BurmaNet News, September 25, 2007

[Editor]

September 25, 2007 Issue # 3301

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Myanmar bans gatherings, imposes curfew
New York Times: Burmese junta warns monks of crackdown as protests widen
Mizzima News: Monks appeal to UN Chief, activists want peace keeping force
Reuters: Myanmar troops pour into Yangon after protests
Irrawaddy: Top brass reportedly meets as mass protests continue
DVB: Defiant protests continue despite first signs of military response
Khonumthung News: NLD, student leaders arrested in northwestern Burma
Narinjara News: Over 100,000 people stage demonstration in Akyab

HEALTH / AIDS
Irrawaddy: Small medical team faces overwhelming task if crackdown comes

REGIONAL
AP: China says it won't meddle in Myanmar, but gently nudges junta to ease
strife
Irrawaddy: Safety of Thai citizens in Burma a concern, says Foreign Ministry
The Jakarta Post: President asked to bring Myanmar issue to the front at
UN assembly

INTERNATIONAL
AP: International community appeals to Myanmar regime not to crack down on
street protests
AFP: Bush to announce new sanctions against Myanmar regime
AP: EU appeals to Myanmar regime to avoid crackdown against street protests
AFP: Britain eyes return of Suu Kyi as 'rightful' Myanmar leader

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Sons of Buddha in prison: Burmese activists monks - Tate Naing
The Nation: Burma needs the world's help [Editorial]
Washington Post: Tipping Point in Burma [Editorial]
Boston Globe: Monks vs. military in Burma [editorial]
The Age (Melbourne, Australia): Our shameful silence on Burmese terror –
Mary O'Kane
Economist: Monks and the military: What will the junta do?

PRESS RELEASE
International Crisis Group: Myanmar: Time for urgent action

STATEMENT
Joint Statement of ABMA and 88 Generation Students (Unofficial translation)
INEB statement of support for demonstrations by Buddhist Monks in Burma
NGO-COD: The Thai government must send a clear message to the Burmese
military junta

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 25, Associated Press
Myanmar bans gatherings, imposes curfew

Yangon, Myanmar:  The military government banned assemblies of more than
five people and imposed curfews in Myanmar's two largest cities on
Tuesday, after thousands of Buddhist monks and sympathizers defied orders
to stay out of politics and protested once again.

Truckloads of soldiers converged on Yangon after the monks, cheered on by
supporters, marched out for an eighth day of peaceful protest from
Yangon's soaring Shwedagon Pagoda, while some 700 others staged a similar
show of defiance in the country's second largest city of Mandalay.

"The protest is not merely for the well being of people but also for monks
struggling for democracy and for people to have an opportunity to
determine their own future," one monk told The Associated Press, speaking
on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals from officials. "People do not
tolerate the military government any longer."

President Bush on Tuesday announced new U.S. sanctions against Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma, accusing the military dictatorship of imposing "a
19-year reign of fear" that denies basic freedoms of speech, assembly and
worship.

The 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and the meeting ban were announced late
Tuesday through loudspeakers mounted on vehicles cruising through the
streets of Yangon and Mandalay, said witnesses. The announcement said the
measures would be in effect for 60 days.

The measures, after a week of relative inaction by the government, throws
down a challenge to its opponents. Should the protesters defy the new
regulation, the junta will have no choice but to use force or back down.

Using force, especially against monks, who are revered in predominantly
Buddhist Myanmar, might intimidate some people, but could also stir anger
against the regime at home and abroad. So far, the government had been
handling the monks gingerly,

But backing down would also carry the risk of emboldening protesters even
more.

_______________________________________

September 25, New York Times
Burmese junta warns monks of crackdown as protests widen - Seth Mydans

Myanmar's military junta issued its first warning on Monday after a month
of widening antigovernment demonstrations, saying it was prepared to crack
down on the Buddhist monks who are at the heart of the protests.

Speaking on state television, the junta's minister of religious affairs
told senior Buddhist clerics to rein in the tens of thousands of monks who
have marched through several cities in recent days.

If not, said the minister, Brig. Gen. Thura Myint Maung, unspecified
action would be taken against the monks ''according to the law.''

He said the protesting monks had been instigated by the junta's domestic
and foreign enemies, the same accusation that had previously been made
against members of the political opposition. Any action against the monks
would be extremely risky for the government because of the reverence in
which they are held in Myanmar, a Buddhist nation. The warning came at the
end of a day when protesters filled the streets in greater numbers than
ever, pushing their confrontation with the military government toward an
unpredictable and possibly dangerous outcome.

In the main city of Yangon, formerly Rangoon, the monks who have led the
protests for the past week were outnumbered by civilians, including
prominent political dissidents and well-known cultural figures, according
to news services, exile groups based in Thailand and witnesses interviewed
by telephone.

Setting out in the morning from the gold-spired Shwedagon Pagoda, a crowd
estimated by The Associated Press to be as large as 100,000 marched
unopposed in separate columns through the city. Other protests were
reported in Mandalay, Sittwe and Bago. Monks and their supporters have
also marched in other cities in recent days.

Until now, the government had remained silent and mostly out of sight,
ceding to the protesters streets that were mostly empty of any uniformed
security presence.

''We are in uncharted territory,'' said the British ambassador to Myanmar,
Mark Canning, speaking by telephone from Yangon after observing the crowds
on Monday.

''These demonstrations seem to be steadily picking up momentum,'' he said.
''They are widely spread geographically. They are quite well organized.
They are stimulated by genuine economic hardship, and they are being done
in a peaceful but very effective fashion.''

For all the energy and jubilation of the crowds, the country formerly
known as Burma seemed to be holding its breath. As the demonstrations
expanded from political dissidents a month ago to Buddhist monks last week
to the broad public, the government's options seemed to be narrowing.

The country's rulers are also coming under increasing pressure from the
United States, which has imposed sanctions on Myanmar for years, including
a ban on all Burmese products. When President Bush, who has spoken out
frequently on Myanmar, addresses the United NationsGeneral Assembly on
Tuesday, he will announce more sanctions, including financial restrictions
against Myanmar's leaders and a ban on visas for them and their families,
said Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser. Mr. Hadley said Mr.
Bush would use his address to call on other nations to support the
protests.

The demonstrations proceeded under the shadow of the last major nationwide
convulsion, in 1988, when even larger pro-democracy protests were crushed
by the military at the cost of some 3,000 lives.

The government may have been hoping that the demonstrations would simply
run out of steam, but their rapid growth and the pent-up grievances that
are driving them make that seem unlikely. With each day, the growing size
of the crowds seems to attract even more participants.

Another possibility is the opening of some form of compromise or dialogue
between the government and its opponents. But that is an option the
country's military rulers have never genuinely embraced.

Instead, they have jailed their political opponents, held the
pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and rejected
the demands of the country's marginalized ethnic minorities. When the
challenges against them have seemed threatening, they have used force, as
in 1988 or in 2003, the year the government unleashed a band of thugs to
attack Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi when her popularity seemed to be getting out
of hand.

Myanmar was alive on Monday not only with the heady energy of mass
demonstrations, but also with rumors of an impending military crackdown.
Exile groups with contacts inside the country have been reporting troop
movements and warnings to hospitals to prepare for many casualties.

But analysts said a number of factors that were not present in 1988 might
be constraining the government today. The first is that the world is
watching. Since 1988, Myanmar has become the focus of international
condemnation for its abuses of human and political rights and its
treatment of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 12
of the past 18 years.

It has become an embarrassment to its nine partners in the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, a regional political and economic organization;
some of the group's meetings have been boycotted by the United States
because of the inclusion of Myanmar. Using economic and political
leverage, that association has been increasingly open in calling for
reform in Myanmar.

The most significant constraint on Myanmar's behavior may be China, its
giant neighbor, which has supported it with aid and commercial ties,
undermining the economic penalties imposed by Western nations.

''China wants stability here, and the way things are going is not really
consistent with that,'' said a Western diplomat reached by telephone in
Myanmar whose embassy requires anonymity as a condition for speaking.

Chinese businesses have invested heavily in Myanmar, which is a major
source of raw materials -- particularly oil and gas -- and a potential
link to seaports on the Andaman Sea.

China has said repeatedly that Myanmar's troubles are its own internal
affair, and last year it blocked an American move to place Myanmar's
violations of human rights on the agenda of the United Nations Security
Council.

But it has recently taken small public steps to press for democratic
reform in Myanmar. In June, it arranged a highly unusual meeting in
Beijing between representatives of Myanmar and the United States at which
the Americans pressed for the release of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi.

This month, as the demonstrations built in Myanmar, a senior Chinese
diplomat, Tang Jiaxuan, told the visiting Myanmar foreign minister, Nyan
Win, that ''China wholeheartedly hopes that Myanmar will push forward a
democracy process that is appropriate for the country.''

But with its population rising up against it in the strongest challenge of
the past two decades, some analysts said, it may be too late to urge the
generals to be calm. ''At this point, I think all bets are off and the
Chinese will have no real influence on what they do,'' said David
Mathieson, an expert on Myanmar with the international rights group Human
Rights Watch.

Steven Lee Myers contributed reporting from New York.


____________________________________

September 25, Mizzima News
Monks appeal to UN Chief, activists want peace keeping force - Mungpi

Protesting Burmese monks today urged the United Nations to intervene
immediately into the situation in Burma as there are signs of the junta
gearing up for a brutal crack down.

The All Burma Buddhist Monks Union, in a letter addressed to the UN chief
Ban Ki-moon, appealed to the world body to immediately intervene in Burma
in order to avoid large scale bloodshed in what would be a repetition of
the 1988 uprising, where thousands of students, monks and civilians were
brutally killed by the ruling junta.

"While we are carrying out activities with an understanding that it is the
duty of the citizens to bring about changes in our country, the military
junta instead of complying with our demands peacefully, are gearing up for
a brutal crackdown," The Monks Union said.

"Therefore, we urge you to immediately intervene in helping the Burmese
people to elect a new leader that will be acceptable by all, instead of
waiting until there is bloodshed and chaos before acting," the Monks Union
added.

The monks union's call came as monks and civilians today continued the
second day of the nation-wide protests in Burma, despite the junta's
warning that it would 'take action'.

Eyewitnesses said, more than 1, 50,000 people – monks, students, and
civilians - today protested in former capital of Burma. Students were also
seen hoisting the fighting peacock flag, a symbol student revolution.

The protest, which extended to more than 10 cities, towns and villages
across Burma, demanded the release of political prisoners including
detained pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, better living
condition and a dialogue that would kick-start national reconciliation
process.

In the first response to the ongoing protests led by the monks, the junta
in its state-run television last night broadcast a warning saying it will
take 'take action' against protesters.

As a step towards security, several military trucks loaded with soldiers
were seen moving towards downtown Rangoon, eyewitnesses said.

Interestingly, sources close to the military establishment said there was
diverse opinion among the top brass of the military clique, on using
violent methods to crackdown on protesters.

While Senior General Than Shwe, Burma's military supremo, wanted to open
fire on peaceful protesters in a similar to what the army did 19 years
ago, several military divisional commanders including Rangoon military
divisional commander, Northwestern Military divisional commander and
Northeastern military divisional commander disagreed with him, the source
said.

However, the information could not be independently verified.

Just as the junta is reported to be gearing up for a massive crackdown,
another rumor is doing the rounds in Rangoon that the junta in order to
blackout communication will shut-down one of the country's only two
Internet Service provider, Myanmar teleport, earlier known as Bagan
Cybertech.

"It might be possible that the junta will shut-down internet connections
tonight. Even now we are experiencing weak connection. Phone lines are bad
too, even local phones are sometimes inaccessible." a resident in Rangoon
told Mizzima.

He added that he saw about seven military trucks with at least 30 soldiers
in uniforms in each of them in front of the City Hall in downtown Rangoon.

Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group, an independent NGO, said the UN
chief should start talking to foreign ministers of China, India and
Singapore, the current Asean chair, on the sidelines of the ongoing 62nd
UN General Assembly, and initiate a joint attempt that would encourage
peaceful dialogue in Burma.

The group also urged China, India and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations to back Ban Ki-moon and put their full weight behind UN efforts to
find a solution to Burma's political crisis.

"Only China, India, and, to a lesser degree, ASEAN have any influence on
the military regime," said the group in a statement release today.

The only way to stop the Burmese junta from responding to the ongoing
protest with a brutal crackdown, the UN should send in peacekeeping forces
to Burma in order to stop bloodshed and chaos, an exiled Burmese activist
said.

Cheery Zahau, coordinator of the Women's League of Chinland based in
India- Burma border said, "Unless the UN sends in its peace keeping force,
Burma's situation will get worse and result in lost of numerous lives."

"So, peacekeeping force should be sent in as has been done in African
nations to neutralize the situation where the junta will not be allowed to
act rampantly."

____________________________________

September 25, Reuters
Myanmar troops pour into Yangon after protests - Aung Hla Tun

The Myanmar junta poured troops and police armed with rifles into central
Yangon on Tuesday in an attempt to end the biggest demonstrations against
military rule in nearly 20 years.

Hundreds of them surrounded the Sule Pagoda, focus of two days of mass
protests led by thousands of maroon-robed monks, and appeared to be
preparing to seal off the area, witnesses said.

In another possible sign of a looming confrontation, a well-placed source
said detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was moved to the notorious
Insein prison on Sunday, a day after she appeared in front of her house to
greet marching monks.

Some analysts said the junta was been caught off guard by the speed with
which protests mushroomed from sporadic marches against fuel prices in
mid-August to massed demonstrations against 45 years of military rule a
month later.

On Tuesday evening, soldiers moved in on Sule Pagoda after the end of
hours of peaceful protest by tens of thousands of people who turned up
despite the junta's threat to use force.

The area around the pagoda, which includes City Hall, was the scene of the
worst bloodshed during a crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests in
1988 in which 3,000 people are thought to have been killed.

Tuesday echoed with reminders of one of the darkest days of Myanmar's
modern history, starting with vehicles bearing loudspeakers touring the
city blaring out threats of action under a law allowing troops to break up
illegal protests.

People arrived in huge numbers anyway and in Taunggok, a coastal city 250
miles (400) to the northwest, about 40,000 monks and civilians took to the
streets, witnesses said.

They were led in Yangon by 10,000 monks chanting "democracy, democracy"
and, in a gesture of defiance, some waved the bright red "fighting
peacock" flag, emblem of the student unions that spearheaded the 1988
uprising.

The streets were lined with people clapping and cheering as the column of
monks stretched several blocks on their march from the Shwedagon Pagoda,
the Southeast Asian nation's holiest shrine and symbolic heart of the
campaign, to the Sule Pagoda.

The international community pleaded with the generals to avoid another
bloodbath.

British Ambassador Mark Canning told Reuters two ministers had assured him
the protests "would be dealt with in a 'correct' fashion, whatever that
means".

But the chilling message behind the loudspeaker warnings was lost on
nobody in Yangon, a city of 5 million people, a week after monks started
marching in protest against warning shots being fired over the heads of
fellow monks.

"I'm really worried about the possible outbreak of violence," a street
vendor said. "We know from experience that these people never hesitate to
do what they want."

Ethnic Karen rebels on the Thai border told Reuters troops of the 22nd
Division had been redeployed to Yangon.

That division played a major role in the 1988 carnage and the report lent
weight to threats against senior monks issued by Religious Affairs
Minister Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung.

State radio quoted him as saying action would be taken against senior
monks if they did not control their charges in protests he said were
fomented by political extremists.

China, the closest the junta has to a friend, has been making an effort
recently to let the generals know how worried the international community
is, a Beijing-based diplomat said.

On Tuesday, China said it "certainly hopes Myanmar can maintain stability
and resolve the issue in its own way", but left it unclear clear what kind
of diplomatic pressure it was exerting on the generals behind the scenes.

Other countries urged the generals to address the grievances of Myanmar's
56 million people who, in the past 50 years, have watched their country go
from being one of Asia's brightest prospects to one of its most desperate.

U.S. President George W. Bush said in a speech at the United Nations he
would tighten economic sanctions "on the leaders of the regime and their
financial backers" and expand a visa ban on "those responsible for the
most egregious violations of human rights".

However, the junta has lived with sanctions for years.

U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari said he was praying the generals opted
for compromise.

"For the sake of the people of Myanmar, for the sake of neighboring
countries and for the sake of Myanmar's place in the world, we certainly
hope that the same reaction that took place in 1988 will not be the case
now," he told CNN.

____________________________________

September 25, Irrawaddy
Top brass reportedly meets as mass protests continue - Saw Yan Naing

Mass demonstrations continued across Burma on Tuesday, as junta leader
Snr-Gen Than Shwe was reported to have summoned military commanders to an
emergency meeting to discuss the crisis.

Soldiers eye on protesting monks from behind barricades in Rangoon on
September 25
Following an eighth day of demonstrations in Rangoon, around a dozen
trucks carrying armed troops and police were seen heading into the heart
of the city, taking up positions around the City Hall.

About 30,000 monks and 70,000 members of the public marched through
downtown Rangoon on Tuesday, ignoring warnings by the regime that legal
action would be taken against demonstrators. Loudspeaker vehicles toured
the streets broadcasting the warning, as crowds headed for the Shwedagon
Pagoda for the start of a mass procession to the Sule Pagoda in the city
center.

The demonstration passed off peacefully, although The Associated Press
reported that five truckloads of troops were seen heading downtown after
the procession had ended.

About 200 members of the opposition National League for Democracy took
part in the demonstration, together with members of the All Burma
Federation of Students’ Unions. The students waved the "fighting peacock”
flag, a symbol of their struggle against the military regime.

The NLD issued a statement on Tuesday supporting the monks and calling for
a start to a process of national reconciliation.

A joint statement issued on Tuesday by the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist
Monks and the 88-Generation Students group urged the public to join monks
in calling for national reconciliation, the release of all political
prisoners and an improvement in the living standards of the people.

The monks and their supporters would not yield before threats of a
military crackdown, the statement said.

A separate statement issued on Tuesday by the Committee Representing the
People’s Parliament in Burma called for even greater pressure on the
regime to establish democracy in the country. The statement urged younger
people and students to throw their support behind the protest movement.

Monks and their supporters also continued their protests in other cities
and towns across the country.

In Mandalay, Burma’s traditional center of Buddhism, about 10,000 monks
marched through the city. Demonstrations were also held in Mon, Arakan and
Kachin states.

The Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks said that more than 300,000 monks
had turned out in nationwide protests on Monday—conflicting with a claim
by the regime that only 2 percent of Burma’s 400,000 monks were taking
part in the demonstrations.

____________________________________

September 25, Democratic Voice of Burma
Defiant protests continue despite first signs of military response

Defiant monks and civilians continued to take to the streets around Burma
in protest today despite threats of legal action from the military and the
presence of troops on the ground in Rangoon.

Thousands of monks marked the eighth day of protests against the military
today with demonstrations in Rangoon, Mandalay, Sittwe and other areas of
the country. In Rangoon, eyewitnesses said that more than 100,000 people
had again taken part in demonstrations despite heavy security.

“Today marks the largest protester number. They are uncountable . . .
There are lots of nuns joining the walk as well,” a Rangoon shop keeper
told DVB.

Early this morning, government groups drove around the former capital
warning people through loudspeakers not to protest. The authorities
reportedly said that anyone taking part would be charged with undermining
security.

But ordinary civilians, monks, nuns, activists and members of the National
League for Democracy ignored the warnings and amassed at the famous
Shwedagon pagoda early this afternoon before marching towards Sule pagoda
downtown.

There they were met by hundreds of Burmese soldiers and police who had
stationed themselves outside Rangoon’s city hall in the first ominous sign
of a physical military response to the mass protests sweeping the country.

The security forces did not clash with demonstrators however and appeared
to be merely keeping a nervous watch on the large crowds. The protestors
appeared undeterred by the troops’ presence and continued protesting until
the marches broke up peacefully later in the day.

Several high-profile celebrities such as Kyaw Thu and comedian Zaganar
again joined the protestors, with Kyaw Thu saying that there was no need
for demonstrators to be afraid despite rumours of an imminent crackdown.

“If they try to arrest the monks they will have to face us first. This
time, there is no need for us to be scared,” he said, referring to the
military’s brutal crackdown on the last major protests in 1988.

____________________________________

September 25, Khonumthung News
NLD, student leaders arrested in northwestern Burma

The Burmese police in a raid arrested NLD and student leaders in
northwestern Burma soon after the Burma's Religious Affairs minister
warned that action would be taken on the monks unless they refrain from
marching on the streets.

The police raided the houses of NLD and student leaders in Kalay at 2 a.m.
today. NLD secretary U Ba Minn, member U Nyo Mya and 88 student generation
members Michael Win Kyaw and Myint Tein were arrested.

"Yes, they (police) arrested them at around 2 this morning. However, we do
not know yet where they are being detained. We don't know where to
inquire," a NLD source in Kalay said.

Burma Religious Affairs Minister Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung in
the junta's mouth piece radio warned monks not to held protests yesterday.

Though there is no crackdown on monks yet, a number of soldiers are
deployed on the streets of cities and towns across Burma including Kalay.

Amidst the warning by the junta, people from all walks of life came out in
support of the peaceful protests by monks. The number of protesters
swelled into hundred of thousands in Rangoon and other towns in Burma, the
biggest mass demonstration in Burma after people democracy uprising in
1988.

The US , EU and the international community have warned the military
regime in Burma not to respond to the protestors by violent means.

____________________________________

September 25, Narinjara News
Over 100,000 people stage demonstration in Akyab

Akyab:  Over 100,000 people including monks, nuns and students staged the
largest demonstration so far in Akyab (Sittwe), Arakan state, Burma
yesterday. The massive crowd marched through the streets of Akyab
demanding a reduction in essential commodities prices, said an eyewitness.

The demonstration started in front of Atula Marazin temple, located in the
centre of Akyab, at 12:30 p.m. after tens of thousands of people gathered
in front of the temple.

Witness said, the demonstrators marched first along Baragri road at the
temple, and later proceeded to Min Bar Gri road, Main Road and Mayu road,
holding the Buddhist flag, the student flag and the UN flag.

The demonstrators in the procession shouted only one slogan and that was
to reduce commodities prices immediately.

Another student described to Narinjara how over 100,000 demonstrators
crowded into the Main road and that he had never seen such a crowd before.

When the demonstrators reached in front of the U Ottama garden, several
monks honored U Ottama monument by laying wreaths.

During the demonstration, the authorities did not disturb the procession
but did take photos. One intelligence official was caught by the
demonstrators and later transferred to a police station unharmed.

The demonstration ended at 3:30 p.m. peacefully back and again in front of
Aula Magazine temple.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

September 25, Irrawaddy
Small medical team faces overwhelming task if crackdown comes - Shah Paung

A volunteer medical team of 35 doctors has been treating monks and
laypersons during current protest demonstrations in Rangoon, knowing that
if the Burmese junta cracks down their efforts would be vastly inadequate.

Concerns are growing that a violent crackdown could occur this week. The
military government warned on Monday it will take action against
demonstrators if protests continue.

Vehicles carrying loudspeakers roamed the streets of Rangoon on Tuesday,
telling residents they will face legal action if they join protests.

Comedian Zarganar, who helped form the medical team, said authorities have
cut the phone service of many medical team members.

Teams of doctors in vehicles have been following along as groups of monks
walk through the streets of Rangoon.

In recent days, Rangoon residents have donated medicines and other
supplies to treat a variety of ailments that protestors might incur,
including medicines for pain, blisters, dizziness, sunstroke, colds, plus
drinking water.

Of the 35 volunteer doctors, eight are senior surgeons.

Observers who recall the military slaughter of protestors in 1988 said
more doctors, medics and nurses must be assembled and preparations made
for mass casualties.

In response to the 1988 massacre, a network of 37 free medical clinics
were established in Rangoon by health workers and volunteer groups with
support from individuals and monks, Dr Saw Lwin wrote in an article
published in The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

Dr Saw Lwin, who was a member of the medical network that treated the
victims who were shot and beaten by military troops in 1988, said many
monasteries provided space for free clinics, and doctors, nurses,
paramedics and others volunteered their services. However, the clinics
were inadequate to the needs of the wounded, he said.

Dr Saw Lwin suggested that for the current protests, appropriate medical
and surgical supplies be assembled now at local townships, district
hospitals and clinics in the event of mass casualties.

The military government has increased the presence of security forces in
many cities, including Rangoon, Pegu, Mandalay, Sagaing Division and
Arakan, Mon and Kachin states.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

September 25, Associated Press
China says it won't meddle in Myanmar, but gently nudges junta to ease
strife - Charles Hutzler

China has gently urged Myanmar's military rulers to ease strife that has
seen tens of thousands take to the streets in protest, diplomats said
Tuesday, even as Beijing publicly said it would keep its usual hands-off
approach toward its neighbor.

The diplomats said China has quietly shifted gears in recent months,
jettisoning its non-interventionism for behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

A senior Chinese official asked Myanmar junta envoys this month to
reconcile with opposition democratic forces. It also arranged a low-key
meeting in Beijing between Myanmar and U.S. State Department envoys to
discuss releasing a key opposition figure.

For China Myanmar's staunchest diplomatic protector, largest trading
partner and a leading investor the shift is crucial.

Asian and Western diplomats in Beijing and Southeast Asia say China's
influence in Myanmar, also known as Burma, is second to none and could be
decisive in restraining the junta from a violent confrontation with
protesters, who held their largest demonstration in 19 years Tuesday.

"China has been working to convey the concerns of the international
community to the Burmese government," a Western diplomat in Beijing said
on condition of anonymity, citing policy. "But it could definitely do more
to apply pressure."

However, diplomats and experts cautioned that China's communist leaders
may not be willing to push harder.

Myanmar's junta has resisted economic sanctions from the West, and past
appeals from Southeast Asian neighbors and the U.N. Economically booming
China has deftly filled the diplomatic and economic vacuum, eying Myanmar
as a strategic path to the Indian Ocean and investing in its teak forests
and its gas and mineral fields and picking up an ally.

Myanmar "was a vassal state of China's for centuries, and it's fast
reverting to that status," said Sean Turnell, an economist and Myanmar
expert at Australia's Macquarie University.

Beijing protected Myanmar from scrutiny and sanction in the U.N. Security
Council earlier this year. On Tuesday, two officials one from China's
Communist Party's international affairs office, and one from the Foreign
Ministry said Beijing would stay out of Myanmar's affairs.

But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu tempered the pledge with an
appeal for Myanmar to restore calm.

"We hope Myanmar and its people will take proper actions to resolve the
issue," Jiang told reporters in Beijing.

China's own deep political and economic interests in Myanmar are now
spurring it to act, diplomats and experts said. With next year's Beijing
Olympics already bringing China higher international scrutiny, Chinese
leaders are likely loath to be associated with another repressive,
unpopular regime.

Criticism from foreign governments and international activist groups has
already caused Beijing to pare back lending to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe
and to put pressure on Sudan a key oil supplier to accept a U.N.
peacekeeping force to calm the strife in its Darfur region.

Campaigners for democracy in Myanmar have noted the success of the Darfur
activists, who warned that next year's games would be tarnished as the
"Genocide Olympics" if Beijing did not act, said Phelim Kyne, a Hong
Kong-based researcher with Human Rights Watch.

"China has made some significant concessions recently on its links to
Sudan, but it hasn't gone that far on its links with Burma," said Kyne.
"If things heat up on the border, that's not going to look good for China
in the lead up to the Olympics at all."
Beijing's dual approach publicly sticking to its old line while pursuing
change through quiet diplomacy has also characterized its policy shifts on
Sudan, and its persuasion of North Korea to join disarmament negotiations,
the diplomats said.

In June, Beijing hosted two days of low-key talks between Myanmar's junta
envoys and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric John. The U.S.
State Department, and its Embassy in Beijing, declined to disclose
details.

Diplomats from other Western embassies said the talks' topics included
relaxing house arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate
and leader of Myanmar's democratic opposition.

As protests against Myanmar's government began gathering momentum two
weeks ago, China's senior diplomat told two visiting Myanmar leaders to
seek a peaceful resolution.

"China, as a friendly neighbor of Myanmar, sincerely hopes Myanmar would
restore internal stability as soon as possible, properly handle issues and
actively promote national reconciliation," China's official Xinhua News
Agency paraphrased State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan as telling junta leader
Gen. Than Shwe and Foreign Affairs Minister U Nyan Win.

Beijing earlier telegraphed its frustration with Myanmar's often paranoid,
xenophobic rulers. In May the Foreign Ministry's Web site briefly carried
a critical account of the junta's decision to move the capital 400
kilometers (250 miles) from Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, to Naypyidaw a
remote, ill-equipped site with a shoddy airport and no mobile phone
service.

The Chinese government and companies have built a sizable presence in
Myanmar, constructing dams and laying a road that is supposed to span
Myanmar from the Chinese border to the coast.

State-run China National Offshore Oil Corp. has taken a stake in a Bay of
Bengal gas field in Myanmar, while China National Petroleum Corp. is
reportedly looking at building a pipeline network.

China surpassed Thailand to become Myanmar's No. 1 trading partner in
2005, with trade heavily lopsided in China's favor topping US$1.7 billion
(euro1.25 billion), according to Turnell, the economist.

China's Commerce Ministry says the value rose 20 percent last year and
jumped nearly 40 percent in the first seven months this year, compared to
the same period in 2006.

"China has an important role, more than anyone else," said a Western
diplomat in Bangkok. "Obviously, they have significant economic interest
and they have more reason to act than anyone else."

Correspondents Mike Casey in Bangkok, Thailand, and Christopher Bodeen in
Beijing contributed to this report.

____________________________________

September 25, Irrawaddy
Safety of Thai citizens in Burma a concern, says Foreign Ministry - Sai Silp

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is concerned for the safety
of Thai citizens who live in Burma, as the military junta has again warned
monks to cease protests demonstrations against the junta.

About 250 Thai citizens live in Burma, almost all doing business or living
with their Burmese families in Rangoon.

A ministry official told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that “the ministry is
closely watching the situation and is prepared for emergency actions.”

There has been no official reaction from the Thai government on the
unfolding events in Burma.

If the Burmese junta cracks down on the protest demonstrators, it will
send thousands of people feeling to the Burma-Thailand border area, where
they will seek refuge and assistance.

Surin Pitsuwan, a veteran Thai politician and former foreign minister, who
will take over the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations on
Jan. 1, 2008, said the size of the demonstrations could prompt the regime
to crackdown with violence.

Speaking Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York at
an event sponsored by the Asia Foundation, he said, “We do hope in Asean
that things will not get out of hand, will not become violent.”

The size of the demonstrations could provide a momentum for reform not
seen in recent years, Surin told The Associated Press. On Monday, about
100,000 monks and civilians turned out for demonstrations in Rangoon.

“I think it's different from previous gatherings in the past 10 or 20
years, in the sense that it's being led by an institution that is the most
respected in (Burmese) society,” he said, referring to the monks.

On Monday, the NGO Coordinating Committee on development, a group of Thai
non-governmental organizations, urged the Thai government to send clear
signal to Burma and expressed its support for the demonstrations.

“Thailand, as a neighbour and fellow member of Asean, should send a clear
message to the Burmese military junta, opposing the use of all forms of
violence against the demonstrators,” said a statement signed by chairman
Jon Ungphakorn, a former Thai senator.

If the Thai government remains silent and the situation turns violent,
Thailand may receive hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees from across
the border.

____________________________________

September 25, The Jakarta Post
President asked to bring Myanmar issue to the front at UN assembly -
Ridwan Max Sijabat

The House of Representatives has asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
to direct the UN General Assembly's attention to the mounting tension in
Myanmar so as to press the military junta to restore democracy.

The Indonesian Legislators' Myanmar Caucus said in a press conference here
Sunday that the President should give special attention in his speech to
the General Assembly to what it called the "emergency" in Myanmar.

"The President should convince the assembly of the need for urgent action
to stop the current critical situation in Myanmar and bring the military
junta back to the discussion table with the pro-democracy National
League," said caucus chairman Djoko Susilo.

The tension has been mounting in Myanmar after thousands of Buddhist monks
took to streets over the past five days to protest against the military
junta and demand implementation of the road map to democracy, including
the unconditional release of Noble Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Separately, House foreign affairs commission chairman Theo Sambuaga said
the President should assign a special delegate to Myanmar to tell the
junta about the concrete measures that needed to be taken immediately to
end the tension.

"The President should take the initiative by sending a delegate to Myanmar
to ask the junta to engage in national reconciliation because, with the
monks' move, the country is now on the brink of civil war," he said.

He also called on the government to lobby other ASEAN member countries not
to invite Myanmar to the organization's summit in Singapore next month so
as to isolate the military junta.

"ASEAN can no longer stick to the principal of non-interference engagement
in dealing with the Myanmar issue because the military junta has given no
signal that it will bring back democracy," he said.

Theo and Djoko, respectively legislators from the Golkar Party and the
National Mandate Party (PAN), both said that the mounting tension in
Myanmar was no longer a Myanmarese internal affair. Accordingly, the UN
and ASEAN had to take concrete measures to end the human rights abuses.

They said Indonesia, the United States and other democratic countries
should intensify their lobbying of China, Russia and India to abandon
their support for the junta and ask for the trial of junta leaders before
an international court for their repression of pro-democracy activists and
other human rights abuses.

Theo added that it was really astonishing that India, as the biggest
democratic country in the world, was supporting the dictatorship in
Myanmar.

The military junta has detained hundreds of pro-democracy activists and
National League members loyal to Syu Ki for their opposition to the
dictatorship and repression.

Theo also said that Indonesia in its capacity as a non-permanent member of
the UN Security Council should play an intensive role in lobbying the
United States, France and Britain to have the world body issue a
resolution imposing firm sanctions on the military junta.

"An intensive diplomatic mission is needed to avoid possible bloodshed and
uphold democracy in Myanmar."

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 25, Associated Press
International community appeals to Myanmar regime not to crack down on
street protests

The international community appealed to Myanmar's military leaders on
Tuesday not to crack down on tens of thousands of pro-democracy
demonstrators carrying out the boldest protests seen in the Southeast
Asian country in nearly two decades.

Soon after the end of Tuesday's demonstration in Yangon, held in defiance
of government orders, truckloads of soldiers were seen on the streets,
according to diplomats and ethnic guerrillas.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. President George W.
Bush tightened economic sanctions against leaders of the regime and also
urged other nations to apply pressure on Myanmar.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the protests in Myanmar, also
known as Burma, had shown the failure of the country's regime to
demonstrate that real political change was possible.

"It is vital that the Burmese authorities exercise restraint in the face
of the demonstrators, and seize the opportunity to launch a process of
real political reform," Brown wrote in a letter sent to U.N.
Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates,
whose country holds the EU presidency.

"It is disturbing that they are now threatening to use force against the
demonstrators," Brown wrote. "Violent suppression of the demonstrations
would be a tragedy and another missed opportunity for Burma."

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Aung San Suu Kyi should
take her place as elected leader of Burma. Suu Kyi, who is held under
house arrest in Yangon by the military junta, appeared outside her house
last week as a gesture of support the marchers.

After praising her public appearance, Miliband said, "I think it will be a
hundred times better when she takes her rightful place as the elected
leader of a free and democratic Burma."

Swedish Aid Minister Gunilla Carlsson said the eyes of the world were now
on Myanmar to see how the junta will handle the protesters' call for
reform.

"I want to express our strong support for the Burmese people in their
efforts to create a democratic future. The Burmese regime now has the
opportunity to start a peaceful dialogue and respect people's freedom of
expression and gathering. We encourage the regime to take that chance,"
Carlsson said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for the U.N. Security Council again
to consider the situation in Myanmar, and suggested it might be necessary
to toughen sanctions.

"We can only hope that things continue there without bloodshed," Merkel
told reporters in New York, where she was attending the U.N. General
Assembly meeting.

In Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux warned
Myanmar's ruling generals they "will be held responsible for the security
of the demonstrators, held responsible by the international community."

Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu praised the "courage of the
people of Burma" in backing the demonstrations, which have grown steadily
and are now led by Buddhist monks.

"It is so like the rolling mass action that eventually toppled apartheid"
in South Africa, Tutu said in a statement.

He backed international calls for the release of all political prisoners
and for a peaceful resolution to the protests.

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Aung San Suu Kyi should
take her place as elected leader of Burma. Suu Kyi, who is held under
house arrest in Yangon by the military junta, appeared outside her house
last week as a gesture of support for the marchers.

After praising her public appearance, Miliband said, "I think it will be a
hundred times better when she takes her rightful place as the elected
leader of a free and democratic Burma."

Thailand's Surin Pitsuwan, who is expected to take over the 10-country
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Jan. 1, voiced hope at
U.N. headquarters in New York that the massive protests would lead to
change.

"We do hope in ASEAN that things will not get out of hand, will not become
too violent, but would lead to some kind of a congregation, some kind of
change," said Surin.

Secretary-General Ban praised the peaceful nature of the Myanmar protests
and voiced his hopes that authorities in the country would "seize this
opportunity to engage without delay in dialogue with all the relevant
parties to the national reconciliation process."

European Union spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio said the 27-nation bloc was
watching the situation closely, but that it was not now considering an
expansion of sanctions against the junta.

"So far no violence has been used to quell peaceful demonstrations,
however we are also concerned by the increasing military presence on the
streets," Altafaj Tardio told reporters. "We are urging all stakeholders,
particularly the government of Burma/Myanmar to exercise maximum
restraint."

Stability and peace "can only be achieved through political reform," said
a statement issued by the office of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
who was at the United Nations in New York where Myanmar was being
discussed at the opening of the U.N.'s General Assembly. Solana urged
Myanmar's government to show "tangible progress" in seeking political
dialogue with opposition groups, and to release Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners.

____________________________________

September 25, Agence France Presse
Bush to announce new sanctions against Myanmar regime -Laurent Lozano

US President George W. Bush will announce new US sanctions against
Myanmar's military rulers on Tuesday and call for more international
pressure on the repressive regime, the White House said Monday.

Bush was to unveil the new steps in a speech to the UN General Assembly as
part of a campaign to squeeze Yangon and "to try and force the regime into
a change," US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters.

"He is going to announce that there will be additional sanctions directed
at key members of the regime, and those that provide financial support to
them," he said aboard the president's official Air Force One airplane.

Hadley said that the unpopular Bush, weighed down by the war in Iraq,
would announce a visa ban on "key individuals associated with the negative
activities of the regime, including their families" as well as financial
sanctions.

Bush will emphasize the importance of international support for
pro-democracy and human rights groups inside Myanmar "that are trying to
deal with the needs of the people of Burma on the ground," said the
adviser.

"And he will call for the United Nations and for other countries there to
do all they can to support a process of political change in Burma," he
said as Bush traveled to New York for the international meeting.

But Hadley declined to spell out further details, arguing that he needed
to preserve "a little element of surprise" so that those targeted "don't,
quite frankly, hide their assets before the snactions come into force.

"So we're going to be a little bit, intentionally a little vague on what
is intended, so that they will have their intended effect," said Hadley,
who suggested that some of Washington's allies and partners would join the
effort.

"I think you're going to see a number of countries speak out, and I think
there has been an increasing awareness about the viciousness of this
regime and the opportunity that we might have actually to get a
transition," he said.

"So I think you're going to see a number of countries joining in this
effort. There's a real opportunity here," said the adviser.

Bush's planned announcement was to come after weeks of diplomatic
wrangling by Washington in support of tougher sanctions against the regime
in Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma -- with no apparent success at
forging a consensus.

"Our hope is to marry that internal pressure with some external pressure
-- coming from the United States, the United Nations, and really all
countries committed to freedom," said Hadley.

He said the sanctions would "try and force the regime into a change, and
one that ... will release all political prisoners and permit an evolution
towards democracy and freedom in Burma."

He spoke as global support poured in for protestors in Myanmar, while the
country's military rulers threatened to "take action" against Buddhist
monks who have led the country's largest demonstration in nearly 20 years.

World leaders urged the Yangon junta to show restraint and warned the
regime would be held accountable for any violent crackdown on the march,
which numbered 100,000 people Monday in a major challenge to the military
regime, emboldened after a march to see the country's democracy icon Aung
San Suu Kyi.

China, among Myanmar's closest allies and biggest military suppliers, has
previously insisted it would not pressure the junta to open up, saying it
did not wish to interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

But in a rare move this month, Beijing's top diplomatic advisor Tang
Jiaxuan gently nudged the junta to adopt democratic changes.

The swelling protests in Myanmar followed a landmark day Saturday, when
the army allowed about 2,000 monks and civilians to pass a roadblock and
gather by the lakeside Yangon house which has been Aung San Suu Kyi's
prison for 12 of the past 18 years.

Among those praising the peaceful nature of the demonstrations but urging
against retaliatory action was UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban "commends the peaceful approach the demonstrators are using to press
their interests and he calls upon the Myanmar authorities to continue to
exercise restraint," he said in a statement.

The latest show of dissent follows weeks of protests sparked by a massive
fuel price hike, leaving observers concerned about a potential repeat of
the violence seen in a 1988 crackdown on protesters that left hundreds if
not thousands dead.

It was unclear whether the steps announced by Bush would complicate his
invitation earlier this month for Myanmar to send a representative to his
adoptive home state of Texas for a conference with Southeast Asian
leaders.

Meanwhile in Ottawa, the Canadian government called on the Myanmar
government to open talks with opposition leaders.

"This past week, thousands of protesters took to the streets across Burma
to protest against the Burmese regime," the country's top diplomat, Maxime
Bernier, said in a statement.

"Canada notes the actions of these peaceful protesters and calls upon the
Burmese regime to engage in a genuine dialogue with members of the
democratic opposition."

____________________________________

September 25, Associated Press
EU appeals to Myanmar regime to avoid crackdown against street protests

European Union officials appealed to Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday
not to launch a crackdown against tens of thousands of pro-democracy
demonstrators, urging the government to seek negotiations to solve the
showdown.

EU spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio said the 27-nation bloc was "very
concerned" about the situation in Myanmar adding EU officials were
watching the situation closely, but said the EU was at this time not
considering an expansion of sanctions against the junta.

U.S. President George W. Bush was expected to announce additional
sanctions later Tuesday meant to further isolate key members of the junta
and those who provide them financial aid.

"So far no violence has been used to quell peaceful demonstrations,
however we are also concerned by the increasing military presence on the
streets," Altafaj Tardio told reporters. "We are urging all stakeholders,
particularly the government of Burma/Myanmar to exercise maximum
restraint."

Stabilty and peace "can only be achieved through political reform," said a
statement issued by the office of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
who was at the United Nations in New York where Myanmar was being
discussed at the opening of the U.N.'s General Assembly. Solana urged
Myanmar's government to show "tangible progress" in seeking political
dialogue with opposition groups, and to release political prisoners
including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the
National League for Democracy who has been under house arrest for 12 of
the past 18 years.

EU nations extended a series of diplomatic and economic sanctions against
Myanmar in April for another year to protest the lack of political reforms
and its dismal human rights record.

Sanctions were first imposed in 1996 and include a ban on travel to Europe
for top government officials, an assets freeze and a ban on arms sales to
the Asian country.

____________________________________

September 25, Agence France Presse
Britain eyes return of Suu Kyi as 'rightful' Myanmar leader

Britain voiced hope Tuesday that Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
will one day become the "rightful" leader of her country, as pressure
mounted on the military junta there.

Britain, the reclusive Asian country's former colonial power, made the
comments as the United States tightened sanctions on Myanmar where 100,000
protestors again defied warnings of a crackdown.

"The situation there is tense and we need to make sure that we encourage
it in the right direction," said Foreign Secretary David Miliband, while
stressing that it was "premature" to talk about military action.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman welcomed the announcement by US President
George W. Bush of tighter economic and visa sanctions on Myanmar's
military junta.

"The more pressure the better," she told AFP, while stressing that "the
main thing at the moment is calling for (the military regime) not to
resort to violence" against protestors.

Miliband, speaking before Bush announced the sanctions, said it was
"brilliant" to see Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, "alive and
well" Saturday when protesters prayed outside the home where she is under
arrest.

"I think it will be a hundred times better when she takes her rightful
place as the elected leader of a free and democratic Burma," he added,
using Myanmar's former name.

Educated in India and Britain, the woman known in Myanmar as "The Lady"
has become an internationally recognised symbol of non-violent political
change since her National League for Democracy won 1990 elections by a
landslide.

The polls were never recognised, and the junta subsequently put her under
house arrest.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown meanwhile called on the European Union to
toughen its stance by threatening tighter sanctions.

"It is vital that the Burmese authorities exercise restraint in the face
of the demonstrators and seize the opportunity to launch a process of real
political reform," Brown said in a letter to the EU's presidency.

"It is disturbing that they are now threatening to use force against the
demonstrators," added the letter, copied to all other heads of state in
the 27-nation European bloc.

Myanmar's military regime has faced five weeks of peaceful protests that
were sparked by a massive increase in fuel prices in August.

Over the last week, Buddhist monks have emerged at the forefront of the
protest movement, which has gathered pace in recent days, with tens of
thousands taking to the streets in Yangon and in towns across the country.

Miliband underlined the gravity of the current situation, and the
consequences if there was a crackdown on protestors.

"That would be a very serious situation once were keen to avoid," he said,
adding: "We are watching and admiring (the protestors') fortitude and
their discipline and their aspirations for a decent and free and fair
society."

Asked about the prospect of an international force being sent in, he said
simply: "That's premature."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 25, Irrawaddy
Sons of Buddha in prison: Burmese activists monks - Tate Naing

Burma has been a Buddhist country for thousands of years. People who
believe in Buddhism adore the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha—they are
called the three sacred treasures. They revere the Sangha (monks) as sons
of Buddha.

The Burmese state-owned media, newspapers and TV stations always release
news about how the reigning State Peace and Development Council builds and
repairs pagodas and monasteries or how they donate alms and medicine to
monks.

However, my own experience regarding the SPDC’s brutal treatment of monks
is completely different from the daily news released by the SPDC media.

I lived in the regime’s prisons (Insein, Prome and Thayet) for nearly
three years. This was a bitter time in my life. I could stand and struggle
because I had expected and prepared for the worst. Yet, when I witnessed
and experienced the daily life of imprisoned monks and the cruel treatment
the prison authorities subjected them to, I felt indescribable emotions.

During my time in the No. 5 Ward of Insein Prison, I lived with Ven.
Aubartha, Ven. Waryama, Ven. Zawtika and Ven. Kawthanla, all from
Shwephonepwint Monastery in
Rangoon. They participated in the monks’ boycott called "pattam nikkujjana
kamma," or “overturning the bowl,” a refusal to accept alms from members
of the armed forces and their families in October 1990.

As a result, they were each sentenced to three years in prison with hard
labor under the Emergency Provisions Act, Section 5(J), and Penal Code
Article 295, which, ironically, prohibits insults directed at religion.

While we were in this ward, more than 50 prison authorities came into the
ward and ordered all prisoners, except prisoner-in-charge, the thugs, to
sit in the emergency sitting position at about 3 a.m. in the morning on
November 22, 1991. Then the prison authorities called the names of
political prisoners on the list to be transferred one by one out of the
ward.

My name was on the list, so I made my bed and went to the door. At the
door, I risked standing and staring at the venerable monks because I
wanted to pay obeisance to them for the last time before my transfer. What
I saw was the venerable monks sitting with folded legs, touching the floor
with their foreheads and stretching their arms forwards. This was called
paunsangyi or emergency position in prison. I felt as if the venerable
monks were doing obeisance to the prison authorities. Seeing that scene, I
was in a total daze. I did not know how long it lasted—I regained
awareness when I was hit on my back three or four times.

Then, tears stole down my face. I realized the tears were not because of
the pain from beatings. One hundred political prisoners including six
monks were transferred to the remote Thayet Prison. Among us was the Ven.
Meggin Sayardaw, who was over74 years old at the time, but he was shackled
in irons and transferred nonetheless. It took two hours for us to walk
from Thayet quay [a ferry boat landing onthe Irrawaddy River] to Thayet
Prison.

The prison authorities, policemen and soldiers were walking beside us and
beat us with bludgeons and gun butts all the way to the prison while we
were walking. Our slippers had been taken away when we left Insein Prison,
and we had to walk with bare feet through thorns, bushes and wild grass
the whole way. I saw the Ven. Meggin walking, holding the iron shackles in
one hand and his mattress in the other hand. When I carefully looked, the
legs of the venerable monk were stained with blood.

The authorities treated monks like that. This was odious. In October 1991,
I think, there was a monk in Insein Prison Ward No. 5 named Ven. Pyi Kyaw.
 He was once slapped many times by the ward-in-charge, Aung Htun, for
failing to bow as he passed him. The political prisoners at once went to
the ward officer Saw Htun and protested about this. He replied that every
prisoner had to obey prison rules. Aung Htun refused to apologize to the
Ven. Pyi Kyaw. As a result, there was tension between the political
prisoners and the thugs-in-charges [criminal gangsters who were appointed
as prisoner officers by the prison authorities].

Some courts did not charge monks who participated in the boycott, pattam
nikkujjana kamma, as political prisoners under the Emergency Provisions
Act, Section 5(J). Instead, some monks were charged under Article 295 for
insulting religion. These monks were sent to forced labor camps. A monk
from Koehtatkyi Monastery in Rangoon participated in the boycott and was
sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor under the Article 295.
This venerable monk was taken to a forced labor camp from No. 5 ward in
October, 1991.

The Ven. Zawtika from Shwephonepwint Monastery was nearly 60 years of age
when he fell into bad health in December 1992. He was taken to Insein
Prison Hospital but his health was deteriorating. After prison doctors had
given up on treating him, he was sent to the guarded ward for prisoners in
the basement of Rangoon General Hospital. He passed away soon after he had
arrived in the hospital. The hobbled venerable monk was in a white
prisoner uniform wearing four kilogram iron shackles when he died.

The Ven. Arsara from Thayettaw Monastery in Rangoon was 35 years of age
when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Unlawful
Associations Act. He suffered from jaundice and chronic fever in Thayet
Prison in January 1996. The prison authorities refused his request to be
sent to an outside hospital. Only when he was dying was his request
granted, and he was sent to Thayet General Hospital. Due to the neglect of
the prison authorities, he had to wait for his death while meditating. Two
days after he was sent to the hospital, he passed away.

The Ven. Bhaddanta Yewata, 52 years old, was arrested on October 19, 1990,
and was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a military tribunal because of
his leading role in the monk movements opposing the regime. He was
transferred from Mandalay prison to the new Ohbo Prison. Due to sleeping
on the wet floor in his cell, the lack of medicine and not having enough
food, he suffered from kidney failure. He was released in mid-1998. He
passed away in January 1999 from a prison-related disease.

Monks, sons of Buddha, are being tortured and cracked down upon in
interrogation centers, in concentration camps, in prisons and in forced
labor camps. There are many questions, such as: “Why are these things
happening?” “Who is responsible for this?” “Who is guilty?” and so on.

I can’t believe or understand why a group of so-called Buddhists in a
majority Buddhist country dare to commit these ultimate sins.

I don’t understand where they get these evil minds to commit such
atrocious religious violations. Time after time, I realize these
disastrous events occur because the behavior of the military dictators and
the conditions of the country are the same, like mirror images of each
other.

When I realize this, I see that being a Buddhist is beside the point.
Whether or not the oppressors are privileged in the power structure, the
capital sharing system or the social system also does not matter. The key
point is that people’s behavior of bullying and discrimination—above all,
human rights violations—have become habitual in Burmese society. This is
aside from the idea that people who hold power or receive rich rewards in
money violate human rights to stay to receive those benefits.

Military despotism molds the people’s behavior to accept human rights
violations and bullying as part of a tradition.

I have observed many people with distorted mentalities willingly harass
and abuse each other. Nevertheless, we activists have to deeply consider
how to eliminate not only the official despotism, but also these ingrained
traditions.

I have decided and vowed to carry out this duty as well as I can.

The author recalls his experience in a Burmese prison as a political
activist. He is the secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma), AAPP.

____________________________________

September 25, The Nation
Burma needs the world's help [Editorial]

Peaceful demonstrations against the Burmese military junta have been held
daily for the past month. In the past week, thousands of Buddhist monks
have taken to the streets in the former capital and commercial centre of
Rangoon and other cities around the country. They have vowed to continue
to express their discontent with their repressive military rulers. Few
people expected that the demonstrations in mid-August against a dramatic
rise in oil prices would escalate into the current full-blown mass
demonstrations led by Buddhist monks.

The international community must not let the Burmese people down this
time. They have endured brutal repression over the past 19 years and have
shown their resolve and demonstrated that they want change, not only in
their everyday lives, but also in the country's political, economic and
social spheres as well. Students who were active in the pro-democracy
movement two decades ago, many of whom were arrested and tortured, are
rejoining the demonstrations with high hopes. Now Buddhist monks around
the country are taking over the leadership of the anti-government protest.

These brave monks have told students and the public not to join in the
demonstrations because they could be harmed in the event of a violent
crackdown by the government. The monks are demonstrating and drawing
bigger crowds everyday. The military junta knows full well that any use of
force against the robed demonstrators would galvanize the entire nation
and could result in its immediate downfall.

As events unfold inside Burma, the UN Security Council continues with its
wait-and-see approach. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's envoy on Burma,
Ibrahim Gambari, has pleaded for perseverance and patience from all sides
in Burma. It is a bit too much to ask given the fact that the Burmese
people have already suffered so much at the hands of the military junta.
The situation on the ground is also changing fast and it could come to a
head in the coming days or weeks and that would render the UN's current
feeble efforts irrelevant. Members of the UN Security Council must unite
and support the Burmese people's struggle for democracy.

Indonesia, which is chairing the Council at the moment, has a pivotal role
to play. Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono has made the promotion of
democracy a cornerstone of his administration's policy. This time he
better deliver on Burma. Otherwise, he would be seen as a hypocrite. So
far, Asean has been quiet on Burma as the grouping is trying to finalize
the draft Asean charter.

It is puzzling that when Thailand faced a political crisis last year
following a military coup, Asean leaders did not hesitate to comment on
it. But when it comes to Burma, Asean leaders suddenly are at a loss for
words. While the international community has expressed concern over Burma,
the grouping's recalcitrance and reticence over Burma could belittle the
Asean spirit and cheapen the charter it is trying to put together.

Apart from Asean, China and India must also put pressure on the Burmese
military government to exercise restraint. China has already felt growing
international pressure to do so. Chinese leaders in Beijing have made
several comments urging Burma to accelerate liberalization and national
reconciliation. More could be done by moving away from verbal support to a
more tangible approach.

It is widely known that India's influence over the Burmese regime is
minimal compared to that of China. Nonetheless, as the world's largest
democracy, India should at least show some support for the rising
democratic aspirations within Burma. Disappointingly, India has chosen to
show indifference.

Engaging these two to bring about positive political change in Burma will
not be easy. But ways must be found for them to make constructive
contributions to the struggle for democracy in Burma.

The UNSC must act decisively to show its support for the Burmese people in
their determination to free their country from oppression. It must do so
before the Burmese military junta orders a crackdown that would lead to
the loss of lives.

The UN must provide leadership for the international community to put
pressure on the Burmese government, which must be told in no uncertain
terms that the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators is
unacceptable and can never be justified.

____________________________________

September 25, Washington Post
Tipping Point in Burma [editorial]

A mass uprising against dictatorship desperately needs international support.

Yesterday brought momentous and awe-inspiring news from one of the world's
most oppressed nations. Defying their military government, tens of
thousands of Burmese marched through the center of their largest city,
Rangoon, as well as in more than two dozen other towns and cities.
Estimates of the crowd in Rangoon ranged from 50,000 to 100,000 -- by far
the largest protest since a student-led uprising in 1988. The new
movement, led by Buddhist monks, has slowly mushroomed from a protest
against price increases and police brutality into a full-fledged
democratic uprising, thanks to the unresponsiveness of the regime and the
astonishing courage of the monks.

But Burma is not the Philippines or Indonesia, and yesterday's events were
a cause for fear as well as joy among its long-suffering democratic
opposition. The hope that a country of 52 million could imitate the
"people power" revolutions of its neighbors is tempered by the awareness
that the first instinct of the ruling junta will be to repeat the
bloodbath with which it crushed the 1988 uprising -- massacres in which an
estimated 3,000 Burmese died.

Whether that happens may depend in large measure on what the generals hear
from the outside world in the next day or two. So far, the messages have
been mixed. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke out against the
regime on Sunday, and officials said that President Bush would support the
demands for change and single out top generals for sanctions in his speech
to the United Nations General Assembly today. The secretary general of the
Association of South East Asian Nations, which counts Burma as a member,
also urged the regime to avoid violence, as did the European Union, the
Philippines and Singapore. But little had been heard publicly by last
night from the governments whose words matter most -- India, Japan and
especially China, whose investments and diplomatic support have propped up
the dictatorship for years.

Some Burma experts speculate that Beijing may be quietly restraining the
generals from cracking down. But silent Chinese diplomacy and familiar
U.S. denunciations are not likely to be enough. What's needed is forceful
multilateral action making clear that the time has come for the regime to
negotiate a political settlement with the country's democrats, led by
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi -- coupled with explicit
warnings of consequences if violence is used against peaceful protests.

The U.N. General Assembly offers a ready venue for concerted action by
Asian and Western governments. Ms. Rice has said that she would like to
see the group of countries that now negotiates with North Korea -- the
United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- evolve into a
regional security structure; if so, this would be a great moment for it to
collectively address the situation in Burma. Mr. Bush should make it clear
that the United States will hold China responsible if there are massacres
in Rangoon -- and that the fallout could tarnish the 2008 Olympics. One
way or another, Burma's rulers must get the message that a powerful
international alliance stands with those who are bravely parading across
the country.

____________________________________

September 25, Boston Globe
Monks vs. military in Burma [editorial]

It is being called the Saffron Revolution. In recent days, Buddhist monks
throughout Burma have been leading peaceful protests against a brutal
military dictatorship. And now a decisive moment is approaching.

There is a mounting danger that the swelling throngs of protesters may
soon be assaulted by a regime that rarely hesitates to use violence. Heads
of state attending the opening of the United Nations' General Assembly
this week in New York ought to exercise all their influence to demand that
the junta refrain from violence and heed the protesters' appeal for
reconciliation and dialogue.

On Sept. 5, before the protest movement had reached its current critical
mass, security forces fired over the heads of demonstrators in a town
called Pakkoku and beat up some of the monks. In Burmese society, such an
act suggests that the perpetrators are without the Buddhist values of
loving-kindness and compassion. The monks in Pakkoku, fulfilling their
duty to protect the people against unjust rulers, had been objecting to
sudden steep increases in the price of fuel and basic commodities.

The generals' hesitation to attack the monks' prayerful processions since
then - as they did in horrific massacres of members of a democracy
movement in 1988 - is explained by the special status of Buddhist monks in
Burmese society. Nearly all males in Burma spend some time in their youth
as monks or novices. The families of soldiers are likely to have members
in a monastic order. When protesting monks hold their alms bowls face
down, they are making a symbolic gesture fraught with meaning. By refusing
to accept contributions from members of the military and their families,
the monks are issuing a form of Buddhist excommunication.

This gesture of spiritual rejection may be translated into a denial of the
junta's political legitimacy - of its authority to rule. Consequently, the
generals are faced with crucial decisions. They may allow the protests to
continue and risk being compelled to preside over a genuine democratic
transition. They might go so far as to insert soldiers with shaved heads
among the monks to stage a violent incident that the junta may use as an
excuse to fire on the demonstrators. They have done so before.

With such a prospect looming, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon must use
the forum of the General Assembly gathering to show solidarity with the
people of Burma. President Bush is expected to announce fresh sanctions on
the junta today. But the European Union and the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations must also speak out for the release of political prisoners
in Burma and a true transition to democracy. Above all, China must be
pressed to warn its military and commercial partners in the junta not to
slaughter innocents. If the UN is to be a true Parliament of the Nations,
it must heed the call for compassion coming from Burma.

___________________________________

September 25, The Age (Melbourne, Australia)
Our shameful silence on Burmese terror – Mary O'Kane

Even China has encouraged the junta to introduce democracy.

For the past 11 years, Aung San Suu Kyi has lived under house arrest,
completely isolated except for her live-in maid, a doctor's monthly visits
and her jailers. On Sunday, she was joined by more than a thousand monks,
who filed past the house that has become her jail in a show of support for
the democracy movement that she has led for nearly 20 years. In a rare
moment of near freedom, "the Lady", as she is known, was able to come out
of the house to pay respect to the monks before being ushered back inside.

As tensions grow around the country, the symbolism of monks in their
thousands walking towards and joining the leader of the democratically
elected political party, the National League for Democracy, sends the
strongest possible message to Burma's ruling military junta and the
international community: Burma's people want democracy now.

With its pivotal position in the region, Australia can play an important
role in making this happen. Despite widespread statements from countries
all over the world, Australia's politicians remain devastatingly mute on
the plight of Burma's people.

Buddhist monks have been protesting in Burma's cities since September 17,
having called a Pattanikuzana, an excommunicative boycott including the
refusal of alms from military officials and their families. This is the
third time in Burma's modern history the Sangha (Burma's Buddhist
institution) has taken such drastic action. As the ruling military junta
draws political legitimacy from "sponsoring" Buddhism in Burma, the
Sangha's boycott is a powerful non-violent challenge to military authority
performed on behalf of the civilian population. In support, crowds of
thousands attend these marches. Their presence gives support while their
numbers provide a protective gaze, and sometimes human chains, to stave
off violent attack. Monks, civilians and the military junta all recognise
that street protests have now grown past a point of no return.

The protests were triggered by unannounced and immediate fuel price rises
introduced on August 15. More than 200 protesters and leaders have been
detained since the protests started four days later.

Concern for the safety of all detained is acute, as torture and the denial
of health care are routine practices of the regime. Four key leaders from
the bloody 1988 protests - Ko Min Ko Naing, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Jimmy and Ko
Kyaw Kyaw Htwe - were admitted to hospital days ago for torture-related
injuries during military interrogation.

The regime has funnelled a massive 40 per cent of the national budget into
the 400,000-strong military to continue civil war at the expense of
developing the country's human resources. Through this, coupled with
astoundingly gross economic mismanagement, the military regime has run the
country into the ground.

Crippling poverty, civil war, political oppression and incompetent
governance characterise Burma today.

Student-led uprisings in August 1988 resulted in the massacre of as many
as 10,000 peaceful protesters and the imprisonment of thousands more. An
estimated 10,000 student protesters fled to border areas to join already
long-fighting ethnic insurgent groups. During this time, Nobel peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi rose to lead the pro-democracy movement, only to
be placed under house arrest in 1989.

After 20 years of struggle, the political front line has shifted from
soldiers versus students to civil society groups versus plain-clothed
sections of the military. But the fight is the same. The people are
demanding the right to be free from brutal beatings, rape, torture and the
murder of their families.

Make no mistake; the junta is preparing its violent crackdown. Military
presence has been reportedly intensified in every town and village where
protests have been held. On September 5, soldiers fired warning shots at a
protest by 500 monks, seriously beating three and detaining six, an event
attributed to mass mobilising the Sangha.

This was recognised as a thinly veiled reminder by the regime of the 1988
violence. A Burma analyst has warned that the large involvement of the
Buddhist Sangha signals a major increase in the level of protest, and thus
an increased potential for significant state violence to occur.

International responses to these events have been numerous. Statements
have been released by the United States, Britain, the Czech Republic,
Ireland, Sweden, Canada and Denmark. Several countries, including
Indonesia, have urged China and India, the regime's closes allies, to put
weight on Burma's generals. In a surprise move, a Chinese diplomat
publicly expressed concern: "China wholeheartedly hopes that Myanmar will
push forward a democracy process that is appropriate for the country."

The United Nations Secretary-General, UN Human Rights Commissioner and
various UN special envoys have all expressed concern. Though a UN
resolution on Burma was vetoed in January by China and Russia, the shift
in Chinese attitude towards Burma could potentially contribute to a
different outcome in the future.

In this atmosphere of international concern, the Australian Government is
notable for its silence. Added international scrutiny of Burma's streets,
prisons and interrogation centres can be the difference between achieving
political openness and a repeat of the bloodshed of 1988.

Mary O'Kane teaches a course on Burma studies at the Australian National
University and is a member of the Australia Burma Network.

____________________________________

September 24, Economist
Monks and the military: What will the junta do?

Demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in military-ruled Myanmar (formerly
Burma) gathered force over the weekend and, on Monday September 24th, the
biggest protest yet seen was staged in the main city, Yangon. Up to
100,000 people took part, among them perhaps 20,000 red- and orange-robed
monks. The website of Irrawaddy, a newspaper run by Burmese exiles from
Thailand, reported an equally huge monk-led protest on Monday in the
western town of Sittwe.

At first, the monks limited themselves to chanting prayers and sermons,
and urged the Burmese public not to join their marches. But over the
weekend, a hitherto unknown group, the All Burma Monks’ Alliance, urged
people to “struggle peacefully against the evil military dictatorship”
until its downfall. Monday’s march was joined by some of the country’s
best-known actors and musicians, as well as leaders of the opposition
National League of Democracy (NLD) and crowds of ordinary Burmese. It has
become the biggest challenge Myanmar’s brutal regime has faced since the
uprising of 1988, which it crushed with extreme violence. The question is:
how will it respond this time? Later on Monday, state-run media quoted the
government as threatening the monks with unspecified action "according to
the law" if their protests did not stop.

The protests began last month, when the government suddenly imposed
drastic rises in fuel prices, making life even more unbearable for
Myanmar’s impoverished people. The regime arrested many protest leaders
and sent in plain-clothes goon squads to attack the demonstrators. It
looked like the protests might fizzle until, earlier this month, soldiers
fired over the heads of a group of monks demonstrating in the central town
of Pakkoku. Some reports said monks were also beaten and arrested. After
the regime ignored the clergy’s demands for an apology, monks took to the
streets in several main cities. They have now, in effect, excommunicated
the military and their families by refusing to accept alms from them—a
serious matter in this devoutly Buddhist country.
So far the regime has seemed unsure how to react. Early last week it fired
warning shots and tear-gas canisters at a monks’ protest in Sittwe but
since then it has taken no action against the demonstrations. For two days
it barred monks from the golden Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the country’s
holiest shrine. But since Thursday it has allowed them back into the
shrine, which has become the focal point for the protest movement. On
Saturday, police let thousands of monks and laymen pray outside the home
of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the NLD and icon of Myanmar’s struggle
for democracy. Though Miss Suu Kyi is under house arrest, she was able to
walk to her gate and greet the protesters. But by Sunday, the police were
once again barring access to the street where she lives.

Besides their strength in numbers—there are 400,000 of them—the monks have
considerable influence. They are the one group that the military regime
might hesitate to confront. Even so, another 1988-style bloody crackdown
cannot be ruled out. The question that the generals will be asking
themselves is how the rest of the world would react. Though the regime has
for decades brushed aside Western sanctions and resisted all pressure to
reform, some things have changed since 1988.

One is that Myanmar has been admitted to the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN). The other ASEAN members argued that “constructive
engagement” with Myanmar would achieve more than sanctions. This has
proved a sham because they failed to apply enough pressure on its regime.
But there is at least some hope that they may now discourage the regime
from massacring the protesters, if only to spare themselves the
embarrassment of sitting alongside generals with fresh blood on their
hands as they celebrate ASEAN’s 40th anniversary later this year.

Another big change in recent years is that China has signed many deals
with the regime to exploit Myanmar’s rich mineral and hydrocarbons
resources. As it prepares for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, it could
really do without its allies in the Burmese junta staging another
Tiananmen Square massacre. So it too might possibly seek to stay the
junta’s hand. However, even if such pressure is applied by Myanmar’s Asian
neighbours, there is no guarantee that the paranoid, insular and
incompetent generals will pay any attention. Of the three most likely
options—the protests gradually fading, a peaceful revolution to topple the
regime and a harsh crackdown—so far the latter seems, sadly, the most
likely.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

September 25, International Crisis Group
Myanmar: Time for urgent action

New York/Brussels,:  United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should
hold urgent talks with the foreign ministers of China, India and
Singapore, the current ASEAN chair, on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly and lead a joint attempt to encourage peaceful dialogue in
Myanmar/Burma. China, India, and ASEAN should back Ban Ki-moon’s call on
the authorities in Myanmar to exercise restraint in the face of growing
peaceful protests and put their full weight behind UN efforts to find a
solution to the country’s political crisis.

“The regime has a long history of violent reactions to peaceful
demonstrations,” said Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis
Group. “If serious loss of life is to be averted, those UN members with
influence over the government are going to have to come together fast.”

Only China, India, and, to a lesser degree, ASEAN have any influence on
the military regime. China has very close economic and political links
with Myanmar, while India has developed strong military ties. Both would
suffer from worsening instability there, as they did after the violent
August 1988 military crackdown. In the past, the military junta has fired
on peaceful protestors or used vigilante groups to attack them.
Demonstrations in recent days have reached a country-wide scale where such
action could cause massive loss of life.

The Secretary-General has been using his good offices to deal with the
political stalemate in Myanmar. His Special Envoy for Myanmar, Professor
Ibrahim Gambari, has been trying to negotiate the release of opposition
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to encourage dialogue between the military
and the National League for Democracy. These efforts have made little
progress as the military authorities have moved forward with a
constitutional drafting process that will cement them in power despite
evident public opposition to their rule.

China, India and ASEAN should communicate to the military that a repeat of
the 1998 violence would be unacceptable and would lead to serious
consequences, including action by the UN Security Council. China and
Russia should warn Myanmar that they would support full consideration of
the situation there by the Security Council, as well as a possible
adoption of a Security Council Resolution, if the military use force
against protestors.

The Security Council should re-affirm its support of the
Secretary-General’s good offices mission and urge Myanmar’s leaders to
work with the Special Envoy to map out measurable steps towards economic
and political reform.  Those countries with close ties to Myanmar should
urge the military to release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung
Sang Suu Kyi; take steps to alleviate economic hardship and introduce
serious reforms; and start a real dialogue with the

____________________________________
STATEMENT

September 25, All Burma Monks Alliance and 88 Generation Students
Joint Statement of ABMA and 88 Students (Unofficial translation)

1. The entire people led by monks are staging peaceful protest to be freed
from general crises of politics, economic and social by reciting Metta
Sutra.

2. The ongoing protest is being joined by monks, nuns, Member of
Parliaments, students, ethnics, artistes, intelligentsia and the people
from all walks of life which is the biggest unity seen in last 20 years.

3. In this demonstration, we need to show we are deserved democracy by
upholding the following 3 slogans adopted in consensus by the monks and
endorsed by the entire people.

(a) Economic well-being
(b) Releasing political prisoners
(c) National Reconciliation

4. The entire people must aware the danger of government's anti-strike
counter- measure and violent crush by drawing lessons and experiences from
88 uprising, need to form the Mass Movement Committee and Anti-Violence
Committee to prevent from such a violent crackdown.

5. The monks and students will not hesitate and not be deterred from any
form of intimidation and violent crackdown will join hands with all the
people and continue our struggle bravely and resolutely step by step for
our beloved country.
Signed by

All Burma Monks Alliance
(1) U Aw Bar Tha (2) U Gambiya (3) U Khe Mein Da (4) U Pakata

88 Generation Students
(1) Htay Kywe (2) Tun Myint Naung (3) Hla Myo Naung (4) Aung Thu

____________________________________

September 20, The International Network of Engaged Buddhists
INEB statement of support for demonstrations by Buddhist Monks in Burma

Statement of Support for Peaceful Demonstrations by Buddhist Monks in Burma

The International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), a global network of
activists, spiritual leaders, academics, and organizations from all
Buddhist sects, who integrate the practice of Buddhism and social action
for a healthy, just and peaceful world, hereby wish to convey our
strongest support and solidarity with the Buddhists monks and the people
of Burma who are peacefully calling for the end of social and political
suffering in Burma. In particular, we:

-strongly support the peaceful expressions of the loving-kindness and
compassion for Burmese society by the Buddhist monks across Burma. We also
support their demands:
-for the SPDC to offer their apologies to the monks for their violent
actions last month
-to reduce all commodity prices, fuel prices, rice and cooking oil prices
immediately
-to release all political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and
all detainees arrested in ongoing demonstrations over the fuel price hike,
-to enter into dialogue with democratic forces and ethnic nationalities
for national reconciliation immediately
-to resolve the crises and difficulties faced by the people.
-welcome the State and Peace Development Council’s (SPDC) restraint in the
use of violent means on the first day (September 18,2007) of
demonstrations by Buddhist monks in various towns and cities across Burma,
except the use of tear gas and violent break up of the demonstrations in
Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State in western Burma. We also welcome the
release of three monks, one novice, and ten other protesters who were
arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Sittwe.
-are, however, extremely concerned over the latest news report of the
SPDC’s secret declaration of a state of emergency which authorized
regional and local authorities to use violent means, including an order to
open fire, in cracking down on the demonstrations.
-urge the SPDC, who are also Buddhists, to apply and practice wisdom
(panna), loving-kindness (metta) and compassion (karuna) in responding to
the current situation by:

1. banning the authorization and use of all violent means in dealing with
all demonstrations in Burma, including the use of tear gas, opening fire,
and the hiring of local thugs (Swan Arr Shin and the SPDC’s proxy, USDA)
to confront and crackdown on the peaceful protests, and to arrest and beat
up demonstrators.
2. stopping the surveillance and all restrictions on monasteries and temples.
3. allowing peaceful demonstrations and expressions of concern and care
for society by Buddhist monks and the people of Burma.
4. allowing independent media to cover the current events without
restriction so that both sides of the story can be known and heard.
5. begin entering into dialogue and working for solution with Buddhist
monks who play a very significant role as spiritual, cultural and social
leaders in Burmese society.

INEB believes that every human being, including the personnel of SPDC, has
the seed of Buddha, the potential for awakening and enlightenment. We hope
the SPDC will take the current situation as an opportunity to let the
seeds of Buddha within them grow by awakening to the need to start
resolving the crises facing Burma through releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
all political prisoners including imprisoned ethnic nationalities’
leaders, and starting a meaningful and compassionate dialogue with all
relevant parties.

We will continue watching Burma closely with our utmost concern and we
send our best wishes to all people of Burma. May Peace Prevail in Burma
very soon!

International Network of Engaged Buddhists
666 Charoen Nakorn Road, Bang Lamphu Lang,
Klongsan, Bangkok 10600 THAILAND
Ph.:+66 2 860 2194, mobile ph.:+66 89 150 8084
fax:+66 2 437 7201
e-mail : ineboffice at yahoo.com
website: www.inebnetwork.org

____________________________________

September 25, The Thai NGO Co-ordinating Committee on development (NGO-COD)
The Thai Government Must Send A Clear Message to the Burmese Military Junta

The Thai NGO Co-ordinating Committee on development (NGO-COD) wishes to
declare its support for the peaceful marches and public gatherings calling
for democracy and social justice that are taking place all over Burma led
by the Buddhist Clergy and involving hundreds of thousands of Burmese
citizens. We fervently hope that the campaign is successful and devoid of
bloodshed. But it is extremely worrying that that the Burmese military
junta has a long uniform track record of using violence against the
peaceful democracy movement. Therefore it is imperative that the
government of Thailand, as a neighbour and fellow member of ASEAN, should
send a clear message to the Burmese military junta, opposing the use of
all forms of violence against the demonstrators, calling for the immediate
release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and asking the
junta to announce urgent measures for the establishment of democracy in
Burma. This is in the interest of easing the tense situation and
eventually establishing peace in Burma and the Region. If the Thai
government remains silent and allows the situation to get out of hand, not
only will the people of Burma have to endure further suffering, but
tensions will escalate throughout the Region, and Thailand will need to
prepare to welcome hundreds of thousands or even millions of new refugees
from across the border.

Jon Ungphakorn
Chairman