa still need to handle the affair carefully, according
to a Lahu source. "Some bigshots among them like Saw Lu, Hsarm Pleuk and
Wei Hsaitang (Ta Htang) are Christians," he said.

Thousands of Lahu, Wa and Shans in eastern Shan State became converts
following the arrival of the Baptist Mission headed by William Young in
1904.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 11, Kaladan News
Bangladesh minister urges UNHCR to help repatriate refugees

Chittagong, Bangladesh: The Disaster Management Minister of Bangladesh has
urged the UNHCR representatives to take more effective steps to help
refugees return to their country.

Representatives of the UNHCR, Pia Prytz Phiri and Eric Paulsen called on
Food and Disaster Management Minister Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yousuf on May
8, at his secretariat office in Dhaka.

During the meeting, they discussed different issues of mutual interest,
especially the problems Burmese refugees, residing in Bangladesh are
facing, an official handout said.

On May 5, at about 11:30 a.m. the secretary of Refugee Repatriate Relief
Committee accompanied by Teknaf Nirbahi Officer visited the Nayapara
refugee camp and enquired about water supply, medicines, food and
sanitation, said a Majee from the camp.

They (UNHCR and the minister) also exchanged views on providing sanitation
facilities in the refugee camps, education and healthcare for the refugees
and discussed the law and order situation.

At present, the children of the refugee camps are being given informal
education from class I to V under the supervision of the UNHCR, said
Shamshu from the camp.

The minister stressed the need for a permanent solution to the problems,
saying continuous flow of refugees is creating additional pressure on
Bangladesh.

"The relationship between Bangladesh and Burma is now better than in the
past," he said, adding, "We are trying in our own way to send the refugees
back to their own land".

____________________________________

May 11, Irrawaddy
New Thai policy on migrant schools welcomed - Khun Sam

A recent proposal by Thai authorities to register migrant schools along
the Thai-Burmese border in Tak province has been seen as a positive step
by Burmese school administrators, who say that some difficulties yet
remain.

“I am optimistic about this move,” said Naw Paw Ray, chairperson of the
Burmese Migrant Workers’ Education Committee, which operates nearly 50
schools for children of Burmese migrant workers along the border.

“I have sat in five or six meetings with them [Thai officials] and I think
things are improving,” she said, referring to her bitter experience of
operating school over the last 16 years.

“In the past, we always worried about when they will come and close our
school down, but this concern has become less now.”

In a comprehensive meeting held in Mae Sot on Tuesday—attended by over 100
people, including high-level Thai authorities from Tak province’s
education department—police and immigration officials, as well as leaders
of Burmese migrant schools, discussed existing migrants schools privately
run by Burmese in the province.

According to Naw Paw Ray, Thai officials primarily addressed the issue of
registering migrant schools and urged that Thai subjects be included in
the schools’ curriculum, presumably to improve communication among Thai
and migrant workers and to promote greater understanding of Thai culture.

This move followed the order—first made in mid-February of this year by
the Thai government—to close down migrant schools over concerns that they
could pose a national security risk, which critics said was unreasonable.

In March, Thai senator Jon Ungpakorn visited Mae Sot to assess the needs
of the migrant community in Tak province, and stated that educational
opportunity for migrant workers and their children needed to be expanded.

Ne Oo, coordinator of the Children Development Center at Mae Sot’s Mae Tao
clinic who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said he would welcome the migrant
school registration process if the Thai government approved it.

 “We will try to register our school,” said Ne Oo. “If we can register,
all teachers and students will be granted official documents, and
students will gain certificates.”

Ne Oo, who is also secretary of the BMWEC, claimed that it would be
difficult to follow all suggestions put forward by Thai officials, such as
hiring qualified Thai teachers. “I don’t think our schools can afford for
their payment,” he said.

Naw Paw Ray agreed, citing a potential lack of funds. She is founder of
the Mae Sot-based Has Thu Lay Orphanage’s IDP Learning Centre, which has
about 350 students and 20 teachers. She said that Thai language training
may be too difficult for Burmese migrant workers, and suggested that a new
curriculum might be easier for the students.

During the meeting, Thai authorities discussed two types of school
registration procedures. Private schools would need to be operated by Thai
citizens, and classes taught by qualified teachers with educational
degrees in their related fields. Those schools classified as learning
centers could be run by anyone and would only require a qualified teacher
for Thai subjects.

The two Burmese migrant school leaders agreed that their schools could be
categorized as learning centers. They added that an official registration
process has not yet been established by Thai authorities, but that they
have approved the submitting of application forms for all migrant schools
by June 10. Authorities would then evaluate all proposed migrant schools
to determine whether or not to grant them legal status.

____________________________________

May 11, Thai Press Reports
Laos, Myanmar to upgrade common border gate

Laos and Myanmar have agreed to upgrade Ban Mom into an international
border gate by the end of this year, facilitating travel for residents of
both countries as well as foreign tourists.

Preparations for upgrading the border gate between Bokeo province in Laos
and Vanpung province in Myanmar was discussed by officials from the two
countries' foreign ministries during their fact-finding visit from May
3-5, thus boosting cooperation along their borderline.

The two sides also agreed to set up a joint patrolling group on the common
section of the Mekong River and discussed repair and restoration of
Laos-Myanmar border markers.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

May 11, Thai Press Reports
Myanmar (Burma) - bird flu outbreaks raise alarm in region

The possibility of an outbreak of avian flu in Burma has became a major
concern of the five member countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong
Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) forum and international
organisations in charge of bird flu control, the Bangkok Post reports.

Access to information about the bird flu situation in neighbouring
countries, especially Burma, was considered a key to the effective control
of the spread of the virus in the sub-region, a senior Thai official said
on the sidelines of the Acmecs meeting on avian influenza pandemic
preparedness in Bangkok on May 8.

International organisations were worried about secrecy surround the bird
flu situation in some countries, said the official, who asked for
anonymity.

The meeting, which follows the much larger Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (Apec) health ministers' meeting in Vietnam over the weekend,
was attended by senior health, agricultural and foreign officials from
Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Burmese ambassador U Ye Win
and his minister-counsellor U Myint Soe told the meeting that Burmese
military forces had stamped out bird flu in the central district of
Mandalay and the northern district of Sagaing.

A Thai official quoted the Burmese representatives as saying that use of
the military was a key to bird flu eradication. However, the situation was
still worrying because most soldiers lacked expertise in diagnosis of the
deadly virus.

Prat Boonyawongvirot, acting public health permanent secretary, said
Thailand was ready to help strengthen Acmecs member countries' bird flu
eradication and surveillance operations.

"We are ready to provide financial and technical support to our neighbours
to follow our success story in tackling bird flu," he said. The Department
of Medical Science had begun a training course for Burmese officials on
bird flu diagnosis and epidemiology.

Dr Prat also urged China, a non-member, to join the Acmecs efforts on bird
flu eradication in the region.

Yukol Limlamthong, director general of the Department of Livestock
Development, said Thai officials were part of the joint UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health task
force that inspected the bird flu situation in Burma two months ago and
would continue to work with Burma and other Acmecs members to enhance bird
flu monitoring.

Foreign affairs permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, who chaired
the meeting, said delegates had endorsed the sub-regional plan for
combating bird flu and other emerging infectious diseases.

Drafted by Thailand, the plan focused on transparency in tackling bird flu
outbreaks and national preparedness for an influenza pandemic. Acmecs
members would discuss it in detail during a ministerial meeting in Pak Se,
Laos, next month.

Thailand in November promised US$2.5 million to help Acmecs members
strengthen pandemic preparedness and establish a vaccine research network.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

May 11, Irrawaddy
Burma-Yunnan trade standstill following arrests - Yeni

Business in Muse on the Burmese border with China’s Yunnan province has
been at a standstill since 13 officials, including the customs head of one
of the six crossing gates, were arrested last week.

The crossing, linking with the Chinese town of Ruili, is normally busy.
Trade through Muse amounted to more than US $450 million for the year up
to March this year, according to official statistics published in Rangoon.

No official reason has yet been given for the arrests, but local
businesses note that corruption and bribery is common among border and
customs officials. Townspeople report that since the arrests many
merchants and traders based in and around Muse have fled, reportedly out
of fear of further arrests.

Those arrested include eight officials from the Department of Border Trade
of Ministry of Commerce and at least five officials from the Custom
Department of Ministry of Finance and Revenue.

The Chairman of the Shan State (North) Peace and Development Council and
Northeast Region commander, Maj-Gen Myint Hlaing, ordered their detention.

Observers said that the arrests were the biggest since September 2004 when
70 military intelligence officials in Muse were detained for corruption.
That crackdown subsequently led to the downfall of Gen Khin Nyunt,
ex-prime minister and head of military intelligence. Myint Hlaing was
involved in both incidents.

All the latest arrested officials are now believed to be under
investigation at the military headquarters in Lashio, a trading town in
northern Shan State.

Trade between China’s Yunnan Province and Burma is continually rising. It
was just under $400 million in 2004. China exports household appliances,
chemicals and medicines, while Burmese merchants trade jade, seafood and
timber.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 11, Irrawaddy
Cambodian opposition plans Burma caucus - Clive Parker

Phnom Penh: The main Cambodian opposition Sam Rainsy Party on Thursday
said it wanted to make Cambodia the latest Asean country to establish a
domestic inter-parliamentary caucus on Burma in an attempt to promote
reform in Rangoon.

Opposition Member of Parliament Son Chhay—the only Cambodian member of the
Asean-wide Inter-parliamentary Myanmar Caucus—said he expects to meet
Prime Minister Hun Sen next week in a bid to gain support from the ruling
Cambodian People’s Party. If the prime minister backs the move, the SRP
says it hopes to establish the caucus in September with a seminar in Phnom
Penh bringing together various stakeholders in Burma’s future.

“I want to do more on Burma,” Son Chhay said on Thursday. “Cambodia is a
good example [for Burma]
we have similar problems.”

Son Chhay—who is also the head of the Cambodian Foreign Affairs
Committee—recently visited a Karen refugee camp in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son
Province with other members of the Asean caucus.

The leader of the SRP, Sam Rainsy, on Wednesday backed his fellow party
member’s initiative, saying it was time for Cambodia to show it was
serious about democratic reform, both domestically and within the region.

“I’m ashamed of the Cambodian government for being so complacent with the
military regime
over the last ten years,” Rainsy told The Irrawaddy.

He did however note that Phnom Penh had shown signs that it was prepared
to reverse its policy of maintaining silence on Burma, most notably at the
end of January when Foreign Minister Hor Namhong issued a strongly worded
statement pushing the regime to receive Asean envoy Syed Hamid Albar in
Rangoon.

The possibility that Cambodia may become more vocal on Burma is symbolic
given that both countries were among the last to join Asean. Cambodia
joined in 1999.

Sam Rainsy on Wednesday quoted Hun Sen as saying recently that Cambodia
must distance itself from the junta if it is to progress within Asean, a
suggestion also made by Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo this year.

Cambodia would follow Malaysia, the Philippines and, most recently,
Indonesia in becoming the fourth member of Asean to establish a domestic
caucus on Burma.

____________________________________

May 11, Deutsche Press-Agentur
Kofi Annan Thailand-bound

New York: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was to embark Thursday on a
journey to Asia and Europe that was to include the first ever visit by a
secretary-general to Vietnam.

But any discussion of his successor when he steps down in December will be
avoided, Annan said Wednesday. Instead, the major focus of his trip will
be discussion of UN reform with government officials along the way.

The last Asian to occupy his post was U Thant of Burma, now Myanmar, from
1961 to 1971, and Annan has indicated his strong support for an Asian to
take over the UN leadership, which by tradition rotates among the world's
regions.

While a number of Asian leaders are jockeying for the post, Annan told
reporters that he plans to avoid discussing the issue. Instead, he
indicated he will be lobbying for support he needs to carry out plans to
reform the 60-year-old organization. Annan said the Asian journey comes at
a "critical time" in that process.

Before arriving in Asia on Sunday, Annan plans to spend several days at
the European Union-Latin America-Caribbean summit in Vietnna, where he is
to address the meeting and speak with heads of state. In The trip includes
stops in South Korea, Japan, Thailand and China, in addition to Vietnam.

The Asia tour was to begin Sunday in Seoul, where Annan is slated to meet
with government leaders and speak at Seoul National University.

He will then travel to Tokyo, Beijing, Hanoi and Bangkok.

In Bangkok, he was to address a high-level panel on human development and
have an audience with the king in addition to meetings with top government
leaders.

The race to succeed Annan has already begun for some Asian diplomats.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai is a declared
candidate to replace Annan. Surakiart has received the support of Asean,
making him a strong contender for the post.

Two other Asian candidates are South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon
and a Sri Lankan diplomat, Jayantha Dhanapala, a former ambassador to the
US.

The US has rejected the idea of the rotating regions as a criteria for
selecting Annan's successor, saying the most capable administrator to come
forward should get the job. Annan has had to grapple with investigations
into corruption in the Iraq oil-for-food programme, misconduct by
peacekeepers and other hot issues in recent years.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 11, Mizzima News
British MPs call for support for displaced Karen - Mungpi

A cross-party group of British members of parliament today tabled an Early
Day Motion calling on the government to support displaced ethnic Karen and
push for Burma’s inclusion on the United Nations Security Council agenda.

The motion urged the Department for International Development to provide
humanitarian assistance to more than 11,000 displaced ethnic Karens.

In the past three months, the Burmese military has launched a string of
serious offensives against the Karen, burning villages, laying land mines
and shooting civilians on sight.

John Bercow, member of parliament and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary
Group for Democracy in Burma, said in a statement, “The Burma Army is
guilty of the most sadistic savagery against innocent civilians in Karen
State”.

“Those internally displaced people in Eastern Burma who are struggling to
survive in the jungle are in desperate and urgent need of humanitarian
assistance and DFID should now provide it," Bercow said.

He also called on the Security Council to condemn the Burmese military and
pass a resolution calling for democratic change in the country and the
release of detained National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
and other political prisoners.

Mark Farmaner, media and campaigns manager for the Burma Campaign UK, told
Mizzima the parliamentarians had been motivated to introduce the motion by
the worsening situation in Karen State.

Farmaner said the motion had already gained the support of seventeen
members of parliament with more support expected.

____________________________________

May 11, Associated Press
Advocates say U.S. law confuses refugees with terrorists - Cara Anna

Albany: Some of Nyunt Win's friends, who once fought with rebel groups in
Myanmar and now live in refugee camps, hope to join him in the United
States. But they may not make it.

The U.S. Patriot Act bars those who've given material support a cup of
water, for example, even under duress to certain armed groups, including
ones the U.S. doesn't define as terrorists.

"It's hard," said Win, a refugee from Myanmar, which is also known as
Burma. "The country needs a law to protect its own people. My suggestion
is an exemption for people who respect democracy and human rights."

A glimmer of hope came last week when the U.S. State Department announced
a waiver for some people in one Burmese refugee camp, who once helped
rebels fighting the military junta.

Refugees across the country cautiously welcomed the move, the first step
around the law's anti-terrorism language some say has kept up to 15,000
refugees out of the U.S. A proposal to make an exception for those who
provided support under the threat of violence stalled in the U.S. Senate.

The most public example are the Burmese refugees.

Myanmar's military regimes, which first came to power in 1962, had battled
many minority insurgent groups seeking autonomy until a former junta
member, Gen. Khin Nyunt, negotiated cease-fires with 17 of them. But his
ouster in 2004 reinforced hard-liners and "resulted in increasing
hostility directed at ethnic minority groups," U.S.-based Human Rights
Watch said in its 2006 report.

But advocates say the waiver won't affect many others, including Burmese
in other camps and those who were rebels themselves. Cubans, Colombians,
Liberians, Hmong and Somali also won't benefit.

"It's not a fix by any stretch of the imagination," says Melanie Nezer,
migration policy counsel for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. Nezer and
others say the law has split families, with anxious relatives waiting in
communities across the United States.

Win, who now lives in an Albany suburb, said, "People are worried." The
200 or so Burmese refugees in the Albany area had been told another 50 or
60 would be arriving this year, but that hasn't happened.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has stopped referring
Colombian refugees with possible material support issues and Burmese
refugees from camps in Malaysia.

"UNHCR is aware of at least 1,730 refugees whose cases have been put on
hold," Andrew Painter, senior protection officer in the UNHCR's Washington
office, wrote in an e-mail last week. About 1,300 of those are Burmese.

The United States is the world's top refugee destination. In fiscal year
2004, it resettled 67 percent of the refugees referred worldwide by UNHCR,
according to the State Department.

"This does huge harm to the U.S.' long-standing reputation of offering
protection," says Jennie Pasquarella, a student author of a Georgetown
University Law Center report released last week on the ban's effects on
Colombian refugees.

The report found 71 percent of the 63 refugees interviewed in Ecuador
would not be able to enter the United States because of the material
support issue. The report included examples, including one person who
provided a glass of water to an armed guerrilla.

Of the cases where a refugee gave support, 73 percent acted under duress
and another 24 percent acted without realizing whom they were helping,
according to the report.

In a similar project, Harvard Law School researchers in Thailand and
Malaysia found other examples: A refugee who was taxed a basket of rice by
an opposition group and another who gave a member of the group a hat.

On the Net:

Department of State: http://www.state.gov/

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: http://www.unhcr.org/

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 8, Conservativehome.com
Mrs Beckett - prove us wrong - Ben Rogers

Their looks said it all. When the news flashed up on my screen that
Margaret Beckett was Foreign Secretary, I told my colleagues. One by one
heads popped up, a bemused look on each face. One, a solid Labour voter,
thought it was a joke. "No, come on, you are joking. Who is really Jack
Straw's replacement?" Margaret Beckett, I assured her. The conversation
went in circles like this several times until she realised I was not
joking. Others were equally astonished. A friend from another human rights
organisation phoned me from his holiday in Cyprus to find out the news. He
too thought I was joking. A friend in Washington DC called me too. "Who is
Margaret Beckett and why has she been made foreign secretary?" he asked.
Britain's first female foreign secretary has a clear credibility problem.
But she has an opportunity to prove us all wrong.

When she looks at her 'to do' list - Iran, Iraq, China, Russia,
Afghanistan, the United States, the EU, India - she may think she already
has enough on her plate. But if she wants to win respect for courage,
creativity and integrity, there is another, forgotten but important item
she could add to her list: Burma.

For too long British Foreign Secretaries have failed the long-suffering
people of Burma. Former Burmese political prisoners have told me that they
do not see Britain as being on their side. One asked me why it took the UK
over two months to decide whether or not to support bringing Burma to the
UN Security Council for the first time, on the recommendation of a report
commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and former South
African Archbishop Desmond Tutu when it took the US Rangoon just one day.
Another wondered why the British Council in Rangoon charges $20 a year for
access to a library consisting of books on 19th century flora and fauna,
when the American Centre charges $2 a year, for a library packed with
books on democracy and human rights. Margaret Beckett now has an
opportunity to change all that.


Burma is ruled by one of the world's most brutal regimes. An illegal junta
which took power in a coup and ignored the will of the people in the 1990
elections, it has locked up Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi  - and almost
assassinated her three years ago.

The regime is guilty of the widespread, systematic use of rape against
ethnic minority women (see the Shan women and Karen women websites). Those
two issues alone - the detention of a female icon and rape - should appeal
to the feminist in Mrs. Beckett.

Over 1,100 political prisoners are in jail in Burma today. Khun Htun Oo,
for example, is serving a 93-year sentence for pro-democracy activities.
Nine political prisoners have died in jail in the past year. Torture is
widespread.

Since 1996, over 2,800 villages in eastern Burma alone have been
destroyed. Over a million people are displaced, on the run, hiding in the
jungle, without food, medicine or shelter. Over 155,000 are refugees in
camps in Thailand, and thousands more in India, Bangladesh, Malaysa and
beyond. Over 70,000 children have been forcibly conscripted into the Burma
Army, the highest number of child soldiers in the world.

But it is the current crisis in Karen State that should particularly
command Mrs Beckett's attention. What crisis, you may ask? One of the
world's most under-reported human tragedies developing right now. In
recent weeks, in the worst offensive against the Karen by the Burma Army
since 1997, over 13,000 people have been displaced in one district alone.
Civilians have been shot at point-blank range. Saw Po De, a 40 year-old
man, was beheaded. The body of another man was found severely mutilated,
his nose cut off and an eye gouged out. Nine year-old Naw Eh Ywa Paw was
shot, after her father and grandmother were killed. The Free Burma
Rangers, a relief team which has been assisting those on the run in the
jungles, say there is an "immediate" need for rice and medicine. A
worldwide day of protest has been called for May 16 - a demonstration will
be held outside the Burmese Embassy in London  at 19a Charles Street from
12.30-2pm that day.

There are four things Mrs. Beckett could do immediately. First, she could
signal her intention to lead an effort to bring the crisis in Burma to the
UN Security Council agenda next month. This has been called for by many
around the world - from a group of ASEAN Parliamentarians to Human Rights
Watch, Amnesty International, the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions, Church World Service and Refugees International. Denmark has
the Presidency in June, so she could lobby her Danish counter-part to be
pro-active in bringing Burma forward for discussion. She could talk to
China and Russia, to persuade them not to use their veto. The proposal in
the Havel-Tutu report is for a moderate resolution - that would require
the SPDC to enter into tripartite dialogue with the democracy and ethnic
groups, release all political prisoners, and open up the country to
humanitarian aid and human rights organisations. After numerous General
Assembly and Human Rights Commission resolutions on Burma, it is time for
a legally binding and enforceable resolution - which only the Security
Council can pass. So far, Kofi Annan and the UN Secretariat have not said
a word about the current crisis. Just as he and others failed to deal with
Rwanda before it was too late, so he has remained silent on the situation
in eastern Burma. Mrs. Beckett could help change that.

Second, she could look at how the UK can go above and beyond the current
pathetic EU Common Position on Burma. While civilians were being
slaughtered last week, the EU Common Position was renewed - as it is, not
strengthened at all.

The EU Common Position's key features are:

An arms embargo and a ban on non-humanitarian aid - welcome, but
insignificant given that China and Russia provide most of the regime's
arms.

A visa ban - known as a "shopping ban" because of the exemptions for
international summits. The Generals tend to shop in Singapore, rather than
Paris.

An asset freeze - which has frozen the grand total of £4,000, across all
25 EU member states.

A ban on investment by EU companies in named State-owned enterprises - at
first glance, a hint of muscle by the EU, but on closer investigation
another typical fudge.  Under Burmese law foreign companies cannot invest
in State-owned enterprises - so the EU has banned something that cannot be
done anyway. And on the list of prohibited companies are a pineapple juice
factory and a tailor shop - but not the oil, gas, timber or gem sectors.
The Generals are propped up by TOTAL oil, not by tropical fruit juice.

It is time then for the UK to introduce its own investment ban, and close
the loophole whereby British-dependent territories - Bermuda and the
Virgin Islands - are used by foreign companies to invest in Burma. The
legislation has been drafted. It has the support of the Conservatives,
Liberal Democrats, over 100 Labour MPs and even Sinn Fein and the Ulster
Unionists. It should win Mrs. Beckett's backing.

Third, there is increasing evidence that war crimes, crimes against
humanity and attempted genocide are being perpetrated in Burma.  The UK
could join with other countries in creating a UN Commission of Inquiry
into these crimes, or referring a case to the International Court of
Justice.

And fourth, the UK could support democracy in Burma. By that I mean,
provide funding to democracy-building projects. Currently, the UK provides
£120,000 to a survey of wild bats in Burma, but not a penny to the brave
indigenous Burmese human rights documentation, dissemination and education
groups (such as the KHRG and CHRO). We should be funding them, as well as
broadcasters such as the Democratic Voice of Burma, and national
reconciliation projects.

Two weeks ago, the Conservative Human Rights Commission held its first
hearing, on Burma. The hearing was followed by William Hague's speech
putting human rights at the heart of foreign policy, and a call from Shan
activist Charm Tong to us: "Please don't give up on democracy and human
rights". Charm Tong met David Cameron the previous day, and Jack Straw the
day after the hearing. Jack Straw promised to support the effort to bring
Burma to the UN Security Council. Mrs Beckett should fulfil that promise
she has inherited - and go further.

I have travelled in the conflict zones of eastern Burma many times, and to
the western borders too. I will never forget walking around a village of
internally displaced people in Karen State, rife with malnutrition,
malaria and preventable disease, and seeing hanging on the wall of a
bamboo hut a banner with the question: "Are you for democracy or
dictatorship?" That is a question Mrs. Beckett must answer. Ringing in my
ears are the words of a 15 year-old Shan boy who had seen his parents
killed and his village burned, and had been taken for forced labour. As he
looked into my eyes, he said: "Please, tell the world to put pressure on
the regime to stop killing its people. Tell the world not to forget us."
That is what I have been doing - but the world has not been listening. Mrs
Beckett, your time to change that has come.

Benedict Rogers is Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Human Rights
Commission and works with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an international
human rights organisation. He is the author of "A Land Without Evil:
Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People" (Monarch, 2004) and was
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the City of Durham in 2005.