BurmaNet News, March 17-19, 2007

[Editor]

March 17-19, 2007 Issue # 3164


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Another protestor arrested in Rangoon
Irrawaddy: Junta urged to honor the right to education

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Karen villagers demonstrate against armed conflict
Khonumthung News: CNF peace delegates back home
Mizzima News: Kuki's call on Burmese junta to intervene in plight of 400
villagers

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: Myanmar signs oil contract with Russian, Singaporean firms
AP: Myanmar launches its first winery
The Observer: Result: MkOne forced to drop Burma clothing

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Lao president to visit Myanmar
Mizzima: Burmese democracy icon Suu Kyi honoured with "Netaji Subhas Award"

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 19, Irrawaddy
Another protestor arrested in Rangoon - Khun Sam

Burmese authorities kept up pressure on dissidents in Rangoon with the
arrest this weekend of another protestor from the February 22
demonstration.

Soe Myint Htein, 42, was arrested on Friday by the Special Branch of the
Burmese police while he was in a tea shop in North Okkalapa Township.

Thein Aung Myint, a fellow protester and brother of Soe Myint Htein, who
was previously detained and released, told The Irrawaddy on Monday: “He
was taken from a tea shop for being a demonstrator, and now we hear that
he is in the Aung Thabye interrogation center.”

The arrest of Soe Myint Htein brought to 17 the number of protesters
apprehended by Burmese authorities following the February 22 demonstration
that called for better living conditions, better health care and 24-hour
electricity.

Apart from Soe Myint Htein, 16 protesters who were arrested in late
February and early March have been freed without charge.

Meanwhile authorities banned a religious ceremony near Theingyi Market in
Rangoon, in which a 40-year-old protester, Htin Kyaw, was preparing for a
ceremony to become a monk, by other members of the anti-government
demonstration.

Htin Kyaw shaved his head on Saturday in preparation for the ceremony on
the following day. But authorities cancelled the ceremony on Sunday.

“This is a religious event and he should not have been prohibited [to
become a monk] like this because of pressure from authorities,” said a
monk in Rangoon who teaches the principles of Buddhism. “Anyone can become
a monk when the superior monks agreed to it.”

Anti-government protests are rare in Burma, where authorities deal harshly
with dissent.

____________________________________

March 19, Irrawaddy
Junta urged to honor the right to education - Htet Aung

Following the recent arrest and intimidation of Burmese scholars seeking
further education abroad, activists in Rangoon called on the military
regime to respect the right to education.

In a statement on Saturday, the 88 Generation Students group called on the
regime “to respect the right to education and not to pose any restraints
or detention against this inalienable right of all the citizens.”

Burma’s military regime has recently stepped up efforts to tighten its
control over the activities of young pro-democracy students seeking
opportunities to continue their education inside Burma as well as abroad.

The junta has specifically targeted young students seeking access to
foreign universities. One such student—Thwin Lin Aung—was arrested on
March 5 at Rangoon International Airport just before he was scheduled to
board a flight to the US. The reason for his arrest and the location of
his detention remain unknown.

Since 1988, pro-democracy students have been unjustly imprisoned by
Burmese authorities and marginalized in their attempts to rehabilitate
their lives after their release through education. Thwin Lin Aung was
prohibited from continuing his education at Rangoon Institute of
Technology prior to his attempts to study abroad.

The poor state of Burma’s schools and universities have led many to rely
on the American Center and the British Council in Rangoon informal and
non-degree educational programs. State-run The New Light of Myanmar has
often targeted the American Center for “inciting unrest,” referring to its
English language courses, debate classes, films and a library, all of
which give young Burmese students a haven where they can prepare for
future studies outside the country.

Thwin Lin Aung studied English language at the American Center and played
a leading role in the center’s Debate Society program . He is the latest
victim in a series of restrictive moves by the military regime. “If a
citizen lives under the government’s discrimination in the pursuit of his
right to education, this is a lawless country,” one of the 88 Generation
Students leaders, Ko Ko Gyi told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

March 19, Irrawaddy
Karen villagers demonstrate against armed conflict - Shah Paung

More than 600 Karen on Sunday took the unusual step of staging a public
protest to demand armed groups stop fighting because it threatens the
peaceful life of the villagers.

The protest was held at Vallay in Karen State, one of the villages caught
up in recent fighting between the Karen National Union and a Burmese
junta-backed Karen splinter group, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. The
village is opposite to Umphang district in Thailand’s Tak Province.

The demonstrators wore traditional Karen dress and carried mattocks, axes
and knifes, according to witnesses.

The group also carried placards that called for peace, freedom to work and
the cessation of fighting by armed groups, including the DKBA, the KNU and
Burmese government troops. The villagers also called on armed groups to
stop the use of forced labor.

One protestor told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the demonstration was
organized by the leaders of 19 villages in the affected area because
whenever fighting broke out, the villagers were victims of the fighting,
including deaths and injuries from exchanges of gunfire and from landmines
planted by both sides.

One Karen priest in his 30s was killed in the fighting on March 8.

The protest took about a half day. At first, the group planned to march to
Phop Phra in Thailand, but the Thai army blocked them at a bridge and
authorities would not allow them to enter the country.

On March 8, Burmese soldiers joined operations with DKBA units and
attacked the 201 Battalion of the Karen National Liberation Army near
Vallay Kee village. Several hundred Karen villagers fled to Thailand
during the fighting.

According to the KNU, two KNU soldiers were killed and two were injured.
It said one KNU soldier was arrested by the DKBA. The KNU claims about 10
DKBA soldiers were killed and another 10 were injured.

Border sources said the recent DKBA attacks were a response to a late
February attack by KNLA Battalion 201, which killed one DKBA soldier.
A school teacher in Vallay village said that some residents have returned
to their homes, but others are still hiding in the jungle because they
fear the fighting will return.

"We have to be careful, especially at night, because the situation is not
good," a teacher said. “But we are lucky that students are not here any
more.”

_____________________________________

March 18, Khonumthung News
CNF peace delegates back home

The CNF delegation, which went for peace talks with the Burmese military
junta, has come back to its headquarters on the Indo-Burma border area on
Saturday following negotiations between March 15 to 16.

The two-day peace talks between the CNF and the SPDC was held for the
first time in Rih town, Chin state, Myanmar. It had representatives from
both sides and was said to have built mutual trust for the next stage of
discussions.

“This time the dialogue was just for building trust between the two sides.
The SPDC is opening the door for us to enter the next round of talks for
cease fire,” said Dr Sui Khar, Joint General Secretary of the CNF, who led
the delegates.

Dr. Sui Khar further stressed that the issue on whether the next round of
talks will be held depends on the CNF since the SPDC is always ready to
open the door for them.

The CNF central committee meeting is likely to be held soon where the
issue of the next round of talks might be discussed, according to a CNF
member.

The major representatives of the SPDC involved in the first round of peace
talks, were Security Lieutenant Colonel MyinThin and Major Zaw Min. From
the CNF side, it was Dr Sui Khar as leader, Mr. Paulsitha, Mr Khua Uk
Lian, Mr Solomon, Mr Thetni, Mr. Ni Bawi and Mr Rokhawma.

The talks between the CNF and the SPDC was mediated by the Peace and
Tranquility Committee (PTC) comprised of Chin Christian pastors and
leaders.

The Chin National Front was founded by Chin students after the
pro-democracy uprising in Burma in 1988, who have been fighting for peace,
democracy and self-determination.

____________________________________

March 18, Mizzima News
Kuki's call on Burmese junta to intervene in plight of 400 villagers -
Subhaschandra M

Kuki activists have urged the Burmese military junta to intervene and
rescue over 400 Kuki villagers who were allegedly 'deported' by an India
based insurgent outfit in cahoots with the Burmese Army to an unknown
destination in Burma.

The Kuki Students Organisation, the Kuki Women's Union and Human Rights
and Hill Tribe Council based in Moreh, lodged a complaint in this regard
through the Chairman of the District Peace and Development Council based
in Tamu, a Burmese town close to Moreh, reports from the border said on
Saturday.

It is alleged that on March 12, armed militants of the United National
Liberation Front backed by the Burmese Army 'forcibly' took away over 400
displaced Kuki villagers who were sheltered in the T S Laijang grouping
centre (India ) to an undisclosed destination in Burma.

The villagers had originally come from over 15 villages under the Khengjoi
hill range in Manipur's Chandel district in the wake of continuous gun
battles between Indian security forces and the UNLF, sources said.

It is learnt that the Kuki Inpi Manipur, an apex body of the Kuki
community in the region had earlier submitted a representation to the
President and Prime Minister of India urging intervention and rescuing the
'deported' villagers.

Meanwhile reacting to the charges leveled by the UNLF on Kuki bodies, Kuki
Chiefs' Association has asserted that the Kuki bodies were never under
anybody's directives to air the plight of its own people.

N Mate, Vice President of the association in a statement claimed that the
forcible capture of Kuki villagers from Laijang village grouping centre
and taking them to an unknown destination in Burma by the outfit was never
a blind allegation.

Upholding the peaceful and mutual understanding of the composite Manipur
structure has been the principle of the Kuki bodies, besides upholding the
age old cordiality amongst the people. The Kukis have shown patience till
date, he added.

The captured villagers were in fact deported to Burma and subsequently
brought back after civil and government machineries stepped in to ensure
their safety, they further said.

The Kuki civil societies also organized a peace rally in this regard in
Moreh on Friday.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

March 17, Agence France Presse
Myanmar signs oil contract with Russian, Singaporean firms

Yangon: Military-run Myanmar has signed a contract with Russian and
Singaporean firms to jointly explore for inland oil and gas, state media
said Saturday.

Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise will join hands with Silver Wave Sputnik
Petroleum Pte Ltd. of Russia and Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd. of Singapore
for the project in Ziphyutaung-Nandaw region in the northwest of the
country, said the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

It gave no further details including the value of the contract, which
followed another gas deal earlier in the month with Rimbunan Petrogas, a
firm registered in the British Virgin Islands, and Singapore's UNOG.

Myanmar, one of the world's poorest nations, is under a series of US and
European economic sanctions imposed over the junta's human rights abuses
and the house arrest of 61-year-old democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

But the impact of the sanctions has been weakened as energy-hungry
neighbours such as China, India and Thailand are spending billions of
dollars for a share of Myanmar's vast energy resources to solve their
power problems.

Myanmar's military rulers have awarded a raft of contracts in the last two
months to explore for natural gas off its coast, following major
discoveries by South Korea's Daewoo of reserves of up to 10 trillion cubic
feet in the Gulf of Bengal.

According to 2006 official figures, 13 foreign oil companies are working
on 33 projects in Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1962.

____________________________________

March 18, Associated Press
Myanmar launches its first winery

Aythaya, Myanmar: The landscape could well be mistaken for the rolling,
sun-drenched hills of Tuscany.

But the monasteries perched on hilltops are Buddhist. And the workers
aren't Italians with centuries of viticulture coursing through their
veins, but Asian farmers new to the grape at Myanmar's first winery.

Started by a German entrepreneur, the Aythaya estate has been producing
reds, whites and roses since 2004 and is preparing for a leap forward in
both output and quality, with exports also on the horizon.

They're among the latest, so-called "new latitude wines," springing up
outside the industry's traditional heartland in places as far afield as
Brazil, India and Thailand where vintners hope one day to match the
excellence of the classics.

"Had I not been convinced that we can make a quality wine up in our
mountains, I would not have started the project," said Bert Morsbach, who
not only had to tread on viticulturally uncharted terrain but faced
political risks in a military-run country shunned by many foreign
investors.

"That was a gamble, I must admit," he said. "But so far the government has
been very cooperative and it looks as if this is going to stay that way."

Having started several successful enterprises in Southeast Asia -- he
pioneered sailboarding in Thailand -- Morsbach hatched the idea of Myanmar
wines in 1997, consulting experts who concurred that the project had a
"high survival chance."

Experimentation followed on various vines -- imported mainly from France,
Germany and Italy -- and a site was selected in hills above the
spectacular Inle Lake of Shan State in eastern Myanmar, also known as
Burma.

Morsbach, originally a mining engineer from Dusseldorf, and his chief wine
maker Hans Leiendecker say growing conditions on their 9.5-hectare
(23.5-acre) vineyard are excellent, with the limestone soil not unlike
that found in Tuscany and southern France and a climate similar to
California's wine country.

The rainfall is moderate and the 1,300-meter (4,260-foot) elevation,
making Aythaya probably the highest vineyard in Asia, brings cool
temperatures that can fall to as low as 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees
Fahrenheit) on a winter night.

"A huge asset in our favor: 150 days of sunshine," Morsbach adds.

While Aythaya's wines aren't about to knock the Romanee-Contis or Mouton
Rothchilds of this world off the shelves, they've already garnered some
good reviews.

One Thailand-based wine critic, David Swartzentruber, wrote of its 2004
Sauvignon blanc: "This wine should worry France. Here is a wine produced
in Asia that possesses all the attributes of a good Bordeaux white."

Another wine expert in Thailand, R. James Mullen, praises the 2006 rose,
noting its "flower notes with a touch of sweetness, perfect balance and
perfect finish, reminiscent of the really top French roses which are
genuine food companions."


>From Italian Moscato grape, rose is the winery's top seller, regarded as

most appropriate to a tropical climate and the best partner to Myanmar
curries and other Asian food.

"For Asia we are at a good quality level. For Europe it's not good enough
yet, but the potential is here," says Leiendecker, who arrived here
recently, seeking a new challenge after 16 years as technical director of
Weingut Dr. H. Thanisch, producer of some of Germany's finest wines.

The hurdles remaining are not in the field, he said, but in the winery
where more equipment is needed, principally oak wood barrels now being
imported to increase storage capacity and allow for maturing of the wines,
especially the reds.

The estate, which employs 35 increasingly competent Myanmar staffers,
hasn't been able to meet the market demand and will be increasing its
production to 100,000 bottles this year from only 20,000 in 2004.
Additional grapes will be grown by contract farmers, who Leiendecker says
are eager to get into the new business.

Most of Aythaya's wine is now snapped up by the foreign tourist industry.
While a growing number of Myanmar people are beginning to enjoy the
beverage there is no traditional wine culture in the country.

"The government is pleased with us. It takes a nationalistic pride that
now Burma has its own wine," says Leiendecker, who signed up for a
five-year stay.

For 69-year-old Morsbach, who plans to retire in Myanmar, the enterprise
is a labor of love and a long-term commitment. He and a group of German
friends have already invested some $1.5 million and are expanding
tourist-attracting facilities at the winery which already include five
guest rooms, a restaurant and swimming pool.

They also rebuilt a derelict Buddhist orphanage adjacent to the vineyard
and are supporting more than 80 orphans there. Among locals the children's
home is still better known than the winery, so tourists looking for the
estate are advised to ask directions for the "vineyard orphanage."

____________________________________

March 18, The Observer
Result: MkOne forced to drop Burma clothing - Nick Mathiason

MkOne, the high street value fashion store, has withdrawn a range of
clothes after The Observer told the firm that they were made in Burma,
which is ruled by a military dictatorship.

The high street store, owned by Icelandic corporate raider Baugur, claimed
to have had no knowledge of where the clothes came from and conducted an
immediate investigation once this newspaper made them aware of the issue.
A series of items were found by shoppers to have 'Made in Myanmar' labels
in MkOne's Brighton store over a two-week period.

Dominic Galvin, MkOne's chief executive, said: 'Any supplier we deal with
should not source from Burma. We were definitely not aware of this issue.
I have launched a full investigation into the matter.' But the company
refused to reveal the supplier's identity, citing 'commercial
confidentiality'.

It has been long suspected that UK retailers source clothes from Burma,
where human rights abuses are rife, trade unions are banned and forced
labour camps mean workers are paid a pittance even by developing world
standards.

Customs & Excise figures show the UK imports tens of millions of pounds
worth of clothes from the country. Most major retailers say they boycott
Burmese merchandise, but campaigners believe false labels are inserted to
suggest they come from elsewhere.

In the past Burma Campaign UK has demanded to know whether MkOne sources
clothes from Burma but the firm has refused to disclose its sourcing
policy. MkOne maintains its new management is more sensitive to these
issues.

Clothing exports are an important source of income for Burma. The US
banned imports of clothing from Burma in 2003. More than 130 major
clothing retailers, including M&S, Next, ASDA, H&M, Debenhams, House of
Fraser and BHS, have policies not to source from that country.

'In most cases, we say it's vital for companies to work with suppliers to
improve conditions but with Burma the regime is so bad we condemn any
supplier or retailer for doing business with the state and urge them to
pull out,' said the Ethical Trading Initiative.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

March 18, Xinhua General News Service
Lao president to visit Myanmar

Yangon: Lao President Choummaly Sayasone will pay a state visit to Myanmar
in the near future to boost  bilateral and regional ties with the
Southeast Asian neighbor, an  official announcement from new capital Nay
Pyi Taw said Sunday  without giving specific date of the visit.

Choummaly's trip will mark a return visit to the one to Vientiane in May
2003 by Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, who is chairman of
the State Peace and Development Council.

During Than Shwe's 2003 visit to Laos, the two countries signed an
agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investment.

Over the past two years, prime ministers of the two countries also
exchanged visits, with General Soe Win of Myanmar touring Vientiane in
April 2005 and Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos traveling to Nay Pyi Taw in
November 2006.

Myanmar and Laos are friendly neighbors with good bilateral relations. In
January this year, Myanmar and Laos upgraded the two countries' respective
border check points to meet international standard to boost arrivals of
world tourists and those from a third country to visit the two countries'
border areas.

These checkpoints are Wan Pong in Tachilek of Eastern Shan state on the
Myanmar side and Ban Muang Mom on the Lao side. The Mekong River flows
between the two towns as a border line.

Meanwhile, Myanmar and Laos have been placing emphasis on peace and
security and development in the two countries' border areas, cooperating
in drug control and agreeing to prevent trafficking of drugs and
psychotropic substances, and control banned chemicals.

Besides, Myanmar and Laos are also cooperating in agricultural, forestry
and marine sectors.

Both Myanmar and Laos are members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations as well as the Greater Mekong Subregion  Economic Cooperation.

_____________________________________

March 19, Mizzima News
Burmese democracy icon Suu Kyi honoured with "Netaji Subhas Award" - Mungpi

Burma's democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was given the first Netaji
Subhas Award by the Netaji Subhas Foundation in Kolkata today for her
tireless struggle to restore democracy in Burma.

The Netaji Subhas Foundation today presented a memento along with a cash
prize of Indian rupees 1,00,000 to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which was
received by her representative Ramjeet Verma, member of the National
League for Democracy - Liberated Area and currently living in exile, as
she remains in detention in Burma.

Speaking at the ceremony, attended by a thousand participants, Debabrata
Biswas, Secretary General of the Netaji Subhas Foundation said, "We want
the whole world to know that the largest democracy in the world is with
the people of Burma who are struggling for democracy."

Netaji Subhas Foundation, which was founded in 1999 with intellectuals and
academicians, chose the 1991 Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate for the first
Netaji Subhas Award in recognition of her being "a noted fighter for
upholding democratic rights."

"We want to re-establish the old relation between India and the Burmese
people, particularly through the legacy of Subhash Chandra Bose. With this
award we want to give a strong message that Indian people stand for
democratic movements of Burma," Biswas told Mizzima over telephone.

Subhash Chandra Bose, who formed the Indian government in exile, 'Azad
Hind' to fight against British rule, led the Indian National Army and
fought against the allies in Burma during the Second World War.
Reportedly, Subhash Chandra Bose had a close relationship with Burma's
independence hero and father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Aung San.

Meanwhile, on government to government relation, India is seeking more
cooperation with the Burmese junta on bilateral trade and cross border
security maintenance including the import of natural gas from Burma and
flushing out its northeastern insurgents operating from Burma.

B.B. Nandy, who worked for several years on the Burma desk of India's
external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, said honouring
Aung San Suu Kyi is welcome but the All India forward Bloc, which is the
main sponsor of the Netaji Subhas Foundation, should raise a question on
India's policy towards Burma.

"They should raise the question why the government of India is not
becoming more pro-Burmese people. And should persue the cause of Aung San
Suu Kyi And the cause of the Burmese people [to the government of India],"
Nandy told Mizzima.

Subroto Bose, treasurer of the Netaji Subhas Foundation, however, said the
Foundation is a non-political body and is not concerned with today's
politics.

"We know, as Indians, that the government of India now has diplomatic
relations with the government of Burma. But this award has been chosen on
an individual basis and the foundation has no political opinion of its
own," Bose said.

"It has nothing to do with political affairs and I don't think that should
affect Indo-Burmese relationship in anyway," he added.

Sponsored by the All India forward Bloc, a leftwing nationalist political
party formed by Subhash Chandra Bose in 1939, the Netaji Subhas Foundation
as a group of academics researching on the life and activities of Subhash
Chandra Bose, starting from this year will continue giving the award
annually to outstanding freedom fighters around the world, Bose added.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her outstanding personality and her struggle for
restoration of democracy in Burma has also received the Jawaharlal Nehru
Award for international understanding in 1993.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is the symbol of the democracy movement and by this
award we want to draw the attention of the Indian people about the
problems of our Burmese friends," Biswas added.