BurmaNet News, April 21-23, 2007

[Editor]

April 21-23, 2007 Issue # 3189

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burma’s junta vows to crack down on human rights activists
Mizzima: Junta detains seven protestors in Rangoon
Xinhua: Myanmar builds new capital with 3 objectives
Kaladan: Rohingya man killed brutally by police

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Construction of China-Myanmar oil pipeline expected to start this
year
PTI: Bangladesh approves road link with Myanmar to boost trade
SHAN: Gold rush near new capital

HEALTH / AIDS
AFP: Myanmar lifts ban on chicken sales

ASEAN
Irrawaddy: Malaysia hopes junta will restore democracy

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Burma to establish official ties to North Korea
Irrawaddy: Status of North Korean terror prisoner may change
AP: EU rolls over diplomatic, economic sanctions against Myanmar for
another year

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 23, Irrawaddy
Burma’s junta vows to crack down on human rights activists - Yeni

Burma’s military government stated its intention to crack down on human
rights activists operating in the country in order to maintain the peace,
according to a report today in the country’s official press.

The move to restrict activists aims at “fulfilling the wishes of the
majority to live in peace,” the report said.

The announcement—comprising a full page of the official newspaper—follows
calls by human rights advocacy groups, including London-based Amnesty
International, for Burmese authorities to investigate recent violent
attacks on rights activists in the country.

Two members of a group known as the Human Rights Defenders and
Promoters—Maung Maung Lay, 37, and Myint Naing, 40, were hospitalized with
head injuries following attacks by more than 50 people while the two were
working in Hinthada township, Irrawaddy Division in mid-April.

On Sunday, eight people were arrested by plainclothes police, members of
the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Association and the Pyithu
Swan Arr Shin (a paramilitary group) while demonstrating peacefully in a
Rangoon suburb.

The eight protesters were calling for lower commodity prices, better
healthcare and improved utility services. Htin Kyaw, 44, one of the eight
who also took part in an earlier demonstration in late February in
downtown Rangoon, was beaten by a mob, according to sources at the scene
of the protest.

Junta officials have denounced the efforts of activists as attempts to
mislead the public and cause unrest, while characterizing the actions
taken by groups such as the USDA and other government-backed organizations
as “preventative measures for ensuring community peace and tranquility,”
the official The New Light of Myanmar reported. “The government will
address the situation and take action in a democratic way.”

Reports from opposition activists in Burma have emerged in recent weeks
saying that Burmese authorities have directed the police and other
government proxy groups to deal harshly with any sign of unrest in
Rangoon.

“This proves that there is no rule of law [in Burma],” the 88 Generation
Students group said in a statement issued today. “We seriously urge the
authorities to prevent violence in the future and to guarantee the safety
of every citizen.”

____________________________________

April 23, Mizzima News
Junta detains seven protestors in Rangoon - Nem Davies

Seven people were arrested by the Burmese military authorities in Rangoon
for protesting against the prevailing economic hardship in Burma
yesterday. The arrested include Htin Kyaw, who was detained for a similar
protest in February.

Eye-witnesses told Mizzima, that protestors - Htin Kyaw, Thein Aung Myint,
Thein Myint Tun, Lay Lwin, Myint Sein, Than Zaw Myint, and Tin Maung Kyi -
were arrested by the Rangoon police and the junta-backed Union Solidarity
and Development Association members when they were demonstrating.

On Sunday morning at least 10 people gathered near the Sanpya Market in
Thingangyun Township and staged a demonstration demanding 24-hour
electricity and scaling down of prices of essential commodities.

The Rangoon police broke up the rally and arrested seven people including
the leader Htin Kyaw (44), who had earlier been detained after leading a
similar demonstration on February 22.

"Htin Kyaw and Phoe Thoke led the first group of protestors at about 8:45
a.m. (local time) and at about 9:15 a.m. (local time) the second group
joined them. But at about 9:30 a.m. they were arrested. The demonstration
lasted about 10 minutes," the eye-witness said.

Htin Kyaw and Phoe Thoke, who led the first group, were taken to a near by
rice stall by police sergeant Zaw Khin and the group was severely beaten
up. Htin Kyaw was arrested along with the second group of demonstrators,
the eye-witness added.

Eye-witnesses said the protestors, who waved banners and placards
demanding 24 hour electricity, cheaper essential commodities, better
health and education systems also wished good health to the military
supremo Sr. Gen Than Shwe, were surrounded by civilians, who supported the
peaceful demonstration.

However, the junta-run New Light of Myanmar today said, the protestors
were "sent to authorities concerned by the people who do not want unrest
but wish to live in peace."

An 88 generation student leader said, "As far as we can guess, they
[protestors] are kept in one of the interrogation centres. But we are not
sure where exactly they are being kept. We are still trying to communicate
with them."

Htin Kyaw was arrested by authorities after leading a similar protest in
February in downtown Rangoon demanding lower essential commodity prices,
better health care and education systems.

____________________________________

April 23, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar builds new capital with 3 objectives

Myanmar is building the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw with three objectives
of becoming an evergreen, air-pollution-free and crime-free region, said
the local Weekly Eleven News pre-published on Monday.

Police stations will be extensively and proportionately set up in the
light of the growing number of residential houses, population and police
force members, the weekly quoted a senior administrative and training
police official as saying.

Five police stations, rated at the highest grade of A which is designated
for major cities, are being established, the sources said, adding that
there are three existing police stations for three townships of Pyinmana,
Lewe and Tatkon covered by the Nay Pyi Taw region.

According to the sources, 2007 is the year of discipline for the Myanmar
Police Force with a campaign to fight malpractice within the institution,
while the work efficiency of the police force members is also to be raised
in the year under the campaign.

The official called on individuals to cooperate with the police force for
the success of the campaign.

Myanmar moved its administrative capital from Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw, about
390 kilometers to the north of Yangon, starting November 2005 and the new
capital has developed to a land area of 7,054.37 square-kilometers now
with a population of 924,608, according to official figures.

____________________________________

April 23, Kaladan News
Rohingya man killed brutally by police

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The brutality that the Burmese police is capable
of came to light when a Rohingya youth of Maungdaw Township was rolled
downhill after his hands and legs were fastened to a log on April 11. He
was rolled from the top of the hill thrice till he died.

The victim Nabi Hussain (30), son of Shukur, hailed from Ngar Yant Chaung
village of Maungdaw Township.

On April 11, he was killed by policemen from the Min Kamong police station
under the Khamaung Zeik (Fokira Bazar) village tract, Maungdaw Township ,
Arakan State , a relative said on condition of anonymity.

Nabi Hussain, was a widower living with two children. He wanted to marry a
girl living in Raza Bill village (Nanra Khine), Maungdaw Township . They
were said to be in love. However, he did not keep his promise. The girl
was infuriated. She drew the attention of an officer of a Burmese Army
camp, said a friend of the victim.

Not satisfied with the army officer's response the girl complained to the
Min Kamong police station "Min Kamong" in Maungdaw.
On April 11, a section of the police led by Zaw Zaw Oo from Min Khamaung
police station went to the market and accosted Nabi Hussain.  He was
arrested, brought to police station and beaten up severely by Zaw Zaw Oo,
according to a local.

Nabi was handcuffed. His hand and feet were tied to a log and he was
rolled from the top of a hill thrice till he died. The body was brought to
Maungdaw hospital by jeep for autopsy, said a source close to the police.

The elder brother of the victim went to the police station to find his
brother but the police did not tell him his whereabouts.  Finally, he went
to Maungdaw hospital, where he found his brother's body.

Following the post-mortem, Zaw Zaw Oo and his fellow officer of Min
Khamaung police station were arrested by the Maungdaw police and sent to
jail, a source said close to Maungdaw police said.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

April 22, Xinhua Economic News Service
Sinopec: Construction of China-Myanmar oil pipeline expected to start this
year

Construction of the China-Myanmar oil pipeline is expected to start this
year, Chinese oil giant Sinopec has announced.

At the beginning of April, the National Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC) approved the Sino-Myanmar oil pipeline linking Myanmar's deep-water
port of Sittwe with Kunming, capital of China's southwestern Yunnan
Province.

No timetable for the completion of the pipeline has been provided.

In the meantime, China will invest eight billion yuan (1.04 billion U.S.
dollars) to build a gas pipeline, which stretches 2,380 kilometers,
linking Myanmar with Kunming.

This pipeline will transport 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas from
the Middle East to southwest China in the next 30 years.

Myanmar, in return, will get a loan of 650 million HK dollars (83 million
U.S. dollars) from the Chinese government to tap its oil resources.

In January, China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) signed production
sharing contracts with Myanmar's Ministry of Energy covering crude oil and
natural gas exploration projects in three deep- water blocks off the
western Myanmar coast.

The CNPC later launched a feasibility study with the Myanmar Oil and Gas Co..

The long-awaited pipeline would provide an alternative route for China's
crude imports from the Middle East and Africa.

The plan has won support from local governments and enterprises.

Huang Qifan, vice mayor of Chongqing, said the CNPC had chosen Chongqing
as the destination for the pipeline, noting the city would build a
10-million-ton capacity refinery to process imported crude, which is due
to come on stream in three years.

Han Jingkuan, deputy director of the planning institute of PetroChina
Company Ltd., said the government might also establish an oil refinery in
Kunming.

China's three state-owned oil producers, Sinopec, CNPC and CNOOC, have
stepped up projects in Myanmar, where their overall exploitation area has
surpassed that of the Bohai Sea, said Han.

The pipeline might ease China's worries of its over-dependence on energy
transportation through the Strait of Malacca, said an analyst.

____________________________________

April 22, Press Trust of India
Bangladesh approves road link with Myanmar to boost trade

Bangladesh has approved a road link with Myanmar to boost trade and
commerce between the two neighbouring countries.

A meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday approved the
proposal for the cross-border road agreement, which would be signed by the
Foreign Adviser Iftikhar Ahmed Chowdhury during his visit to Myanmar next
month.

Construction of a 23-kilometre road from Gundhum in Cox's Bazaar
(Bangladesh) to Bolibazar in Myanmar is expected to boost border trade
between the two countries.

The initiative in this regard began in 2003 and a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) was signed to this effect during the visit of Myanmar
prime minister to Dhaka in 2004. Later, a technical and finance taskforce
was formed to expedite the process.

The advisers, after discussing the report of the technical taskforce,
approved the proposal, The Daily Star said today.

According to reports, trade between Myanmar and Bangladesh accounted for
over USD 60 million in 2005-06 which was an increase of 20 percent from
USD 50 million in 2000-01. They aim to peg their bilateral trade at USD
100 million.

____________________________________

April 23, Shan Herald Agency for News
Gold rush near new capital

At least half a million people have been digging for gold in the Mohti
Mohmi mountain range east of Yamethin, 55 miles north of the new capital
in Pyinmana, according to Shan businessmen.

The mountain range lying between Yamethin and the Paunglaung is full of
professional and amateur gold miners who are out to make a fast Kyat,
after paying protection money to the police and mining department
officials.

"For an hour of digging, you have to pay Kyat 4 million ($ 3,200)", said a
resident of the northern Shan State town of Mongyai. "That's how rich the
soil is."

One month "concessions" of 100 square feet lots, meanwhile would cost as
much as Kyat 5 to 70 million ($4,000 to 56,000), depending on the proven
yield of each site, added another businessman from southern Shan State. It
is not unusual to hear diggers boasting of getting 4 to 5 kyat (1
kyat=16.6 gm) of gold from just one backpack of earth, they say.

The Canada-based Ivanhoe Mines had wanted the range, but as it is just
next door to the new capital, the security-conscious generals had turned
down their proposal. "With the junta leaders humming and hawing, the place
has fallen into the hands of the people," said the southerner. "We hope
they keep procrastinating."

Meanwhile, most of the companies working in Thabeikkyin, another area
teeming with gold mines, have closed shop on the orders of the military,
following discovery of uranium deposits, said his friend from the north.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

April 22, Agence France Presse
Myanmar lifts ban on chicken sales

A ban on selling chicken in bird flu-hit areas of Yangon has been lifted
after three weeks passed with no new reported cases of the virus, state
media said Sunday.

Officials imposed restrictions on the transport and sale of poultry, eggs
and animal feed after the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza was
detected at seven poultry farms in military-run Myanmar's biggest city,
the New Light of Myanmar reported.

The discovery prompted the slaughter of 65,812 birds, hitting farmers and
vendors hard, but all the restrictions have now been lifted, the newspaper
said.

The paper said the country hoped to officially declare itself bird-flu
free within three months, and urged people to report any suspicious bird
deaths.

The international community, usually quick to criticise secretive Myanmar,
has praised the junta-run country for its quick response to bird flu,
which has killed 172 people worldwide.

Myanmar has not reported any human cases of bird flu.

____________________________________
ASEAN

April 23, Irrawaddy
Malaysia hopes junta will restore democracy - Aung Lwin Oo

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Monday that member
countries of Asean continued to hope for reform in Burma but recognized
that it would take time.

The official Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted Syed Hamid as saying
Burma’s Asean fellow members “have expressed commitment to democracy.”

“The thing is that they are apprehensive about how democracy can flourish
if not enough preparation is done, especially to ensure political
stability and national security,” he said.

Bernama said Syed Hamid, citing events in Iraq, stressed that democratic
reforms in any country would be futile if they resulted from a chaotic
process. He, however, acknowledged that the key to democratic reform in
Burma lay with the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The comments by the minister, who visited Burma on an Asean fact-finding
mission in March, 2006, came as Asean drafts its new charter, which is
expected to include detailed references to democracy and human rights, and
may drop the clause relating to non-interference in other member
countries’ affairs.

Syed Hamid, however, said that the proposed charter would not focus
particularly on the Burma issue. He rejected any talk of expelling Burma
from the 10-member bloc.

“To compel Myanmar [Burma] is difficult as it is a free and sovereign
country,” he said. “We have to use this approach (coaxing them) although
it may take some time to influence the leaders there.”

Asean’s relations with its trade partners have often turned sour in light
of its failure to effectively deal with issues such as human rights
violations in military-ruled Burma, which have been condemned by the US
and European countries.

EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday are expected to renew
sanctions against Burma, which include restrictions on travel by Burmese
officials and prevent investment there.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

April 23, Irrawaddy
Burma to establish official ties to North Korea - Aung Zaw

News agencies have reported that a senior North Korean official is
scheduled to arrive in Burma’s capital this week to normalize ties between
the two countries.

An Asian diplomat who declined to be named said that on April 25 the North
Korean deputy foreign minister is scheduled to arrive in Naypyidaw to
discuss the issue of renewed diplomatic ties.

In fact, in April last year, a Burmese foreign ministry official said the
junta would reestablish diplomatic ties with North Korea in the near
future. The official was quoted as saying: “Myanmar [Burma] has made the
final decision to restore diplomatic relations with the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea.”

The tie between the two countries was severed in 1983 after North Korean
terrorists assassinated several South Korean ministers and officials who
were visiting Rangoon in an official delegation. Then South Korean
President Chun Doo-hwan was uninjured.

Over the past 10 years, however, Burma and North Korea quietly renewed
ties, as Burmese generals desperately sought to modernize their armed
forces. Since 2000, there have been secret, high-ranking visits between
the two countries.

In June 2001, a North Korean delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Park
Kil-yon visited Rangoon and met with then Deputy Defense Minister Khin
Maung Win to discuss cooperation in the defense industry.

The regime has since bought arms and ammunition from North Korea. In 2003,
North Korean technicians and aircraft were spotted in central Burma, and
analysts believe some North Korean technicians were involved in the
construction of the new capital, Naypyidaw.

In July last year, a dissident source told The Irrawaddy that a North
Korean ship carrying a senior Korean nuclear technology expert, Maj Hon
Kil Dong, arrived in Rangoon with a biological and nuclear package.
Western analysts and intelligence sources quickly dismissed the claim, but
conceded it was possible that Burma would seek missile technology from
Pyongyang.

Australian defense analyst Andrew Selth says the junta is apparently
pursuing only conventional arms and technology rather than high-tech,
long-rang missiles.
There is no solid evidence, so far, that Burma is seeking nuclear
technology from North Korea.

There is clear evidence that Burma has received between 12 and 16 M-46
artillery guns and as many as 20 million rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition from
North Korea. According to Selth, the weapons significantly increase
Burma’s long-range artillery capabilities.

Dissident groups in exile, who claim to have information about a military
shopping list, accuse the regime of seeking to buy nuclear weapons from
North Korea. They will no doubt carefully monitor the resumption of
diplomatic ties between the two regimes, if it happens this week.

The ties between the two “outposts of tyranny,” as they were labeled by
the Bush administration, also received attention in Washington.

The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs, Eric John, said in February 2006 that Washington’s concerns have
been heightened by what appears to be the imminent re-establishment of
diplomatic relations between Burma and North Korea.

John said the authoritarian regimes have isolated themselves to the point
where they have been driven into each other’s arms. He said there are
grave concerns about the potential transfer of technology to Burma from
North Korea, which claims to possess nuclear weapons.

____________________________________

April 23, Irrawaddy
Status of North Korean terror prisoner may change - Htet Aung

The status of Rangoon’s longest-held foreign prisoner could change if the
generals in Napyidaw resume diplomatic ties with North Korea, as is widely
anticipated.

But exactly how it may change is anyone's guess.

Kang Min-Chul, one of the three North Korea’s agents who attempted to
assassinate South Korean President Chun Doo-Hwan during an official visit
to Rangoon in October 1983, was arrested following the unsuccessful
assassination in which 21 people, including four, top-ranking South Korean
cabinet ministers, ware killed. Since then, he has been detained in
Burma’s notorious Insein prison for nearly 24 years.

When the government of the Burmese Socialist Programme Party tried the
case, Kang confessed and avoided a death sentence by recounting the story
of the mission to assassinate the South Korean President. One of his
comrades was shot dead by Burmese security forces while trying to escape
and the other received a death sentence and was reportedly killed the same
year.

The North Korea government denied that they were citizens of the country.
Thus, Kang is likely to be a stateless prisoner if he is released by the
regime.

In February 2006, Chyng Hyung-Keun, a member of South Korea’s opposition
Grand National Party and a former intelligence agency worker, introduced a
petition calling for the Korean National Assembly to urge the government
to bring Kang to South Korea, according to the South Korean News Agency
Yonhap.

Observers are now speculating how Kang's status may be changed if Burma
resumes ties with North Korea.

“Now Kang Min-Chul can speak the Burmese language fluently, and he's not
willing to return to either North Korea, which considers him a betrayer,
or South Korea, which could bring him to trail for the attempted
assassination of their president,” said a former political prisoner who
served time in the same prison.

____________________________________

April 23, Associated Press
EU rolls over diplomatic, economic sanctions against Myanmar for another year

The European Union on Monday extended by another year diplomatic and
economic sanctions against Myanmar, saying the country is making no
"tangible progress" in improving its shaky human rights record.

The military in Myanmar, also known as Burma, took power in 1988 after
violently suppressing mass pro-democracy protests. It held a general
election in 1990, but refused to recognize the results after a landslide
victory by the party led by Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

The EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, restated their plea for
national reconciliation and extended Europe's sanctions against Myanmar
first imposed in 1996 for another year as required by EU rules. These
include a ban on travel to Europe for top government officials, an assets
freeze and a ban of arms sales to the Asian country.

They said in a statement the EU "continues to be concerned by serious
violations of human rights" and restrictions on the work of domestic and
international human rights organizations in Myanmar.