BurmaNet News, August 2, 2007

[Editor]

August 2, 2007 Issue # 3259

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima News: Motor cycle borne watchers ease off
Xinhua: Myanmar national convention adopts principles for three chapters
DVB: Rangoon journalists complain of increased press restrictions
Irrawaddy: Burma looks to British system to improve school standards

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Ethnic Karen woman admitted as Ashoka fellow
Bangkok Post: Burma blamed for verification process failure

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Dhaka has high hopes for doing business with Burma
Xinhua: Myanmar to implement cyber village project

ASEAN
AP: Myanmar says it does not want a combative regional human rights body

REGIONAL
Bangkok Post: Thaksin to be charged over Burma loan

INTERNATIONAL
Japan Economic: EU calls for transparency in Myanmar's National Convention
Irrawaddy: Bush renews Burma sanctions one more year

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima News: Burmese generals' paranoia against the United States - Ethan
Bourne

STATEMENT
HRDP: Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Network

OBITUARY
DPA: Aung San Suu Kyi's 101-year-old aunt dies
Irrawaddy: Leading Burmese academic dies

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 2, Mizzima News
Motor cycle borne watchers ease off

Harassment of 88 generation student leaders by motor cycle borne groups,
purported to be pro military junta supporters, has gone down considerably
following the public stance taken by the leaders on July 31.

The student leaders were being pestered on a daily basis by people astride
two wheelers parked outside their homes. The leaders were also being
followed and watched wherever they went since May.

"Their [the unknown people] activities had increased and crossed all
limits," said Pyone Cho, an 88 generation student leader.

However, on July 31, the students made a public announcement to tackle the
harassment and said they would get hold of the people who were pestering
them. They would accost the groups on the spot and call a public gathering
to expose them.

"We do not want any trouble. We want to express what we believe
peacefully. But if they [the unknown people] continue to disturb us, we
will seriously call a gathering of the people and expose them publicly,"
Pyone Cho told Mizzima over telephone.

Unlike its usual practice of coming down heavily on students and
activists, the junta in recent times, seems to be using different tactics
in cracking down on dissidents. It is using civilians to monitor their
activities and to harass them.

____________________________________

August 2, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar national convention adopts principles for three chapters

The final-phase of the Myanmar constitutional national convention has
adopted detailed basic principles for three chapters out of seven
remaining ones to be included in drafting a new state constitution, an
official newspaper reported Thursday.

The detailed basic principles for the three chapters -- " Election" and
"Political Parties" and "Provisions on State of Emergency" were adopted on
Wednesday's plenary session, according to the New Light of Myanmar.

The convention resumed on July 18 for its final session which represents
the near-end of the first step of the government- announced seven-step
roadmap to democracy.

Attending the session of the convention are over 1,000 delegates coming
from eight categories of delegate groups.

According to the National Convention Covening Commission, after the end of
the whole process of the national convention, a commission will be formed
to draw up a new state constitution based on all the detailed basic
principles.

____________________________________

Aug 2, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rangoon journalists complain of increased press restrictions

The editors and publishers of a number of Burmese publications yesterday
slammed the Danish organisation Surrend’s decision to place a fake ad in
the Myanmar Times, saying that the move had caused in a censorship
crackdown.

One editor told DVB that the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division’s
new rules on foreign ads had had a serious impact on his publication’s
ability to generate revenue. He said the new rules could force some
magazines and newspapers to close, which would have a serious impact on
the media environment in Burma.

“We already had to do a lot of work to get each advertisement printed in
our publications. Now there will be more steps to go through and average
advertisers would rather not bother advertise . . ." the editor said on
condition of anonymity.

The Danish satirical art group Surrend placed a fake ad in the English
version of the Myanmar Times late last month, containing the phrase
‘Killer Than Shwe” spelt backwards. The Burmese military responded to the
stunt by cracking down on the censorship restrictions on the media and
issuing new rules on the contents of ads.

“We used to omit the ads when we submitted them to the censorship board
but now we can’t do this anymore and this will have a huge effect on our
advertising rates,” the editor said.

____________________________________

August 2, Irrawaddy
Burma looks to British system to improve school standards - Aye Lae

Burma is remodeling school curriculums and syllabuses along the lines of
standards that o­nce applied under the British colonial education system.

The changes, which will be introduced in the academic year 2008-09, will
incorporate the standards governing Britain’s General Certificate of
Education and General Certificate of Secondary Education, according to a
report in the official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar. The aim of the
reform was to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills, said
the report, quoting the Ministry of Education’s Department of Education
Planning and Training.

The New Light of Myanmar said Education Minister Dr Chan Nyein presented
the proposed reforms at a meeting of the Myanmar [Burma] Education
Committee in Naypyidaw in early July.

News of the changes was received coolly outside Burma. Dr Thein Lwin, an
exiled Burmese education expert, told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that he
feared the reformed system would still be centralized under the military
regime’s control.

Thein Lwin thought it would be better for a curriculum to be “drawn up by
the ethnic minorities in accordance with their geographical environment.”
He also called for an increase in the education budget—the regime
currently spends an estimated 0.4 percent of the state budget on
education, compared to 40 percent on defense.

Teachers should be paid more and also given benefits such as housing
assistance, Thein Lwin said.

Aung Myo Min, director of the Thailand-based Human Rights Education
Institute of Burma, commented: “Whether the country can benefit from the
new curriculum in the absence of academic freedom is questionable. If the
curriculum is based on the desire of the government only, it will have a
bad impact on the country.”

Myint Zaw, an education researcher at Bangkok’s Mahidol University, said
he believed nothing would change with the introduction of new curriculums
and syllabuses.

Government policy would still dictate what was taught in the schools—“for
instance, if friendly relations exist with Thailand, Thailand will be
covered in the syllabus. If unfriendly relations exist then Thailand won’t
be mentioned.”

Myint Zaw also charged that the only guidelines governing examinations
would be set by the government.

Following independence in 1948, Burma replaced the old British system with
a “national” one. That, in turn, was replaced with a “socialist” education
system after the 1962 military coup.

Standards dropped still further with the takeover in 1988 of the current
military regime, which has neglected every branch of Burma’s education
establishment. Typical of the changes adopted by the regime was the
substitution of Myanmar Selected Tales for Emily Bronte’s Wuthering
Heights in the 1994-95 English syllabus.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 2, Irrawaddy
Ethnic Karen woman admitted as Ashoka fellow - Saw Yan Nain

An ethnic Karen woman teacher from Burma, Paw Ray, has been elected an
Ashoka Fellow of the international organization “Everyone a Changemaker.”

The Ashoka representative in Thailand, Sinee Chakthranont, told The
Irrawaddy on Thursday Paw Ray was recognized by “Everyone a Changemaker”
as a “social entrepreneur.”

Paw Ray, founder of Hsar Thu Lay Orphanage’s IDP Learning Centre in the
Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot, told The Irrawaddy she and two
colleagues were officially welcomed on 26 July by the Thailand-based
Ashoka at the Thammasat University in Bangkok.

Ashoka, founded in 1980, is a global association of the world’s leading
social entrepreneurs, dedicated to the aim of leading a profound
transformation in society. It supports people who propose innovative
solutions to social problems and who have the potential to solve the
world’s most urgent ones.

“They [Ashoka] elected me as a changemaker,” said Paw Ray. She said she
was recognized for her work in education and in the Thai community.

Paw Ray established a primary school in Mae Sot in 1999. The school grew
from 25 students and o­ne teacher to a staff of 34 teachers and 554
students in 2007.

“It is not easy to be an Ashoka Fellow,” she said. “I feel that I get more
strength to continue my work in the future for my people. It is the
opportunity to get our rights legally.”

Ashoka has its headquarters in Washington DC and has elected more than
1,800 Ashoka Fellows since 1981, providing them with stipends,
professional support and access to a global network in more than 60
countries.

Paw Ray said she opened her school with the primary aim of supporting the
education of migrants from Burma, including workers, refugees, needy
people and street children.

“When I was a student, it was very difficult for me to study because of
the fighting,” she told The Irrawaddy. “Often we had to run and hide in
the jungle. I didn’t get to study as I wanted to.

“When I arrived at Thailand, I saw that many children have no chance to
study. So I worked to open the school for them. I don’t want them to be as
I was and I want them to learn well like other children growing up in
developed and developing countries.”

Paw Ray is also chairwoman of the Burmese Migrant Workers’ Education
Committee, which operates nearly 50 schools for children of Burmese
migrant workers along the border.

____________________________________

August 2, Bangkok Post
Burma blamed for verification process failure - Achara Ashayagachat

Labour activists blame Burma for a failure in the Thai-Burmese joint
effort to legalise illegal migrant workers from that country through
citizenship verification.

Than Doke, of the Tak-based Burma Labour Solidarity, said the joint effort
between the two governments to verify the nationality of the workers who
have illegally entered Thailand failed because the Burmese government does
not care about the plight of its people. The Memorandum of Understanding
on Employment Cooperation signed between the two neighbours in 2003 came
to a complete halt in September last year.

''The real problem is that Burma is not interested in solving the problem
of migrant workers,'' he alleged.

Vasant Sathorn, director of the Labour Ministry's Bureau of Illegal
Migrant Workers Management, said Burma insisted the migrants must return
to the country for the verification process, brushing aside Thailand's
request that it fields its officials on Thai soil to carry out the
verification, similar to what Cambodia and Laos are doing.

He said the registration of illegal migrants from Cambodia and Laos is
expected to be completed by June next year thanks to good cooperation from
the two countries.

Moe Swe, secretary-general of the Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association, said
while Thailand and Burma have yet to agree on permanent measures to deal
with the problem, Thai authorities should consider allowing individual
migrant workers to register themselves, instead of having their employers
do it for them.

''Employers or the factory owners usually violate basic labour rights of
these workers as they can hold necessary documents like work permits as
hostage for the stay of the workers,'' he said.

Labour activists plan to submit their proposals from their recent workshop
on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers in Asean
countries to the Foreign Ministry today.

The proposals are to be forwarded to other Asean nations which have
adopted a framework on migrant workers at the Asean summit in Cebu, the
Philippines, early this year.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 2, Irrawaddy
Dhaka has high hopes for doing business with Burma - William Boot

An agreement this week to build a connecting road between Burma and
Bangladesh could mark the start of a new economic era between the two
countries—or maybe not, say some regional analysts.

The 13-mile road (25 km) between Maricha in Bangladesh and Bawlibazar in
Burma is certainly needed if trade relations are to grow as envisaged.

The military-installed Dhaka government is keen to bring Bangladesh out of
the isolationist mode of the former government.

“This is going to be a milestone in our bilateral relations,” said Dhaka’s
communications adviser, Maj-Gen M A Matin, after the cross-border road
agreement was signed on July 27.

Dhaka has put forward a raft of ideas to Burma, ranging from the
cross-border road to hydroelectric projects and the renting of cropland in
Arakan State.

“The trouble is, as always with Burma’s bilateral relations, it’s the
other side that has to pay the bill,” said a trade official at a Western
embassy in Bangkok, speaking on condition of anonymity.  “And in this
case, Bangladesh is about as poor as the junta generals claim they are, so
a question mark must hang over the big gap between the paper agreement and
actual construction of the road, never mind a hydrodam scheme.

“India has signed plenty of bilateral development arrangements with Burma
as part of its so-called 'Look East' hopes, but in reality very little has
happened.”

Although the road is estimated to cost US $20 million, the Bangladeshis
have already approached China for support. The Dhaka administration seems
to hope it can lure the Chinese into developing road links which will give
them access to the major port at Chittagong.

With links westward to India stalled by political disagreements, Dhaka has
decided it needs Burma not just for friendly neighbor relations but as a
source of basic essentials such as electricity and food.

The Burmese regime appears to have agreed in principle to Dhaka’s proposal
to build o­ne or more river-linked hydroelectric systems in Arakan State,
primarily to pump power into Bangladesh.

As with similar deals with neighbors Thailand and China, the Naypyidaw
generals seem happy to allow most, if not all, the electricity generated
to be transmitted out of their own grossly under-powered country.

Bangladeshi engineers have already picked out a preferred site for o­ne
hydroelectric project o­n the Lemro River in Arakan.  They have estimated
there is potential for up to 600-megawatt generating capacity—one third of
Burma’s total output.
But who will pay?

“A 600-megawatt project could cost several hundred million dollars and
requires specialist technical skills,” said Collin Reynolds, an energy
commodities consultant in Bangkok.
“My guess is they would need a partner and the guess is it would be China,
or they might tap some development aid money from the Asian Development
Bank or from Japan.

“It’s unlikely they would get money out of the World Bank though, because
dams attract a lot of negative publicity for the bank from
environmentalists.”

Trade between Burma and Bangladesh is a paltry $60 million a year,
according to official figures. Dhaka hopes to at least double the trade
number within the next financial year.

At the political end of the equation, Bangladesh is seeking easier access
to Burma for its business community, currently burdened with bureaucratic
paperwork. The fate of an estimated 25,000 Rohingya Burma nationals living
in refugee camps inside Bangladesh is also bound to figure in this
equation, say observers.

But while an opening up of trade with Bangladesh ought in theory to
benefit Arakan, the farmers of that impoverished state may be less keen
o­n Dhaka’s idea of renting large swathes of Arakanese land to Bangladeshi
farmers to produce crops to send back home.

The interim government in Dhaka wants to reverse the refusal of the
previous administration to sign up for the ADB-sponsored Trans-Asia
Highway, envisioned as an essential part of the region’s development. The
short cross-border road deal with Burma is seen as a first step.

____________________________________

August 2, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar to implement cyber village project

Myanmar will implement a cyber village project aiming to enable every
village in the country to have access to internet link like urban cities,
according to computer entrepreneur circle Thursday.

A pioneer pilot project for the move will start late of this year by the
open season with installation of IP Star phone lines by the state-run
Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT), the Computer Entrepreneurs'
Association (CEA) said.

Investment is being invited from the private sector for the establishment
of public access centers in villages and power source is being sought
either from battery or solar energy to operate the internet in some remote
villages in short of electricity as an alternative, the Association added.

According to the MPT, the number of internet users in Myanmar has reached
nearly 300,000, up from merely 12 in four years ago.

The authorities have projected to introduce 400 public internet service
centers in 324 townships in the country within three years to facilitate
communication links.

To attract foreign investment in the aspects, Myanmar has offered to grant
both foreign and local entrepreneurs to be engaged in ICT business in the
cyber city project and separate plots will be allotted for foreign and
local companies with equal rights to be offered to develop the silicon
mountain town, according to the CEA.

Myanmar has been launching an ICT development master plan under the
Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and detailed programs to link
international networks are also being carried out in accordance with the
master plan drafted by the Myanmar Computer Federation.

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 2, Associated Press
Myanmar says it does not want a combative regional human rights body - Jim
Gomez

Myanmar backs a proposal enshrining human rights in a charter being
prepared by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations but opposes any
combative rights body that would embarrass governments, a diplomat said
Thursday.

Myanmar tried to block an attempt by lower-level diplomats of the
10-member ASEAN to mandate the creation of a human rights body in its
landmark charter, Southeast Asian diplomats said.

However, ASEAN foreign ministers, including Myanmar's, later agreed to
create a body that could look into violations in the region, saying it
would bolster the group's image.

"We want to promote human rights, but it should be a consultative body
first," said Thaung Tun, a member of Myanmar's delegation at an
ASEAN-sponsored security meeting in Manila.

It should not be a body that would "shame and blame," he told reporters.

Myanmar will suggest its ideas for the organization when diplomats start
negotiating the terms of its creation, including a timeframe, he said.

ASEAN, formed 40 years ago, decided to draft a charter to become a more
rules-based organization. It hopes the charter can be formally signed at
an annual ASEAN leaders' summit in November.

More liberal members such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand have backed the creation of a human rights
commission.

"The ASEAN charter presents us with a golden opportunity to make a bold
and visionary political statement to the world," Singapore Foreign
Minister George Yeo said. "For others to take ASEAN seriously, we in the
region must take ASEAN seriously."

However, other members, including military-ruled Myanmar, fear such a
commission could allow scrutiny of rights conditions in particular
countries, possibly violating the group's cardinal policy of
noninterference in each other's affairs.

The debate on the proposed charter reflects how ASEAN's diverse
membership, including fledgling democracies, communist countries and a
military dictatorship, has hobbled decision-making and rapid progress on
key issues.

The foreign ministers expressed continuing concern over the detention of
political prisoners in Myanmar, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi, according to European Union foreign policy chief Javier
Solana.

"We continue to be very concerned," he said.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It admitted Myanmar in 1997
despite strong opposition from Western nations.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 2, Bangkok Post
Thaksin to be charged over Burma loan - Surasak Glahan

The Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) yesterday agreed to press criminal
charges against Thaksin Shinawatra for abuse of his position in ordering
an increase in the amount of the Export-Import Bank's soft loan to Burma.

Mr Thaksin's interference in the issue was aimed at benefiting his
family's satellite and broadband business, ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang
said.

''Mr Thaksin is charged with wrongdoing in implementing this policy to
seek benefit for his family business. This was his abuse of power,'' he
said.

There was strong evidence Mr Thaksin forced then foreign minister
Surakiart Sathirathai and top Foreign Ministry officials to boost the
amount of the soft loan to the Burmese government from three to four
billion baht, said ASC member Viroj Laohaphan, chairman of the case
fact-finding team.

The additional money was approved for the Burmese government to develop
telecommunications facilities, including buying goods and services from
the satellite broadband and fibre-optic firm Shin Satellite Co, which was
owned by Mr Thaksin's family, said Mr Viroj.

The Thai government earlier agreed on a three-billion-baht loan to Burma
only for development of basic infrastructure, including road links with
Thailand.

Mr Surakiart and senior officials at the East Asian Affairs Department
opposed the increase in loan size, said Mr Viroj, citing both written and
verbal evidence that his team gathered from questioning the ex-minister
and officials.

Mr Surakiart opposed the request for the increase because it violated the
Bagan Declaration, a regional economic strategy signed by the Thai,
Burmese, Lao and Cambodian governments, which excludes development of the
telecom sector, said Mr Viroj. The declaration only allows lending for
other purposes such as trade, investment, agriculture, industry and
regional transport links.

Foreign Ministry officials objected to boosting the loan amount on the
grounds that it would make Thailand a target of international criticism
for helping the Burmese junta, said Mr Viroj.

They told Mr Thaksin that Thailand's approval would damage the country
because it would obstruct US-led attempts to press Burma to restore
democracy via economic sanctions.

However, Mr Thaksin intruded upon the process by ordering the ministry to
approve the request, he added.

In a letter dated March 2, 2004, submitted to the Burmese government
informing it of approval of the loan increase, Mr Surakiart told the
Burmese government that Mr Thaksin had ordered the ministry to inform
Burma specifically that Mr Thaksin was the one who had given the go-ahead.

Mr Sak said the former premier would be charged with criminal offences
under Articles 152 and 157 of the Criminal Code, each stipulating
imprisonment of one to ten years and a fine of up to 20,000 baht.

The ASC next week will appoint an inquiry team to handle the next stage,
which includes Mr Thaksin's defence, before deciding whether to file the
case with the public prosecutor, Mr Sak said.

The ASC yesterday also filed charges with the police against four
individuals who refused to provide information on Shin Corp shares to the
panel.

They were Mr Thaksin's wife Khunying Potjaman, their son Panthongtae, his
wife's secretary Karnchanapa Honghern and Bussaba Damapong; the wife of
Khunying Potjaman's stepbrother Bannapot Damapong.

The panel also agreed to allow an inquiry team, led by Banjerd Singkhaneti
and Kaewson Athipho, to broaden its inquiry against Mr Thaksin, Mr Sak
said.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 2, Japan Economic Newswire
EU calls for transparency in Myanmar's National Convention

The European Union on Thursday called for military-ruled Myanmar to make
the process of holding the National Convention more transparent.

"I will never call it a positive thing but something that moves," Javier
Solana, the European Union's high representative for the common foreign
and security policy, told reporters.

"What we want is the process to be transparent but as of the moment, it
has not been done or guaranteed that it's going to be like that," Solana
said.

He raised the issue of continued detention of political dissidents and the
slow implementation of its so-called road map to democracy in a retreat
session of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila on Thursday, his spokeswoman
said.

The National Convention is now being held to draft the guidelines for a
new constitution, part of the road map process.

The junta, however, has not divulged publicly who will draft the
constitution and critics have said delegates in the convention have been
mostly hand-picked by the junta. The junta has threatened legal action
against those who try to block the process.

The junta comprising senior military officers who grabbed power in 1988
has ruled Myanmar by decrees, not a constitution.

The military government held a free election in 1990 in which the National
League for Democracy led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a
landslide victory but the NLD has never been allowed to govern by the
military.

The military government first convened the National Convention in 1993,
but the convention was suspended in 1996 after NLD delegates boycotted the
process, claiming it was undemocratic. The convention was reconvened in
2004.

Solana also said, "We continue to be very concerned about the situation in
Myanmar, particularly with the release of the prisoners, all the
prisoners."

"Myanmar did not respond to what we said," he added.

According to human rights groups, more than 1,100 prisoners are still in
prison. Suu Kyi is also under house arrest. The Nobel Peace laureate has
spent more than 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest.

Solana said that Monday's consensus among the ASEAN foreign ministers to
include a human rights mechanism as an integral part of an ASEAN charter
which ASEAN is trying to finish before a leaders' summit in November will
put pressure on Myanmar to improve its human rights record. But he said
the European Union will not change its policy on Myanmar even if the ASEAN
charter includes a human rights body.

The European Union, along with the United States and Japan, has sanctions
in place against Myanmar because of its continued crackdown to political
dissenters and human rights violations.

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

The ARF comprises ASEAN plus Australia, Canada, the European Union, New
Zealand, the United States, Russia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor,
Pakistan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Japan, China,
India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka became the forum's newest member after
joining from this year's meeting.

____________________________________

August 2, Irrawaddy
Bush renews Burma sanctions one more year - Lalit K Jha

US President George W Bush has formally renewed economic sanctions against
military-ruled Burma for o­ne more year.

A brief statement on Wednesday said Bush signed into law House Resolution
(No. 44), renewing import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom
and Democracy Act of 2003.

The resolution extending the sanctions was passed by the House of
Representatives o­n July 24 by a voice vote. A day later, the Senate
passed the resolution by a 93 to 1 vote.

The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 imposes a number of
restrictions on Burma, including an import ban o­n Burmese goods entering
the US and visa restrictions o­n officials from the junta—the State Peace
and Development Council (SPDC).

Welcoming the move, the Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch
McConnell, said in a statement: “By signing the bill, he [President Bush]
sends a strong message that the United States will continue to stand
shoulder to shoulder with the people of Burma in their struggle for
freedom and democracy.”

McConnell said the legislation will maintain sanctions on the regime until
concrete steps are taken toward democratization, such as full political
participation of the National League for Democracy and ethnic minorities,
the ending of attacks on ethnic minorities and the unconditional release
of all political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 2, Mizzima News
Burmese generals' paranoia against the United States - Ethan Bourne

The Burmese generals live in paranoia of an American invasion all the
time, despite no reason for such a belief.

Whenever the joint military exercises called Cobra Gold are conducted in
Thailand between the Royal Thai and United States Armed Forces in May, the
Burmese generals are alarmed. Whenever U.S. troops are spotted along the
Thai-Burmese border, the generals at the Military Affairs Security Agency
in Naypyidaw (Nay Pyi Taw) are busy day and night, analyzing troop
movement and intent.

After the 9/11 terrorist strikes by Al-Qaeda, citing security reasons, the
United States State Department decided to move its embassy from 581
Merchant Street, which is located in the heart of Rangoon, to University
Avenue. According to the map of the new embassy compound, the embassy is
far bigger than the one at 581 Merchant Street. The generals ruling Burma
were warned by General Khin Nyunt and his spy agency about the U.S.
Government's intelligence operations in Southeast Asia.

When the United States started to build the new American Embassy with more
space and facilities on University Avenue, the Burmese generals were
reminded of what General Khin Nyunt told them about America's intelligence
operations in Asia.

However, China is making the Burmese generals feel safe.

On the other hand Chinese support for the military regime is necessary for
China because Burma is seen as a strategic bridge towards Southeast Asia.
Additionally, Burma has been benefiting China economically as businesses
pour into Burma from Yunnan Province. Chinese products enter Burma via
Yunnan Province. Burma has recently granted China major oil and gas
concessions.

Western intelligence sources say that Chinese lawmakers have been
pressuring the generals to finish the National Convention as soon as
possible. The reason is to make sure the regime in Burma is legitimized by
the so-called National Charter. The Burmese generals believe the so-called
National Convention will ensure their power base. The fact is, the Burmese
generals are paranoid and live in fear every day. And China is the only
shield that can protect them from America and the West.

The irony is that the Burmese army is not in love with China in terms of
arms and ammunitions and products manufactured in China. According to a
reliable source who has been researching the Burmese military brass for
more than 10 years, the generals have no taste for Chinese goods.

The generals are forced to buy Chinese arms and ammunitions at cheap
prices. One of the colonels working for General Khin Nyunt, former Chief
of Military Intelligence said, "Actually we have no way of getting
American arms and ammunitions because of sanctions and so we import
Chinese arms from China." Restrooms in the former headquarters of the
Office of the Chief of Military Intelligence at Junction 8 are equipped
with "American Standard" sanitary products.

The generals are continually paranoid about everything, including an
American invasion. Thus, equipped with the knowledge of United States
intelligence operations from Bangkok targeting Burma, the generals took
the building of a bigger and more efficient embassy in their backyard as a
sign of aggression. And they took off to Naypyidaw, fearing Washington's
spy game.

Many analysts have wrongly said that one of the major reasons why the
generals moved the capital city to Naypyidaw is that they fear an uprising
will occur in Rangoon. It is not true that the generals moved for that
reason. The Burmese army is well prepared to counter or put down an
uprising. The army has rendered the responsibility to the Burmese police
forces. Both the Burmese police and the Military Affairs Security Forces
(MASF) have been watching suspected political dissidents involved in the
1988 uprising and who may have a hand in mobilizing another one.

The Chinese agreed with the Burmese generals who decided to relocate the
capital city. As far as intelligence upgrades are concerned, the Burmese
army relies on China and Russia, according to a colonel now working for
MASA, the new military intelligence branch headed by Major General Ye
Myint, former Commander of Mandalay Division. MASA was formerly headed by
the then Major General Myint Swe who is now a Lieutenant General.

Today the Institute of Military Affairs Security at Yaykyiai, the
birthplace of military intelligence, is training hundreds of military
intelligence officers to run both the Military Affairs Security Department
and the Military Affairs Security Forces.

The Burmese generals' paranoia continues.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

August 2, Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Network (HRDP)

Yangon, Myanmar: We, the human rights defenders and promoters, aim to
raise awareness about basic human rights and freedom, which are stated in
the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We do not work for the interest or disadvantages of any government or
political party.
To fulfill our aim, we have been implementing on two working programmes –
Distribution of  UDHR within Burmese society and providing assistance to
disclose human rights violations.

On July 9, 2007, we went to Pyay Township, Pegu Division to meet with
locals to discuss on Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As a
consequence, Ko Min Min (aka) Ko La Min Htun  was arrested on July 10,
2007 for hosting being host for that meeting. On July 30, 2007, Pyay
Township Court sentenced him for violating two Acts of Tuition three years
imprisonment and 30,000 kyat fine, which was the highest punishment he
would receive for this verdict.

Similarly, on July 24, 2007, Ko Myint Hlaing (aka) Ko Myint Naing, a
member of HRDP, and five villagers were given highest sentences in
accordance with Article 505 (b) and 505 (c) by Heinzada Township Court. Ko
Myint Hlaing was one of the two HRDP members who were  violently beaten
near Oak Pone village on April 18, 2007 by a group of people allegedly
organized by local authorities, on their way back from meetings with
locals in Heinzada Township. The villages were those who helped arranged
for human rights education workshops.

Moreover, Daw May Thi Han, a Primary School Teacher was kicked out from
her job on August 13, 2006. She is a granddaughter of Daw Thein Thein who
hosted the human rights defenders in Kun Hein Township, Southern Shan
State.

These aforementioned actions taken by authorities indicate that there has
been a systematic plan to protect against the increase awareness and
understanding on human rights among the public and to threaten locals not
to welcome human rights activists. Therefore, we strongly denounce such
attitude and actions by the authorities.

We declare that we will continue to work for the protection and promotion
of human rights
according to our aim even though there are hardships and obstacles on our
way.

____________________________________
OBITUARY

August 2, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Aung San Suu Kyi's 101-year-old aunt dies

Myanmar People Aung San Suu Kyi's 101-year-old aunt dies Yangon Khin Saw,
the 101-year-old aunt of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has died,
family sources said.

Khin Saw, the wife of Suu Kyi's uncle Ba Win, died Wednesday at her family
home in Yangon. No obituaries were allowed in Myanmar's state controlled
media.

Khin Saw's late husband Ba Win was the elder brother of Aung San,
Myanmar's independence hero and father of Suu Kyi who in 1988 became the
leader of the pro-democracy movement against the country's long ruling
military regime.

Both Aung San and Ba Win were assassinated by political rivals on July 19,
1947, now commemorated in Myanmar as "Martyr's Day."

The assassination occurred months before Myanmar was granted its
independence by Great Britain on January 4, 1948, and deprived Myanmar of
its foremost pre-independence leaders including Aung San and Ba Win.

Khin Saw is survived by six children, two of whom are key figures in the
opposition.

Her first son Sein Win is the prime minister of National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma, a rebel government in exile.

Second son Aye Win was one a personal assistant of Suu Kyi and chief of
administration of her National League for Democracy, that won the 1990
general election but has been denied power by the military regime ever
since.

Aye Win has been imprisoned on several occasions. Khin Saw's remains were
to be cremated at 4:00 pm Friday, relatives said. Suu Kyi, who has been
under house arrest since May, 2003, is not likely to be granted permission
to attend her aunt's funeral.

____________________________________

August 2, Irrawaddy
Leading Burmese academic dies

Hla Pe, a lifelong literati scholar and former professor of Burmese at the
University of London, died at his home in Moulmein, the capital of Mon
State, on Tuesday, at the age of 93.

Hla Pe was born in 1913 in Kha Ywe village, near Moulmein, and studied
Burmese literature at Rangoon University and the University of London’s
School of Oriental and African Studies, where he earned his PhD in 1944.
He took up a teaching post at SOAS and retired as professor in 1980.

During his days in London, Hla Pe worked on a Burmese-English language
dictionary with other leading scholars—J A Stewart, C W Dunn, J S
Furnivall, G H Luce, Charles Duroiselle, Anna Allott, John Okell and the
Americans R. Halliday and A C Hanna. The project started in 1925 under the
aegis of the Burma Research Society, and was continued at Rangoon
University and later SOAS.

Five volumes of the dictionary have appeared, but the work remains
uncompleted.

In addition to his celebrated academic career, Hla Pe wrote books and
articles in English and Burmese.

He is survived by his widow, Than Mya.