BurmaNet News, March 29, 2007

[Editor]

March 29, 2007 Issue # 3172

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Officials stop harassment of Tuesday prayer group
DVB: Political prisoner released from Insein after 22 days

ON THE BORDER
Narinjara: Army use locals as porters in operation
Bangkok Post: Burma closes key border crossing

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Chinese province, Myanmar sign series of trade accords
DPA: Fear keeps protests at bay amid rising inflation in Myanmar

HEALTH / AIDS
Thai Press: Myanmar (Burma) confirms bird flu outbreak in five townships

DRUGS
Irrawaddy: The latest casualties in china’s war on drugs

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: ILO defers taking Burma to ICJ
VOA News: Iran invites Burmese Foreign Minister to visit Tehran

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: KNU faces daunting task - Aung Zaw
Irrawaddy: Let them bury the dead, help the needy - Kyaw Zwa Moe

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Officials stop harassment of Tuesday prayer group

Burmese special police and Shwedagon pagoda officials have reportedly
given up on repeated attempts to harass the group of Tuesday prayer
campaigners.

Every Tuesday a group of between 10 and 30 activists and politicians go to
the famous pagoda to pray for the release of all political prisoners in
Burma, including detained National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.

For several weeks, activists wearing t-shirts bearing the image of
Independence hero and father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi general Aung San have
been barred from Shwedagon pagoda and some activists have been doused with
dirty water or bashed.

But this week, the activists, some of whom again wore general Aung San
t-shirts, were allowed to pray uninterrupted, sparking speculation that
pagoda officials and the special police had given up on attempts to deter
the group.

“There were more than 30 people. Ko Tun Tun . . . wore a t-shirt bearing
the image of general Aung San. We wore the badges bearing the image of the
general. Even so, they didn’t harass us but allowed us to worship at the
pagoda,” activist Naw Ohn Hla said.

“They confiscated some letters. They searched some bags at the pagoda. But
they refrained from the rest. It went to pass peacefully,” she said.

____________________________________

March 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Political prisoner released from Insein after 22 days

U Thein Zan from Thingangyun township, who was arrested on March 7 for
defacing a copy of a government newspaper, was released from Insein prison
yesterday after spending 22 days in detention.

Two men, identified to U Thein Zan’s family only as U Soe Myint and U Kyi
Maung, reportedly acted as guarantors for U Thein Zan, who was released
despite having been denied bail on Monday, according to his lawyer.

Early this month, U Thein Zan wrote “Are you sure, Maung Kalu?”—a common
headline on pro-military propaganda articles—over the top of a copy of the
state-run Myanmar Ahlin newspaper he had stuck on his fence after becoming
enraged by recent commodity price rises.

U Thein Zan told DVB yesterday it was the price of onions that had
provoked him.

“My wife bought four onions the size of a man’s thumb from the market and
she told me that they cost 300 kyat. As I was born in 1942 and had seen
better times, I became very angry and questioned whether these four onions
could cost 300. Then I put the newspaper clippings,” U Thein Zan said.

He said since his act of political defiance was small, he doubted the
authorities would take further action against him. It remains unclear who
U Soe Myint and U Kyi Maung are, and why they decided to give 10 million
kyats to the authorities to guarantee U Thein Zan’s release.

U Thein Zan’s family told DVB they had asked the two men which
organisation they came from but that they only replied that they were
civilians.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

March 29, Narinjara News
Army use locals as porters in operation

The Burmese army is now using many local people from the border area as
military porters in an operation against an insurgent group on the western
Burmese border, report local people who fled to Bangladesh to avoid being
forced into porterage.

The army operation started on 25 March in the western border area between
Pelatwa and Buthidaung Townships after a group of about 25 armed
insurgents entered the western region of Arakan State to carry out their
activities under the cover of deep forest.

During the operation, many local villagers from several villages including
Letpanwa, Tookpi, Sitaung, and Pyin Zaw have been used as military porters
by army personnel to carry army materials and food from one location to
another along the border.

A source said at least five army battalions are participating in the
operation - LB 20, LB 34, LIB 289, LIB 354, and LIB 376.

Another report said the Burmese army is now trying to block all the border
points along the Burma-Bangladesh border between northern Buthidaung
Township and southern Pelatwa Township in Chin State, in efforts to trap
and demolish the insurgent group inside Burma before they can escape to
their hideout.

The villager said he heard that a group of Arakan Liberation Army has
entered into the north of Buthidaung and Kyauktaw Townships recently to
ambush the Burmese army patrol team near the border.

____________________________________

March 29, Bangkok Post
Burma closes key border crossing

The Thai authorities are probing reasons for the Burmese government's
continued closure of the Myawaddy-Tak border crossing, on the Moei River
near Mae Sot.

But the border closure by the Burmese authorities is believed to be only a
temporary measure.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Panadda Disakul said the Tak governor, the
Third Army Region and a Naresuan Task Force in charge of Tak's border
areas are coordinating with the Burmese authorities, following Tuesday's
closure of the Myawaddy border point where trading between traders from
both sides of the border had previously been hectic.

Burma is believed to have closed the Myawaddy border in retaliation to the
earlier closing of Three Pagodas border point in Kanchanaburi province by
the Thai authorities, following last week's kidnapping of two Thai Border
Patrol police officer by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), a
Karen Buddhist faction allied to the Burmese military junta, at the
western Thai border district of Sangkhlaburi in Kanchanaburi province.

Tak Industrial Council chairman Amnart Nanthaharn called on the
authorities to negotiate with their Burmese counterparts to quickly reopen
the Myawaddy-Mae Sot border point. Otherwise, he said, crossborder trading
between Thailand and Burma worth 30 million to 40 million baht daily would
be affected.

Through the border point, Thailand has imported fresh seafood from Burma
and exported construction materials, footwear and tyres to the
neighbouring country.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

March 29, Xinhua General News Service
Chinese province, Myanmar sign series of trade accords

China's Yunnan Province and Myanmar signed a series of trade accords here
Thursday at a trade and investment promotion meeting between the province
and Myanmar.

The seven trade documents include a memorandum of understanding of the
integrated agriculture demonstration farm, an agreement on exploration and
excavation of iron core, two mineral cooperating development agreements in
Nan Mu Do and Indawgyi areas in Myanmar, a minutes of intentional
cooperation agreements on collaboration in transboundary animal disease
control, a 20,000 tons steel products export contract and a 60,000 tons
chemical fertilizer export contract.

The documents were signed between a visiting Chinese provincial
delegation, led by Governor of Yunnan Province Qin Guangrong, at the trade
and investment promotion meeting co-hosted by the Yunnan Province People's
Government and the Myanmar Ministry of Commerce, and co-organized by the
Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province and the Union of Myanmar
Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), which is the
biggest business organization in Myanmar.

The China (Yunnan)-Myanmar Trade and Investment Promotion Meeting was
attended by Qin and Myanmar Minister of Commerce Brigadier-General Tin
Naing Thein, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Guan Mu and Economic and
Commerce Counselor Tang Hai as well as UMFCCI Chairman U Win Myint. The
meeting was joined by a total of over 600 businessmen from over 400
companies from both sides.

The meeting covered discussions on mutual cooperation dealing with timber,
bamboo and furniture, rubber, hydroelectric project, construction, mining,
transportation, tea product, beverage, sugar mill, textile, fertilizer and
chemical, electric and electronic products, livestock and fisheries,
machine parts and farm equipment.

According to Chinese official statistics, China-Myanmar bilateral trade
hit 1.46 billion US dollars in 2006, up 20.7 percent from 2005. Of the
total, China's exports to Myanmar took 1. 207 billion dollars, up 29.2 per
cent, while its import from Myanmar stood 252 million dollars, down 7.9
percent. China enjoyed a trade surplus of 955 million dollars during the
year.

Among them, trade between the Yunnan province and Myanmar amounted to
692.08 million dollars during the year, up 9.6 percent from the previous
year. Of the total, Yunnan's exports to Myanmar represented 521 million
dollars, while its imports from Myanmar was valued at 171 million dollars,
the figures show.

The 350-strong Chinese provincial delegation arrived in Myanmar on
Wednesday on a goodwill visit in a bid to strengthen the friendship and
economic and trade ties between the Yunnan province and Myanmar.

____________________________________

March 29, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Fear keeps protests at bay amid rising inflation in Myanmar - Peter Janssen

Last month, in a rare show of public dissent in military-run Myanmar, a
dozen people marched in Yangon to protest rising food prices, frequent
electricity cuts, corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

After their brief march downtown, the protesters were detained,
interrogated and made to promise they would not stage another
demonstration.

Such responses to all signs of dissent are to be expected from Myanmar's
ruling junta, but what was unknown was how the public would react.

"What we tried on February 26 was a test balloon," said Win Naing, an
independent politician who was one of the chief organizers behind the
march. "I wanted to see how much the people wanted to join us, but to be
frank, I don't think the people were ready."

Western observers often marvel at the Myanmar people's capacity to endure
economic privations, frequently the outcome of economic mismanagement by
the military-led government. Today's rising inflation in the country is a
good example.

Last April, in what appeared to be a move to placate widespread discontent
within the civil service for being force-marched to Myanmar's new capital
of Naypyitaw in late 2005, the government hiked government salaries by as
much as 500 per cent.

Naturally, inflation swiftly followed. One Yangon-based market researcher
estimated that the price of high-quality rice rose 100 per cent last year
while the price of chillies rose 200 per cent, pepper 300 per cent and
onions 250 per cent.

Although the government estimated inflation at 10.7 per cent in 2006,
Western embassies said it was closer to 50 per cent. And prices are still
rising.

"Last month, the price of chilies was 10,000 kyat [8 dollars] per petah
[1.6 kilograms], but this month, it's 12,000 kyat," said Aye Aye, a
vegetable seller at Hledan market in Yangon.

Meanwhile, salaries for non-government workers remain miserably low,
averaging about 1,000 kyat a day or 25,000 kyat a month.

Some factories in Yangon have reportedly started providing their workers
with free lunches because so many were skipping their midday meal to save
money.

Children working on road-construction projects to help supplement their
meagre family incomes are a common sight in Myanmar. Shwe Shwe Aung, 12,
is spending her summer vacation hauling baskets of stones to repave the
road to Mandalay in the Daik U district of Bego State.

"I need the money to pay for my school tuition," said Shwe Shwe, who earns
900 kyat a day.

With rising inflation, low wages and a seemingly uncaring government, any
other country could expect an explosion of protests and riots, but in
Myanmar, the people in general have kept quiet over the past two decades,
and for good reason.

In 1988, unbearable economic conditions did spark nationwide
demonstrations that eventually forced former military strong man Ne Win to
step down.

Ne Win - father of the "Burmese Way to Socialism," which impoverished the
country from 1962 to 1988 - had demonetized more than half the kyat
currency in circulation in 1987 in one of his unique solutions to
combating inflation, going on the theory, no money, no inflation.

The military's bloody crackdown on the popular demonstrations in September
1988, which left an estimated 3,000 dead, has left a lasting impression.

Myanmar has essentially been under martial law since then with public
gatherings of more than five people banned unless they have received
official permission. Crackdowns on all shows of dissent were intensified
after the 1990 general election, which was won by the National League for
Democracy (NLD) Party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The regime has ignored that election results for the past 17 years,
arguing that a new constitution would be needed before an elected
government could take over. Another general election might be held by 2008
although no date has been set.

In this context the small, short-lived protest against inflation was an
unusual event, but one that has also demonstrated that things are not yet
bad enough to spark mass riots.

"They need more motivation," Win Naing said. "The people are still afraid
because they know they are vulnerable to strong reactions from the
authorities and they are tired of making sacrifices."

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

March 29, Thai Press Reports
Myanmar (Burma) confirms bird flu outbreak in five townships

The Myanmar livestock authorities on Mar. 27 confirmed bird flu outbreaks
in five townships in Yangon.

According to a statement by the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary
Department (LBVD), the five townships infected by the deadly virus are
Mayangon, Hlaingtharya, North Okkalapa , Mingaladon and Hmawby.

Poultry, quails and pheasants in the affected areas and nearby areas were
culled.

The local authorities have taken other preventive measures, warning
breeders and those engaged in poultry marketing to use new farm equipment
instead of the old ones. Farmers are also encouraged to prevent crows from
entering their poultry farms.

Suspicious avian influenza was first detected in Myanmar on Feb. 27. In
the outbreak, 1,863 fowls died and 37,883 others culled.

____________________________________
DRUGS

March 29, Irrawaddy
The latest casualties in china’s war on drugs - Khun Sam

The success of China’s anti-drug campaign has come under fire after the
death of three police officers in Yunnan Province in a gun battle with
suspected drug traffickers on Sunday.

Details of the fight were reported by China’s official news agency Xinhua,
which said that three officers were killed and another three injured when
they encountered 10 members of a suspected drug trafficking gang in the
Yinjiang region of Yunnan Province near the Burmese border.

The gang allegedly attacked the officers with automatic rifles and
grenades. Police officials say they are hunting for the suspects but gave
no further details and were unable to identify the attackers.

According to local sources, the Yinjiang region has one of the highest
drug flow rates in Yunnan Province, and the suspects in Sunday’s gun
battle are thought to have come from Burma’s Special Region 1, which is
occupied both by Burmese troops and members of the ethnic ceasefire group
New Democratic Army-Kachin.

Yunnan Province—sharing borders with Burma, Laos and Thailand—is said to
have the highest rate of drug use and drug-related crime in China,
according to the Xinhua report.

Last year, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met his Burmese counterpart Soe Win
to discuss taking tougher action against cross-border drug trafficking,
acknowledging the harm of drugs to the local society and the well-being of
its residents.

Critics of this policy claim Chinese authorities have been ineffective in
their anti-drug campaign because of corruption within the local police
force as well as the involvement of the Burmese junta and their proxy
militia groups.

“I don’t see them succeeding,” Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst based in
the China-Burma border town of Ruili, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday.
“Drugs are coming in as much as ever, and I know that captured drug
traffickers have been freed after they bribed authorities.”

Aung Kyaw Zaw believes China’s drug problems could be resolved only when
Burma’s political turmoil is resolved. “China should approach Burma to
find a solution to the country’s ethnic insurgencies and lack of
democracy,” he said.

Liu Yuejin, the deputy director of the anti-narcotics bureau of China’s
Ministry of Public Security, claimed in December last year to have
succeeded in the fight against drug-related crime in China. He said more
than 36,000 cases had been prosecuted and more than 45,000 suspects caught
in 2006.

Liu further claimed that Chinese officials seized some 4.79 tons of
heroin, 1.52 tons of opium, 4.9 tons of crystallized methamphetamine, more
than a quarter million ecstasy tablets, 1.5 tons of ketamine and 267 tons
of chemicals used in drug production between January and November of last
year.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 29, Mizzima News
ILO defers taking Burma to ICJ - Mungpi

The International Labour Organisation on Wednesday decided to defer taking
Burma to the International Court of Justice over the use of forced labour
following the Burmese junta's signing of a "Supplementary Understanding"
last month.

In February the Burmese military government signed an agreement to allow
the ILO to set up a mechanism that will enable victims of forced labour to
seek redressal.

By agreeing to the "Supplementary Understanding," Burma has accepted that
no one lodging complaints about forced labour would be victimized.

According to the "Understanding" victims of forced labour will have the
freedom to approach and submit complaints to the ILO Liaison Officer in
Rangoon. And on the Liaison Officer's assessment, the authorities would
investigate and take appropriate action against the perpetrators.

Richard Horsey, the ILO liaison officer in Rangoon said, "The main reason
for a referral to the ICJ was to look at Myanmar's [Burma's] policy of
prosecuting people who lodged 'false complaints' of forced labour and
decide whether such a policy was consistent with Myanmar's [Burma's]
obligations under the Forced Labour Convention."

And a decision not to refer Burma to the ICJ was made possible by the
signing of the "Supplementary Understanding" by the Burmese government,
said Horsey, who is currently in Geneva presenting evidence to the ILO
Governing Body on how Burma is keeping its new commitment.

Horsey said in the first three weeks of implementing the mechanism, he had
received four complaints of forced labour. While rejecting one case and
still awaiting further information on another, he said, he had transmitted
two cases to the authorities, and after preliminary assessment found that
forced labour was involved.

Horsey told Mizzima that authorities, after conducting investigations into
the two cases, which confirmed that the complaints were true, had taken
action against the perpetrators.

"Two local government officials have been convicted of illegal imposition
of forced labour and given six-month prison terms each," Horsey said.

The ILO Governing Body's decision also includes providing more staff
members who would assist the Liaison Officer to discharge his
responsibilities more adequately.

"The Governing Body requested the Office to move quickly to assign
suitable international staff to assist the Liaison Officer, and requested
the Government of Myanmar to extend necessary cooperation and facilities,"
the ILO Governing body said in conclusion.

Horsey said, forced labour remains a serious problem in Burma and the new
mechanism is an attempt to address it by providing an opportunity for
people to complain, and to demonstrate that if someone imposes forced
labour, they can be held accountable.

"This is important in undermining the sense of impunity felt by those
people who use forced labour," said Horsey, however, adding that forced
labour in Burma cannot be eliminated on a case-by-case basis.

"What is needed is a change in attitude and behaviour, and it is hoped
that if this mechanism, if it is able to function effectively, can
contribute to that," Horsey added.

____________________________________

March 28, VOA News
Iran invites Burmese Foreign Minister to visit Tehran

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has invited his Burmese
counterpart to visit Tehran and expressed his hope that the two sides can
boost cooperation.

Iranian state media said that during a meeting with Burma's deputy foreign
minister U Kyaw Thu today, Mottaki expressed Tehran's desire to strengthen
cooperation in the field of energy and to boost economic ties.

State media said the Burmese official echoed the interest in strengthening
ties, and also noted Burma's desire to open an embassy in Tehran.

Iran and military-ruled Burma have long held diplomatic ties, but both
countries have yet to officially open an embassy in either of their
capitals.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

March 29, Irrawaddy
KNU faces daunting task - Aung Zaw

Mae Sot: The Karen National Union has faced several challenges to its
unity in recent years, but its leaders have always believed that they were
merely tests of their commitment and could be overcome if the ethnic
opposition group stood firmly together.

Events in Karen State in the last few months have put the KNU leadership
under even greater pressure, and their resolve is being tested like never
before.

The latest incident occurred earlier this week, when two Thai border
police officers were kidnapped by members of the Democratic Karen Buddhist
Army, a pro-junta splinter group that broke from the KNU in 1995 and has
since expanded its influence and economic strength in areas once
controlled by the KNU.

Some Karen sources believe the kidnapping of the border police officers
was carried out by the DKBA simply to put pressure on the KNU and its
leaders who live on Thai soil. Others suggest that recent events—including
a grenade attack on a Mae Sot gas station owned by a senior KNU leader—is
the work of so-called “peace brokers” who desire a cease fire agreement
with Burma’s ruling junta.

The irony is that the Burmese military might not need to lift a finger to
resolve their problems with the KNU. While the Karen fights among
themselves, the junta can sit on the sidelines and wait for the outcome,
which most certainly leave the KNU a weakened and less formidable foe.

Gen Bo Mya’s death in late December last year played a significant role in
the current disunity among KNU leaders, creating factions within the group
that have opposing objectives.

The KNU’s former 7th Brigade commander, Brig-Gen Htain Maung, recently
came to an understanding with Burma’s military rulers and set up
headquarters in the village of Toh Kaw Koe in an area of 7th Brigade
controlled by the Burmese army. Despite attracting few collaborators in
his break with the KNU—some of his followers have since returned—Htain
Maung shook the fragile unity of the group and its military wing, the
Karen National Liberation Army.

The current leadership of 7th Brigade has fallen to Col Johnny, who was
recently promoted to the rank of brigadier general. According to him,
Htain Maung’s defection has not caused significant harm to the opposition
group. “It is good (that Htain Maung is gone),” he told The Irrawaddy. “If
one finger is rotten, we have to cut it off.”

Despite his confidence, Johnny—well known as a battle-hardened rebel
fighter—appeared uneasy about recent conflicts within the KNU. Rumors have
spread that the Burmese army is eager for Johnny and his battalion to
“return to the legal fold” and has offered a generous incentive,
reportedly several million baht, to anyone who can persuade him to do so.

Htain Maung was recently approached by Lt-Gen Ye Myint, head of Burma’s
Military Affairs Security, to persuade other Karen leaders to return to
the “legal fold.” Among those leaders was Johnny, who previously worked
under Htain Maung.

Johnny remains steadfast, at least for now, but his comments are peppered
with unusually political phrases, such as “genuine peace,” the need for
“dialogue” and “solving political problems through political means.” It is
perhaps a good thing for the KNU that he still calls the Burmese the
enemy.

But Johnny remains as candid about the capabilities of the Burmese as he
is about the Karen opposition’s weaknesses.

“The Burmese are not that clever, but we are a bit dim-witted,” he told
The Irrawaddy. “The enemy knows who is weak and strong,” he added, saying
the Burmese have good intelligence and know how to curry favors.

Col Soe Soe serves as the KNU’s liaison officer with the Burmese military,
and his polished speech reveals a more diplomatic approach to the current
crisis than that of the tough, plain-spoken Col Johnny. Soe Soe says the
door is always open for a dialogue on peace talks. “This is the best way
to solve our problems,” he said.

An effective communicator, Col Soe Soe went to Rangoon in 2003 to meet
then Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt and to lay the groundwork for official
talks between the junta and the late Bo Mya the following year—the last
time the two sides met officially for peace talks. Soe Soe won’t easily
abandon a political approach to peace, but such an approach must be
conducted “on an equal footing.” But he is aware of how much time has
passed without any prospects for peace and worries that the fractured
unity of the KNU may not heal.

KNU Chairman Ba Thin Sein, 80, is in poor health, and the leadership
succession and the hierarchy of senior officers is a principal source of
concern for the group—as is the weakening influence of the KNU within the
Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot, for many years a stronghold of the
ethnic opposition group.

The DKBA is seen as gaining ground in traditionally strong KNU territory,
and following the grenade attack earlier this month, KNU members are
instructing their allies not to venture out of doors in Mae Sot after
nightfall.

Burma’s oldest ethnic opposition group suffered a heavy blow in 1995 when
its headquarters at Manerplaw were overrun by a joint force of DKBA and
Burmese army troops. The once prosperous KNU now has little income and no
support from foreign nations. It can rarely supply salaries for its
soldiers, let alone arms and ammunition.

In the short term, the KNU’s civilian leaders could fill the gap. KNU
General Secretary Manh Sha remains widely respected, but some in the
organization believe he needs to be more tactful in dealing with the
Burmese regime. He has previously been involved in ceasefire talks, but
junta officials have shown an unwillingness to meet him.

Col Soe Soe remains hopeful that a peaceful solution can be reached if the
two sides can come together. “My job is to communicate and to make contact
(with the regime),” he said. This has proven difficult. According to him,
the Burmese have not made contact since July last year.

Observers and allies of the Karen are concerned that the junta’s
well-known strategy of “divide and conquer” may finally be undermining one
of their fiercest foes. Whether the Karen can regroup and stand firm
remains to be seen. But their failure will be assured as long as their
commitment to freedom is eroded by factionalism and distrust.

____________________________________

March 29, Irrawaddy
Let them bury the dead, help the needy - Kyaw Zwa Moe

Lending a hand to cremate or bury the dead is not a sensitive or political
issue. It is a humane matter.

“A visit to a funeral amounts to 10 times visiting a temple,” goes a
Burmese saying. Such a visit is a spiritual merit. Socially, it also has
its merit, because it is intended to console a deceased’s family in their
grief.

So what’s wrong with assisting in a burial or cremation? What can possibly
be wrong?

Put that question to Burma’s Free Funeral Service Society, an effective
non-profit, non-governmental and apolitical organization, which has been
facing obstacles from the authorities for months.

The FFSS emerged in 2001 to assist families living under impoverished
conditions and unable to afford the costs of burial or cremation of their
deceased loved ones. It finances and organizes more than 40 funerals daily
in Rangoon and its immediate area. In the six years it has been operating
it has financed and organized nearly 60,000 funerals.

Last week, some donations to the organization by sympathizers and
supporters were seized by local authorities. The organization relies on
this funding, which comes from various individual donors inside and
outside the country.

Official pressure on the organization began last August, when its leading
members, vice president and secretary attended the 18th anniversary
commemoration of the nationwide 1988 pro-democracy movement. The event was
organized by prominent dissidents.

Later, the government-organized civilian Union Solidarity and Development
Association attempted to take over the FFSS. When news of the move broke
in foreign news media, the USDA stepped back.

It is not surprising that the hypersensitive generals might be angry with
that development. But it was just a visit, after all, and the FFSS is not
affiliated to any political group. The group’s leading members insist
their operation is purely a social one.

That assurance isn’t enough for the government, however. The generals
don’t look with favor on any individual or group reputed to be involved in
political affairs.

The recent developments affecting the International Committee of the Red
Cross are a case in point. Pierre-Andre Conod, head of the country’s ICRC
delegation, has announced that the ICRC will close its two field offices
in Mon and Shan states this week. The ICRC’s headquarters in Geneva said
the move came because of “drastic restrictions” imposed on the
organization’s work.

The ICRC is an apolitical, humanitarian organization. But the generals
take exception to the humanitarian assistance it has been providing jailed
prisoners, particularly those held because of their political beliefs.
Many of these prisoners have relied on the ICRC for such basic necessities
as medicine, clean drinking waster, reading material and even soap.

The ICRC assistance was very important for the mental and physical health
of prisoners, who are confined in appalling conditions. In late 2005, the
government put an end to the ICRC visits. Up until that time, the ICRC
made more than 450 visits to some 90 prisons and labor camps.

The regime found political reasons for stopping the visits, and last
Monday, police director general Brig-Gen Khin Yi told a press conference
in Naypyidaw: “At the beginning, the ICRC was conducting its activities
normally, but later it started to meet only with those prisoners who have
harmed national security.”

Yet the ICRC was assisting all prisoners, regardless of the reasons they
were in jail.

The consequences of the regime’s clampdown on the ICRC are serious for
hundreds of thousands of inmates, including more than 1,000 political
prisoners, who face not only the loss of small improvements to prison life
but also access to adequate medical supplies

The closure now of two ICRC offices in remote areas of Mon and Shan states
will worsen the living conditions of ethnic people in those border areas.

After all, what’s wrong with providing necessities to the needy, whether
they’re behind bars or free?  The generals should stop seeing political
motives behind every act of humanitarian kindness, whether it’s helping a
political prisoner survive the hardships of life within prison walls or
making sure a family can bury its dead with dignity.