BurmaNet News, November 9, 2007

[Editor]

November 9, 2007 Issue # 3339

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Aung San Suu Kyi meets her colleagues
AP: Suu Kyi resigned to Myanmar house arrest
DVB: Small-scale protest in Rangoon
Mizzima News: Burmese intelligence chief meets ceasefire groups
DVB: Poet to be retried for illegal publishing
Irrawaddy: Over 50 villagers arrested in Karenni state
Mizzima News: Junta to appoint acting UN representative

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima News: Chin women and children detained

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Weekly business roundup

ASEAN
AFP: More action needed over Myanmar: MPs tell ASEAN

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: US seeks global pressure after Myanmar junta rebuffs reforms
UN: Students, teachers, schools face deliberate attacks in conflict areas
– UNESCO

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Decoding Aung San Suu Kyi;s statement
Wall Street Journal Online: How Burma's generals think
Irrawaddy: How to save Burma's future generations? – Yeni
United Press International: The generals' mythical compromise - Awzar Thi

STATEMENT
AP: Text of Aung San Suu Kyi's statement

PRESS RELEASE
"Ethnic Nationalities Council welcomes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Statement"

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

November 9, 2007, Irrawaddy News - Saw Yan Naing
Aung San Suu Kyi meets her colleagues

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi spent two and a half hours with four
NLD leaders at a government guest house in Rangoon on Friday afternoon,
according to a party spokesperson. It was first time she has been allowed
to meet with any of her colleagues in three years.

A Burmese pro-democracy activist holds a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi
during a protest in New Delhi October 19. Suu Kyi met leaders of her party
on Friday for the first time in more than three years amid cautious hope
she and the junta may start talks on political reform.

The four NLD leaders were named as: Chairman Aung Shwe, Secretary U Lwin,
Nyunt Wai and spokesperson Nyan Win. They held talks from 12:30 p.m. to
about 3:00 p.m., said spokesperson Han Thar Myint.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Friday, Han Thar Myint said, “They [the NLD
leaders] talked freely at the meeting. They discussed the conditions for
talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and junta chief Than Shwe. They also
discussed ways for helping protesters who were arrested and injured during
the monk-led demonstrations in September.”

Han Thar Myint said that the pro-democracy leader earlier met with Aung
Kyi, the recently appointed Minister for Relations, in the government
guest house before the leaders of the NLD arrived. Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi
resumed talks after the NLD party leaders left the government guest house.

Han Thar Myint said that he could not give more information about the
meeting at the moment.

Meanwhile, Aung San Suu Kyi is said to be “very optimistic” about the
prospects of a UN-supported process for reconciliation between the
military government and the pro-democracy parties, according to a report
by Associated Press.

Another NLD spokesman, Nyan Win, speaking to AP after the meeting, said
that Suu Kyi believes the military authorities now have the will to
achieve national reconciliation.

Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and put under house arrest after the
“Depayin Massacre” in May, 2003, when she and her supporters were brutally
attacked by military-backed thugs in Sagaing Division.

In a statement released by UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on her behalf,
Aung San Suu Kyi said that she was ready to participate in talks with the
country's military rulers, who have kept her in detention for 12 of the
past 18 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi met Gambari for an hour on Thursday in the former capital
before the envoy left for Singapore.

____________________________________

November 9, Associated Press
Suu Kyi resigned to Myanmar house arrest - Aye Aye Win

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Friday that she is "very
optimistic" about the U.N.-promoted effort to start talks between the
military government and pro-democracy forces, but appeared resigned to
remaining under house arrest.

Suu Kyi made her observations in a meeting with top executives of her
National League for Democracy party, who were allowed contact with her for
the first time in more than three years.

Suu Kyi looked "fit, well and energetic like before. She is full of
ideas," said party spokesman Nyan Win, who attended the hour-long meeting
at a government guest house along with three top party members. Suu Kyi
was taken to the guest house from her home nearby where she is kept under
house arrest.

Their meeting, held far from the public and press, was permitted by the
government after U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari on Thursday completed
a six-day visit to Myanmar to promote a dialogue between the ruling junta
and Suu Kyi.

Nyan Win, speaking after he and his colleagues met for about an hour with
Suu Kyi, said the 1991 Nobel peace laureate believes the military
authorities now have the will to achieve national reconciliation.

He said she told her fellow party leaders that the government's crackdown
on September's mass pro-democracy demonstrations was "devastating for the
NLD, the government and the people."

"She said a healing process such as the release of political prisoners is
essential," according to Nyan Win. Myanmar held more than 1,100 political
prisoners before the crackdown, and the number now is difficult to
estimate. Thousands of people have been rounded up since late September,
though the government says most have been released.

Suu Kyi also held talks with Aung Kyi, who was appointed the junta's
"minister for relations" with the former Nobel Peace Prize winner last
month amid the severe worldwide criticism of the junta.

Appearing to concede that she will remain detained for the immediate
future, she told her colleagues that she will ask for two liaison officers
of her choice to help her communicate with them. She said she will also
ask Aung Kyi to make arrangements so that she can see the other party
leaders whenever necessary.

Suu Kyi has been in government detention for 12 of the past 18 years, and
continuously since May 2003.

The government unexpectedly announced Thursday night that Suu Kyi would be
allowed to meet with her party's top officials.

Its statement, broadcast on state radio and television, came just hours
after the U.N.'s Gambari ended his second mission to broker negotiations
between the military regime and pro-democracy leaders.

Gambari met with Suu Kyi for an hour Thursday and released a statement on
her behalf after leaving the country. It was apparently her first public
message since her latest detention began in 2003.

"In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the
government in order to make this process of dialogue a success," Suu Kyi
said in her statement, which Gambari read aloud Thursday evening in
Singapore.

Her message also slightly prodded the junta, officially known as the State
Peace and Development Council, to move more quickly in dealing with her,
saying she hoped that preliminary consultations with Aung Kyi could be
concluded soon "so that a meaningful and time-bound dialogue with the SPDC
leadership can start as early as possible."

The roots of Myanmar's crisis are in the military's refusal to hand over
power after Suu Kyi's party won a 1990 general election. The junta now
says it is following a seven step "road map" to democracy that is supposed
to culminate in free elections, though it has not set a time line for the
process.

In the streets of Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city, residents said they were
hopeful that Suu Kyi's meeting would lay the groundwork for
reconciliation. "Conditions have been created to move forward," said Ohn
Myint, a 67-year-old lawyer.

With the reconciliation process in its earliest stage, Myanmar experts are
cautious about its prospects.

"My reaction is extreme skepticism that this will lead to real dialogue
between her and the (junta), or genuine political change," said Donald M.
Seekins, a Myanmar expert at Meio University in Japan. "The (government)
likes to move Suu Kyi and the NLD around like pieces on a chessboard, to
satisfy the international community."

____________________________________

November  9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Small-scale protest in Rangoon

Students in Botahtaung township, Rangoon, staged a short-lived protest
yesterday before being dispersed by government security forces, according
to an eyewitness.


Around 50 students assembled on Bo Aung Kyaw street for the demonstration.

The protestors were holding pictures of junta leader senior general Than
Shwe with women’s underwear superimposed on his head, and they shouted
slogans condemning the government for its crackdown on monks.

Bystanders clapped their hands in support of the protestors.

The demonstration only lasted a few minutes before government security
forces appeared and the protestors dispersed.

The witness was unsure if any arrests were made because all the
demonstrators and bystanders fled the scene as soon as the government
forces arrived.

____________________________________

November 9, Mizzima News
Burmese intelligence chief meets ceasefire groups - Myo Gyi

The Burmese military junta seems to be stepping up efforts to further tame
armed ethnic groups in northern parts of the country. Major General Ye
Myint, chief of the Burmese Military Affairs Security (MAS), has met with
leaders of seven ethnic armed groups based along the Sino-Burmese border
since October, sources said.

The groups have agreed and abided to ceasefires with the Burmese Military
for several years now. It is believed that the Burmese military's long
term goal is to convince the opposing ethnic groups of a voluntary
disarmament.

A source close to the ceasefire groups has told Mizima, that junta leader
Than Shwe has appointed Major General Ye Myint as a special representative
for negotiations with ethnic ceasefire groups.

The recent meetings took place at Kyaing Tong and Lashio in Shan State and
Myitkyina in Kachin state from October 24 to November 3.Ye Myint kicked
off the meetings with members of United Wa State Army (UWSA) on the
morning of October 24, followed by afternoon talks with an armed group
based in Maila Special Region (4).

On October 28, the junta's representative traveled to Lashio in northern
Shan state, where he held talks with members of the Shan State Army
(North), the Kachin Defense Army (KDA) and special region (1) based Kokang
armed groups, sources said.

A third round of meetings was held on November 2 in the Kachin state's
capital Myitkyina, where Ye Myint met with the New Democratic Army –
Kachin (NDAK) and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The meetings which could not be independently confirmed with the concerned
ceasefire groups came after four armed groups, including the KIA, released
a joint statement in mid-October.

"The meetings are coinciding with the visit of Gambari and are held at a
time when international pressure on the junta is increasing," said Aung
Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese military analyst based along the Sino-Burmese border.

"We also heard that Ye Myint wants to dismiss Gambari, saying the UN's
interventions are a biased effort. But the ceasefire groups denied Ye
Myint saying such," Aung Kyaw Zaw added.

While SSA (N) demanded the release of its detained General Soa Htin, Ye
Myint reminded the ceasefire groups to strictly abide by the agreements
between them and the junta, and to solve problems together.

____________________________________

Nov 9, 2007, DVB
Poet to be retried for illegal publishing

A poet who has already been punished by the Burmese government for
publishing politically sensitive material is to face another trial for the
same offence.

Kyaw Thu Moe Myint, a poet from Kyauk Se, Mandalay division, was accused
of illegally circulating sensitive information after he distributed a
small collection of 11 poems to mark Valentine’s day, two of which
mentioned independence hero general Aung San.
He was given a 30,000 kyat fine and served 12 days in prison earlier this
year.

But now Kyaw Thu Moe Myint has been told he will be tried again on the
same charges.

Mandalay divisional court judge Daw Khin May Thein has instructed him to
appear before the court to make his defence on 14 November.

Kyaw Thu Moe Myint told DVB that he was frustrated by the authorities’
continuing harassment.

"I spent about 5-600,000 kyat on the case last time and 12 days in
detention. I'm only an artist and was just publishing my work,” he said.

“Now I have been tried three times for this. My family is frustrated as
well. I want this to end. I will be sent to jail for between a year and a
year and a half this time if they find me guilty."

Kyaw Thu Moe Myint will be tried for illegal publishing under section 17
of the Printers and Publishers Registration Act.

____________________________________

November 9, Irrawaddy
Over 50 villagers arrested in Karenni State - Saw Yan Naing

More than 50 Karenni villagers who were accused of assisting soldiers of
the Karenni National Progressive Party during a skirmish between the
Burmese army and the KNPP were arrested and are currently being detained
by Burmese authorities, according to a villager in Karenni State.

The villager said that those arrested villagers were accused of aiding
frontline Karenni soldiers during the skirmish as well as of failing to
keep the Burmese troops informed.

The 50 villagers are from Loikaw, Chitkeh, Palong and Suplong villages and
were arrested after October 8. They are currently being detained at
Loikaw’s police station and the army’s Regional Command Center, said the
villager, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. Family members
have not been allowed to visit their relatives at the detention centers,
he said.

The villager added that seven people from Palong and eight people from
Suplong were among the 50 arrested. They were stopped and arrested by
Burmese troops while traveling to Loikaw to sell their maize at the market
in order to buy rice for their families.

The armed clash between KNPP soldiers and Burmese troops from Infantry
Battalion 530 took place in Chitkeh village near the Karenni capital,
Loikaw in eastern Burma on October 4. Four Burmese soldiers were killed
and five were injured, said KNPP’s general secretary, Raymond Htoo. The
Karenni did not sustain any casualties in the fighting, he claimed.

“They [the Burmese soldiers] regularly do this kind of thing,” said the
KNPP general secretary. “They tell villagers that the Karenni soldiers
cannot survive without the villagers’ support. They also accuse the
villagers of feeding Karenni soldiers,” he added.

The vice-secretary of the KNPP, Khu Oo Reh, said that those who have been
arrested are civilians and have no connection with the KNPP. They were
also accused of acting as guides for the Karenni army while traveling in
those areas, he said.

Khu Oo Reh said that the Karenni army had clashed with Burmese troops an
estimated six times since early October.

____________________________________

November 9, Mizzima News
Junta to appoint acting UN representative

The Burmese military junta announced that it has reached an agreement with
the visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari to appoint an acting resident
representative of the world body in Burma, a state-run newspaper said
today.

The New Light of Myanmar reported during discussions, government officials
and Mr. Gambari, who concluded his six-day visit to Burma on Thursday,
agreed to replace the UN country chief and appoint an acting
representative.

"An agreement has been reached to appoint a person as an acting resident
representative of UN agencies", the New Light of Myanmar said.

The announcement came after the junta on November 2 made known its
decision not to renew the accreditation of the UN country chief for
issuing a statement critical of the Burma's socio-economic situation.

Petrie, the UN country chief in his statement on UN day cited the August
and September protests saying, "The events clearly demonstrated the
everyday struggle to meet basic needs and the urgent necessity to address
the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country."

The junta, however, said, Mr. Petrie acted beyond his capacity and it
deemed his action inappropriate.

Mr. Petrie has led the UN country team as the resident coordinator since
2003.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

November 9, Mizzima News
Chin women and children detained

Eight Chin women and thirteen children were recently arrested and are now
being unlawfully detained by Malaysian authorities, according to a Chin
rights group.

The twenty-one detainees were travelling to Kuala Lumpur to meet with
family and relatives, on October 29, at the time that the vehicle they
were riding in met with an accident, leading to the arrests of those on
board, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO).

The victims, according to a statement released today by CHRO, had fled
Burma in search of physical and economic security. Many of those being
detained are hoping to be given third-country asylum along with United
Nations registered relatives already residing in Malaysia.

The rights organization says that the plight of this group of refugees
provides further evidence of "Malaysia's consistent disregard for the
rights and protections of Chin women and children living in Malaysia."

The condition of Chin women and children in Malaysia, of which CHRO says
around 70 are currently being held in Malaysian Immigration detention
centers, is stated as in direct conflict with international conventions to
which Malaysia is a signatory state.

Specifically, the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child
and on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are
said to obligate Malaysian authorities to immediately release all Chin
women and children in custody.

"Chin women and children in Malaysia, including those with UNHCR
documents, are at constant risk of being arrested, detained, and deported
at the hands of the Malaysian authorities," states the press release.

In addition to calling for the immediate release of all Chin women and
children being illegally detained, CHRO also asks Malaysian authorities
for their future respect of obligations under international law.

There are an estimated 12,000 Chin refugees living in Malaysia.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

November 9, Irrawaddy
Weekly business roundup - William Boot

Burma Junta’s cash is safe in Singapore

Singapore has signaled that as an open international financial center the
bank accounts of the Burma junta generals and their business friends are
safe from sanctions interference.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore does “not track the amount of money
remitted into or out of Singapore by any country,” said The Straits Times
newspaper this week.

The paper does not say anything sensitive without government clearance,
observers note.

As an international trading and financial center, Singapore can be used to
transfer money for many purposes “including payments for goods and
services, trades on the stock exchange, even for school fees,’ the paper
quoted the government as saying.

But the MAS is responsible for ensuring that banks and other financial
institutions in the city state “have strict procedures to monitor and
report any suspicious transactions,” the paper said.

Singapore prides itself on being listed by the Germany-based
anti-corruption-monitoring organization Transparency International as one
of the world’s “cleanest” financial centers, free of corruption and
vigilant in trying to deter criminal money laundering.

Singapore ranks fifth in the TI world index, while Burma and Somalia are
ranked the two most corrupt places out of 180 countries assessed.

The Straits Times comments follow reports also this week that the US State
Department is pressing Singapore not to harbor Burmese junta money.

"We hope that they ensure that their financial institutions are not being
used as a sanctuary for Burmese officials," said State Department official
Kristen Silverberg who is in the region to try to persuade Asean to
pressure Burma to reform.

New Delhi Steps Up Investments in Burma

The Indian government is stepping up its investment in Burma at a time
when Western countries are calling for economic boycotts of the regime.

Deals involving US $160 million worth of development have been quietly
approved by New Delhi during UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari’s tour of
South and East Asia to drum up support for pressure against the Naypyidaw
regime.

His tour included a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The deals include:

* Secret completion of $100 million plans for an Indian state company to
redevelop the west coast port of Sittwe,

* Loans of $60 million from India’s Export-Import Bank to finance
construction of a hydropower project in Arakan State, which will mostly
provide electricity to a foreign-owned tourist resort.

India has been negotiating to takeover the modernization of dilapidated
Sittwe for more than one year, but the junta has kept stalling, crying
poverty. The estimated $110 million cost— including a $10 million loan to
the regime for its so-called share in the expenditure—will now be met
entirely by New Delhi.

The Economic Times of India disclosed that the deal was finally struck at
the height of the Rangoon street protests in late September when Indian
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and senior executives of the Indian state
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation visited Burma to sign new offshore
exploration agreements.

The deal was kept quiet because of the international outcry when junta
soldiers fired on unarmed street crowds in Rangoon, said the newspaper.

The $60 million line of credit is for a 140 megawatt hydroelectric dam
project on the Tha-htay river, near Thandwe in Arakan State.

It’s understood that the primary recipients of the electricity will
include hotels and other tourist facilities at Ngapali Beach.

Thailand Sits on Huge Gas Find in Burmese Waters

PTTEP of Thailand has given more details about the size of its operation
and anticipated production level in its new Burma offshore gas field in
the Gulf of Martaban.

The M9 field promises to be the state oil and gas explorer’s biggest
operation outside Thailand, and probably holds trillions of cubic feet of
gas, company president Maroot Mrigadat told reporters.

Burma’s state Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise has previously hinted that M9
was big, but until now PTTEP has been reticent to comment.

Maroot said exploration so far had covered less than half of one block in
the five-block field, indicating potentially huge gas deposits.

Based on what has been found so far, PTTEP says it could produce 300,000
million cubic feet a day in first phase production earmarked for 2011.

It’s expected that most, if not all, the gas will flow to Thailand.

Indian Energy Firm Looks For Burmese Deal

The Calcutta-based power company Adani Energy is negotiating with the
Burmese government to take on gas distribution in Rangoon and the new
capital Naypyidaw, according to Indian media.

“The company has already completed initial discussions with the Burmese
authorities in this regard [on Rangoon and Naypyidaw] and will approach
them with a formal proposal very soon,” Adani Group president Rajeev
Sharma was quoted by The Hindu Business newspaper as saying this week.

Adani Energy is part of the multi-faceted Adani Group which includes port
infrastructure and gas and oil exploration and production.

The company recently invested US $20 million in exploratory drilling in
Thailand for oil and gas, but this is believed to be the first venture in
Burma.

However, Adani announced recently it aimed to seek business opportunities
across Southeast Asia, notably Vietnam, Indonesia and Burma.

____________________________________
ASEAN

November 9, Agence France Presse
More action needed over Myanmar: MPs tell ASEAN

The ASEAN bloc should engage in more action and less talk to help bring
about democratic change in military-ruled Myanmar, the region's
legislators and non-government groups said Friday.

Delegates at a forum organised by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on
Democracy in Myanmar were told that the 10-nation grouping should
recognise it has the economic clout to pressure Myanmar rather than just
lamenting it has limited influence there.

"ASEAN members must make some serious decisions... ASEAN can no longer be
used by the military junta as cover for their economic incompetence and
brutal political oppression," Singapore legislator Charles Chong told the
forum.

"If ASEAN, after 40 years of existence, cannot muster the political will
to work together and with the UN in order to resolve this urgent matter,
then ASEAN is fundamentally at risk."

In a rare break with its policy of non-interference in the internal
affairs of members, Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign
ministers previously expressed "revulsion" over the Myanmar junta's savage
crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in September.

But Chong and other speakers said ASEAN needed to demonstrate this
"revulsion" through concrete action including the possibility of imposing
sanctions.

"In the light of what is happening in Burma, ASEAN has not done anything
that strong," said Anelyn de Luna, of the anti-junta non-profit group
Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, using Myanmar's former name.

"Yes, they came up with the statement but after that what?" she told AFP.

Chong recalled that ASEAN officials have always said that the grouping of
nations has little economic influence over Myanmar, western sanctions have
not worked and India and China should bring more effective pressure on
Myanmar.

"All these may not be completely incorrect, but this does not mean that
ASEAN should just continue to lament but carry on business as usual," he
said.

"ASEAN must recognise the true economic power that it possesses with its
investments, trade deals and other ties with Myanmar."

ASEAN should also use its its influence and ties with other countries and
the UN to "lobby for support for international efforts to bring about
reform in Myanmar," he said.

Tin Maung Maung Than, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies in Singapore, criticised statements by Thant Myint-U, a historian
and grandson of former UN Secretary General U Thant, who warned recently
sudden regime change in Myanmar could lead to Iraq-style anarchy.

"This Iraq syndrome... it's a misleading analogy at best. It is a
completely false analogy," he told the forum, adding that the Myanmar
civil service is still there even if it is emasculated.

"It is not that there is a vacuum if the military retreats from
decision-making... It's not that they are running the country, the country
is on auto-pilot," he said.

Tin Maung Maung Than said even if there is regime change, the military as
an institution "will not wither away, it will still be there as a
professional military."

Thai Senator Jon Ungphakorn said ASEAN should suspend Myanmar's membership
until there is clear progress in the country.

"Doing nothing actually degrades ASEAN. It makes ASEAN lose credibility on
the world stage," he told the forum.

In addition to Singapore, Myanmar and Thailand, the other ASEAN members
are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Vietnam.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

November 9, Agence France Presse
US seeks global pressure after Myanmar junta rebuffs reforms - P.
Parameswaran

The United States on Thursday asked the international community to step up
pressure on Myanmar's ruling military generals after they appear to have
rebuffed a UN push for genuine national reconciliation.

UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's latest mission to Myanmar to push for
democratic reforms met with little success, as the generals ruled out a
three-way meeting with arrested democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Gambari also left Myanmar Friday without meeting with military junta chief
Senior General Than Shwe or getting any assurances of freedom for Aung San
Suu Kyi or other jailed politicians and activists.

"Our message has been consistently that the regime in Burma (Myanmar) has
shown no signs of movement except when faced with significant
international pressure," said US deputy assistant secretary of state Scot
Marciel.

"So it is important for the entire international community to make sure
that it is pushing the regime to begin this genuine dialogue to move
towards national reconciliation and freedom of political prisoners," he
told reporters.

The White House said it was "sorely disappointed" that Than Shwe did not
meet with Gambari.

"This contradicts junta statements that they wanted to work with the
United Nations," US national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe told
reporters.

The United States is expected to decide on its next action at the UN after
Gambari's briefing on his return to New York.

Washington vowed on October 11, when the UN Security Council took its
first formal action on Myanmar following a bloody military crackdown on
pro-democracy protests, that it would bring the matter again to the
15-member panel "in two weeks or so" if the junta ignored UN demands.

Among other demands, the UN wanted the junta to "create the necessary
conditions, for a genuine dialogue" with Aung San Suu Kyi, "in order to
achieve an inclusive national reconciliation with the direct support of
the United Nations."

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition alliance won elections in 1990 but has never
been allowed to govern and she has been held in detention for 12 of the
past 18 years.

Although the junta is allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to meet Friday with
members of her National League for Democracy party for the first time in
more than three years, Marciel expressed caution, saying the generals had
not yet agreed to participate in such a dialogue.

He also wondered how the democracy leader could consult with the people
while under house arrest to engage in any genuine dialogue.

"I don't want to get too much into hypotheticals but for example, if the
regime once a week picked up Aung San Suu Kyi from her house to the
government rest house and announce they are having a dialogue, that
wouldn't be satisfactory to I think for us and the rest of the
international community," he said.

The US Campaign for Burma, a group fighting to establish democracy in
Myanmar, said there was "no signs that the military regime is serious
about national reconciliation."

"It is time for the UN Security Council to compel the regime to
participate in the reconciliation process," said the group's co-founder
Jeremy Woodrum.

He also said that Aung San Suu Kyi's message delivered by Gambari that she
is "ready to cooperate" with the junta "is nothing new.

"She has been saying this for the past decade but the regime only offers
cosmetic responses," he said.

Marciel also asked Southeast Asian leaders meeting for summit talks in
Singapore later this month to send "a clear message" to Myanmar's junta to
open talks with opposition and minority ethnic groups to bring about a
"real transition" to democracy.

____________________________________

November 9, UN News Centre
Students, teachers, schools face deliberate attacks in conflict areas –
UNESCO

A major United Nations study on the impact of conflict on education finds
students, teachers and schools under concerted and deliberate attack and
calls for urgent measures to protect the academic future of children
living in war zones.
The study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) catalogues a range of assaults on education: pupils
taken hostage, targeted by bombs or abducted to work as child soldiers;
teachers assassinated in school; the blasting of schools with shells and
rockets or their use as military bases; and teacher trade unionists
unaccountably disappearing.

Principal author Brendan O’Malley, briefing reporters in New York, offered
stark statistics on the problem, saying that 280 academics have been
killed in Iraq between the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and April this
year “in a campaign of liquidation.” Iraq finds its education system
“virtually on the point of collapse” with only 30 per cent of pupils
attending school last year compared with 75 per cent the previous academic
year.

He said there have been 190 bombing and missile attacks on educational
facilities in Afghanistan in 2005-2006. In 2006, attacks prevented 100,000
Afghan children who had been in school the year before from attending.

In Colombia, 310 teachers have been murdered since 2000, while in Nepal,
between 2002 and 2006, over 10,000 teachers and 22,000 students were
abducted, and 734 teachers and 1,730 students arrested or tortured.

Myanmar, which Mr. O’Malley called the “child soldier capital of the
world,” had 70,000 minors enlisted in 2002.

The study, which is based on available statistics, finds that 40 per cent
of the 77 million students not in school live in conflict-affected areas.
Mr. O’Malley noted that the problem, which is difficult to document, could
well be more widespread, and called for the establishment of a global
system to monitor the situation.

Pointing out that “attacks on educational institutions are a war crime,”
the study charts the extent and nature of the violence and suggests
actions to address it. Among other measures, it calls for campaigns to end
impunity and steps to designate schools as sanctuaries in conflict zones.
“One suggestion is that we create a symbol rather like the Red Cross to
denote recognition of this status” protecting educational facilities, said
Mr. O’Malley.

He called for international pressure to combat impunity for attacks. “We
need urgent, collective action, including human rights campaigns, to set
up a global database on education attacks, to end impunity for attacks,
and to work towards acceptance of schools as zones of peace and safe
sanctuaries.”

The report also says that the UN Security Council should “recognize the
role that education can play in both contributing to tension and in
promoting peace, and should offer support for strategies to remove
education as a factor in conflicts.”

In an interview published on UNESCO’s website, the author suggests that
the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be given more resources to
bring education-related cases to trial. “This would widen its deterrent
effect,” he said.

Mr. O’Malley also discusses the reason the report does not deal with
random acts of violence such as the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech
University in the United States in April. “This study doesn’t include
attacks like the one in Virginia, because it was not politically
motivated,” he said.

But he adds that “there is one link,” namely the easy availability of
guns. “The likelihood of attacks in conflict-affected countries most
likely increases partly because more people with grievances have the
weapons and therefore the means to carry out a violent attack.”

The report is dedicated to the memory of Safia Ama Jan, who worked
throughout her life to get Afghan girls into school before she was shot
and killed outside her home in Kandahar in September 2006.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24596&Cr=education&Cr1=unesco

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

November 9, 2007,  Irrawaddy
Decoding Aung San Suu Kyi;s statement - Aung Zaw

Two weeks ago, I wrote a commentary suggesting a need to hear from
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Now it is welcome news
that Suu Kyi has released a message through UN special envoy Ibrahim
Gambari.

The Lady finally broke her silence with her first public message since she
began her current term of house arrest in 2003.

Gambari was vindicated, for until yesterday the latest UN mission to Burma
teetered on the edge of failure. But Suu Kyi saved the day—and Gambari’s
job—by releasing a statement through the UN envoy.

What is important now is to carefully analyze Suu Kyi’s statement and
understand how she currently stands politically.

First, Suu Kyi carefully reinforced the UN’s position in the country by
saying that she was grateful to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for what
she called his unwavering support for the cause of national
reconciliation, democracy and human rights in her country.

Then she quickly tackled the really important issue. After seeing several
of the regime’s “liaison officers” come and go in the past, she welcomed
the appointment of retired General Aung Kyi as minister for relations,
charged with liaison between her and the regime.

“Our first meeting on 25 October was constructive and I look forward to
further regular discussions,” she said. “I expect that this phase of
preliminary consultations will conclude soon so that a meaningful and
time-bound dialogue with the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council)
leadership can start as early as possible.”

Suu Kyi skillfully emphasized the appointment of a liaison minister as a
binding process because past assignments of this kind had been seen as a
shrewd regime strategy to buy time and create breathing space.

This was a well-calculated move on her part as in her message she called
for direct dialogue with top military leaders, not with Aung Kyi.

After calling for dialogue, she demonstrated her willingness to cooperate
with the regime and welcomed the good offices of the UN to facilitate the
dialogue process.

“In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the
government in order to make this process of dialogue a success and welcome
the necessary good offices role of the United Nations to help facilitate
our efforts in this regard,” Suu Kyi said.

More interestingly, she highlighted the role of her opposition party, the
National League for Democracy, the 1990 landslide election winner.

As general secretary of the NLD, the Nobel Peace laureate stressed that
she would be guided by the policies and wishes of her party.

In fact, this is nothing new, but this time she took a new direction and
added: “However, in this time of vital need for democratic solidarity and
national unity, it is my duty to give constant and serious considerations
to the interests and opinions of as broad a range of political
organizations and forces as possible, in particular those of our ethnic
nationality races.”

This was indeed a well thought-out message, mentioning ethnic
nationalities and addressing the concerns and fears of possible national
chaos and disintegration.

Suu Kyi, who regularly listens to the radio in her Rangoon home, must have
learned of the concerns expressed by some “Burma experts” and regional
governments about a possible Iraq or Yugoslavia scenario if sudden change
occurred in Burma.

Her message is that she is not looking for regime-change but for
“democratic solidarity and national unity.”

Suu Kyi stressed again that she is seeking the path of dialogue and not
the devastation and confrontation regime leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe accuses
her of. “To that end, I am committed to pursue the path of dialogue
constructively and invite the government and all relevant parties to join
me in this spirit.”

Her message is timely, coming shortly before an Asean summit in Singapore.
The detained democracy leader did not forget to mention the regional body
and acknowledge the role of Asean.

Suu Kyi said in her message: “I believe that stability, prosperity and
democracy for my country, living at peace with itself and with full
respect for human rights, offers the best prospect for my country to fully
contribute to the development and stability of the region in close
partnership with its neighbors and fellow Asean members, and to play a
positive role as a respected member of the international community.”

Although there have been calls for Asean to suspend Burma’s membership,
Suu Kyi’s position is to work with the regional organization. This is a
direct message to Asean leaders and Burma’s two giant neighbors, China and
India, who still remain non-committal on the Burma issue, adopting a
wait-and-see attitude.

She made no mention of Western nations or the US, ignoring regime charges
that she is a “puppet of the West.”

Her message is short but meaningful and conciliatory, sending a signal to
several key players inside and outside the country.

Internationally, Suu Kyi wants the UN to play a key role in the Burma
crisis and to continue to facilitate dialogue, but she also acknowledges
the important role of Asean and the governments of the region.

Domestically, she stressed that she would cooperate with the government in
order to make the process of dialogue a success and to “give constant and
serious considerations to the interests and opinions of as broad a range
of political organizations and forces as possible, in particular those of
our ethnic nationality races.”

Now it remains to be seen how Asean, China and India will respond to her
message. Inside the country, all key players including leading Buddhist
monks, the ‘88 Generation Students group and ethnic leaders will also need
to respond to what she has to say.
And finally, the generals have a duty to get back to her soon.

____________________________________

November 9, Wall Street Journal Online
How Burma's generals think

It's always hard to know what military dictators really think. So it's
worth examining closely a recent public statement by one of Burma's
leaders on the occasion of United Nations Envoy Ibrahim Gambari's visit to
the country. There is some interesting information between the lines.

In a transcript of parts of their conversation, published in the state-run
New Light of Myanmar Tuesday, Burma's Minister of Information Kyaw Hsan
takes Mr. Gambari and the West to task for imposing sanctions in the wake
of last month's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, including
Buddhist monks.

Citing Burma's "subtle" and "very complicated" history, the minister says
that the government is exerting "endeavors for national development and
improvement of the food, clothing and shelter needs of the people." As for
the protests, he suggests that "true monks" didn't participate, and that
"law and order" have been restored. Of the 2,927 people detained in
connection with the marches, he adds, 2,836 have been released. For that,
the minister continues, Burma expects financial sanctions imposed by
Western nations to be lifted:

"If we receive assistance from international organizations including the
U.N. and developed nations, our development pace will gain greater
momentum and democratic reforms will reach their goal sooner."

Our translation: Financial sanctions are working. The U.S. imposed a
targeted asset freeze on 26 individuals and companies tied to the Burmese
regime in September and October. The EU followed suit by imposing import
sanctions on timber and gems from Burma, which supplies 90% of the world's
rubies. Australia, for its part, announced financial sanctions against 418
individuals late last month. Little wonder it's a "must" for the Burmese
generals to get these measures lifted.

As for Burma's allies and others who aren't taking any real action,
they're now useful propaganda tools for the regime. The minister cites the
stance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and "neighboring
countries" (read: India, Thailand and China) as proof that "constructive
engagement is better than sanctions."

That might be exactly what the U.N. wants to hear. According to the
statement, Mr. Gambari assured the generals that certain countries don't
support sanctions, and said the U.N. didn't oppose the junta's democracy
"road map," but wanted more "inclusiveness" and a timetable for the
process.

There is no way of knowing how accurately Mr. Gambari's comments have been
rendered here. But they are disappointingly consistent with Turtle Bay's
previous supplications to the regime. If recent events teach anything,
it's that the junta isn't swayed by talk, only by action.

____________________________________

November 9, Irrawaddy
How to save Burma's future generations? - Yeni

Wounds pass through the generations
The 88 generation never got a rest
The 96 generation never got a rest
Now, the 2007 generation has no rest
The wounds of the 88 generation
should be healed
But the potential for the next generation
has been destroyed

—Yaw Han Aung

A Burmese poet, Yaw Han Aung, wrote these words in his poem "Crushed
Nation," after seeing the crackdown on the freedom uprising in
September—literally led by young monks [See:
http://yaw-han-aung.blogspot.com/].

Of course, we Burmese have grown up in a totalitarian system, and we are
painfully conscious of how our country has lagged behind the rest of the
world for decades.

That knowledge—and experience—is what's driven thousands of  Burmese to
sacrifice their lives—people shot on the streets, imprisoned and forced to
flee the country—in the hope of creating a democratic, free and prosperous
nation.

As a university student in 1988, my circle of friends had an acute
awareness of the country's dire straits after the demonetization in
September 1987, in which about 80 percent of the currency in circulation
was lost.

We went to the streets calling for change. Unfortunately, many people lost
their life, gunned down by soldiers, led by a junta that called
freedom-loving people "destructive elements," puppets of the communists
and the CIA.

In the current freedom demonstrations, which began on August 19, people
again took to the streets calling for political and economic change.

Each new generation has witnessed the further deterioration of the
country. According to the UN and other reliable institutions, Burma's
public sector, especially health and education, ranks among the worst in
the world. The estimated per capita GDP is less than half of that in
Cambodia or Bangladesh. The cost to each new generation—in terms of
aspirations and hope—is devastating.

Traditionally, the Burmese people have believed that society rests on
three highly regarded institutions: "Students," "Monks" and "Soldiers."
All three groups fought for Burma's independence from the British colonial
power and the Japanese occupation. All three had a dream to build a new
nation.

Unfortunately, the power of the military increased rapidly through its
fighting various insurgencies—including the Communist Party of Burma and
Karen and other armed ethnic separatist groups. But during those years
after Burma gained its independence, the soldiers served under the command
of a civilian government, headed by U Nu.

Ultimately, however, starting in 1962, led by the late dictator Gen Ne
Win, the "Soldier" class betrayed the "Student" and "Monk" classes through
coups, killings, imprisonments and torture. As the poem says, the
potential of each new generation as been destroyed. The present regime,
led by Snr-Gen Than Shwe, is just more of the same.

The Burmese understand that every country needs the "Soldier" class and an
army to protect its own people—not to kill and oppress. There is a
legitimate role for Burma's military as a national institution—but not as
a corrupted, oppressive body. It is shameful for the "Soldier" class to
continue to oppress each new generation of the Burmese people.

Ordinary Burmese remember the poignant words of the father of our country,
the independence leader and the founder of the modern armed forces, Gen
Aung San:  “There are others who are not soldiers who have suffered and
made all kinds of sacrifices for their country. You must change this
notion that only the soldiers matter.”

For a better future, Burma needs two things: First, the Burmese people
must never give up. Ordinary people—and students and monks— must work to
ensure that future generations have a better life. Second, the "soldier"
class must return to its roots as an honorable institution, guided by
self-sacrifice, self-discipline and a dedication to serve the people.

____________________________________

November 8, United Press International
The generals' mythical compromise - Awzar Thi

While hundreds of persons remain detained or are missing in the aftermath
of the uprising that gripped Burma in September, and new sporadic protests
emerge, its national newspapers have consisted of the usual phalanx of
army officers forcing their largesse onto Buddhist monks and attending an
all-important performing arts festival.

On Oct. 20, newspaper headlines declared that the new prime minister,
Lt.-Gen. Thein Sein, had the day before watched a performance of the
Suwannasama legend, one of ten allegories about previous lives of Gautama
Buddha that is known to the majority of people in Burma by way of
religious homilies and primary school lessons.

Suwannasama, the story goes, is a young man who lives with his blind
parents in a forest. One day a king on a hunting trip accidentally shoots
him dead, but a sympathetic deity brings him back to life. The king is
remorseful and devotes himself to the family, thereafter being reborn in a
higher plane of existence. The elderly mother and father even regain their
sight.

The choice of drama appears to have been intended as a message that with a
little bit of compromise everybody in Burma, like the play's protagonists,
can come out ahead. A long-winded feature article belabored the point,
concluding that it would be in the interests of all to heed the folktale's
lessons. And on the days before and after there were other equally
gripping reports of senior officers watching the play.

But the spirit of compromise has itself quickly turned to myth.

On Oct. 24, a United Nations office in the country issued an unusually
frank press release in which it acknowledged that the uprising was a
response to severe economic hardship, and exhorted the government to heed
the signs of dissent. "The average household is forced to spend almost
three quarters of its budget on food, one in three children under five
suffer malnutrition and less than 50 percent of children are able to
complete primary education," it read in part.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry quickly issued a strong rebuttal. A week
later the government sent a complaint to the U.N. secretary-general, and
has since made clear that it does not welcome the U.N. humanitarian relief
coordinator, Charles Petrie, any longer. Petrie has worked closely with
senior figures in the regime and had been chary of criticizing them lest
his mandate be adversely affected, but apparently this didn't make any
difference.

At a press conference on Nov. 2 the government unrolled a sheet of
statistics to show that things are getting better, not worse, and that
"poverty in Myanmar is not very different from the neighboring developing
countries and the suffering is not to the extent as exaggerated by the
U.N. country team."

Here is a major obstacle to any sort of compromise between the junta and
just about everyone else.

The gap between propaganda and actual conditions in Burma is so vast that
there is no point at which it may be traversed. Every concerned
international organization, including the World Food Program and the
International Committee of the Red Cross, has openly stated at one point
in time or another -- and with increasing frequency – that military rule
is the unparalleled cause of poverty there. Yet for its part the
government cannot even admit to the existence of this poverty, let along
accept responsibility.

In this also we find the gap between the propaganda of myth and the
harshness of reality.

Suwannasama was brought back to life because he fed and cared for his
blind parents. By contrast, the generals are starving their people, and
inhibiting anyone else seriously trying to do anything about it.

The king who accidentally slew Suwannasama was ultimately rewarded because
he was contrite. By contrast, Burma's military remains unable to
acknowledge even the most blatantly obvious damage caused by its decades
of greed and incompetence.

Absurd data do not shield a government from the scrutiny of international
groups and others based abroad; they just beggar belief and frustrate the
efforts of even the most conciliatory parties to make things better. Nor
do they shield it from what its people know for themselves; they just make
growing demands for change all the more imperative. If it insists upon
clinging to them then its compromise too can surely be nothing more than
myth.

At the end of the grade four reading on Suwannasama, students are asked,
"How does Suwannasama admonish the king?" The correct answer is: He
admonishes the king to serve others with humility, just as he has his
parents. In response, the chastened king earnestly pays his respects,
acknowledging that, "To you who is without blame, I have
done wrong."

Someone should remind one or two of the generals that only then does
everyone live happily ever after.

(Awzar Thi is the pen name of a member of the Asian Human Rights
Commission with over 15 years of experience as an advocate of human rights
and the rule of law in Thailand and Burma whose Rule of Lords blog can be
read at: http://ratchasima.net/)

____________________________________
STAETMENT

November 9, Associated Press
Text of Aung San Suu Kyi's statement

Following is the text of the statement by Myanmar opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, released Thursday by U.N. envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

"I wish to thank all those who have stood by my side all this time, both
inside and outside my country. I am also grateful to the Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his unwavering support for the
cause of national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in my
country.

"I welcome the appointment on 8 October of Minister Aung Kyi as minister
for relations. Our first meeting on 25 October was constructive and I look
forward to further regular discussions. I expect that this phase of
preliminary consultations will conclude soon so that a meaningful and
timebound dialogue with the SPDC leadership can start as early as
possible.

"In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the
government in order to make this process of dialogue a success and welcome
the necessary good offices role of the United Nations to help facilitate
our efforts in this regard.

"In full awareness of the essential role of political parties in
democratic societies, in deep appreciation of the sacrifices of the
members of my party and in my position as General Secretary, I will be
guided by the policies and wishes of the National League for Democracy.
However, in this time of vital need for democratic solidarity and national
unity, it is my duty to give constant and serious considerations to the
interests and opinions of as broad a range of political organizations and
forces as possible, in particular those of our ethnic nationality races.

"To that end, I am committed to pursue the path of dialogue constructively
and invite the government and all relevant parties to join me in this
spirit.

"I believe that stability, prosperity and democracy for my country, living
at peace with itself and with full respect for human rights, offers the
best prospect for my country to fully contribute to the development and
stability of the region in close partnership with its neighbors and fellow
ASEAN members, and to play a positive role as a respected member of the
international community."

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

November 9, Ethnic Nationalities Council
"Ethnic Nationalities Council welcomes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Statement"

The Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC) warmly welcomes Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi's statement, which was released by Mr. Gambari, the UN
Secretary-General's Special Advisor. The ENC Chairman Saw Ba Thin  said,
"her statement reflects the Panglong Spirit---the spirit and  principle on
which the Union of Burma was founded at the first place  in 1947 by her
father, General Aung San, and ethnic leaders".

In her statement, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly expressed "the need for
solidarity and national unity", and highlighted her willingness to work
with "as broad a range of political organizations and forces as possible,
in particular those of our ethnic nationality races." The ENC Chairman
echoes her statement, saying, "From the very beginning, the ENC also
expressed our willingness to work with all the stakeholders in Burma for
the shake of solving political crisis through a negotiated-settlement and
end more than five long decades of civil war, in which we ethnic
nationalities are the main victims".

The ENC also welcomes the meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and General
Aung Kyi, and expects along with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi that "this phase of
preliminary consultations will conclude soon so that a meaningful and time
bound dialogue with the SPDC leadership can start as early as possible".
The ENC strongly believes that the best means to solve political crisis in
Burma is through a "tripartite dialogue" amongst the SPDC, the 1990
election winning party led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic
nationalities, as called for by the United Nations General Assembly's
resolutions since 1994 and reaffirmed by the United Nation Security
Council's Presidential Statement on 11 October 2007.

The ENC congratulates Mr. Gambari, the UN Secretary-General's Special
Advisor, for undertaking this difficult mission but regrets that the SPDC
Chairman Senior General Than Shwe did not meet with him during his recent
visit to Burma. The ENC is disappointed that the SPDC rejected Mr.
Gambari's proposal for the establishment of "a broad-based constitutional
review commission and a broad-based poverty alleviation commission".
However, as the talk between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and General Aung Kyi
progress, the ENC hopes that the SPDC will change their position soon.

Contact persons:

Dr. Lian H. Sakhong                                            David Taw
General Secretary                                                   Joint 
General Secretary
E-mail: <mailto:liansakhong at peacebuilding.se>liansakhong at peacebuilding.se
E-mail: <mailto:tawdavid2002 at yahoo.com>tawdavid2002 at yahoo.com
Tel: +46-18-26 03 95                                               Tel:
+66-(0)81-30 64 351