BurmaNet News, August 24, 2006

[Editor]

August 24, 2006 Issue # 3032


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Another political prisoner dies in Burmese jail

ON THE BORDER
Xinhua: Establishment of special economic zone on Myanmar-Thai border
underway
Mizzima: US official in Bangladesh to study condition of Rohingya refugees

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: US says Myanmar sanctions unaffected by SEAsian trade pact
Irrawaddy: PTT postpones Burma gas development

ASEAN
AFP: ASEAN charter could include tool to expel Myanmar
Mizzima: Cambodian MPs to launch national caucus on Burma

REGIONAL
Mizzima: Assam CM urges reopening of Stilwell Road

INTERNATIONAL
Iran News Agency: President: No obstacle for expansion of Iran-Myanmar ties

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: A tale of two cities - Clive Parker
Guardian: Making strides toward regime change - Conor Foley

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 23, Democratic Voice of Burma
Another political prisoner dies in Burmese jail

A Burmese political prisoner who was actively involved in the 1988
nationwide pro-democracy uprising and sentenced to life, died in the
notorious Insein Jail recently, according to sources close to political
prisoners.

Around 60 year old Nyunt Yin, originally from Ngamoeyeik Project-32 Ward,
Thinganggyun Township had been imprisoned since 1988 for her involvement
in the uprising, and she was believed to have died from vomiting blood
around 15 August, although the exact date of her death is not known.

As there was no one to look after her, her remains was buried by the
prison, according to the sources. Nyunt Yin’s death sentence was later
commuted to life imprisonment and she died at the prison clinic where she
was treated for her deteriorating condition.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 24, Xinhua General News Service
Establishment of special economic zone on Myanmar-Thai border underway

Yangon: Establishment of a special economic zone in Myanmar's Myawaddy, a
border town with Thailand, is underway under an economic cooperation
strategy program of four Mekong countries, the official newspaper New
Light of Myanmar reported Thursday.

Under the Ayeyawaddy-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy
(ACMECS) agreed upon at a summit of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand
in Myanmar's ancient city of Bagan in November 2003, the Myawaddy special
economic zone in southeastern Kayin state constitutes one of the three
proposed zones to be set up on the Myanmar-Thai border. The other two are
in Hpa-an in the same state and Mawlamyine in southern Mon state.

It was agreed that the pilot Myawaddy special economic zone project under
the Myanmar-Thai bilateral cooperation will introduce a contract farming
system in the implementation of agricultural work according to a
discussion held in Yangon in the last two days involving officials of the
two sides, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar authorities are deliberating to lease land to
foreigners for the development of the three proposed special economic
zones being planned by Myanmar and Thailand to mainly attract foreign
investment into the projects.

Investing in the economic zone projects through lease of land are to be
granted to Myanmar citizens residing abroad and foreigners residing inside
and outside Myanmar, an earlier release of the Ministry of Industry-1
said.

The period of lease is designated as being a minimum of 75 years,
according to the ministry, which added that levying of profit tax will be
relaxed for re-investment with the profit earned annually.

The three special economic zone projects are set to start in 2007.

The Myawaddy zone covers an area of 173 hectares, while the Pha- an zone
178 hectares and Mawlamyine zone 124 hectares.

The feasibility study by Thailand on the establishment of the three
industrial zones has reportedly been finalized and the finding on the
feasibility has been presented to the Myanmar side for deliberation.

The study on the establishments was jointly conducted by the Industrial
Estate Authority of Thailand and the Myanmar Ministry of Industry-1.

Under the Myanmar-Thai cooperation, Thai factories plan to move to the
zones and both countries are expected to benefit from the establishment
economically and socially.

The ECS provides for cooperation in five strategic areas covering
agriculture, industry, trade and investment, transport, tourist and human
resources development.

____________________________________

August 22, Mizzima News
US official in Bangladesh to study condition of Rohingya refugees -
Siddique Islam

US Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugee and Migration Affairs Ellen
R Sauerbrey arrived in Dhaka on Monday on a short trip as part of her
three-nation visit to study the condition of Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh.

The US official might visit some Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazaar.
She is likely to meet Food and Disaster Management Minister of Bangladesh
Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf and the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR) officials.

During the visit, the US official is expected to meet some government
officials, who are dealing with Rohingya refugees, to discuss the latest
situation of the refugees, diplomatic sources said.

Sauerbrey will also travel to Malaysia and Thailand to examine the
refugees' programme and policy including a number of high profile refugee
issues.

The living condition of the refugees is appalling. They are housed in
dilapidated shelters without any privacy. More than 10 people are forced
to stay in a room 8 feet by 7 feet. Their living condition worsens during
the rainy season, it is learnt.


>From November 1991 to June 1992, more than 250,000 Rohingya refugees from

Burma's Arakan State were officially registered with Bangladeshi
officials. Since July last year, more than 236,000 have been repatriated.

Of the remaining 21,000 refugees living in the Kutupalong and Nayapara
camps in Cox's Bazaar district, more than 8,700 have been cleared for
repatriation by the Burmese government.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 24, Agence France Presse
US says Myanmar sanctions unaffected by SEAsian trade pact

Kuala Lumpur: The United States said Thursday that its sanctions against
Myanmar were unaffected by a trade pact to be signed with the military-run
country as part of the Southeast Asian bloc.

The US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will on
Friday ink a Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) which is
seen as a precursor to a full free-trade pact between the two sides.

However, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that in a "practical
and ethnical sense" the situation would be resolved by the fact that the
US does not and will not trade with Myanmar.

"The TIFA creates building blocks and those building blocks will affect
countries with which we have trade, they aren't going to affect a country
with which we don't have trade," she said.

"Obviously the United States has great concerns over the situation with
Burma (Myanmar) and the regime in Burma," she said but signalled it would
not sacrifice its relationship with ASEAN over the issue.

"When you think of the volume and the value of trade between ASEAN
countries and the United States, and foreign direct investment, we are
very much a part of this region and we intend to stay with it."

"We also have great faith that other systems and other structures in ASEAN
will be able to show (Myanmar) there is a better way."

ASEAN's secretary-general Ong Keng Yong has said that all 10 members of
the grouping will sign the trade pact with the US.

"The United States recognises ASEAN as a group that includes Myanmar," he
said, adding that the pact demonstrates the United States' commitment to
strengthening economic relations with Southeast Asia.

Washington has urged Myanmar's Southeast Asian neighbours to exert more
pressure on the regime, to encourage it to introduce democratic reforms
and release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The United States halted new investments to Myanmar in 1997 and imposed
bans on financial transactions and imports in 2003. Visa restrictions on
officials from the military junta and affiliated groups have also been
implemented.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

____________________________________

August 24, Irrawaddy
PTT postpones Burma gas development - Sai Silp

Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Plc has postponed plans for
commercial gas production in Burma until next year because of low gas
flows at recent exploration sites, according to an official with the
company.

The official, who wished not to be named, said drilling at the Zatilla-1
well in Burma’s offshore M9 gas block revealed gas flow rates that could
not support the commercial development of the well.

“This year we will continue to work on the M9 and M11 blocks [in Burma],
but plans to start commercial production will be postponed until next
year,” the official told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.

A statement released on Thursday by PTTEP, Thailand’s largest petroleum
investor, announced results from flow rate tests at the Zatilla-1 well,
which indicated that the well could support no more than 30 barrels of
crude oil per day.

PTTEP signed two production-sharing contracts with Myanmar Oil and Gas
Enterprise in November 2003. Under the agreements, the company would
operate gas blocks M7 and M9 in the Gulf of Martaban.

The company has been involved in several other projects in Burma since
1995, including the controversial Yadana gas pipeline—operated by Total E
& P Myanmar—and the Yetagun pipeline.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who made an impromptu visit
to Burma in early August, said in his weekly radio program following his
return that he had discussed collaborative projects between PTTEP and the
Burmese government, adding that such cooperation between the countries
would ensure Thailand had “energy stability.”

Prasert Bunsamphan, chairman of PTTEP, said in early August that
Thailand’s gas needs—for direct consumption and electricity
production—would increase from 3 billion to 5 billion cubic feet per day
by 2010, making it important that the company and Thailand’s Ministry of
Energy secured new energy sources in neighboring countries.

A report in the Thai language newspaper Manager said that demand for gas
supplies for electricity generation in the country would surpass supplies
by 2007, requiring the purchase of an additional 50 million cubic feet per
day from Burma.

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 24, Agence France Presse
ASEAN charter could include tool to expel Myanmar

Kuala Lumpur: Southeast Asia's new mini-constitution could include a
mechanism to expel members, a senior official said Thursday in a move seen
squarely aimed at Myanmar.

The charter will overhaul the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) policy of non-interference in each other's affairs as it tries to
create a more substantial identity as a community.

"We're looking at the decision-making process through implementation,
monitoring and even sanctions mechanisms," said Musa Hitam, the chair of
the committee preparing a draft of the landmark document.

"It could be, on a more serious note -- chuck them out, or expulsion. It
could mean just a resolution against them. We are looking at all these
options," he said at a press conference.

Musa, a former deputy premier of Malaysia, said the measure was not solely
aimed at Myanmar, but all discussion of the expulsion mechanism has
focused on the military-run state which has embarrassed ASEAN with its
behaviour.

Musa said he wanted ASEAN to have "fundamental principles and objectives
which all members subscribe to".

"We have to ensure that the members conform," he said, in a clear
reference to Myanmar which has infuriated its neighbours by refusing to
heed calls to shift towards democracy or release opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi.

"I would like to say and I'm pushing this, the inclusion of the need for
democracy, based on good governance and respect for human rights. I want
this to be in, it's very difficult but I want this to be in otherwise it
is meaningless."

Asked whether Myanmar would sign up to such a document, he said that would
be the choice of the country's military regime which has ruled the
impoverished nation for four decades.

"We'd have to leave it to the government members to decide ... it is their
business," he said.

Musa said that the key was to create a thriving ASEAN that recalcitrant
members could not afford to turn their backs on.

"The answer is economy. Make ASEAN attractive enough economically so that
any leader who wants to take his country out will have to think 10 times,"
he said. "So in order to do that you must behave yourself."

A draft of the charter will be put to the group's leaders at their
December summit.

_____________________________________

August 23, Mizzima News
Cambodian MPs to launch national caucus on Burma

Burma will have to put up with more pressure and condemnation from the
region as of now, for its persistent refusal to implement democratic
reforms, restore human rights and its defiance in not ending the political
stalemate.

In an attempt at applying further pressure on Burma's ruling military
junta to change its mind set, over 20 members of parliament from Cambodia
are set to launch a national caucus on Burma.

Joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Inter-Parliamentarian
Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), Cambodian MPs will launch a national parliamentary
caucus on Burma on August 25.

The Cambodian parliamentary caucus will include members of parliament from
the three main parliamentary parties - Cambodian People's Party, Funcinpec
and Sam Rainsy Party.

The setting up and launching of Cambodia's national caucus on Burma is a
result of the more than one-and-a half year's effort of the AIPMC, Roshan
Jason, the executive secretary of the AIPMC told Mizzima.

Jason said there have been a few individual Cambodian MPs involved with
the AIPMC but the MPs wanted to get more people involved and after one
and-a-half years a caucus was able to take shape.

"Now this is the right time. They have got a strong group, more then 20
MPs are part of this caucus," Jason said.

Burma, which is part of the ten member Southeast Asian nations
association, has come under regional and international pressure for its
appalling human rights records and failure to break the political
stalemate.

The AIPMC which has repeatedly demanded that the Burmese junta immediately
release democracy icon and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has also
urged the ASEAN to expel Burma from the regional grouping as it continues
to fail in its promise to implement political reforms.

Asean, which has maintained a tradition of non-interference in internal
affairs of member states, has criticized the junta publicly and asked the
United Nation to deal with the junta.

Cambodia joins Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and
Thailand to become the sixth member of the AIPMC. Other Asean members that
have not joined the AIPMC are Laos, Vietnam and Brunei.

Jason said the AIPMC is trying to reach out to the other three remaining
members of Asean to join the campaign to force the Burmese junta to
implement reforms.

_____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 23, Mizzima News
Assam CM urges reopening of Stilwell Road - Nava Thakuria

Encouraged by the reopening of the ancient Silk Route on the Nathula Pass
in Sikkim for trade between India and China, there is now a demand for
throwing open the historic Stilwell Road that connects northeast India
with Southeast Asia including Burma.

The northeastern state of Assam, India has called for the re-opening of
the historic Stilwell Road for trade with Myanmar [Burma], China and
Thailand.

Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Assam, has brought up the subject of
Stilwell Road following the reopening of Nathu La pass in Sikkim for trade
between India and China last month.

"We want the Stilwell Road to reopen for establishing trade links with
countries like Myanmar [ Burma], China and Thailand," Mr Gogoi said.

Named after US Army General Joseph Stilwell, the 1,726 kilomtere road that
begins at Ledo in Assam and wends its way through the Pangsau pass in
Burma to Kunming in South China was used during World War II in 1945.

The road accounts for a 1,033 kilomtere stretch in Burma which has not
been maintained since the fifties.

"As the portion of the road inside Myanmar is not developed, I have urged
the Government of India to impress upon the government in Yangon [Rangoon]
to take necessary steps," Gogoi added.

India and Burma have two successful trade links through Mizoram and
Manipur state borders in the Northeast. A few days ago, Arunachal Pradesh
evinced interest to start a trade link with Burma and now Assam has joined
the chorus for reopening trade links to the Southeast Asian nation.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 24, Iran News Agency
President: No obstacle for expansion of Iran-Myanmar ties

Tehran: Iran-Myanmar-Meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Thursday
that Iran sees no obstacle to expansion of its ties with Myanmar in all
fields.

Ahmadinejad made the remark in a meeting with Myanmar's Ambassador to Iran
U Kyi Thein who presented his credentials to the president.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran calls for progress of all countries
including Myanmar. It is ready to transfer its experience in all economic,
agricultural, trade and political fields," he said.

The Myanmar ambassador, for his part, highlighted the significance of his
country's ties with Iran and said Myanmar calls for utilization of Iran's
valuable experience in various fields.

He added that his country would use all potentials to expand relations
with Iran.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 24, Irrawaddy
A tale of two cities - Clive Parker

Naypyidaw, Burma: Evidence of Burma’s new capital is apparent long before
you actually arrive. Heading to huge construction sites, trucks carry
supplies of timber, gravel, bricks and cement along the Rangoon-Mandalay
highway. Most bear the logos of Burma’s biggest construction companies,
Htoo Trading and Asia World.

In Naypyidaw itself, swarms of workers—many wearing longyis tied around
their heads to fend off the dust and sun—continue to construct pathways
and roads around the newly-built residences of high-ranking government
workers. Lower-ranking employees are not scheduled to move into their new
homes for years and continue to live in makeshift bamboo huts, I was told
during a visit to the city this month.

A week later, an article in state-run The New Light of Myanmar on Thursday
has left me wondering whether I had visited the same Naypyidaw.

Titled “In the Service of the State,” Thursday’s article at first hails
the “good vision” of the head of state, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, before noting
that “staff are eager to move to Naypyidaw.”

“Most of the government employees have already known the pleasant
environment of housing estates and office buildings in the new capital,”
it continues.

Yet during my visit to the city, everyone I met—the families of state
employees, construction workers, hotel staff and residents of
Pyinmana—were livid that they had been forced to relocate. None seemed to
know why, although most suggested—very quietly—that the deteriorating
mental health of their leader was the main reason they had been forced to
leave their homes in Rangoon 300 km away.

Many people recalled that government workers were told of the move only at
the last minute—no one had been permitted to resign. All looked forward to
returning to Rangoon, away from the stinging dust thrown up by the
construction trucks that ply the city’s main arteries day and night.

In Naypyidaw’s new town hall, civil servants work in the only two offices
that have been completed. Hundreds of men, women and children continue
construction around them, pushing to complete the building by the end of
this year. Locals, though, predict it will not be ready until 2007.

At another construction site, workers that had previously lived in Pegu
and Moulmein said they had come to Naypyidaw to work because it was “their
duty” to the companies that employ them. The lowest paid are earning 1500
kyat (US $1.12) a day.

While taking a break for lunch in a restaurant along the new road linking
old Pyinmana to Naypyidaw, I was questioned by police, who asked why I was
in the new capital and, more importantly, when I would be leaving. Soon
afterwards, I received one of many warnings to put my camera away.

The New Light of Myanmar on Thursday said that “all slanderers are silent
because of the objective conditions in the capital,” but from my own
experiences, it seemed that the local police were responsible for the
silencing.

After 24 hours, I was able to leave, catching an overnight train to
Rangoon, leaving the thousands of former residents of Burma’s largest city
in Naypyidaw.

They should “thank the state for their prestigious life created by the
government,” The New Light of Myanmar said. “It will not be wrong to say
that service personnel have entered a new age.”

____________________________________

August 24, Guardian Unlimited
Making strides toward regime change - Conor Foley

Burma is a byword for political repression and exploitation. But its
pro-democracy movement is burgeoning.

Burma rarely gets mentioned in the western media, and the stories that do
come out are almost uniformly depressing. However, at a meeting in
northern Thailand - where I am writing this article - I met a number of
senior members of the Burmese opposition in a surprisingly upbeat mood.

Burma, or Myanmar as the country is now officially named, has become a
byword for political repression, exploitation and slave labour. Aung San
Suu Kyi, its most famous opposition leader, is often compared to Nelson
Mandela for the length of her detention and the fortitude with which she
has borne it.

The military junta has brutally crushed all internal resistance through a
brutal counter-insurgency campaign involving human rights violations and
mass forced relocation. Various armed opposition groups have been steadily
pushed back from the areas they once controlled. There are now 140,000
refugees in Thailand, and between 1 and 2 million people are displaced
within the country.

Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. It is
home to up to 165 minority groups, most of which are based in the highland
and border regions. The country achieved independence from Britain in 1948
and for the next 40 years was torn by a series of armed conflicts,
including a communist insurgency and various ethnically based struggles
for secession or autonomy.

The military extended its influence throughout Burmese society after a
coup in 1962. Regional autonomy was eroded and many ethnic minority groups
were displaced from their traditionally owned lands, sometimes as part of
a counter-insurgency strategy and sometimes to make way for
mega-development projects such as roads, dams and pipelines. Living
standards fell precipitously and the country, which was once the richest
in south-east Asia achieved "least developed nation status" in 1987.

In August 1988 there was a nationwide civilian uprising that briefly drove
the military from power. Although the military soon suppressed the rising,
the National League for Democracy, led by the charismatic Aung San Suu
Kyi, swept to victory in nationwide elections in 1990. However, the
military refused to accept the results of this election and Aung San Suu
Kyi has spent most of the last 16 years under house arrest. Military
repression was stepped up along with forced relocations. In Shan state
alone, between 1996 and 1998, 300,000 people were physically driven from
their homes.

The military has succeeded in crushing most internal opposition to its
rule since that date, but Burma is increasingly regarded internationally
as a pariah state. It has been repeatedly condemned by various UN bodies
for systematic violations of human rights, most recently by the UN general
assembly last year, and is subject to a variety of international
sanctions. In July 2006 even the Association of South-East Asian Nations
(Asean), which previously tolerated the regime announced that it could no
longer defend the indefensible. And Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia's foreign
minister, and Asean's chairman, has urged neighbouring China and India to
use increase the pressure for change.

Between them India and China are by the far the biggest investors in the
country. Asean's shift also has significant implications for the
possibilities of a new regional policy towards the regime.

Less publicly, the end of many of the military insurgencies - there were
up to 40 taking place at one point - has led to the re-emergence of civil
society organisations and an increased willingness of various opposition
groups to work together, both in exile and in government-controlled areas.
This in turn makes it easier for the international community to provide
practical support to Burmese civil society and a unified pro-democracy
movement. It is significant that internal opposition political leaders are
attending the meeting that is currently taking place.

Of course, differences remain about the extent to which it is possible to
pressurise from change within, and there are those who argue that any
solution that does not involve regime change will only provide the
generals with excuses to delay the inevitable. However, talking to
opposition activists, it becomes increasingly clear that most are now
thinking in terms of when, rather than if, there will be a transition to
democracy, and how to deal with the challenges of building a new society
based on justice and peace.