BurmaNet News, August 23, 2007

[Editor]

August 23, 2007 Issue # 3273

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: NLD calls for dialogue over fuel price hikes
AP: Myanmar protesters march despite arrests
Reuters: Myanmar junta squashes more protests in Yangon
Mizzima News: Demonstrations continue in Rangoon and spread out to other
parts of Burma

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Thai EGAT team discuss dam project with KNU

BUSINESS / TRADE
Asia Times: Fuel price policy explodes in Burma
AFP: For Myanmar's poor, a daily struggle to find food

HEALTH / AIDS
Irrawaddy: Thailand increases malaria treatment units along Burma border

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: US, Canada, UN protest Burma crackdown
DPA: Human Rights Watch slams Myanmar junta

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Civil unrest looms unless a political solution is found
SCMP: Time for world to back Myanmar's people

PRESS RELEASE
USCB: As crackdown on mass protests continue, campaigners call for UN
Secretary-General's immediate intervention, Security Council action on
Burma
Burma Campaign UK: Regime builds up military in Rangoon as protests continue
CSW: Burma junta cracks down on protests

STATEMENT
AIPMC: Regional legislators calls for immediate release of peaceful
protestors
in Burma, condemns violence used by Junta
Václav Havel: Statement on the situation in Burma

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

Aug 23, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD calls for dialogue over fuel price hikes

The National League for Democracy released a statement today calling on
the Burmese military to hold talks with the opposition over its recent
decision to increase fuel prices by up to 500 percent.

The NLD said that it welcomed public protests against the price increases
and urged the government to take responsibility for the crisis.

“The people of Burma who are growing impatient have showed their true will
by staging peaceful protests. But the authorities have responded to this
by arresting, torturing, beating up and hurling profanities at the
protestors,” the NLD statement said.

“Using violence to crack down on the protests will not provide a solution
to the hardships people are facing today . . . These problems can only be
solved when political parties and the government can discuss this together
to find an answer.”

The NLD also demanded that the government release all detained activists
and stop physically preventing protests. Spokesperson U Nyan Win said that
if the government failed to address the situation responsibly, there was
no telling how far the protests would go.

“The situation is unpredictable. But one thing we can say is that the
government can’t solve these problems by using the methods they are now,”
U Nyan Win said.

____________________________________

August 23, Associated Press
Myanmar protesters march despite arrests - Aye Aye Win

Defiant pro-democracy activists took to the streets Thursday for the third
time this week, forming a human chain to try to prevent officers from
dragging them into waiting trucks and buses.

The demonstration came a day after 300 people marched to protest the
military junta's imposition of fuel price increases despite the earlier
arrest of at least 13 democracy activists.

The protests have been one of the most sustained anti-government
demonstrations in years. Myanmar's ruling junta, which has received
widespread international criticism for violating the rights of its
citizens, tolerates little public dissent, sometimes sentencing activists
to long jail terms for violating broadly defined security laws. It has
held opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, under
house arrest for 11 years.

Myanmar's ruling junta, which has received widespread international
criticism for violating the rights of its citizens, tolerates little
public dissent, sometimes sentencing activists to long jail terms for
violating broadly defined security laws. It has held opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate, under house arrest for 11 years.

On Thursday, about 40 people, mostly from Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy, walked quietly without placards for about two miles toward the
party headquarters in eastern Yangon before being stopped by a security
cordon.

Authorities ordered bystanders, and especially reporters, out of the area
as the protesters were overwhelmed after a 30-minute standoff. Some
reporters were roughed up by security personnel who shouted abusive
language.

Protesters sat on the pavement and formed a human chain in an attempt to
prevent officers from dragging them into the waiting trucks and buses. A
dozen protesters, however, were dragged and shoved into the vehicles,
where some were slapped around, said witnesses, who asked not to be
identified for fear of being called in by the police.

A former political prisoner, Ohn Than, also staged an apparently solo
protest outside the U.S. Embassy before being hauled away by plainclothes
officers. He was holding a sign calling for U.N. intervention to make the
government convene parliament, a witness said.

The NLD party called on the ruling junta to stop brutal suppression and
inhumane treatment of protesters and demanded an immediate release of
those arrested.

"Unable to bear the burden of spiraling consumer prices, the public
express their sentiments through peaceful means. However authorities have
arrested, tortured, beaten up and endangered the lives of those who are
peacefully expressing their wishes," the NLD said in a statement.

Wednesday's march was broken up prematurely when a gang of government
supporters assaulted some protesters with sticks and seized eight who were
accused of being agitators, witnesses and participants said. The eight
were later freed unharmed.

The demonstrations came after the arrests Tuesday of leaders of the group
88 Generation Students, the country's boldest, nonviolent dissident group.
It has been defying the generals by staging petition campaigns, prayer
vigils and other activities urging the release of Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners and calling for an end to military rule that began in
1962.

"Though our leaders had been arrested, we will continue with our movement.
We will not fear any arrest or threat," Mie Mie, a member of 88
Generation, said during the Wednesday march, which was monitored by
plainclothes police.

State-controlled media reported earlier that 13 leaders of 88 Generation
Students had been arrested and could face up to 20 years in prison.

The newspaper New Light of Myanmar said "agitators" in the group were
detained Tuesday night for trying to undermine the "stability and security
of the nation." On Sunday, they had led some 400 people in another march
through Yangon to protest the doubling of fuel prices Aug. 15.

Leaders of 88 Generation Students were at the forefront of a 1988
democracy uprising and were subjected to lengthy prison terms and torture
after the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the military.

The 1988 unrest was preceded by public protests over rising rice prices, a
sudden government declaration that made most currency invalid, and other
economic hardships.

Those arrested Tuesday included Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi, two of the
most prominent activists, New Light of Myanmar said. Min Ko Naing spent 16
years in prison despite international calls for his release and numerous
awards for his nonviolent activism for democracy.

"Their agitation to cause civil unrest was aimed at undermining peace and
security of the state and disrupting the ongoing National Convention," the
newspaper said, adding that such activity violated a 1996 law that
mandates prison terms of up to 20 years.

Organized by the junta, the National Convention is drafting guidelines for
a constitution as part of a so-called seven-step roadmap to democracy in
Myanmar, which is also known as Burma. Critics call the process a sham.

The arrests drew condemnation abroad. The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch
called for the release of all the detainees.

"The government's strategy of arbitrarily arresting its critics reinforces
the severe hardship the people of Burma are going through," a statement
from the group said. "Burma's military rulers run the country and the
economy without any regard for human rights."

___________________________________

August 23, Reuters
Myanmar junta squashes more protests in Yangon - Aung Hla Tun

A gang of supporters of Myanmar's military rulers broke up a small protest
in Yangon on Thursday as the arrest of 13 leading dissidents did little to
quash public anger at soaring fuel prices and falling living standards.

A tense stand-off ensued before the 30 marchers, who had been walking
towards the offices of the opposition National League for Democracy, were
manhandled into trucks belonging to the junta's feared Union Solidarity
and Development Association (USDA).

A Reuters reporter was told not to take photographs and chased from the
scene.

Later, ex-political prisoner Ohn Than staged a one-man demonstration
outside the U.S. embassy, shouting slogans in English and Burmese for 10
minutes before being carted off by police.

The 61-year-old called for the military junta that has ruled the former
Burma for the last 45 years to honor the results of a 1990 election it
lost by a landslide then annulled, witnesses said.

There was no word in the army-controlled media on the fate of the 13
dissidents arrested on Wednesday night, who included Min Ko Naing, the
country's second-most prominent activist after detained Nobel laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi.

Five women and a man picked up by the USDA after a small demonstration on
Wednesday in north Yangon were released.

For a second day, armed police and truckloads of USDA men armed with
spades and brooms took up positions in the centre of the former capital.

SMALL SOP

However, in an apparent sop to the widespread outrage at last week's shock
fuel price rises, bus fares for the shortest journeys were halved.

The junta's doubling of diesel prices and a five-fold increase in the cost
of compressed natural gas had brought Yangon's bus networks to a
standstill and stoked discontent in the city of 5 million people.

Analysts said the hard core of the dissident movement, centered on the
still-influential leaders of a 1988 mass student uprising ruthlessly
suppressed by the army with large loss of life, would continue to express
public discontent.

However, the junta's coordinated action, starting with Wednesday's
midnight swoops on the student leaders, had probably ensured the series of
small but persistent social protests were not going to snowball into
something larger.

"These people have vowed to continue the struggle at all costs. They have
vowed to go all the way, and so for sure they will continue to protest,"
said Aung Naing Oo, a 1988 protester who fled to Thailand to escape the
bloody military crackdown.

"But I doubt a large majority of people will participate. Small gatherings
of 100 here, 200 there, will go on -- but the emphasis is on the word
small," he said.

The world's largest rice exporter when it won independence from Britain in
1948, Myanmar is now one of Asia's poorest countries after more than four
decades of unbroken military rule.

Suu Kyi, daughter of independence hero Aung San, who won the 1990
landslide election victory at the helm of her National League for
Democracy party has spent most of the 17 years since in prison or under
house arrest.

____________________________________

August 23, Mizzima News
Demonstrations continue in Rangoon and spread out to other parts of Burma

[Breaking News - Live] Indian Standard Time - 4:40 p.m
Interview with demonstrator in Singapore

"Two police vehicles arrived while we were demonstrating and about 10
police approached us. They asked us to show our identity cards, addresses,
university IDs, and phone numbers in detail. And the police forced us to
go back. We could not demonstrate too long in front of the Burmese
embassy. But we are quite satisfied because altogether there were only
about 15 to 20 people and we did as much as we could. There were no
Burmese workers joining us today, most of us were students. We have plans
to hold more demonstrations in the coming days."

3:30 p.m - The National League for Democracy this afternoon released a
press statement demanding:

(1) The immediate and unconditional release of those arrested
(2) An end to the use of violence on peaceful demonstrators
(3) An end to the use of inhumane treatment and abusive language

"In relation to the sudden rise of commodity prices, we feel that actions
taken by the authorities are not fair. The authorities claim that they are
building a democratic nation, if so they should democratically give some
kind of explanation on the sudden rise of commodity prices to the people.
But this is not the case. Moreover, the authorities are violently cracking
down on the people, who are desperately demonstrating their economic
difficulties peacefully. This type of violent crackdown is not the right
solution, and the people will not get better. On these types of problems,
the whole country should be united in finding a solution together.
Therefore, we have made these three demands," NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win
told Mizzima.

3:45 p.m - Preparing for demonstration in Singapore

A Burmese in Singapore told Mizzima of their planned demonstration: "We
are about 30 people here now. Our plan is to shout slogans against double
taxation imposed on us. We have informed almost all Burmese here in
Singapore. We have told them to come together at 5:00 p.m. Some have
arrived but some have not as offices here are not yet closed. We believe
by 5:30 or 6:00 p.m most people will arrive. There are two police vehicles
positioned in front of the Burmese embassy, and we don't know what will
happen."
3:15 p.m - "I saw two strange men on the bus checking every person
boarding and exiting the bus. They looked like Special Investigation
Service," one woman bus rider told Mizzima by email.

3:00 p.m - Motor Vehicles Control Department ordered to reduce bus fares

Following continued demonstrations by the people, the Burmese military
junta has ordered city bus drivers and conductors to revert to the old
fares in place prior to the hike in fuel prices.

"The order was given to vehicles like Chevrolet old buses, KM Hino and
medium cars like Dyna. The starting rate is 50 kyat," an official at the
Rangoon division of the Motor Vehicles Control Department (MVCD) told
Mizzima. "Within Rangoon it is 200 kyat," he added.

Following the sudden fuel price hikes, bus fares in Rangoon rose to 500
kyat for what was before a 200 kyat ride.

Despite the order by the MVCD, bus conductors have not strictly followed
the instruction and continue to charge a 100 kyat fare for what was before
a 50 kyat journey.

2:10 p.m - Protestors arrested in Myay Ni Kone

10 members of the National League for Democracy, from Thingan Kyun, Dagon
and Yankin townships, who gathered this morning at about 10:00 (local
time), were arrested by USDA and Swan Arrshin members.

"During the arrest and beating, whatever possessions were dropped by the
protestors were lost. If they dropped their watch it was then broken, if
they dropped an umbrella it was thrown away [by the USDA and Swan
Arrshin]," said an eyewitness.

1:50 p.m - Though activists declared they would launch a protest in front
of City Hall in downtown Rangoon, so far there has been no public protest
at the location. An eyewitness told Mizzima that, as of now, only
interested bystanders could be seen.

1:43 p.m - Ko Htin Kyaw, a member of the Myanmar Development Committee who
called for a mass protest on Wednesday, has reportedly arrived in
Mandalay. Rumors of Htin Kyaw starting a protest in front of Mandalay's
Maha Myat Mohnih [Phayargyi] Pagoda have been spreading, but officials of
the Mandalay National League for Democracy say there hasn't been any
protest so far in Mandalay.

1:29 p.m - U Ohn Than, who conducted a solo demonstration in front of
Rangoon's American Embassy, was arrested and taken away by police at 1 p.m
(local time).

12:30 p.m - Demonstrations at Yenan Chaung, Magwe Division

Demonstrations at Yenan Chaung took place today at about 8:00 a.m (local
time) and ended at about 12 noon (local time). As there was limited or no
Swan Arrshin, Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and
police presence to stop the protesters, the demonstration went smoothly.

Interview with Ko Than Aung, National League for Democracy (NLD) member

"We began marching from the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC)
office. We marched for about an hour. There were about 40 people in the
beginning. We were applauded by the people throughout the streets. We
marched around the main market in Yenan Chaung. We then marched back to
the TPDC office. As usual, police were positioned at the corners and
junctions of the streets. They sometimes followed us, and sometimes stayed
ahead of us.

There were police on the streets but no USDA or Swan Arrshin, because
these groups are not so strong in Yenan Chaung. So, there are only police
for security. They were in full uniform. As the people of the city do not
want the USDA and Swan Arrshin, they dare not come and disturb us. The
police were posted just for security.

We ended up about 60 altogether, and people were offering us drinking
water and applauding.

We also explained to the people the reason for our march. We told them of
how we are all suffering because of the fuel price increases that have now
led to the rise of commodity prices, and therefore, as an act of opposing
the government's actions we are marching in protest."

12:18 p.m - The junta, as of yesterday, imposed strict measures against
movement in Minbu Town of central Burma's Magwe division. Workers have
been restricted from leaving their work place during the hours of 6:00 a.m
to 6:00 p.m. Minbu is a center for petroleum production under the Energy
Ministry and is home to government workers as well as private company
staff.

11:55 a.m - Most of the protestors who were arrested yesterday have
reportedly been freed.

11:50 a.m - In support of the continued protests in Rangoon and other
parts of Burma against increased fuel prices, over 250 Burmese
pro-democracy activists in New Delhi are conducting a protest rally near
the Jantar Mantar park in New Delhi. The demonstrators – Chin, Kachin,
Burman and Arakan – all came in traditional dresses showing their support
for the continued demonstrations in Burma.

11:30 a.m - Interview with Ma Ni Ni Mon, one of the protestors beaten by
the junta-backed group, Swan Arrshin, at Shwegonedine of Bahan Township in
Rangoon:

"We began our march from Tamwe Township and when we reached Bandapin bus
stand, about 40 of them [Swan Arrshin] joined our group. Then, when we
crossed the traffic point at Shwegonedine, vehicles stopped for us.

As we continued marching, after crossing the Shwegonedine traffic point,
they [Swan Arrshin] began to stop us. At that time, another group of
protesters from South Dagon, who escaped the beatings and arrests [by Swan
Arrshin] joined us. We then formed a human chain and sat down. They tried
to force us to climb onto a vehicle but we resisted.

We told them that we would not get onto the vehicle, that we are going to
our office [National League for Democracy office in Shwegonedine] and
since we cannot afford to pay the bus fares, we are walking on foot. But
they said, "You are not walking but demonstrating by walking the streets
of the city. If you don't get onto the vehicle, we will arrest you all."
Then they started pulling and pushing us. They also hit us with their
fists. We were all numb from their beatings. They started pulling the guys
first.

We all stayed hand-in-hand and sat down, but they began pulling the
longyis of the guys. When the guys went to hold their longyis with their
hands, two of them would grab them from the head and feet and take them to
the vehicle. After arresting all the male protestors, they turned to the
women protestors. They did the same thing to us, the women. One of the
women, Ma Yin Yin Theik, was taken with her longyi down."

Twenty protesters were arrested at Shwegonedine traffic point.

10:57 a.m - "I saw some police cars at the SHS-2 Mayangone High School.
Also some people who look like authorities, in civilian dress and holding
walkie-talkies, were in my bus and on the bus of my friends as well," a
Rangoon resident, riding the city's buses, told Mizzima. The "authority"
figures on the buses are believed to be security personnel looking for
possible protestors.

10:53 a.m - "I just passed in front of City Hall and saw some police
patrolling and some thugs sitting nearby. I heard some civilians say they
are waiting for something, waiting for something to happen. Nobody knows
what will occur today. Just wait and see," a Rangoon resident told
Mizzima.

10:30 a.m - Burmese in Singapore have planned to march to the Burmese
embassy in protest against the junta at 5:00 p.m. (local time). The
Singapore government keeps tight control over the movement of the Burmese
opposition in Singapore.

10:00 a.m - About 50 people had gathered at about 10:00 a.m. (local time)
in Shwegonedine of Bahan Township in Rangoon to conduct demonstrations.
But Swan Arrshin personnel, a junta-backed civilian organization, stopped
the activists, which has led to a traffic jam in the area.

Activists have called for a bigger demonstration at 1:00 p.m, but the
location has not been announced.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 23, Irrawaddy
Thai EGAT team discuss dam project with KNU - Violet Cho

Thailand’s energy authority EGAT held talks with leaders of the Karen
National Union on Thursday on a controversial proposal to build a dam on
the Salween River, which has run into strong opposition by local
villagers.

According to the Karen River Watch, the KNU gave EGAT permission last
month to conduct a feasibility study on the proposed Hat Gyi dam. But the
project has encountered heavy criticism and opposition by local
authorities and villagers, who say the dam would threaten the livelihoods
of more than 10 million people from 13 ethnic groups who depend on the
river for their survival.

Thirty EGAT engineers and other workers began a three-month study program
on July 3. Opposition to their work has held up progress.

An EGAT delegation at Thursday’s talks in the Thai border town of Mae Sot
is understood to have appealed to the KNU to help the project proceed. The
KNU’s Lt-Col Roger Khin said no decision had been taken at the meeting,
and KNU leaders would now consult with other executive committee members.
The EGAT delegation was promised a decision within two weeks, he said.

The KNU team at the two-hour meeting comprised Lt-Col Roger Khin, Col Htoo
Htoo Lay, Gen Mu Tu and Col Soe Soe. The five-man EGAT team comprised
mostly engineers, a KNU source said.

Naw Paw Gay Khu, a special consultant with the Karen River Watch, said: “I
believe that the KNU will reach a decision based on the interests of the
people, They (KNU) should listen to the people and work with them to stop
these dam projects because they will have a long term impact.”

An earlier EGAT study of the Hat Gyi dam site, which began in May 2004,
was interrupted when a surveyor with the authority died in a land mine
incident.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 23, Asia Times
Fuel price policy explodes in Burma - Larry Jagan

Public protests have broken out across Burma's old capital Rangoon after
the military government unexpectedly removed fuel-price subsidies,
resulting in a 500% spike in rationed fuel prices.

The shock policy is part of the government's emerging economic and
financial reform program and notably coincided with a high-level mission
to the country of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
officials, who have long pressed the junta to reduce or abolish a range of
price subsidies.

The move has shocked the country's already fragile economy and, depending
on the eventual scale of the protests and severity of the government's
response, could have grave implications for political stability.
Significantly, the spiraling acts of civil disobedience have been led by
former political prisoners known as the 88 Generation Students Group, who
nearly 20 years ago as student leaders led the pro-democracy
demonstrations the junta cracked down on with an iron fist in 1988.

Burma's ruling junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC), has for decades maintained strict social controls - though
security forces have loosened their grip in certain areas of Rangoon since
abruptly moving the national capital to a newly built city known as
Naypyidaw in November 2005. The numbers joining the marches has grown
since. More than a hundred people joined the first demonstration on Sunday
demanding that the government intervene to lower fast-rising fuel and food
prices.

More than 300 people took to the streets to protest on Wednesday,
according to witnesses, and news reports indicate the rallies continued on
Thursday. The junta has responded through stick-wielding vigilantes,
including members of the pro-government Union Solidarity and Development
Association. Some protesters have been beaten and whisked away in unmarked
cars, according to witnesses who spoke with Asia Times Online.

"The government has raised fuel prices without giving any prior notice,
and due to this hike, all the people are suffering," said one protester at
Sunday's march. "Therefore we, the 88 Generation students, [National
League for Democracy] members, university students, high-school students
and civilians are protesting and demanding an immediate rollback in the
prices of fuel."

The police have arrested more than a dozen key 88 Generation Student Group
leaders in recent days, including renowned activist Min Ko Naing and poet
Ko Ko Gyi.

"The junta is not scared of public statements or press releases by
opposition groups, but they really do not want the public to come out to
the streets, for this type of movement can get out of hand," Ko Ko Gyi
told Asia Times Online before his arrest. The junta has also detained
protest organizers from the recently formed Bruma Development Committee.

In a statement released on state-run media, protesters were detained for
"undermining stability and the security of the nation". But the crackdown
and arrests, some on-the-ground observers say, have acted to fuel public
anger.

"More demonstrations are likely to follow, as [Rangoon's] residents are
already fuming at the increase in fuel prices," said a Western diplomat
based in the country's capital.

Economic meltdown
There are preliminary indications that the subsidy policy is seizing up
the economy. Prices for compressed natural gas, which the government had
in recent years promoted for use in commercial vehicles, have increased
fivefold, while the price of basic commodities has skyrocketed in line
with the higher transportation costs. Bus fares and taxi charges doubled
almost immediately in urban centers such as Rangoon, Mandalay and
Moulmein, resulting in drastically reduced passenger loads.

According to a Rangoon-based financial analyst who requested anonymity
over concerns of possible government reprisals, the increase in bus fares
will disproportionately affect the urban poor. Manual workers and
day-laborers in the country' main cities, who earn less than 2,000 kyat
(US$2 at the unofficial exchange rate, which is much closer to the real
world than the official rate) a day, will, because of higher prices, have
to pay more than half their wage in travel costs, he estimated. In certain
instances, it may even be as much as three-quarters of their daily income.

Win Min, an independent Burma analyst based at Chiang Mai University in
northern Thailand, estimates that inflation was already running at nearly
40% annually, and with the recent removal of fuel-price subsidies that
rate could double to 80%. "There will be an increase in layoffs as
businesses are forced to close, and we are likely to see a significant
rise in the price of food, clothing and basic commodities," he said.

Indeed, Rangoon food prices have already risen steeply. Since last week,
rice has risen by nearly 10%, edible oils by 20%, meat by about 15% and
garlic and eggs by 50%, according to aid workers based in the city who
monitor local market prices. A standard plate of Burmese noodles has
nearly tripled in the past week, one aid worker said.

"These price rises are crippling for most residents in Rangoon," a Burma
economist told Asia Times Online, using the old name for Rangoon (the
junta officially renamed both the city and the country, long known as
Burma, in 1989). "They could hardly afford food before. Now their weekly
budget for essential foodstuffs is going to buy even less - their
purchasing power has been reduced by more than 25% virtually overnight."

Crucially, the policy could cause a backlash among one of the junta's key
political support groups: the civil service. One elderly retired office
worker who spoke by telephone with Asia Times Online complained that her
pension now barely covers the taxi fare she pays to retrieve it from
government offices. Inflationary
pressures will also inevitably lead to demands for salary and wage
increases among government and private-sector workers.

Economic analysts say it is highly unlikely that the government will any
time soon increase wages, having shouldered a major wage increase for
government employees last year. The private sector, already suffering from
slack domestic demand, will also likely find it hard to meet employees'
demands to increase wages. Some private businesses have already closed
down, at least Some economic analysts have speculated that the SPDC rolled
back fuel-price subsidies because it is strapped for cash. In particular,
the analysts believe the massive expenditure associated with building the
new capital at Naypyidaw, some 400 kilometers north of Rangoon, has
depleted the national coffers. The government is also reportedly building
a massive new Internet and communications-technology center known as
Yadanapon Cyber City near the newly built capital.

"The cost of building Naypyidaw was bleeding the government's coffers
dry," said Sean Turnell, a specialist on Burma's economy at Macquarie
University in Australia.

"The government is acutely short of revenue. Naypyidaw is itself absorbing
more than the increase in income from gas revenues. On top that, there are
the dramatic [increases] in government salaries of last year, as well as
now the potentially large expenditure needed for the planned nuclear
reactor," he said.

Neo-liberal prescriptions
Ironically, perhaps, the junta had recently attempted to improve the
national finances through better tax collection. The IMF and World Bank
had warned the regime this time last year that if it did not reduce its
high budget deficits - which it has traditionally covered by rolling the
monetary presses, sparking inflation - the economy would suffer.

"Living standards are low and inflation is increasing. The prospects for
sustained growth in real incomes are constrained by inflation, structural
rigidities, weak economic policies and low investment," the IMF team
warned after its mission to the country last year.

The government has recently moved to implement some of the IMF's less
stringent reform recommendations, including a campaign to collect more
taxes from private businesses. This year, the authorities mounted a major
investigation into businesses suspected of tax evasion. Some of the
country's biggest companies, including Max Burma, AA Pharmacy, the Peace
Burma Group and International Beverage Trading, were targeted by the
investigation and several leading business people were arrested on
tax-evasion charges.

Last year, the IMF reported that Burma's revenue collection had risen
slightly, and the budget deficit had dropped to about 4% of gross domestic
product. "The tax-revenue increases are real, but they're from such a low
base they're more a 'promise' of a better fiscal future than [achieving]
one now," argued academic Turnell.

What is more critical, according to economists, is that the junta move to
reduce spending - something the military regime appears loath to do. The
SPDC has shown no signs of reducing military spending, expenditures
related to finishing the new capital and cyber-city, and big-ticket energy
projects, including new dams and the country's first nuclear reactor,
economic analysts say. Hence the only fiscal card it had left to play was
reducing fuel subsidies.

The IMF has long advised the SPDC to reduce government subsidies,
particularly on fuel prices. It's unclear whether the IMF and World Bank
pressured the junta into making the policy or whether they recommended a
more phased approach to removing the subsidies.

Now, the more pressing question is whether the already impoverished
population can absorb the sudden shock therapy. "More than 90% of the
country's population already lives in dire poverty," said an economist
based in Yangon. "It is not so much a case of food shortages as families'
incomes being insufficient to purchase their daily needs."

Recent United Nations country surveys for Myanmar reveal a trend toward
increasing poverty and a growing income gap between rich and poor.

"More than 90% of the population live on less than 300,000 kyat [about
$300] a year," a senior UN official who spoke on condition of anonymity
told Asia Times Online. "Food security has become a significant issue in
many parts of the country, especially in the remote and border areas."

Meanwhile, the street protests in Yangon showed no signs of abating. Some
Rangoon-based economic analysts have even started to draw political
parallels with the period leading up to the junta's bloody crackdown on
the pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988, which then were sparked by an
abrupt government decision to demonetize the local currency.

"The military learned its lesson last time and will try to nip
[demonstrations] in the bud this time before they get out of hand," said a
local analyst.

If so, expect more repression and revolt in Myanmar in the weeks ahead.

____________________________________

August 23, Agence France Presse
For Myanmar's poor, a daily struggle to find food - Mon Mon Myat

Thirty years ago, Swe thought she was heading into the good life as the
wife of a successful civil servant in Burma.

Her husband's membership in the ruling Burmese socialist party seemed to
guarantee them and their seven children a bright future.

They owned a duplex in suburban Yangon, and when her husband took early
retirement in 1983 because of a hearing problem, his pension of 1,100
kyats a month seemed enough to keep them going.

"Fried eggs were just a side dish at that time," said her husband Win.

But after years of rampant inflation and economic mismanagement by
Myanmar's military government, his monthly pension is worth less than one
dollar and eggs are a luxury.

Their struggles are becoming typical for many in Myanmar. The difficulties
were heightened last week when the government doubled key fuel prices,
leaving many workers unable to even afford bus fare to their jobs.

The fuel prices hike has sent hundreds of people into the streets in
protest this week -- a brazen act unheard of in a country where the regime
tolerates no dissent.

Win, 73, is no longer able to work and just finding enough to eat has
become a daily challenge.

When Win retired, the then-dictator Ne Win ruled the country with an iron
fist and chaotic economic policies.

Ne Win had largely sealed off Burma from the rest of the world. His
government dealt with financial problems by demonetising bank notes.

In 1985, the kyat notes in 20, 50 and 100 denominations were made
worthless, and replaced with new notes in the peculiar units of 25, 35 and
75.

Two years later, those notes were scrapped and replaced with equally
unexpected denominations of 15, 45 and 90. That change made three fourths
of the currency in circulation worthless.

It was also one of the underlying causes behind a pro-democracy uprising
in 1988 that was crushed when the military opened fire on student
protesters, killing hundreds -- and maybe thousands.

Although the military has opened up the country to investment, the economy
remains crippled by mismanagement and western sanctions over the detention
of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The United Nations ranks Myanmar among the world's 20 poorest countries,
and the World Food Programme said in a report last year that food security
is a year-round problem here.

"A large segment of the population faces difficult socio-economic
conditions with an increasing number living in acute poverty," it said.

The government claims that the economy grew by over 12 percent last year,
but private estimates put the growth at 1.8 percent.

About one-third of the nation's children are malnourished, according to
the UN food agency.

With inflation at more than 30 percent, life in Yangon has become
increasingly difficult for the poor.

For Swe and Win's family, the nation's economic woes mean her sons have
never found regular work. Two of her sons began injecting drugs and caught
HIV, either sharing needles or from unsafe sex. It's impossible to know
for certain, she says.

Swe watched both of them die seven years ago, powerless to get them any
treatment. Her youngest son is now suffering the same fate.

At first the family coped with Myanmar's economic decline by renting out
their apartment and building themselves a lean-to next to the house.

Desperate for cash, they finally sold the apartment and still live in
their shack with a leaky fiberglass covering next door to the
now-dilapidated home that once held Swe's dreams.

Her emaciated 28-year-old son with HIV stays in one corner of their
shanty. He has scabs on his hands, and aside from fighting AIDS he has
been diagnosed with a liver problem for which he could find no treatment.

The entire family suffers bouts of tuberculosis, jaundice and other
diseases, which spread easily among them because they are forced by
desperation to share clothes, shoes, bedding and food.

A nearby hospital provides free treatment for her son's chronic TB, Swe says.

"Urging him to take his TB medicine regularly is the only thing I can do
for him," she says.

For all their problems, Swe says their greatest concern is food.

Working odd jobs and seeking help from relatives and neighbours earns the
family enough to buy about three kilos of rice each day. They economise by
cooking only rice, and eating the rest of their food raw.

They can rarely afford meats, so they usually eat tea leaf salad, a dish
made with fermented tea leaves.

"We eat rice with salad, so there's no need to cook. That way we don't use
any electricity," Swe explained.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner long ago lost their distinctions in a
household that can serve only one or two meals a day.

"Life has been like this for many years. If my sons have no job, there is
no income, and then we have no food," Swe said.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

August 23, Irrawaddy
Thailand increases malaria treatment units along Burma border - Sai Silp

The Thai Public Health Ministry will establish another 300 malaria
treatment units along border areas to try to combat the disease.

A recent survey found that 90 percent of malaria cases occur along the
Thailand-Burmese border.

Dr Morakot Kornkasem, the deputy minister of Public Health, said he
expected global warming was a factor in the increase of malaria outbreaks
this year, creating an increase in mosquitoes which transmit the disease.
He made his comments during a tour in Mae Ramad in Tak Province.

“Malaria remains a significant public health problem along border areas,
particularly the Thailand-Burmese border,” he said.

Morakot said 500 malaria treatment units have been operating for the past
few years, including five in the southern provinces bordering Malaysia,
where the insurgency has made it difficult to access medical services.

Community malaria units provide chemical-coated mosquitoe nets which kill
mosquitoes and offer tests and medicine to treat the disease.

Malaria units receive about 200 million baht (US $6 million) from the
Global Fund.

In 2006, 30,388 patients were treated for the disease; 113 people died.
Among about 500,000 Burmese workers, 36,000 tested positive.


>From January to July 2007, 18,000 malaria cases were reported; 32 people

died. Burmese migrants accounted for 2,995 cases; 12 people died.

Along the Thailand-Burmese border, the Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son,
Ranong and Prachoub Kirikhan provinces account for about 90 percent of all
malaria cases.

The heavy forests and plantations in the area are breeding grounds for
mosquitoes.

Government and public health organizations have been working to suppress
drug-resistant malaria cases amid concerns that the movement of migrant
workers who are left untreated could lead to the spread of the disease to
other areas.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 23, Irrawaddy
US, Canada, UN protest Burma crackdown - Lalit K Jha

The US and Canada on Wednesday condemned the Burmese military junta's
crackdown on popular demonstrations in Rangoon, protesting against the
recent sharp rise in fuel prices. The UN too expressed its concern over
the detention of Burmese activists who participated in the protests.

Widespread international condemnation has greeted the junta's actions,
with demands for the immediate release of detained activists.

“The United States calls for the immediate release of these activists and
for an end to the regime's blatant attempt to intimidate and silence those
who are engaged in peaceful promotion of democracy and human rights in
Burma,” said US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos in Washington.

Gallegos said: "The United States government condemns the Burmese regime's
arrest of Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and several other pro-democracy
activists on August 22 for organizing peaceful demonstrations to express
public concern about recent increases in the price of fuel.”

Gallegos reiterated the US demand that the military regime should engage
in a meaningful dialogue with the leaders of the Burmese democracy
movement and ethnic minority groups and make tangible steps towards a
transition to a democratic system.

Responding to a question, Gallegos said, “We are going to continue pushing
the human rights issues. We are going to continue supporting those
individuals and groups inside Burma who wish to live in a free society
with the ability to express their rights.”
The office of UN secretary-general told The Irrawaddy, “The UN views the
events on the ground with concern, but we are for now simply monitoring
the situation and trying to get the facts.”

Condemning the detention of the leaders of the 88 Generation Students
group, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Maxime Bernier, said: “Their arrest
is yet another example of the Burmese authorities’ continued disregard for
freedom and democracy. Canada calls for their immediate and unconditional
release.”

Urging Burma to respect the human rights of the people of Burma, he said:
“We further call upon the Burmese authorities to release Aung San Suu Kyi
and all other political prisoners and to engage in a genuine dialogue with
members of the democratic opposition”

The New York-based Human Rights Watch called for the Burmese government to
immediately release protesters arrested for peacefully demonstrating
against the deteriorating economic system.

“The government’s strategy of arbitrarily arresting its critics reinforces
the severe hardships the people of Burma are going through,” said Arvind
Ganesan, the director of the business and human rights program at Human
Rights Watch.

“The recent price hikes in Burma make it harder for ordinary people to
sustain themselves by driving up prices of essential goods and services.
Peaceful protest should not land them in jail,” he said.

 “The way the SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] made this
decision and responded to the ensuing public outcry demonstrates its
gross disregard for the rights to freedom of information and assembly,
and the right of its people to benefit from the country’s natural
resource wealth.”

Meanwhile, the Washington-based advocacy group the US Campaign for Burma
announced it would hold a demonstration at the Burmese Embassy to show
solidarity against those who are protesting against military rule inside
the country.

Expressing concern for the safety of the leaders arrested by the junta,
Aung Din, the policy director at the US Campaign for Burma said:  "Min Ko
Naing and the other leaders arrested have all been severely tortured
during previous incarcerations, and we are gravely concerned for their
immediate well-being."

He urged China and the United Nations to take immediate action to ensure
their safety and release.

____________________________________

August 23, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Human Rights Watch slams Myanmar junta

The New York-based Human Rights Watch Thursday slammed Myanmar's junta for
detaining a score of anti-inflation protesters in Yangon, claiming the
arrests violate "fundamental rights of assembly."

Myanmar authorities arrested about 24 people on Tuesday and Wednesday and
dispatched pro-government thugs to harass spontaneous demonstrations held
in Yangon since Sunday against spiraling inflation in the former capital.

The government doubled benzine and diesel prices at state petrol stations
on August 15 and hiked the price of compressed natural gas (cng), used by
public buses, by up to 500 per cent.

On Tuesday night, authorities arrested 14 leaders of the 88 Generation
Students dissident group, five student leaders and three members of the
pro-democracy Myanmar Development Committee on charges of stirring up
civil arrest by planning protests against fuel-roice hikes.

"These arrests violate fundamental rights of assembly, association and
expression, and are arbitrary and unlawful under international law," said
Human Rights Watch, in a statement made available in Bangkok.

"The recent price hikes in Burma make it harder for ordinary people to
sustain themselves by driving up prices of essential goods and services.
Peaceful protest should not land them in jail." Said Arvind Ganesan,
director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

The 88 Generation Students are one of the few dissident groups remaining
in Myanmar, which has been under the equivalent of martial law since a
brutal army crackdown on mass anti-military demonstrations in September
1988.

The group comprises former student leaders who participated in the 1988
demonstrations and are now committed to non-violent means of undermining
military rule and ushering in democracy.

Myanmar has been suffering double-digit inflation since last year. The
recent fuel price hikes have more than doubled transportation costs.

The nationwide anti-military demonstrations of 1988 were sparked by
growing discontent with the country's deteriorating economy, combined with
mounting frustration with the country's military dictatorship.

In 1987 Myanmar, once Asia's leading rice exporter, was downgraded to a
Least Developed Developing Country (LDDC) status at the United Nations as
a means of lessening its international debt burden.

The impoverished status led to widespread disillusionment with the
so-called "Burmese Way to Socialism" advocated by the military since it
seized power with a coup in 1962.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 23, Irrawaddy
Civil unrest looms unless a political solution is found

History is repeating itself in Burma—20 years after the end of Ne Win’s
socialist government the present regime is making the same mistake as the
one that led to the former dictator’s downfall. From its power base in
Naypyidaw, the current military regime is handing down administrative
edicts without any regard for the consequences they hold for the Burmese
people.

In September 1987, the socialist government unwisely announced the
demonetization of the bank notes 25, 35 and 75 kyat, leaving the people
with no money in their pockets and leading to the civil unrest that
climaxed with the 1988 nationwide uprising.

The similarities between then and now are clear.

When making that demonetization decision, Ne Win gave no prior warning
even to his Central Executive Committee of the Burma Socialist Programme
Party, but simply ordered it to endorse the decision.

The current regime has derived no lessons or consequences from Ne Win’s
action. Exactly 20 years later, in August 2007, Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his
regime have committed an identical mistake by issuing an order from their
new capital, Naypyidaw, to increase fuel prices immediately, taking by
surprise even some responsible senior officials at the Energy Ministry,
who only knew of the order on the very day it was issued, according to
sources close to one of the officials.

A repetition of the economic hardship of 1987 that brought the people out
onto the streets, together with increasing socio-political problems, is
now driving the country again to the verge of civil unrest. The regime’s
high-handed decision to double and triple fuel prices has sparked
demonstrations in Rangoon and elsewhere.

Just as in Ne Win’s time, the present regime is seeking scapegoats in
order to hide its incompetence to govern the country, singling out leaders
of the 88 Generation Students group, who have called persistently for
national reconciliation and positive political change.

The regime’s reply has been to accuse the 88 Generation Students group
leaders of “undermining peace and security of the State and disrupting the
ongoing National Convention,” while arresting 13 prominent group members,
including Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Pyone Cho and Min Zeya.

If the military regime continues its tough, uncompromising and dishonest
stand toward its own people and persists in trying to escape from the
reality of the present downward socio-politico-economic situation, the
country is likely to again encounter a bloody social uprising in the near
future.

To avoid such a calamity, the only solution—which the regime has so far
stubbornly rejected—is for the military to relax its long-held grip on
power and to sit together with all parties, including the National League
for Democracy, ethnic minority parties and ethnic ceasefire groups, and
discuss a political resolution of the crisis.

It’s high time the generals came to recognize the real situation of the
Burmese people and sought an urgent solution to their sufferings.
Otherwise, uncontrolled bloody civil unrest will become a reality and a
further scar on Burma’s history.

____________________________________

August 23, South China Morning Post
Time for world to back Myanmar's people

The rights of Myanmar's people are so trampled that they are not even
allowed to object to hefty petrol price rises foisted on them last week
without announcement or explanation by the military regime. Peaceful
protests have been broken up with arrests and beatings, invalidating
repeated claims by the junta that it is dedicated to restoring democracy.

Such actions suggest a disregard by the military for the people it claims
to govern. If it was truly working towards giving citizens a voice, as it
says a constitution being drafted by a national convention will do, it
would not so unashamedly abuse its authority.

Fear of retribution makes protests in Myanmar rare, despite grinding
poverty, a lack of basic liberties and rampant corruption. But the
increases of up to 500 per cent on August 15 have caused such increased
hardship through knock-on fare and food price rises that some citizens
have ignored the risks and taken to the streets.

They have been led by pro-democracy advocates, but the cause of the
protests is not a call for democracy: rather, it is about survival.

Similar circumstances - a series of rises in the price of rice, and a
decree that some banknote denominations had no value - led to protests
headed by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that were brutally crushed
in 1988. But whereas the struggle of the country's people was little
noticed then, the plight of Ms Suu Kyi and at least 1,100 of her
supporters either under house arrest or in prison is now being closely
watched around the world.

The US and European governments have for a decade been pushing the junta
to change its ways through sanctions. Southeast Asian nations are
increasing pressure, but China and India continue to prop up the regime
with trade and financial support.

It is time the world united through the UN to let the military know that
its 45-year mismanagement of the nation is no longer tolerated. When a
government claims to be working for democracy, yet arrests people walking
along a street to say they cannot afford price rises, a gap clearly exists
between truth and reality.

The world's leaders have to join hands and back Myanmar's downtrodden
people with an unequivocal and lasting response.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

August 23. US Campaign for Burma
As crackdown on mass protests continue, campaigners call for UN
Secretary-General's immediate intervention, Security Council action on
Burma

Call Follows Public Pronouncements from US, UK, French Governments

(New York, August 23, 2007) A leading human rights organization in the
United States today called on the UN Secretary-General to publicly condemn
a major crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in the Southeast Asian country
of Burma and urged the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to
call for a discussion of the situation in Burma at the UN Security
Council.

The call follows condemnations of the crackdown in the past 24 hours by
the United States, France, United Kingdom, and Canada.  So far, the United
Nations Secretariat and Security Council have both remained silent, even
though Burma was voted onto the permanent agenda of the Security Council
in September 2006.

"United Nations leaders and mechanisms must not complacent or silent
during this critical time," said Aung Din, policy director of the U.S.
Campaign for Burma. "It is time for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to
personally intervene and the Security Council to formulate a collective
response."

Two days ago, at least 20 key human rights activists - including Min Ko
Naing, Burma's second most prominent leader after Nobel Peace Prize
recipient Aung San Suu Kyi - were arrested as demonstrators took to the
streets to protest a quintupling of fuel prices in the country.   The move
to increase the prices has sparked widespread anger in Burma, as Burma's
exports of fuel has skyrocketed and brought the military regime windfall
profits.

Nevertheless, demonstrations continued for a third day through Burma,
despite attempts by the regime to suppress the protest.  Sources indicate
that military vehicles and personal are being stationed out of sight in
government compounds and houses around the city, enabling the regime to
reach all parts of Rangoon within minutes.

Thousands of police and members of the regime's civilian militia Union
Solidarity and Development Association - the same organization that
attempted to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2003 while beating to death
100 of her supporters - are deployed throughout Burma's cities where they
continue violent attacks on protestors.  Dozens of demonstrators have been
beaten and dragged into trucks today, in which they are whisked away to
detentions centers infamous for torture.

The moves inside Burma have garnered world media attention, with at least
500 news articles in the past 48 hours alone including in the New York
Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, and newspapers throughout
Southeast Asia.

Yesterday, three members of the Security Council - the United States,
France, and the United Kingdom all issued statements condemning the
attacks on innocent protestors.

Said the United States: "The United States calls for the immediate release
of these activists, and for an end to the regime's blatant attempt to
intimidate and silence those who are engaged in peaceful promotion of
democracy."

Said France: "France is also deeply concerned by the use of force by
pro-government militias in Rangoon against peaceful and democratic
demonstrations. The military junta will be held solely responsible for the
consequences that this unacceptable repression may have on the
demonstrators.

Said the United Kingdom: "'The British Government condemns the detention
of a number of Burma's '1988 Generation' student leaders on the evening of
21/22 August. Those detained, and their colleagues, have exercised their
right to peaceful protest at the harsh economic burdens being heaped on
the long-suffering Burmese people. We support their call for the
restoration of democracy and genuine political dialogue. We urge the
Burmese government to free them immediately'.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the World Organization Against
Torture, and International Federation of Human Rights have all condemned
the attacks and called for action.

Abuses by Burma's military regime are not limited to cracking down on
protestors in Rangoon. Over 3,000 ethnic minority villages have been
burned, landmined, or forcibly relocated by Than Shwe's regime over the
past decade. To put this in the context of a better-known world crisis,
this is roughly twice as many villages as have been destroyed in Darfur,
Sudan.  Recent scientific reports show that health indicators for conflict
areas in Burma are now on par with conflict zones in Africa.  Burma's
military regime has also recruited up to 70,000 child soldiers, far more
than any other country in the world, while refusing to adequately fund
HIV/AIDs programs.  Over 1 million refugees have fled the country, while
500,000 remain internal refugees in the war zones of eastern Burma.

Media Contact: Jeremy Woodrum at (202) 234 8022
____________________________________

August 23, Burma Campaign UK
Regime builds up military in Rangoon as protests continue

The Burma Campaign UK has received reports from Burma that the regime
ruling the country is building up its military presence in Rangoon, as
protests continue for a second day, despite attempts by the regime to
suppress protest.

Burma Campaign UK sources indicate that military vehicles and personal are
being stationed out of sight in government compounds and houses around the
city, enabling the regime to reach all parts of Rangoon within minutes. So
far the military presence on the streets has been limited, with the regime
relying on its political militia, the Union Solidarity Development
Association, to harass, intimidate and even arrest protestors.

³These reports are very disturbing,² said Mark Farmaner, Acting Director
of Burma Campaign UK. ³We know from experience that the regime is quite
prepared to open fire on peaceful protestors. The United Nations must make
it absolutely clear that a military response to peaceful protest in
unacceptable.²

In 1988 thousands of peaceful protestors were massacred when soldiers
opened fire on demonstrators. At the time the military seemed unprepared
for the scale of protests, and had trouble getting sufficient numbers of
troops into
Rangoon quickly enough to suppress the protests. The strategic placing of
military units throughout Rangoon could be an attempt to ensure they can
respond swiftly if protests grow in size significantly.

Protests continued today around Rangoon, which some protestors being
snatched from marches and driven away by security forces. The regime still
appears to attempting to prevent the protests by arresting those it
believes to be key organisers.

Burma Campaign UK sources have also reported CCTV camera¹s being placed in
strategic locations, such a bridges. The atmosphere is reported as
³tense.²

In 1988 protests against the regime began with protests of a few hundred
people, and grew over the following five months to protests of thousands
before the regime launched a crackdown.

³The regime are clearly taking precautions to be ready to send in troops
if protests become what it considers to be too large,² said Mark Farmaner.
³The question is, will the international community step in now, or stand
on the sidelines until it is too late? As the most influential country
with Burma¹s military rulers, China in particular will share the blame if
there is bloodshed. While the prospect of troops opening fire on
demonstrators seems unlikely at the moment, with a regime as unstable and
ruthless as this one, we can¹t afford to take any chances.²

For more information contact Mark Farmaner on 07941239640.

_____________________________________

August 23, Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Burma junta cracks down on protests

Burma’s military regime is preparing to crack down on continuing protests
which have resulted from their decision to increase fuel prices by 500 per
cent. Almost all the leading democracy activists have been arrested for
organising some of the biggest protests in Burma in a decade.

On Sunday 19 August over 400 people took part in a demonstration in
Rangoon and protests have continued throughout the week. Pro-junta mobs
have been used to attack demonstrators, many of whom have been beaten up
and detained.

According to one report from sources inside Burma, police and pro-regime
mobs from the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) attacked
protesters in Rangoon at 11am this morning. About 20 protesters were
beaten and dragged into trucks and taken away.

Reports from Burma indicate the regime is now building up its military
presence in Rangoon.

On Tuesday 21 August at least 20 of the most prominent activists were
arrested. Among them were leaders of the “88 Generation Students”, who led
the pro-democracy movement in 1988 when thousands of peaceful
demonstrators were massacred by the regime. They include Min Ko Naing, who
was tortured during his 16 years in jail, and Ko Ko Gyi, who was
imprisoned for 15 years. It is believed they will be charged with
disrupting the stability of the state, a crime which carries a sentence of
up to 20 year in prison.

Protests have been taking place at the Burmese Embassy in London and other
cities around the world this week. At the demonstration today, Christian
Solidarity Worldwide’s (CSW) Advocacy Officer for South Asia, Benedict
Rogers, said: “We salute the courage of the people of Burma, who continue
to risk arrest, attack and even death to protest against this brutal
regime. We stand firmly in solidarity with the Burmese people.” Last night
10 Burmese exiles in London launched an overnight vigil at the Burmese
Embassy, and a 24-hour hunger strike.

CSW’s National Director, Stuart Windsor, said: “The arrests, and the
reports of troop build-ups, are deeply troubling. We saw in 1988 what the
regime is capable of. It is a regime guilty of crimes against humanity. It
is a regime that uses rape, torture, child soldiers and forced labour on a
widespread and systematic scale. It is a regime that the international
community can no longer turn a blind eye to. We urge the United Nations
Security Council to hold an emergency discussion on the crisis in Burma as
a matter of urgency, and we urge the British Government to do all it
possibly can to raise the situation at the Security Council.”

For more information, please contact Penny Hollings, Campaigns and Media
Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on 020 8329 0045 / 07823 329
663, email pennyhollings at csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

CSW is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom,
works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and
promotes religious liberty for all.

_____________________________________
STATEMENT

August 23, ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC)
Regional legislators calls for immediate release of peaceful protestors in
Burma, condemns violence used by Junta

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) urges the military
rulers of Myanmar to immediately release Burmese student leaders and human
rights activists who have been arrested in Yangon over the last  hree days
during peaceful protests against the increase of petrol  prices in the
country.

The arrests clearly indicate that the human rights situation in Myanmar
continues to deteriorate and that the military junta continues to act with
disregard to regional hopes for a peaceful democratic transition of the
country’s leadership.

ASEAN, having recently agreed in principle to form a regional human rights
body, must take it upon themselves to urge Myanmar’s military leaders to
respect the rights of its citizens and to immediately cease its acts of
violence against those demanding justice and fair treatment.

It is reported that the peaceful protests against the sudden hike of fuel
prices in Myanmar began in Yangon on Sunday, August 19. Numerous Burmese
citizens have been arrested since and reports have surfaced of the junta’s
use of violent means to suppress these expressions of displeasure with the
governance of the county.

AIPMC is extremely concerned that the military junta’s handling of these
peaceful protests may result in similar bloody scenes of the 1988
pro-democracy uprising in Myanmar that saw the killing of many innocent
lives.

For enquiries, please contact Roshan Jason, AIPMC Executive Director, at
+6012-3750974

______________________________________

August 23, Václav Havel
Statement on the situation in Burma

Prague - After nineteen years of having their basic human rights trampled,
the people of
Burma are again in the streets – and so is the army. Although dozens of
opposition
leaders including former student leader Min Ko Naing have been arrested,
hundreds of
residents are gathering to show their determination to live in a free and
prospering
country. In this time, the attention of the international community, in
particular
the UN Security Council, and world media should be focused on Burma and
support the
justified demands of its inhabitants.

I urge the military government of Burma to listen to the demands of its
fellow citizens, to release Aung San Suu Kyi, Min Ko Naing and other
political prisoners and to not attempt to remain in power through force. I
call for peaceful dialogue between the government and the citizens of
Burma, so as to avoid repeating the unfortunate events of 1988.