BurmaNet News, May 16, 2006

[Editor]

May 16, 2006 Issue # 2963


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burma cabinet reshuffle
Mizzima: Military keeps quiet about changes to war office
Irrawaddy: Burmese comedian Zargana gagged
SHAN: Shan leader enters monkhood

ON THE BORDER
Thai Press Reports: Thailand chiefs of Thai and Burmese military outposts
meet in Tak to jointly solve problems along common border

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: Myanmar put aside as EU talks about FTA with Southeast Asia

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Welfare plan for migrants poses problems for Burmese workers

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: Burma must halt offensive against minority rebels: UN rights experts
Deutsche Presse-Agentur: Protestors demand Myanmar end offensive against
Karen
AP: Human rights campaigners call for protest at Myanmar embassy in London


OPINION / OTHER: Asian Wall Street Journal: Fleeing Burma - Benedict Rogers
Bangkok Post: Hijacked: A political breakthrough - Aung Zaw

PRESS RELEASE
UNHCR: UN Human Rights experts call on Myanmar to end counter-insurgency
operations targeting civilians in northern Karen State and eastern Pegu
Division

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 16, Irrawaddy
Burma cabinet reshuffle - Aung Lwin Oo

The Burmese junta has reshuffled some ministerial positions in the
governing cabinet amid rumors of a major shift within the administration.

An official announcement in The New Light of Myanmar said Culture Minister
Maj-Gen Kyi Aung and Maj-Gen Sein Htwa, Minister of Social Welfare, Relief
and Resettlement and of Immigration and Population, had been granted
permission to retire—a euphemism for dismissal.

The reshuffle also saw Col Zaw Min of the Cooperative Ministry switch
positions with Maj-Gen Tin Htut, the former Minister for Electric Power.
That ministry has been expanded into two—Electric Power 1 and 2.

Four new ministers, including three former regional commanders, are
appointed. Maj-Gen Khin Aung Myint leaves the Ministry of Defense to
become Culture Minister; Maj-Gen Soe Naing, formerly Southeast commander
takes over the Hotel and Tourism Ministry; Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint,
formerly Western commander, becomes Minister for Electric Power 2 and
Maj-Gen Maung Maung Swe, formerly Coastal commander, as Minister of Social
Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

The official announcement of the reshuffle was dated Monday and was signed
by the junta’s Secretary 1, Lt-Gen Thein Sein. It came during a quarterly
meeting of the junta’s top brass at the new administrative capital,
Naypyidaw, near Pyinmana.

Unconfirmed reports say the announcement omitted several changes in key
military positions, including the naming of three military commanders and
the loss by Prime Minister Gen Soe Win of his air defense general post.

____________________________________

May 16, Mizzima News
Military keeps quiet about changes to war office - Sein Win

While Burma’s state-run media began reporting the country’s latest cabinet
reshuffles late last night, the military has kept quiet about several
reported changes within the war office.

The New Light of Myanmar today confirmed several new ministers had been
appointed, some had been ‘permitted to retire’ and others had been
reassigned.

Among the newly appointed ministers were the nephew of senior general Than
Shwe, Dr Paing Soe and the brother-in-law of vice senior general Maung Aye
and former commander major general Maung Maung Swe.

But sources inside Burma told Mizzima today the real extent of the
reshuffle was much greater with several new changes in the military’s top
ranks including the promotion of two former commanders to positions of
lieutenant general.

Reports have emerged that major general Myint Hlaing, former commander of
the Lashio-based Northeast Command was promoted to lieutenant general and
appointed as chief of staff for air defense.

Sources also told Mizzima the former commander of the Taunggyi-based
Eastern Command, Lieutenant General Ye Myint had been appointed as chief
of defense security.

Six new military commanders were also appointed: brigadier general Thaung
Aye as eastern commander, brigadier general  Aung Than Htut as northeast
commander, brigadier general Khin Zaw Oo as costal regional commander,
brigadier general Wai Lwin as Nay Pyi Daw commander and brigadier general
Thet Naing Win as southeastern commander.

Former southeastern commanders major general Soe Naing and major general
Khin Maung Myint were appointed as ministers for hotels and tourism and
culture respectively.

Burma watchers had speculated that the widely reported power struggle
between Than Shwe and Maung Aye would lead to an internal coup in the near
future but the removal of Maung Aye’s nephew from the war office has
placed the power of the military’s number-two man in doubt.

Thai-based military analyst Htay Aung said Maung Aye’s power was diminishing.

“General Maung Aye is not an active person. He will accept whatever he
gets. Some commanders want Maung Aye to take over but he may not want to
struggle. He will shelter behind the senior general Than Shwe,” Htay Aung
said.

“His power will be reduced slowly. And his loyalists will be kicked off
too. The only question is time. Finally . . . Than Shwe  will be the sole
dictator.”

Intelligence sources told Mizzima Maung Aye made a quiet visit to China
prior to the announcement of the reshuffle. He is also believed to have
visited Thailand during the trip.

____________________________________

May 16, Irrawaddy
Burmese comedian Zargana gagged - Yeni

Burma’s best-known comedian, Zargana, has again been banned from giving
public performances or promoting his latest film.

The ban, issued by the Motion Picture and Video Censor Board, follows an
interview Zargana did with the BBC during the recent water festival in
which he criticized the military regime’s arch-conservative rules on
culture.

The ban also blocks all public screening of the actor-director’s new film
“We Can’t Stand Any More,” a satire on Rangoon’s social life.

Zargana, 45, a dentist-turned-comedian, told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that
the censor board had issued the new ban last Sunday.

Zargana came to prominence in the 1980s for poking fun at the then
socialist regime.  “This is not the first time,” he told The Irrawaddy
with a laugh. “The authorities always scrutinize my work and if they think
it makes them bad they ban me.”

The comedian has been jailed twice for his social and political activism,
first as a political dissident in 1988, then again in 1990 while helping
his mother in her campaign for the May general elections that year.

He was freed in 1994 on condition that he no longer practiced as a comedian.
But during the government-sponsored “Visit Myanmar Year 1996”, he wore
dirty clothes and stood holding traditional Burmese Hpa, or baskets in
front of a propaganda billboard.  Then he raised a banner which said
“Burmese Hpa have to be made famous all over the world.” Hpa in Burmese
means prostitute.

The comedian—whose name means tweezers—won the Lillian Hellman and Dashiel
Award in 1991 after being nominated by the Fund for Free Expression, a
committee of Human Rights Watch.

____________________________________

May 16, Shan Herald Agency for News
Shan leader enters monkhood

Sai Fah, who was forced to resign from his party, Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy (SNLD), last month took up the Buddhist robes
following his meeting with the Burmese commander of northern Shan State
two weeks ago, reports Tai Touch from the border:

The meeting took place in the afternoon on 3 May at the Northeastern
Region Command Headquarters in Lashio. The 56-year old Literature and
cultural activist, whose life-long work at the grassroots level was one of
the reasons the SNLD emerged second countrywide and first statewide in the
1990 elections, promptly went into monkhood right after the meeting. The
details of the meeting has not been disclosed.

Reverend Sai Fah was seen again in Hsenwi, 32 miles north of Lashio, on 11
May, Burma's Visakha Buja Day, when the Sabbanyu Zoom Moeng Pagoda, the
renovation efforts for which he had been spearheading since 2000, was
inaugurated.

Sai Fah aka Sai Hla Pe, MP of Kyaukme constituency-1, was forced by the
military authorities to resign on 7 April, as part of the military's
countrywide crackdown on the Opposition.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 16, Thai Press Reports
Thailand chiefs of Thai and Burmese military outposts meet in Tak to
jointly solve problems along common border

Senior border officers from Thailand and Myanmar met yesterday (May 13) in
a meeting to discuss development of border personnel as a way to promote
effective solutions to border problems.

Colonel Kasem Thanaporn, commander of the special task force of the Fourth
Infantry Regiment of the Royal Thai Armed Force led the Thai delegation to
the meeting while that of Myanmar was led by Colonel Maung Chi Tu,
strategic commander of Division 333. The meeting was held at Ban Wang Pha
in Mae Ra-mat District, Tak Province.

Colonel Kasem said he supports good relations between border communities
of both sides as they would bring about mutual benefits and joint
solutions to such border problems as narcotics, human trafficking,
communicable diseases, and security.

Colonel Maung Chi Tu of Division 333 of Myanmar said people on both sides
of the border have regular contacts. People from Myanmar often cross the
common border to buy consumer goods and many other products from Thailand.
Myanmar is, therefore, ready to give full cooperation to Thailand in
solving all border problems.

Official results of the meeting were not revealed.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

May 16, Agence France Presse
Myanmar put aside as EU talks about FTA with Southeast Asia

Manila: Concerns over human rights in Myanmar were pushed to one side
Tuesday as the European Union (EU) discussed a free trade agreement with
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"We have a close and strong relationship between ASEAN and EU and we are
all agreed that we want to take that relationship to a higher level," said
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson after meeting the Southeast Asian
trade ministers in the Philippine capital.

A "vision report," prepared for both sides starting last year, had
provided a "solid case... for deepening and extending economic cooperation
and moving forward in our trade relationship," he told reporters.

Mandelson did not comment on earlier concerns that the EU's criticism of
Myanmar's military government would pose an obstacle to any free trade
accord with ASEAN.

ASEAN includes Myanmar as well as Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN secretary general Ong Keng Yong said the talks did not focus on
Myanmar, remarking that "the EU side has taken a rather pragmatic
approach" and not opposed the inclusion of Myanmar in meetings between the
regional bodies.

Ong suggested that this might be because there is "minimal trade" between
Myanmar and Europe.

Ong said the Myanmar issue may affect further progress towards a free
trade area. But he said both regions already had extensive economic ties,
adding "there is general consensus we can do an FTA (free trade agreement)
within WTO (World Trade Organization) rules."

He said the proposed pact would be taken up at the next meeting between
the EU trade commissioner and ASEAN ministers in Kuala Lumpur in August.

ASEAN has been reluctant to force democratic and human rights changes in
Myanmar, which has continued to ignore calls by both the EU and the United
States to free democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The EU and US have slapped trade sanctions on Myanmar, a possible obstacle
to any free trade agreement with ASEAN.

Mandelson had previously said ASEAN and EU ministers should "find a way
through" the problem if an agreement is to be signed.

"It will be tragic if other ASEAN countries were to forgo economic
opportunities and expand trade in the world because of Myanmar's refusal
to change for the better," he said.

ASEAN signed a free trade deal with South Korea on Tuesday and has already
negotiated a similar deal with China.

Japan is also trying to push for individual free trade deals with a number
of ASEAN members including the Philippines and Vietnam.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 16, Irrawaddy
Welfare plan for migrants poses problems for Burmese workers - Sai Silp

Thai labor activists and scholars have claimed that a new plan to include
Burmese migrant workers in the country’s social welfare system will face
significant obstacles.

These projections follow public statements from Piroj Suksamrit, an
official at the Thai Social Welfare Office, that Thailand will try to
incorporate migrant workers from Lao, Cambodia and Burma into the
country’s social welfare system.

In a statement issued by the Welfare Office information center, Piroj said
that benefits for migrant workers would be similar to those available to
Thai citizens.

Pranom Somwong of the Migrant Assistance Program, a non-governmental
organization based in Chiang Mai, said that the government has good
intentions with its proposed plan to assist migrants, but the system would
likely only benefit some groups of workers.

“They have involved only migrant workers whose nationalities have been
confirmed already,” Pranom said. “This means that a number of workers from
Cambodia and Lao [could benefit], but for the majority group, the Burmese,
this policy is likely to be just a dream because the identification
process has made little progress.”

In recent months, about 70,000 workers have been identified as Laotian and
Cambodian nationals by country officials and have registered with the Thai
Labor Department.

An official from the Labor Department confirmed that an agreement between
the Thai and Burmese governments about the nationality identification
process has yet to be reached. Last year, about 1 million migrant workers
from Burma were registered.

The current welfare system for Thai workers was established in 1990,
whereby the government welfare office collects fees for a central fund
from employers and workers each month and regulates the distribution of
benefits.

Benefits include medical and dental services available at participating
government and private hospitals, compensation for unemployment,
work-related injuries, maternity leave and retirement.

Pranom said that the new welfare system for migrants would not include
workers in the agriculture or domestic service sectors, but that these
groups should in the future be included as well.

“These groups normally have difficulty accessing health services, even
though they have a work permit, because their work places are far from
hospitals and domestic workers are difficult to contact outside their
places of employment.”

Worawit Charoenlert, a labor scholar at Chiang Mai University, agreed that
the identification of workers from Burma is difficult to implement because
almost all of them are ethnic people who fled the country because of
political rather than economic problems.

The admittance of the first 70,000 workers to the social welfare system is
likely to take place by the end of May, according to Pranom.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 17, Agence France Presse
Burma must halt offensive against minority rebels: UN rights experts

Geneva: Six United Nations human rights experts on Tuesday said that
military-ruled Burma must halt an offensive against ethnic minority rebels
because of its brutal impact on thousands of civilians.

"We call on the Government of Burma to take urgent measures to end the
counter-insurgency military operations targeting civilians in Northern
Karen and Eastern Pegu areas, which have led to the forcible eviction and
displacement of thousands of ethnic minority villagers", the UN experts
said in a statement.

They pointed to allegations that the Asian nation's military was acting
with "excessive force".

Houses had been demolished and now-destitute residents were being barred
from getting regular food and health care, they said.

"Other reports from various sources corroborate very serious allegations
of unlawful killings, torture, rape and forced labor," they added.

The military and ethnic Karen rebels have been locked in fierce combat
since February, in a campaign that rights groups say has forced some
11,000 villagers from their homes.

The UN experts said that both sides in the conflict had an obligation to
protect civilians.

But they reserved their strongest criticism for the government, saying
that its "strategy of targeting civilians in the course of its military
operations represents a wilful abrogation of its responsibility under
international humanitarian and human rights law".

The six were: Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN's overall Burma watchdog;
minority rights monitor Gay McDougall; Manfred Nowak, who probes
allegations of torture; and Miloon Kothari, Jean Ziegler and Paul Hunt who
report respectively on housing, food and health rights.

____________________________________

May 16, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Protestors demand Myanmar end offensive against Karen

Bangkok: Protestors in Thailand, Japan, India and elsewhere held rallies
Tuesday demanding Myanmar's (Burma's) ruling junta end it's bloody
offensive against the country's ethnic Karen minority.

Organizers said the protests were to be held in a dozen countries around
the world to denounce the offensive and urge the United Nations Security
Council to intervene.

Around 10 protestors showed up outside Myanmar's embassy in central
Bangkok, holding banners demanding the release of detained pro-democracy
icon Aung San Suu Kyi and that the military junta's human rights
violations be put on the UN Security Council agenda.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and the country's ruling
junta has violently cracked down on several democracy uprisings since
then.

The ruling generals refused to accept the results of a 1990 parliamentary
election landslide by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and have put
her under house arrest for more than 10 of the past 15 years.

During Tuesday's demonstration, the protestors targeted ruling General
Than Shwe in a mock black magic ceremony by burning rice and chilli
peppers and screaming "Get out! Get out!"

After initial denials, the junta last week acknowledged launching an
offensive in the north-east since earlier this year but claimed it was
against armed Karen "terrorists" that it claims have attacked state
infrastructure.

Human rights groups claim more than 10,000 unarmed civilians have fled the
region toward the border with neighbouring Thailand since the offensive
began. Refugees and aid groups have said the offensive has been marked by
summary executions, torture and forced relocations of civilians.

The protestors, part of the Global Campaign for Solidarity and Democracy
in Burma, were due to march to the UN headquarters in Bangkok to deliver a
letter for Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for immediate
intervention.

In Tokyo, more than 200 protestors took part in the anti-junta
demonstration at Myanmar's embassy.

Raising photos of Suu Kyi, members of the Karen National Union in Japan
and its supporters demanded a stop to the annihilations against ethnic
minorities and a withdrawal of Myanmar's military troops from the Karen
state.

The demonstration was staged just hours ahead of UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan's planned arrival in Tokyo.

In the Indian capital New Delhi about 100 Myanmar refugees and
pro-democracy activists took part in a protest rally near the Indian
Parliament.

The demonstrators shouted slogans against the Myanmar junta and  waved
placards and banners saying "Stop Attacking Civilians", "Restore Democracy
in Burma."

They later staged a sit-in at the Parliament Street, which leads to the
Indian Parliament.

"There should be an immediate stop to the genocide in Burma. The UN
Security Council should intervene in Burma to stop the killings," said U
Nyunt Hla, an organizer of the rally.

Protests were also planned for the US, Canada, Britain, India, Belgium,
Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Korea and Denmark.

____________________________________

May 16, Associated Press
Human rights campaigners call for protest at Myanmar embassy in London

London: Human rights campaigners planned to demonstrate on Tuesday at the
Myanmar embassy to protest against attacks on the nation's Karen minority.

Rights group organizers from Britain joined colleagues from 12 other
nations in plans for a collaborative protest demanding a resolution from
the United Nations Security Council and for governments of the world to
address the crisis in eastern Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

More than 15,000 villagers from the Karen ethnic minority have fled their
homes since November following attacks led by the military-controlled
government of Myanmar, according to Mark Farmaner, campaign manager for
Burma Campaign U.K., a human rights group.

"The regime is trying to portray this as flushing out insurgents,"
Farmaner said. "The regime has been trying to wipe out the Karen ethnic
minority in Burma and this is an escalation of that campaign. It's just a
blatant assault on civilians."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 16, Asian Wall Street Journal
Fleeing Burma - Benedict Rogers

In a rare admission, Burma's ruling junta acknowledged on Saturday that it
has launched a major military offensive in Karen State, along the Thai
border. Although the junta claims it is targeting antigovernment rebels,
virtually all of the victims have reportedly been civilians. Thousands are
fleeing with gruesome tales of atrocities. Isn't this enough evidence to
convince the United Nations, the European Union and Asean to get serious
about Burma?

The numbers are staggering. More than 15,500 people are estimated to have
fled the army's attacks over the past two months. Thousands are hiding in
the Burmese jungle without access to food, medicine or shelter. Almost
2,000 have crossed the border and taken refuge in temporary camps in
Thailand. But even their situation remains perilous: Thai authorities have
blocked international organizations from providing relief to those
sheltering on a riverbank along the border between the two countries, and
relief workers fear that Thai authorities may repatriate some or all of
the refugees back to Burma.

These attacks are the latest stage in a long-running campaign by Burmese
military junta against ethnic minorities such as the Karen, in pursuit of
an ethnic Burmese nation. Although some -- such as the Karen National
Union (KNU), a resistance group -- have taken up arms to resist this
repression, it is not these fighters who are being targeted in the latest
offensive. Rather, ordinary civilians are being killed and driven from
their homes under the excuse of making way for a road and dam-building
project, according to information gathered by the Free Burma Rangers, a
relief organization active in the country. The military is also laying
landmines to stop villagers from returning.

The latest attacks add to a long list of human-rights abuses which make
Burma's junta the most brutal in the world. An estimated 70,000 children
have been forcibly conscripted into the military, more than in any other
country. Since 1996, more than 2,800 villages have been destroyed by the
army's savage tactics in eastern Burma alone. More than a million people
have been internally displaced or forcibly relocated by the Burmese Army
over the past decade. Refugees International, an NGO, believes that
Burma's latest refugee population flow represents the largest of its kind
in Southeast Asia today.

Aside from its military transgressions, the junta's political repression
is well-known. The country has more than 1,100 political prisoners. The
most famous, Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been under house arrest
for more than 10 years. But there are other, even more tragic cases. Khun
Htun Oo, for example, is serving a 93-year sentence for prodemocracy
activities. In the past year alone, nine political prisoners have died in
jail.

Despite this terrible track record, most of the world prefers to look the
other way -- particularly the United Nations. The latest humanitarian
crisis has been met with a deafening silence from U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan and his senior aides. The European Union has only called for
cease-fire talks between the government and the KNU, ignoring the fact
that civilians are being targeted. Burma's neighbors, India and China, are
competing for energy supplies, so neither country is enthusiastic about
supporting international pressure on the junta. Although the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations recently persuaded Burma to give up its turn as
chairman of the 10-member body, it's done little else.

The honorable exception is the United States, where Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Eric John recently
condemned the "horrific descent of the situation in Burma." Several
congressmen have registered even stronger protests. But given its
stretched military resources, there is little the U.S. can accomplish on
its own.

The tragedy is that there are steps which could easily be taken. The U.N.
Security Council unanimously passed a resolution this month, condemning
violence against civilians in armed conflict and enshrining an
international responsibility to protect civilian victims. The U.N. could
issue another resolution that specifically addresses the junta's abuses,
and requiring the regime to implement a plan for the restoration of
democracy, the release of all political prisoners, and ensure unhindered
access to all parts of the country for international humanitarian
organizations. Further action could include a global freeze on Burmese
government assets and a ban on its leaders traveling abroad.

I have traveled in the conflict zones of eastern Burma many times, and to
the western borders too. Ringing in my ears are the words of a 15 year-old
Burmese boy who had seen his parents killed and his village burned, and
had been taken for forced labor. He said: "Please tell the world not to
forget us." Unfortunately so far, with a few exceptions, it seems that it
already has.

Mr. Rogers works with the human-rights organization Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, and is Deputy Chairman of the U.K. Conservative Party's Human
Rights Commission. He is the author of "A Land Without Evil: Stopping the
Genocide of Burma's Karen People" (Monarch, 2004).

____________________________________

May 17, Bangkok Post
Hijacked: A political breakthrough - Aung Zaw

In 2004, a year after her convoy was attacked by thugs backed by the
regime, Aung San Suu Kyi and her captors almost reached a breakthrough.
But then junta chairman General Than Shwe changed his mind

Aung San Suu Kyi's latest term under house arrest is set to expire on May
27, and Burma's military government will almost certainly extend her
detention again. It has been nearly three years since she was last free.

In November 2005, the junta announced that Daw Suu Kyi, 61, would remain
in custody for an additional six months _ a deadline that expires at the
end of this month. While the move created confusion and outrage, it was
also expected. The junta had extended her detention the previous year.

Burma's information minister, Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan, has threatened recently
to outlaw Daw Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) for
alleged links to "expatriate terrorists" aiming to destabilise the
country.

All signs seem to point to another lengthy extension for the 1991 Nobel
Peace Prize laureate _ that is, unless some miraculous diplomatic
breakthrough can be achieved between the two sides. It wasn't so long ago
that such a miracle almost occurred.

A well-placed Western diplomat with close ties to the NLD and the ruling
generals _ and privy to negotiations conducted between the two sides, has
now revealed that an unprecedented political breakthrough was nearly
achieved in early 2004, at which time Daw Suu Kyi agreed to send a letter
of compromise to Senior General Than Shwe, head of Burma's ruling council.

According to the diplomat, Daw Suu Kyi in mid-March sent the letter, in
which she made no reference to the 1990 elections, but rather stated that
she and the NLD were prepared to work shoulder to shoulder with the
government to improve the political situation for the welfare of the
Burmese people.

At the same time, Daw Suu Kyi held several meetings with the ruling
junta's chief negotiators, including former home affairs minister, Col Tin
Hlaing, ex-deputy military intelligence chief Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, and
Brig-Gen Than Htun.

The outcome of the negotiations was positive, said the diplomat. Daw Suu
Kyi and senior NLD members agreed to attend the forthcoming National
Convention and to discuss openly and frankly the seven-point roadmap to
democracy outlined by the regime.

In return, the regime agreed to free Daw Suu Kyi.

During ongoing negotiations, Daw Suu Kyi even agreed to revisit a
discussion of the regime's "six objectives" laid down at the convention,
one of which was that the military would maintain a leading role in
national politics.

The concessions agreed to by Daw Suu Kyi were extraordinary _ more so, as
she was making them to the man who had tried to have her assassinated in
May 2003, when a junta-backed mob attacked her convoy in Depayin.

She was subsequently detained in Insein prison and later transferred to
her residence on University Avenue.

"It was so close," said the Western diplomat about the negotiations and
the possible breakthrough that would have ended more than a decade-long
political stalemate.

The diplomat said that the idea of sending a letter to Gen Than Shwe was
encouraged by Chinese diplomats concerned by the growing political tension
in Burma.

Daw Suu Kyi was initially opposed to the idea. "I don't want to send a
letter to someone who tried to kill me," the diplomat quoted her as
saying.

Opposition groups at home and abroad largely blamed Gen Than Shwe for the
deadly attack.

Daw Suu Kyi had expressed her desire to approach Khin Nyunt, then the
prime minister and head of military intelligence, with the letter.

In the end, she relented. Khin Nyunt was reportedly happy with her decision.

What had looked to be the best opportunity for real political progress
since the aborted 1990 elections, however, quickly and inexplicably fell
to pieces.

Minister of Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing met Daw Suu Kyi at her house just
prior to the reopening of the National Convention in May 2004. He told her
that she could not be released. The junta chief, it seemed, had changed
his mind.

In response, NLD leaders publicly admonished the regime for not releasing
Daw Suu Kyi and announced their intention not to participate in the
National Convention.

Any chance of a miracle had vanished.

And five months later, all hell broke loose. In October 2004, Khin Nyunt
was sacked as prime minister and his elaborately constructed intelligence
apparatus was dismantled.

In the following weeks, Tin Hlaing and all other liaison officers in Khin
Nyunt's camp who were involved with the negotiations with Daw Suu Kyi were
purged.

She was effectively cut off from any contact with the regime.

Daw Suu Kyi has spent three separate terms under house arrest since 1989.
Her latest is the most severe, as she has virtually no contact with the
outside world _ including NLD leaders, who say they have had no contact
for the last two years.

In 2003, she was allowed to see UN special envoy Razali Ismail, who quit
his post earlier this year because the regime had effectively barred him
from the country.

Now, only her personal physician is allowed periodic visits.

In February 2006, the NLD reached out once again to the regime by
proposing the establishment of a "people's parliament" comprising winning
candidates from the 1990 elections, which would acknowledge the military
rulers as a de jure, or lawful, transitional government.

And once again, the olive branch was spurned. Instead of peace, the regime
has stepped up pressure on the party by forcing members to resign and
stating publicly that it is at least considering the possibility of
outlawing the organisation.

What this means for the future of Burma - and the future of the NLD - is
unclear. Living in extreme isolation in recent years, Daw Suu Kyi may
wonder what role is left for her in the future of the country. According
to the diplomat, her role remains one of vital importance. "She still
wants to work for the country," he said. "The country needs her."

Aung Zaw is the editor of the "Irrawaddy" magazine based in Chiang Mai.
The magazine covers Burma and Southeast Asia affairs.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

May 16, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
UN Human Rights experts call on Myanmar to end counter-insurgency
operations targeting civilians in northern Karen State and eastern Pegu
Division

The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro; the
Independent Expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall; the Special
Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak; the Special Rapporteur on adequate
housing, Miloon Kothari; the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean
Ziegler; and the Special Rapporteur on the right to the enjoyment of the
highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt:

We call on the Government of Myanmar to take urgent measures to end the
counter-insurgency military operations targeting civilians in Northern
Karen and Eastern Pegu areas, which have led to the forcible eviction and
displacement of thousands of ethnic minority villagers. We are deeply
concerned about the widespread violence that has continued to spiral for
the last six months in the Thandaung and Papun townships of Karen state as
well as Kyaukgyi and Shwegyin townships of Pegu Division.

The military allegedly acted with excessive use of force and fire arms.
Homes were demolished and according to reports, residents have been
offered neither alternative housing nor any form of compensation.  Other
reports from various sources corroborate very serious allegations of
unlawful killings, torture, rape and forced labor. The state of
destitution in which many of the displaced persons are forced to live is
alarming. These difficulties are mainly linked to obstructed access to
food, education, housing and health services. The continued insecurity
both in the areas of origin as well as in those, to which the displaced
persons have fled, is an additional source of concern.

We deplore the violence against unarmed civilians by the Myanmar military
and call for action to ensure no further excessive use of force is
employed against persons belonging to any community in Myanmar. We remind
the Government and non-State armed groups of their obligation to protect
civilians from the effects of armed conflict and that the current
government strategy of targeting civilians in the course of its military
operations represents a wilful abrogation of its responsibility under
international humanitarian and human rights law.

José Luis Díaz
Information Officer, Spokesperson
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
tel. +4122 917 9242
fax +4122 917 9004
jdiaz at ohchr.org