BurmaNet News, August 24, 2007

[Editor]

August 24, 2007 Issue # 3274

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Arrests thwart new Myanmar protest
DVB via BBC Monitoring: Burma 88 Generation Students vow to intensify
protests
Narinjara News: Monks demonstrate in Rangoon
AFP: Myanmar arrests 20 more protesters
Irrawaddy: USDA stirs trouble for peaceful protesters
The Independent: Burmese junta in military build-up after fuel protests
Irrawaddy: Journalists covering demos complain of harassment

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Junta warns against some imported medicine, toothpaste
Mathaba: Thailand, Myanmar discuss marine gas pipeline investment

ASEAN
AP: Exiled Burmese dissidents may get rare recognition from Asean
lawmakers' sroup
Thai Press: ASEAN energy ministers agree to set up a caucus on nuclear
energy safety

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: U.N. to stay the course

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Politics, not rising prices, are behind the protests

STATEMENT
Sweden: Statement by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 24, Associated Press
Arrests thwart new Myanmar protest

Myanmar's military junta moved swiftly Friday to crush the latest in a
series of protests against fuel price hikes, arresting more than 10
activists in front of Yangon City Hall before they could launch any
action, witnesses said.

The arrests came after protests spread beyond the main city of Yangon, and
amid mounting international condemnation of the government's suppression
of the peaceful, but rare, displays of opposition in the tightly
controlled country.

Demonstrators on Thursday had marched through the oil-producing town of
Yaynang Chaung to protest the fuel price hikes. The protest , the first
known of outside Yangon , ended peacefully, said residents who requested
anonymity for fear of government reprisals.

Another protest planned there for Friday was canceled after authorities
agreed to reduce bus fares, which had been raised as a result of the fuel
price increases. Nevertheless, in Yangon, rumors swirled Friday of more
upcoming demonstrations.

Myanmar's ruling junta has been widely criticized for human rights
violations, including the 11-year house arrest of opposition leader and
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta tolerates little
public dissent, sometimes sentencing activists to long jail terms for
violating broadly defined security laws.

The activists arrested Friday mostly belonged to a recently formed group
called the "Myanmar Development Committee," which in February staged its
first protest in busy downtown Yangon holding placards calling for better
health and social conditions and complaining of economic hardship.

On Thursday, plainclothes security personnel and tough-looking civilians
stopped about 40 people, mostly from Suu Kyi's party, as they walked
quietly for two miles toward their party headquarters in eastern Yangon.

Authorities ordered bystanders, especially reporters, out of the area as
the protesters , outnumbered by about three-to-one , were overwhelmed
after a 30-minute standoff.

Protesters sat on the pavement and formed a human chain in an attempt to
prevent officers from forcing them into waiting trucks and buses. A dozen
protesters, however, were dragged into the vehicles, where some were
slapped around, witnesses said.

The number of protesters had decreased from Wednesday, when about 300
people marched against the fuel price hikes despite the arrests of 13 top
activists who had helped organize the rally. Several hundred people had
joined a similar protest on Sunday.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos urged
Myanmar's government "to proceed down a path of democracy and respect of
individuals and human rights."

Similar calls were issued by France, Britain and a number of international
human rights groups.

A U.N. spokesman said that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the
authorities to exercise maximum restraint in responding to any
demonstrations and encouraged all parties to avoid provocative action.

Vaclav Havel, a fellow Nobel laureate and former president of the Czech
Republic, urged in a statement Thursday that the junta "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."

Economic dissatisfaction sparked the country's last major upheaval, in
1988, when mass demonstrations broke out seeking an end to the military
rule that began in 1962. The protests were violently subdued by the army.
The junta held a general election in 1990, but refused to honor the
results when Suu Kyi's party won.

The current protests are nowhere near the scale of the 1988 events, but
the junta has appeared to be taking no chances in trying to clamp down on
the demonstrations.

____________________________________

August 24, Democratic Voice of Burma via BBC Monitoring
Burma 88 Generation Students vow to intensify protests

The 88 Generation Students announced today that protests that had been
ongoing for the past three days will be intensified beginning from 24
August.

Ko Htay Kywe, one of the student leaders who led the demonstrations on
8-8-88, said that protests would continue in major cities of the country,
including Rangoon, Mandalay, Moulmein, Bassein, and Taunggyi.

He called on people who favour democracy to join the protests.

"Today, we, the 88 Generation Students, will jointly be staging protests
together with democracy activists, members of the National League for
Democracy, monks, students who are currently attending universities, and
people who love the country and want to see change in Burma.

"These protests constitute our demand to the Burmese military regime that
it should release the 88 Generation Student leaders who are being detained
and resolve the political and economic problems that our people are facing
now.

"I call on all the people who love the country and its future to join our
endeavours."

Another leader of the 88 Generation Students also made a similar call on
the people.

"On 19 August, we, the 88 Generation Students, led a march from Kokaing to
Shwegondine and from Shwegondine to Tamwe. Since then, people have
continued to join our marches. However, since the other side has been
trying to stop us and obstruct our marches, people have become hesitant.
What must be remembered here is that we did not start the protests that
are ongoing and we are also unable to stop them. The movement has its own
momentum because people are expressing their will. What I want to tell the
people is that, this movement is born from the people because of their
will. I, therefore, urge you to be brave in joining us and be bold in
confronting oppression and obstruction. The more that we can strive, the
better the results we will achieve. I want to urge the people to join us."

In connection with interferences from the Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA) and the Swan Ahr Shin (SAS) during the three-day of
protests, Ko Htay Kywe said:

"This is what I want to tell them. All the people of Burma are victims of
the system in the country. So, you - members of the USDA and the SAS -
should not think that you are doing something good for the country. Try to
clearly understand that you are protecting a small clique of people. I
appeal to you to carefully consider how you can contribute to the progress
of the life of the people and help fulfil the wish of the people. Besides,
brutal and anarchic acts only leave stains in history.

"Hence, regardless of the obstacles, I urge the military regime to join
hands with monks, students, and the rest of the people to decisively
resolve through dialogue the existing political problems and economic
difficulties that the people are facing today. That is the genuine desire
of the people, including monks and students. I also call on the people to
join us in our endeavours."

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma website, Oslo, in Burmese 24 Aug 07

____________________________________

August 23, Narinjara News
Monks demonstrate in Rangoon

Some 200 monks demonstrated peacefully in Thanlyin, Rangoon, on the night
of 20 August to protest the authorities' order to monasteries in Thanlyin
not to allow monks to venture outside at night, reports a monk from
Rangoon.

The order was issued by Mayaka, the Thanlyin Township administration, and
sent to all monasteries in the township on 19 August through the township
monk council.

After the order was issued by the authority, over 200 monks from several
monasteries came out during the night and gathered in a garden in downtown
Thanlyin to protest the government's edict.

The peaceful demonstration was completed at 2 a.m. on 21 August, with no
action having been taken by government authorities during the protest.

The Thanlyin Township authority likely issued the order to the monasteries
in order to restrict monks who may have become involved in the expected
demonstrations against the government's recent fuel price increase, said
the monk.

____________________________________

August 24, Agence France Presse
Myanmar arrests 20 more protesters

Myanmar security forces Friday arrested a group of 20 protesters as they
prepared to rally outside the Yangon city hall, activists said.

The demonstrators, mostly women, were gathering to protest against a
massive hike in fuel prices that has sparked three days of protests
already this week.

"They were arrested before they could do anything. They had just started
walking," said an activist who witnessed the arrests.

Security forces took the protesters inside city hall, the activist added.

Dozens of people have already been arrested over protests this week,
including some of the country's most prominent pro-democracy activists.

The latest arrests came amid signs that the protests were spreading to
other parts of the country.

An activist in the central town of Yenanchuang told AFP by telephone that
dozens of members of the opposition National League for Democracy had
staged protests on Thursday and Friday against the fuel price increase.

The fuel price hike doubled transport costs around the country, but the
activist said local officials had agreed to return bus fares to their
earlier levels.

"We told the authorities that we will watch the situation," the activist
said on condition of anonymity.

This week has seen the most sustained protests against the military regime
in at least nine years, as activists harness public anger over the fuel
price increase.

____________________________________

August 24, Irrawaddy
USDA stirs trouble for peaceful protesters - Violet Cho

Members of the pro-government civilian organization Union Solidarity and
Development Association have hired casual laborers and unemployed people
to intimidate and attack protesters engaged in the nonviolent promotion of
democracy and human rights in Burma, according to sources in Rangoon.

One Rangoon resident who joined the USDA to confront protesters said that
organization members came to his house and asked that he join the group to
deal with people protesting against the government.

The USDA is said to have paid between 2,000 and 2,500 kyat (US $1.50 and
$1.88) per day to people who participate in the crackdown on protesters.
Others have also received food in addition to cash.

Residents in the former capital said USDA members and ordinary citizens
recruited by the organization lay in wait for protesters along roadsides,
at bus stops and particularly at teashops.

The behind-the-scenes role of the USDA in supporting Burma’s military
regime under the guise of a civilian social organization has evoked strong
criticism from Burmese opposition and exile groups.

In a statement released on Friday, the Burma Lawyers Council condemned the
USDA for human rights violations and breaches of Burmese law.

“The USDA is an illegal organization in Burma,” BLC General Secretary Aung
Htoo told The Irrawaddy on Friday. “What they are doing at the moment is
unacceptable. They are abusing and violating civilians.”

The pro-government organization was founded in September 1993 by top
military leaders of the State Peace and Development Council, which rules
Burma. Originally registered as a social organization devoted to
addressing civil and religious issues within Burma, the group has since
become little more than a civilian wing of the government frequently used
to enforce obedience to the state through violence or intimidation.

USDA members have been implicated in attacks on Aung San Suu Kyi and her
supporters in Depayin—which left dozens dead and injured—on May 30, 2003.

____________________________________

August 24, The Independent (London)
Burmese junta in military build-up after fuel protests - Andrew Buncombe

In a defiant stand against the military junta, activists in Burma took to
the streets yesterday for the third time in less than a week to protest
against rising fuel prices and soaring inflation. Once again the march was
broken up by the security forces, who dragged away up to a dozen
protesters.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that the authorities are bolstering their
military presence, stationing vehicles and troops out of sight in local
compounds.

In the latest demonstrations - the most sustained campaign for several
years - about 40 members of the opposition National League for Democracy
(NLD) - whose co-founder Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest in Yangon
- marched without placards through the streets of the capital.

They walked for about two miles towards their party's offices in the east
of the city before a stand-off with the security forces and pro-government
gangs. They sat on the pavement and formed a human chain in an attempt to
prevent the security forces from dragging them into the waiting trucks and
buses.

But witnesses said that up to a dozen protesters were taken away, many of
them being punched and slapped by the police as they were driven off in
trucks belonging to the Union Solidarity and Development Association
(USDA), an or-ganisation established by the government to use against
dissidents. Reporters and bystanders were ordered out of the area, and
some members of the media were also reportedly roughed up.

The demonstrations have been held specifically to protest against the
government's decision to order a massive rise in the price of compressed
natural gas and diesel. The move has added to the hardships for an already
beleaguered and impoverished population.

Thirteen leading dissidents were arrested in midnight raids at the
beginning of the week after the first protest on Sunday. More were held
after a second march on Wednesday. Mark Farmaner, of the pressure group
Burma Campaign UK, said: "These reports [of a military buildup in Yangon]
are very disturbing. We know from experience that the regime is quite
prepared to open fire on peaceful protesters."

____________________________________

August 24, Irrawaddy
Journalists covering demos complain of harassment - Saw Yan Naing

Reporters and photographers covering the protest demonstrations in Rangoon
complained on Friday that they were being harassed by the authorities and
pro-regime elements.

A correspondent of the international news agency Reuters told The
Irrawaddy he was pushed by unknown men, who tried to take his camera.
“They said we can’t take photos,” he said.

The Bangkok-based media advocacy group Southeast Asian Press Alliance
expressed its concern on Friday about the harassment of journalists. SEAPA
Executive Director Roby Alampay said: “We are very concerned about
situation recently in Rangoon. We heard that some editors were
interrogated by the police.

“We are concerned about freedom of assembly and the freedom of the press.
It is a very terrible situation in Burma.”

Alampay called on the international community to closely monitor the
situation.

Rangoon sources said many reporters from leading journals and periodicals
had been told by their editors not to cover the demonstrations. “Editors
told them that if anything happens to them they will not accept
responsibility,” one editor told The Irrawaddy.

Media sources said that only a few correspondents from major news agencies
such as AP, AFP and Reuters were covering the demonstrations, while local
reporters were apparently staying away.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 24, Irrawaddy
Junta warns against some imported medicine, toothpaste - Khun Sam

Burma’s ruling junta has warned residents to avoid using some brands of
medicine and toothpaste imported from China, Thailand and the Philippines,
which it has deemed “unsafe” because they may contain poisonous chemicals,
according to shop owners in northern Burma and state-run press reports.

“On Tuesday, officials came to our shop and asked that I sign a statement
agreeing not to sell five types of medicine and four brands of toothpaste
imported from China and the Philippines, which were previously identified
in the state-run press,” said a store owner in Bhamo, eastern Kachin
State, about 30 miles from the Chinese border, told The Irrawaddy on
Friday.

“The statement ordered us to destroy existing stocks of medicine and
toothpaste and not to sell them anymore,” the store owner added.

Another store owner in Bhamo said authorities have warned businesspeople
that a special investigation group will be checking every store in Bhamo
and that legal action will be taken against anyone found selling the
banned medicine and toothpaste.

Recent steps to halt the sale of suspect imports come nearly a month after
the government announced a ban on five types of medicine produced in
Thailand and four brands of toothpaste imported from China and the
Philippines.

In a report by the state-run Burmese language daily newspaper The Mirror,
the country’s Ministry of Health warned citizens to avoid using medicine
and toothpaste illegally imported from neighboring countries.

The report said that the banned imports contained diethylene glycol,
sometimes used as substantially cheaper substitute for glycerine in food
and pharmaceutical products but that is highly toxic to humans.

The Burmese government’s warning also follows reports last month that the
US, Japan, Singapore and other Asian countries recalled a toothpaste brand
made in China and said to have been contaminated. The US and Thailand have
also issued warnings about other Chinese-made products such as toys and
clothing that are said to contain toxic chemicals.

Burma imports numerous Chinese products—legally and illegally—from various
cross border routes. Most of the imports are cheap consumer electronics,
processed food and agricultural equipment.

“Most people in Burma use Chinese products regardless of the quality or
legal restrictions because of their cheaper price,” a Rangoon-based doctor
told The Irrawaddy. “Even we, doctors, have to rely on Chinese products in
our clinics,” he added.

The military-ruled country’s Food and Drug Advisory does not have enough
resources to control the quality of all imported goods, the English
language weekly newspaper The Myanmar Times reported in late July, quoting
FDA Director Dr Kyaw Lin.

The Rangoon-based doctor said the FDA is also prone to corruption, with
some companies bribing officials to get products licensed. Other
companies, the doctor claims, only register with the governmental body
when they turn a profit.

“There are many popular medicines that are similar to registered ones,”
the doctor said. “Here is an example. A legally imported anti-rabies
medicine that is legally imported might sell for 2,500 kyat (US $1.88),
while a similar unregistered medicine will sell on the black market for
only 1,200 kyat (90 US cents).”

The doctor added: “My wife, who is a doctor, even used an expired Thai eye
drop medicine.”

Without adequate laboratories and systematic research, the FDA cannot
adequately control the quality of food and drugs in the Burma, the doctor
concluded.

“Burma should use high-tech laboratories to control the quality of
products, so that consumers can trust the FDA to tell them which products
are safe,” the doctor said.

The five Thai-produced medicines being banned in Burma include the
following: Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Injection, 50ml (for veterinary
use), produced by A.N.B Co., Ltd; Paracetamol, 500mg, produced by Asian
Union Laboratory Co., Ltd; Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C 50mg), produced by
A.N.H Products Ltd; Cyproheptadine Hydrochloride (Cyproheptadine HCL
Anhydrous 4mg), produced by New Life Pharma Co., Ltd; and Tiffy Syrup
(N-Acetyl-Paminophenol 120mg, Phenylephrine HCL 5mg Chlorpheniramine
Maleate 1mg/5ml), produced by Thai Nakorn Patana Co., Ltd.

In addition to medicine, Burmese authorities have also banned the
following brands of toothpaste: Nobege Toothpaste, produced by Paliry
Everyday Use Co., Philippines Ltd and Shanghai Toothpaste with Sodium,
produced by Shanghai White Cat Shareholding Co.,Ltd. Two additional brands
by unknown companies have also been banned: White Men Toothpaste
(Strawberry flavor) and an unidentified brand in a green tube that has the
Chinese word “Hkayanchi” on the packaging.

____________________________________

August 24, Mathaba
Thailand, Myanmar discuss marine gas pipeline investment

 Thailand and Myanmar have discussed a possibility of a joint venture for
an investment in a marine pipeline construction to supply more natural
gas from the M-9 field located in Myanmar.

Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand, who is attending the 25th ASEAN
Energy Ministers Meeting here, said he had discussed with his Myanmar
counterpart progress in negotiations for natural gas trading between
Thailand and Myanmar through a joint venture.

He said PTT Exploration and Production Plc expected it would be able to
supply natural gas from the M-9 field to Thailand in late 2011 or early
2012 to accommodate higher power demand in the country.

The field has a gas reserve of more than 1.5 trillion cubic feet and is
able to supply gas at a rate of around 300 million cubic feet per day.

The M-9 field development project is expected to require a total
investment of US$1 billion.

Since PTTEP wants to invest in energy fields in other countries, it has
invited foreign partners to join the project.

Of late, the state-owned Oman Oil Co had agreed to hold a 5 per cent stake
and the Myanmar government was given the right to hold 15 per cent.

PTTEP will be the major shareholder with at least 30-40 per cent with the
remaining stake to be held by other partners.

"Both countries want to see the project get off the ground as soon as
possible to accommodate the increasing power demand.

"Although it remains difficult to install a marine pipeline," he said, "we
believe the project will definitely be implemented in the future."

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 24, Associated Press
Exiled Burmese dissidents may get rare recognition from Asean lawmakers'
sroup

Southeast Asia's main lawmakers' group may let the victors of Burma's 1990
election join its annual congress, officials said Friday—a rare
recognition of pro-democracy politicians exiled from the military-ruled
country.

Nearly 100 dissident leaders, mainly members of Nobel laureate Aung San
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, recently sought "special
observer" status at the general assembly of the lawmakers' group known by
its acronym, AIPA.

AIPA, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Inter-Parliamentary
Assembly, said in a statement that it agreed at its congress in Kuala
Lumpur in Malaysia this week to refer the matter to its top committee for
a decision by next year. AIPA comprises legislators from eight Southeast
Asian countries.

"This is a big and long-overdue move," said San Aung, who was elected to
Myanmar's parliament in 1990 and now lives in neighboring Thailand. "We
look forward to a positive and progressive decision by AIPA to grant us
our rightful place among them."

The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in Burma's 1990
election, the first freely contested poll in nearly three decades. But the
ruling military refused to hand over power, insisting that a new
constitution was needed before it could do so.

Activists say at least 33 of those elected to the parliament now live in
exile, while more than 80 are considered "stateless" and their whereabouts
are uncertain.

The military's continued rule has left Burma isolated from much of the
world community, which wants power handed to a democratically elected
government.

AIPA has members from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Two other Asean member
nations—Burma and Brunei—are "special observer" countries. Burma's junta
usually sends diplomats to AIPA's congress.

Another group of Asean lawmakers who have been pushing for democratic
reforms in Burma expressed hopes that AIPA will "decide favorably and
grant Burma's elected MPs observer status, if not full participatory
presence."

Burma's elected parliamentarians "have long awaited recognition from AIPA
and other regional parliamentary groupings," the Asean Inter-Parliamentary
Myanmar Caucus said in a statement Friday.

____________________________________

August 24, Thai Press Reports
ASEAN energy ministers agree to set up a caucus on nuclear energy safety

ASEAN energy ministers agreed Thursday to set up a caucus on nuclear
energy safety as more countries in the region pursue nuclear energy
programs, ASEAN officials said, The Nation reports.

The ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations endorsed
Singapore's proposal for a Nuclear Energy Safety Subsector Network
Agreement at the annual meeting, the officials said.

''They agreed to endorse the agreement and a nuclear energy subsector
network will be established,'' Guillermo Balce, undersecretary in the
Philippines Department of Energy, told Kyodo News after a meeting among
ASEAN ministers.

That agreement is likely to be signed at their subsequent meeting to be
held in Bangkok next year, they said.

Details on the terms of reference and composition for a working group on
nuclear energy safety will be threshed out after the Singapore meeting,
officials said.

ASEAN currently has six subsectors under energy, Balce said, and the
nuclear subsector will be the seventh.

The caucus is being established as more Southeast Asian countries are
pursuing nuclear energy programs. Indonesia plans to set up a nuclear
power plant by 2018 and Thailand by 2020. Vietnam and the Philippines are
also keen while Burma has also indicated its interest in nuclear power.

''Burma is trying to conduct nuclear research already and they are getting
support from overseas,'' an official source said.

Malaysia recently announced plans to set up Southeast Asia's first nuclear
monitoring laboratory, funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency,
to conduct research and monitor the nuclear situation in Southeast Asia.

Besides focusing on nuclear safety, the working group will also explore
the pros and cons of expanding nuclear power usage in ASEAN, which
comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

''It's a kind of a neutral body on how to use nuclear power in terms of
safety aspects,'' he said.

Japanese officials are encouraging ASEAN to use nuclear energy for power
generation and have offered to share Japan's experience.

Besides having their own meeting Thursday, ASEAN energy ministers are also
scheduled to meet with ministers from Japan, South Korea and China later
in the day.

There will also be the first meeting of energy ministers from the 16
member countries of the East Asia Summit, which comprises the 10 ASEAN
countries, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

ASEAN ministers are also inking a memorandum on power grid cooperation,
focusing on the electricity trade.

A proposed ASEAN petroleum security agreement will not be signed this year
due to a lack of consensus and will probably be signed in Bangkok in 2008,
officials said.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 24, Mizzima News
U.N. to stay the course

Following days of demonstrations and arrests in Burma, United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, yesterday, called on the military
government to adhere to the "spirit of the efforts of mutual engagement
being pursued by the United Nations in the context of his good offices."

Ban appealed directly to the government, in a statement, to "exercise
restraint" in dealing with demonstrations and protesters.

The Secretary General called on all parties not to partake in activities
and actions that could be deemed provocative and lead to a worsening of
the situation.

In line with the overall strategy adopted by the United Nations toward
Burma, Ban urged those involved in the ongoing disputes to engage in a
"constructive dialogue" to address the situation inside the country at
this important time.

Spearheading the Secretary General's approach of constructive engagement
is Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari. Gambari has recently met, discussing
Burma, with leaders throughout the world and is scheduled to pay a visit
to Burma in the near future.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 24, Irrawaddy
Politics, not rising prices, are behind the protests - Aung Zaw

The sudden fuel price increases that triggered street protests and a
political crackdown in Burma this week highlighted not only the country’s
economic woes and the incompetence of the ruling generals but also the
country’s political problems.

The military rulers have made the same kind of blunder as occurred in 1987
when Gen Ne Win’s government suddenly announced the demonetization of bank
notes.

The cancellation of bank notes and Ne Win’s speech in August 1987, in
which he proposed “economic reform” and admitted “mistakes” in the past,
only provided ammunition to the outraged public and dissidents who were
fed up with the socialist regime. A year later, Ne Win saw his own demise.

The current regime’s announcement of huge fuel price increases was greeted
with shock and was subsequently followed by widespread street
demonstrations in Burma’s former capital.

As in 1988, the protests quickly turned into political demonstrations. A
cowed public bravely took to the streets in pockets of demonstrations in
Rangoon and provinces as far as central Burma. Some demonstrators even
held pictures of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her
father Gen Aung San, the late independence hero, and gave political
speeches. The demonstrations are clearly not about the fuel price
increases—Suu Kyi and her father have nothing in common with the price of
gasoline.

The demonstrations are manifestations of a fight for freedom. The Burmese
were waiting for the spark that would ignite a political uprising. It
remains to be seen, however, how the fragile protest movement can sustain
itself and resist the brutal nature of the regime.

As usual, the regime has reacted with provocations, attacks, arrests and
the detention of key pro-democracy leaders, including Min Ko Naing, a
former leader of the 1988 uprising. Its actions can only invite more
trouble and international outcry, nothing unusual for the regime. However,
the junta is determined to quell the protests with brute force.

As the protests continue, foreign and Burmese analysts are looking into
the causes of the fuel price increases.

Some say the regime has been considering a privatization of the fuel
distribution system in Burma and a probable sale of retail outlets to a
private company. This might cause the regime to increase fuel prices to
make the chosen company initially profitable.

Some theories are more intriguing, however.

One of these suggests that military leaders who wanted to postpone the
final session of the National Convention, which has been drafting
guidelines for a new constitution, deliberately increased the fuel prices
to provoke public outrage.

The National Convention, attended by handpicked delegates, has faced some
resistance from ethnic groups over issues of autonomy. Senior officials
told foreign journalists— who were granted visas but then not allowed into
the country—that tension has been rising. Contradictory reports also came
out of Burma that National Convention closing remarks and speeches have
been prepared.

The most interesting theory is that some army leaders who wanted to outdo
Burma’s paramount leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe calculatingly announced the
fuel price increases to trigger unrest and riots.

It is impossible to know the real story behind the increases since the
regime made no prior announcement nor did it provide any proper
explanation for them.

Now the regime is busy hunting down the street protesters, labeling them
“agitators”—prompting the question: who is the real agitator?

The regime might well have anticipated the social and political unrest,
putting its hired thugs and security officials on alert to intimidate,
attack and arrest pro-democracy activists.

Some analysts and journalists in Rangoon say that the street protests and
rapid reaction by students and former activists gave the excuse to the
regime to arrest prominent pro-democracy leaders like Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko
Gyi and many others. Min Ko Naing, who had spent 16 year in solidarity
confinement, had in fact been telling colleagues in exile that the regime
has been looking for an excuse to again detain him and his comrades.

As in 1988, a scuffle between a group of civilians and university students
finally turned into an anti-government demonstration. Why? Dissidents and
Burmese were looking for a political reason to confront the military
regime.

The street demonstrations in Rangoon this week are a clear reminder of the
1988 uprising. Twenty years on, Burma remains a political time bomb.

__________________________________
STATEMENT

August 24, Sweden
On a statement by Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt by on
recent developments in Burma said as follows:

"Recent peaceful demonstrations in Rangoon by leaders of the 88 Generation
Students is an expression of widely felt discontent and despair among the
people of Burma. Triggered by steep increases in fuel prices, these
demonstrations appear to be a logical consequence of many years of
political repression and economic mismanagement.

"Sweden condemns the arrest of pro-democracy activists and calls for their
immediate release. We also urge the regime to release all political
prisoners and to engage in a genuine dialogue with the democratic
opposition groups in Burma."