BurmaNet News, November 14, 2007

[Editor]

November 14, 2007 Issue # 3342

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Burma continues arrests of activists
Reuters: U.N. envoy "disturbed" by Myanmar arrest in visit
Irrawaddy: NLD says police must open file on protest victims
Irrawaddy: New pro-junta campaign reflects anti-US, Western media stance
Adnkronos International: Burma: Media blackout blocks updates on country's
security
AFP: We are in control: Myanmar defence official

BUSINESS / TRADE
Globe and Mail via Reuters: Ottawa imposes new sanctions on Myanmar

ASEAN
The Nation: Burma still tops Asean Summit agenda
AFP: Singapore doctor -- and alleged banker -- to Myanmar's generals

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Bangla foreign advisor for tripartite initiative to resolve
Rohingya issue
Irrawaddy: Burmese student protesters in Thailand fear reprisals

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: UN Security Council divided in discussion of Burma
AFP: Myanmar under fire over forced labour at ILO

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Junta: You will win if you use Suu Kyi seriously - Kyaw Zwa Moe
Jakarta Post: Myanmar unrest and prospects for change - Baladas Ghoshal

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

November 14, Associated Press
Burma continues arrests of activists

Burma's military junta arrested three more activists Wednesday, witnesses
said, surging ahead with a crackdown even as it hosted a UN human rights
investigator and insisted that all arrests had stopped.

The latest to be nabbed were at least three people handing out anti-regime
pamphlets at the busy Thiri Mingalar fruit and vegetable market in
Rangoon, shoppers and other witnesses said, speaking on condition of
anonymity because they feared reprisals from the government.

"I saw at least three young men in white shirts being arrested by market
security officials,'' said one of the witnesses, a market worker. The
leaflets included a statement from the United Nations and one saying that
forcing people to take part in pro-junta rallies violated the Geneva
Conventions.

The incident followed earlier arrests of two prominent dissidents. One
came Tuesday as UN human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro met with
Cabinet ministers in the junta's remote, jungle capital Naypyidaw.

Pinheiro's five-day visit is part of an investigation into widespread
allegations of human rights abuses since the regime's violent crackdown on
pro-democracy protests in September. He was "given assurances'' by the
junta that he would be able to interview detainees before leaving, the UN
said in a statement.

Pinheiro was to confer with the government's foreign and labor ministers
before returning to Rangoon on Thursday.

At a UN Security Council meeting Tuesday, the United States and other
Western countries deplored the arrests of the two dissidents, saying they
raised doubts about the ruling junta's sincerity in moving toward
democracy and cooperating with the United Nations.

Su Su Nway, a prominent female activist who has been on the run for more
than two months, was arrested Tuesday morning in Rangoon as she tried to
place a leaflet near a hotel where Pinheiro was staying, exiled Burmese
dissidents in Thailand said.

U Gambira, a Buddhist monk who helped spearhead the pro-democracy
demonstrations in Rangoon was arrested several days ago, said Stanley Aung
of the Thailand-based dissident group National League for
Democracy-Liberated Area.

U Gambira, also known as U Gambiya, was a leader of the All-Burma Monks
alliance, a group established to support pro-democracy protests after
small demonstrations began in August.

The junta had placed him on a wanted list, announcing on state television
in early October that he was one of four monks it was hunting down for
leading the protests.

Monks inspired and led the movement until it was crushed September 26-27.
The authorities began their crackdown by raiding several monasteries in
Rangoon in the middle of the night and hauling monks away.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners urged
Pinheiro to try to meet with U Gambira in prison.

"I am very worried about U Gambira,'' Bo Kyi, the head of the association
said in an e-mail to The Associated Press."I fear he will be tortured.''

Other dissident groups also reported the monk's arrest, though details
differed. Some said he was arrested November 4, while others said November
10.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Burma's Ambassador Kyaw Tint Swe
insisted Tuesday there ``had been no further arrests in connection with
the demonstrations.'' He made no mention of Su Su Nway or U Gambira.

The government acknowledged detaining almost 3,000 people but says it has
released most of them. Most of the prominent political activists, however,
remain in custody.

____________________________________

November 14, Reuters
U.N. envoy "disturbed" by Myanmar arrest in visit

U.N. human rights envoy Sergio Paulo Pinheiro was disturbed by Myanmar's
arrest of prominent labor activist Su Su Nway as he met junta officials, a
U.N. official said on Wednesday.

Pinheiro, visiting the former Burma to get to the bottom of the regime's
bloody crackdown on democracy protests in September, was expected to raise
her arrest in meetings with government officials on Thursday.

"He was disturbed by the fact that the arrest had been done," Charles
Petrie, the top U.N. diplomat in Myanmar, told Reuters.

"He still has some meetings with authorities and Professor Pinheiro is
pretty straightforward and frank, so I would expect him to raise that and
other issues," he said.

Su Su Nway, 34, was detained on Tuesday as she put up anti-junta leaflets
near the Yangon hotel where Pinheiro was staying before he flew to the
jungle capital, Naypyidaw.

She had joined street protests against shock fuel price rises in August
and September, but went into hiding when soldiers crushed the biggest
anti-junta demonstrations in nearly 20 years.

It is not known where Su Su Nway is being held.

Pinheiro, a Brazilian law professor allowed into Myanmar for the first
time in four years, has visited Yangon's notorious Insein prison and other
places where September marchers were interrogated.

Pinheiro was told he would be allowed to interview detainees before he
flies out on Thursday night.

"He still hasn't finished his trip and he has asked for meetings with
others," Petrie said.

Official media say all but 91 of the nearly 3,000 arrested were released
after questioning. The official death toll has been put at 10, but Western
governments say the real number is probably far higher.

____________________________________

November 14, Irrawaddy
NLD says police must open file on protest victims - Wai Moe

The victims of the brutal suppression of September’s demonstrations should
not be forgotten if dialogue does take place between the Burmese regime
and the opposition, National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win told
The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

Nyan Win, who is also a lawyer, said the police must legally open files on
the demonstrators who were killed or who are still missing. The deaths of
demonstrators were crimes, he emphasized.

“The NLD does not neglect those who lost their lives during the conflict,”
Nyan Win said. “We will talk about them in any dialogue with the
authorities.”

After meeting NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week, Nyan Win said she had
told him and other party leaders they had to work for a “healing process,”
and they had discussed how to bring that about.

At least two members of the NLD died in the violent crackdown on the
September demonstrations, and a third, Win Ko, died recently from injuries
he received, according to the NLD.

Aung Htoo, of the Burma Lawyers’ Council, also said files should be opened
into the “unlawful” killing of demonstrators.

Htoo accused the ruling junta of “hiding state crimes.” He maintained the
opposition was fearful that raising the issue of the September killings
“could deter the junta’s participation in dialogue process.

“The opposition is worried to talk openly about the victims and crimes. It
is like giving license to murder. They talk about reconciliation, but
forget to talk about the truth. So we are losing the truth about the
victims.”

Talking about the killings could discourage future crimes of this kind,
and this could encourage successful reconciliation, Htoo said.

Meanwhile, six activists have been arrested in Rangoon in the past two
days, as the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Paulo Sergio
Pinheiro, continues his investigation into the crackdown and the fate of
monks and other protesters still held by the authorities.

Three, including prominent civil rights activist Su Su Nway, were arrested
on Tuesday as they pasted anti-regime posters on a billboard in downtown
Rangoon, and on Wednesday three other activists were seized as they handed
out pamphlets in the city’s Thiri Mingalar fruit and vegetable market.

UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari told the BBC in an interview broadcast on
Wednesday that the arrests the previous day, if confirmed, would be a
“step backward.” But he still felt progress was being made in nudging the
regime towards meaningful dialogue with the pro-democracy opposition and
urged the Security Council to give his diplomatic mission time to succeed,
according to an Associated Press report.

____________________________________

November 14, Irrawaddy
New pro-junta campaign reflects anti-US, Western media stance - Saw Yan Naing

A new pro-junta campaign currently underway in Rangoon and on state-run
Web sites promotes an anti-US, Western media stance and labels
demonstrators as stooges.

One slogan in downtown Rangoon, written in Burmese, translates: “Oppose
those who rely on America, act as their stooges and hold negative views”
[Photo: drlunswe.blogspot.com]

One slogan in downtown Rangoon, written in Burmese, translates: “Oppose
those who rely on America, act as their stooges and hold negative views.”

Photographs of protesting monks and anti-US rallies were posted on an
official regime Web site on Wednesday. (See:
http://www.myanmar.com/photo/photo.html)

Some captions accused protesting monks of being imposters and "destructive
elements," and said Burma's history will be written by the Burmese people,
not by President George W. Bush.

The logos of Western radio stations including the British Broadcasting
Cooperation, Radio Free Asia, the Voice of America and the Democracy Voice
of Burma are marked with red crosses on the Web site. One caption said
Burma’s ethnicities only want peace, stability and economic development.

According to observers, many residents have been coerced into attending
pro-junta rallies and told to hold posters deriding a "skyful of liars,"
including the BBC, the VOA, the RFA and the DVB.

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese political analyst, told The Irrawaddy on
Wednesday, “It is likely they [authorities] don’t care about any groups
opposing them and think that they can rule the country as they have
before.”

“They [the junta] arrest activists while talking about national
reconciliation. By giving conflicting messages, it is questionable if the
military honestly wants national reconciliation."

____________________________________

November 14, Adnkronos International
Burma: Media blackout blocks updates on country's security

Rangoon - While Burma's brutal crackdown has generated headlines around
the world, a media blackout inside the country means very few people know
whether there has been any political progress.

The US envoy to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday
complained that the military leaders in Burma (or Myanmar) have made no
move to accept democratic reforms, while human rights groups say mass
detentions and torture are commonplace.

The country's deeply-revered monks led up to 100,000 people on the streets
of Rangoon in September in the biggest protests against the ruling junta
in nearly two decades.

The demonstrations were violently suppressed and there were mass arrests
and reports of beatings.

The generals say 10 people were killed in the crackdown but diplomats put
the toll much higher. No one knows the precise number of arrests.

Reports on Wednesday quoted dissidents as saying that two prominent
anti-government activists, including a Buddhist monk have been arrested.

Human rights organisation, Amnesty International, says there are "grave
and ongoing human rights violations".

"Widespread arbitrary detentions, hostage taking, beatings and torture in
custody and enforced disappearances clearly disprove any claims from the
Myanmar government of returning normality," said Catherine Baber,
Amnesty's Asia-Pacific programme director.

While it has been difficult for the international media to report from
within Burma, there has also been a media blackout which restricts almost
all outlets.

"Most people in the country do not watch the national television news
bulletins because the news is completely opposite to the reality," said a
resident of the Burmese city of Rangoon (also known as Yangon), in an
interview with Adnkronos International (AKI).

"The junta continues to 'inform' through officials channels."

Burmese state television has repeatedly run the images of smiling generals
greeting the United Nations' special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, who
has just returned from a visit to the country.

Local dailies - whether in English or Burmese - such as the New Light of
Myanmar and the weekly Myanmar Times, also run images of pro-democracy
leader and Nobel prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi together with Aung Kyi,
the man appointed by the government to mediate with opposition leaders.

On a daily basis the state-run, New Light of Myanmar, accuses the BBC and
VOA (Voice of America) of lying about the situation in Burma saying that
they incited the monks to protest.

Despite these accusations, the Burmese people appear to have chosen to
listen to international news bulletins.

"If we gather to watch satellite channels in public places we risk ending
up in prison for seven years," one monk who wished to remain anonymous
told AKI.

After September's crackdown, "many monks have returned home for fear of
being arrested," said another young Buddhist monk.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch and other groups have called for China,
Thailand, the US and other countries to boycott an international gem sale
taking place in Burma.

They claim the regime uses the gem auction to raise money and finance its
corrupt regime.

Human Rights Watch said the state-run Myanmar Gems Enterprise generated
sales of almost 300 million dollars in 2006-2007 - an increase of almost
45 percent over the previous year's gem earnings.

Meanwhile, UN human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, who is on a
five-day visit to Burma, met cabinet ministers in the junta’s remote,
jungle capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday.

Pinheiro's visit which ends on Thursday, is part of an investigation into
widespread allegations of human rights abuses since the regime’s violent
crackdown on pro-democracy protests in September.

____________________________________

November 14, Agence France Presse
We are in control: Myanmar defence official - Martin Abbugao

Myanmar's ruling junta is in control after recent bloody unrest and will
take more action against those who violate the law, the country's deputy
defence chief said Wednesday.

Deputy Defence Minister Major General Aye Myint also said the generals
would "not accept" outside interference they deemed harmful to their
country's sovereignty.

His comments came as a United Nations human rights envoy visited Myanmar
to investigate the death toll and detentions from a recent crackdown on
anti-government protests.

"Now the situation in Myanmar is in normalcy. We totally control all the
situation," Aye Myint told a news conference in Singapore after attending
a meeting of Southeast Asian defence chiefs.

He said there had been some arrests, but suspects were only taken in for
questioning.

He said 49 people were being detained in Yangon and 42 in other cities,
without specifying when the arrests were made.

"After questioning, most of them are released," he said.

"We will be taking actions according to the violation of the law and also
the terrorism act. I think Myanmar is now stable... We will not accept
influences that will harm our sovereignty."

Amnesty International has estimated that 700 people arrested over the
recent protests are still in detention.

Singapore Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who chaired the meeting, said
the Myanmar defence official updated others on the situation in his
country.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defence ministers
expressed hope for progress in a UN-brokered effort for national
reconciliation in Myanmar, he said.

UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has visited Myanmar twice in a bid to
bring the ruling generals, democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other
parties together in the reconciliation process.

"We all want to see a stable Myanmar," Teo said.

Singapore elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew warned in October that an unstable
Myanmar was a ticking "timebomb" which the region should help defuse.

The defence ministers' gathering was held ahead of the annual ASEAN summit
next week to be hosted by current chair, Singapore. Myanmar is expected to
be a dominant topic at the meeting.

ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yeong rejected calls by some human rights
groups to prevent Myanmar from signing a landmark ASEAN charter, which
will for the first time call for the establishment of a human rights body
in the bloc.

He said that as far as the junta is concerned, Myanmar is a democratic
country that respects human rights.

"They have not objected to it," Ong told reporters.

But they look at these issues in the "terms of Southeast Asia, not in the
terms of the Western liberal world."

What the generals reject is "what they see to be somebody else's rule of
law and democracy that is being imposed on them," Ong said.

Western nations led by the United States and countries in the European
Union have imposed sanctions on Myanmar, but ASEAN has taken a
controversially different track of engaging the regime.

Ong also said the leaders might issue a separate statement on Myanmar at
the end of their summit next Tuesday.

Aye Myint said the generals believe their so-called seven-step roadmap for
democracy is the only "viable" long-term political solution.

"Nobody can understand Myanmar better than our government and our people
so we should follow according to our seven-step roadmap," he said,
referring to the process that includes the writing of a new constitution.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

November 14, Globe and Mail via Reuters
Ottawa imposes new sanctions on Myanmar - Brodie Fenlon

Canada will impose “the toughest sanctions in the world” on Myanmar, also
known as Burma, to further isolate its military junta after September's
violent crackdown on protesters, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier
announced Wednesday.

“Canada has long had measures against Burma. Now we are going to impose
the toughest sanctions in the world,” Mr. Bernier said during a speech to
the Economic Club of Toronto.

“Tougher sanctions against Burma are the right thing to do. They are right
on moral grounds. The regime in Burma is abhorrent to Canadian values,” he
said.

The sanctions include a ban on all imports and exports to and from Burma,
except for humanitarian goods, and a ban on new investment by Canadians
and Canadian companies.

Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier announced new sanctions against
Myanmar on Wednesday.

The strongest message has to be sent. Sanctions are the means by which we,
not just Canada, but the international community, can best exert pressures
against the military junta,” Mr. Bernier said.
In September, the junta ordered thousands of soldiers to crush protests by
Buddhist monks in the streets of Rangoon. At least 10 people were killed.
Hundreds more were held in detention.

The new Canadian sanctions, which follow similar announcements in recent
weeks by the European Union and Japan, coincide with a warning by China,
which is concerned international penalties could make Myanmar “another
Iraq,” a senior diplomat said Wednesday.

Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei said Myanmar was now headed in the
right direction in the aftermath of mass protests demanding democracy and
then a harsh wave of arrests.

Noting recent visits to Myanmar by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and
contacts between the imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the
ruling generals, He said now was the time for “encouragement”, not
sanctions.

“We should be patient,” the Chinese diplomat told a news conference about
a summit of Asian leaders in Singapore next week. “We especially
disapprove of sanctions. Sanctions cannot solve the problem, and will only
make matters worse.”

Meanwhile, a senior junta official said Myanmar rejects “interferences” in
its domestic affairs, citing the need to protect its sovereignty.

Deputy Defence Minister Aye Myint told a news conference at the ASEAN
Defence Ministers Meeting in Singapore that the former Burma was “stable”,
and that its “home-grown principle is viable for the long-term operation
of our political process”.

“We will not accept the interferences that will harm our sovereignty,” he
said.

The 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is one of
the few international groups to accept Myanmar as a member. It has been
criticized for failing to bring the country into the fold despite its
10-year-old policy of engaging the nation through dialogue.

____________________________________
ASEAN

November 14, The Nation
Burma still tops Asean Summit agenda - Supalak G Khundee

Though Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will be signing at least 13
documents at nine summits, including the Asean forum in Singapore next
week, he knows the Burma issue will be on the top of the agenda.

Upon his arrival in Singapore on Monday, Surayud will first be sitting in
on the third Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Growth Triangle meeting to
review cooperation projects and see if the schemes are benefiting people
in the restive South.

The remaining eight summits will be related to Asean directly and Burma
will be the main subject of discussion, notably the developments after the
bloody unrest in September, said Vitavas Srivihok, the Foreign Ministry's
director of Asean affairs.

Burma is also expected to be discussed in separate meetings scheduled with
China, Japan, South Korea, India and European Union, he said.

However, few hot topics are expected to emerge from the discussions,
especially since things are looking relatively positive in the juntaruled
country after United Nations' special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's latest
visit.

Gambari has told UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon that direct dialogue
between the junta and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was very likely.

Though there may be no additional proposals on Burma, the grouping is
bound to look for ways to support Gambari's and the UN's efforts in
pushing Burma toward democracy and national reconciliation, Vitavas said.

He also expects Asean to achieve a balance even though its partners have
widely different stances toward Burma, ranging between extreme pressure
from EU sanctions and full engagement from countries such as China.

However, even though Burma is everyone's favourite topic at the moment,
Singapore is likely to try and steer the discussion to its main themes:
climate change, energy and the environment.

Vitavas said the grouping should be able to sign the Singapore Declaration
on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment by the end of the summit.

The declaration is among the dozen or so documents Asean leaders need to
sign this year, he said.

The other important document waiting to be signed is the Asean Charter,
which will make the 40yearold regional grouping into a rulebased
organisation. The charter should also give birth to a human rights body to
protect people's basic rights in the 10 member countries.

____________________________________

November 14, Agence France Presse
Singapore doctor -- and alleged banker -- to Myanmar's generals - Martin
Abbugao

Myanmar is facing a fresh scolding from ASEAN summit host Singapore but
ties between the two nations run deep, with the city-state acting as
doctor and alleged banker to the junta's ageing generals.

Singapore earned international praise for leading the 10-member regional
bloc's condemnation of Myanmar's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy
protesters in September, expressing "revulsion" at the use of deadly force
there.

Two months on, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
especially Singapore, which will welcome leaders for their annual
gathering from Sunday, is under pressure to match the tough words with
action.

The city-state, whose hospitals are among the best in the region, has for
years provided medical care to Myanmar's top brass, among them junta
leader Senior General Than Shwe and the late prime minister Soe Win.

Soe Win spent months at a Singapore hospital this year before flying home,
where state media said he died in October.

But the harsh glare of the international spotlight has recently turned to
Singapore's business and alleged banking ties with the secretive junta.

"Singapore has been the favourite place for them to stash their money,"
said Debbie Stothard of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, a human
rights group.

"If Singapore actually decided to freeze their assets... that would
paralyse the regime overnight."

Verification of individual accounts here is difficult because of
Singapore's strict bank secrecy laws, analysts say.

In an interview with The Straits Times newspaper last month, Foreign
Minister George Yeo said Myanmar's neighbours "can't do what the big
powers can do in terms of trade embargo or freezing bank accounts."

Officials led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have strongly denied
allegations that the city-state allows its banks to keep illicit funds on
behalf of Myanmar's military rulers.

Yeo told parliament last month that the de facto central bank, the
Monetary Authority of Singapore, does not track the amount of money
remitted into or out of Singapore by any country.

But the bank "operates a strict and rigorous regime against money
laundering," Yeo said, stressing that if there were any links with illicit
activity, the central bank would "not hesitate to take action."

In terms of business links, International Monetary Fund figures show
Singapore was the third-largest supplier of imports to Myanmar last year,
behind China and Thailand.

Yeo says Singapore has limited economic influence over Myanmar.

"Generally speaking, our businessmen are not doing well in Myanmar and
many regret having invested there," Yeo said.

The foreign minister also said Singapore has not made any defence sales to
Myanmar in recent years, qualifying previous sales as insignificant and
involving items "not suitable for countering civilian unrest."

Singapore property developer Keppel Land manages two hotels in Myanmar,
and Myanmar state media say a Singapore company is among the energy firms
jointly exploring for oil and gas in the impoverished country's northeast.

The city-state's three homegrown banks have representative offices in
Myanmar.

Dave Mathieson, a consultant to Human Rights Watch in Bangkok, said
Singapore got a "wake-up call" when the United States last month announced
new sanctions on Myanmar, with three Singapore-linked firms in their
sights.

All three are linked to Myanmar national Tay Za, who observers say is a
close associate of the junta.

"It's about time the US did something like that," Mathieson said, calling
on Singapore to take action as well.

Zaid Ibrahim, president of the ASEAN Caucus on Burma, a parliamentary
group, urged Singapore and other ASEAN states to take individual action.

"I'm looking for one country in ASEAN that stands up for democracy," Zaid
told Singapore lawmakers during a recent forum.

"Why can't Singapore do something to show your displeasure?"

____________________________________
REGIONAL

November 14, Mizzima News
Bangla foreign advisor for tripartite initiative to resolve Rohingya issue
- Siddique Islam

The need for a tripartite initiative between the United Nations (UN),
Bangladesh and Burma to resolve the Rohingya refugee problem has been
stressed by the Advisor on Foreign Affairs to the Bangladesh Caretaker
government, Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

He said this when a visiting Burmese delegation headed by Deputy Commerce
Minister U Aung Tun called on him at his secretariat office in the
capital, Dhaka on Tuesday.

Also present, apart from other delegates, were the envoy of Burma in
Bangladesh Ambassador U Nyan Linn and Bangladesh Ambassador to Burma Major
General Abu Roshde Rokonuddawla.

Over 26,000 Rohingya refugees are languishing in two camps – Kutupalong
and Nayapara – in Cox's Bazaar district in Bangladesh at the moment.

Dr. Chowdhury called for speedy implementation of bilateral projects,
including connecting road and contract based cultivation, between
Bangladesh and Burma.

Describing Bangladesh as a "very good friend of Myanmar [ Burma]", the
advisor said Bangladesh was eager to expand bilateral economic relations.

He recalled his visit to Burma in April this year, which, he said, both
governments considered as a "crucial breakthrough". The advisor also
mentioned that cooperation with Burma, a neighbour, was a key pillar of
Bangladeshi foreign policy.

The Burmese minister thanked the advisor for the warm welcome and also
apprised him of the bilateral talks being undertaken currently on trade
matters.

Regarding the situation in Burma, he informed the foreign adviser of the
"road map of the Myanmar [Burmese] government which will lead to the
restoration of full democracy".

Speaking to the media afterwards, Dr. Chowdhury said, "I told him
Bangladesh is a true friend of Myanmar [ Burma] and encouraged him on the
road map. I said Bangladesh supports the Gambari initiative and we are
also happy with the visit of Paulo Pinheiro, the Special Envoy on Human
Rights."

"We understand the complexity of the Myanmar [ Burma] issue and also
believe that it is useful to keep the international authorities
constructively engaged," the foreign advisor added. "I believe it will be
for Myanmar's [ Burma's] benefit, and I told him so".

____________________________________

November 14, Irrawaddy
Burmese student protesters in Thailand fear reprisals - Shah Paung

Burmese students in Thailand who staged an anti-regime demonstration in
Bangkok fear they face reprisals after Burma’s embassy in the Thai capital
refused to renew the passport of one of them.

Ko Ko Lwin, a third year student at St. John’s University in Bangkok, told
The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that when he applied at the embassy earlier
this month for a passport renewal his application was rejected. Ko Ko Lwin
said he had participated in a demonstration in front of the embassy on
September 30, to condemn the way the authorities had suppressed protests
in Rangoon the week before.

Ko Ko Lwin said his passport expires in two days’ time, making it
impossible for him to return to Burma without being arrested.

More than 50 Burmese students took part in the September 30 demonstration,
carrying placards reading “Stop Killing Right Now,” “Free Aung San Suu
Kyi” and “We Want Democracy.”

Ko Ko Lwin said when he went to the embassy an official there recognized
him by name and told him his application would be rejected because he had
taken part in the demonstration. The official said the embassy had
photographs of the demonstrators.

Ko Ko Lwin said a friend went with him to the embassy and was later told
that before his passport application could be approved he would have to
sign a pledge not to take part in future demonstrations. His friend had
not taken part in the September 30 demonstration, Ko Ko Lwin said.

A number of students were due to apply at the embassy on Wednesday for
passport renewals. Ko Ko Lwin said that if their applications were also
rejected, an appeal would be lodged with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees because, without passports, they would be
illegally resident in Thailand.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

November 14, Irrawaddy
UN Security Council divided in discussion of Burma - Lalit K Jha

A sharply divided UN Security Council deliberated on events in Burma on
Tuesday following a briefing by Ibrahim Gambari, the special UN envoy, on
his five-day visit to the country last week, in which he noted there were
positive developments, but bottlenecks remained in moving towards a
national reconciliation process.

After more than four hours of deliberations, the Security Council finally
abandoned the idea of issuing a formal statement or a UN Presidential
Statement, as was done after its last meeting on the issue on October 11.

As a result, for the sake of unity among its 15-members, the task of
capturing the mood of the council's deliberations was given to the
presiding president for the month of November.

Ambassador Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia told the press there was a
“compromise” between two groups within the Security Council—one led by
China, which considered Gambari’s mission a success—the other led by the
United States, Britain and France, which took the position that the
Burmese military junta was not in line with the expectations of the
Security Council.

Natalegawa's statement welcomed new contacts between the military junta
and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and Gambari's meeting with leaders
of the National League of Democracy, but he strongly criticized the
junta's continued detention of thousands of political prisoners.

He welcomed a recent statement by Suu Kyi that a “meaningful and
time-bound dialogue” should start as soon as possible and encouraged all
sides in undertaking such a dialogue.

Expressing concern over the fate of the protestors arrested during recent
demonstrations, Natalegawa said members of the Security Council called on
Burmese authorities to allow access to political prisoners by humanitarian
assistance organizations.

He said the Security Council acknowledged the important role of
Asean-member countries in the region in supporting a peaceful transition
to democracy in Burma.

“Progress in Myanmar [Burma] can be best achieved if the international
community speaks with one voice,” he said.

However, following his remarks, the US deputy permanent representative
expressed his concern over the situation in Burma.

“There are some members of the council—the United States and others—who
believe that it is appropriate to have a PRST (presidential statement) no
less than we did in October; and others who believe that it is not
required. So we will continue our discussion on that,” he said.

“Our message to the people of Burma is that we are concerned about the
continued difficulties they live under, although there have been some
signs of movement as a result of Prof Gambari’s visit. We are still far
away from the type of opening that would allow for a serious, legitimate
national reconciliation process that is inclusive and likely to stand the
test of time,” he said.

____________________________________

November 14, Agence France Presse
Myanmar under fire over forced labour at ILO

Myanmar was sharply criticised for its forced labour practices at the
International Labour Organisation on Wednesday.

"Every time a tourist or businessman goes to this country, every time they
use the roads, they should know that these roads have been built by forced
labourers and children," said Leroy Trottman, head of the Workers Group at
the ILO.

"Our group finds the situation on the ground to be disappointing, and a
sign of a flagrant lack of respect for the members of this organisation,"
he said during a board meeting of the 56-member body.

The ILO, which is made up of workers' groups, employers and national
states, examined Myanmar's labour rights record during the session.

In March, the ILO deferred an international legal challenge against
Myanmar over forced labour, after the country's military junta agreed to
give victims a means of redress.

But the ILO secretariat said in a statement submitted to the board meeting
on Wednesday that such a mechanism remained out of reach for most.

"People affected by forced labour and their relatives have the greatest
difficulties, for material as well as financial reasons, in lodging
complaints if they do not live in Yangon itself," the ILO report said,
referring to Myanmar's capital.

Myanmar's ambassador to the ILO assured the meeting that there is "no
impunity in the judicial system" in his country, and that every effort was
being made to respect the convention on forced labour.

ILO chief Juan Somavia said in June he was not satisfied with Myanmar's
cooperation and was ready to increase the pressure if necessary.

Although the junta says it has banned forced labour, human rights groups
have long said that little action has been taken, especially in areas
where foreign visitors are barred.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

November 14, Irrawaddy
Junta: You will win if you use Suu Kyi seriously - Kyaw Zwa Moe

Believe it or not, Aung San Suu Kyi has prolonged the lifespan of Burma’s
repressive junta.

Provided that history repeats itself—and the present discussion fails—she
would again have served her purpose. Her sincere statements and pictures
of her with the generals are all the junta needs to keep itself in power.

Something as simple as Suu Kyi's recent public statement has raised hopes
for a genuine dialogue, while also prolonging the lifespan of the
generals. Perhaps her statement alone can give the junta another five
years to manipulate events to its advantage.

For example, in 1994, when Suu Kyi was under house arrest, the generals,
including junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe, met with her. It was their first
encounter since she had been put in detention in 1989. Later the state-run
media ran pictures of Suu Kyi with the generals, giving the world the
impression that “talks” were taking place.

In 1995, Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after having completed the
maximum term of her six-year-detention. No talks ever occurred.

In September 2000, she was again arrested for attempting to make a
political trip to Mandalay. In May 6, 2002, when she was released,
everyone thought a political breakthrough was imminent.

The junta released a statement, titled “Turning of a New Page," which
said: “Today marks a new page for the people of Myanmar [Burma] and the
international community. As we look forward to a better future, we will
work toward greater international stability and improving the social
welfare of our diverse people.”

Suu Kyi said in her statement: “Both sides agree that the phase of
confidence building is over. We look forward to moving across to a more
significant phase."

The word "dialogue" raises people's hope. Sadly, the "dialogue" evaporated
by May 2003 when Suu Kyi’s motorcade was ambushed near Depayin by
junta-backed thugs and hundreds of people were killed. After that, she was
again sentenced to house arrest.

Later, the world clearly learned that the “dialogue” of May 2002 was a
fraud. Former UN Special Envoy Razali Ismail, quoting Suu Kyi, wrote that
“
the dinner with the generals was in fact a monologue with the senior
general doing all the talking.”

Fast forward to November 2007, following the junta’s bloody crackdown on
the monk-led demonstrations. The generals have again manipulated events to
get pictures showing Suu Kyi, the junta's liaison officer Aung Kyi and UN
Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari together, again raising hopes for a
"dialogue."

And, again, Suu Kyi herself raised hopes in her most recent statement,
released on November 8: “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 is said to be “very optimistic” about the prospects for national
reconciliation between the military government and pro-democracy groups.
An NLD spokesperson said that she believed the military generals now have
the will to achieve national reconciliation.

If history repeats itself, her pictures and words will again give the
generals more time, and time for the UN and the world to forget.

It's really a game of doubles, as they say in the world of spies. In other
words, she is using the junta, trying to achieve her goals.

And the junta is using Suu Kyi, trying to manipulate her—and all the
people who want change to come to Burma.

Undoubtedly, Suu Kyi is willing to be used, if there's a chance that the
Burmese people will benefit. But by taking that chance, the junta is given
more time to draw out each step of the process that may—or may not—lead to
genuine dialogue.

Time is all the junta really wants.

Another example: the junta's self-appointed National Convention was tasked
to draft guidelines to write a constitution. Amazingly, it has taken 14
years to accomplish the task, finally completed in September.

Being aware of the time issue, Suu Kyi emphasized a timeframe in her most
recent statement: “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.”

This time around, there is more skepticism within the international
community about what the junta says and does. When the UN Special Envoy
briefed the UN Security Council on Tuesday and credited the regime with
taking positive steps toward a dialogue, many Western diplomats expressed
doubts about the regime’s sincerity.

In fact, the ball has been in the junta’s court for decades. They have
simply never wanted to engage the other side. They just want the clock to
keep ticking.

UN envoy Razali expressed shock in his account of his meeting with Suu Kyi
while she was in Insein Prison just after the Depayin attack in May 2003:
“... she said, amazingly, that she was prepared to turn the new page for
the sake of the people and reconciliation, saying she was still prepared
to talk to the government.”

But, hope springs eternal. This time, maybe the generals actually see a
longer future—and a more economically prosperous Burma—if they seriously
engage Suu Kyi and take concrete steps toward what Suu Kyi calls
"democratic solidarity."

If the generals play that card, everyone will win. If they don't play it,
more bloodshed lies ahead.

____________________________________

November 14, Jakarta Post
Myanmar unrest and prospects for change - Baladas Ghoshal

The abandoned former campuses of Yangon and Mandalay universities, at one
time leading institutions of higher learning in Asia and which produced
distinguished Myanmarese from all walks of life, typically symbolize the
state of things in Myanmar today. A country rich in natural resources and
intellect has degenerated into economically poor and intellectually
mediocre through misrule and ill-conceived social engineering

The ruling junta has devised an ingenious way of retaining their power and
control over the society. The university campuses have all been moved away
from the cities to the outskirts and dispersed so that no effective
mobilization of students and teachers can take place against the regime.
Teachers and students have been made to double as security agents
reporting to their bosses in Tatmadaw of any activities detrimental to the
interests of the regime

The destruction of the universities and lack of job opportunities have led
to an exodus of talents from the country. All worthy young people in
Myanmar want to leave the country. Those who can not, some make good by
joining the Tatmadaw and others join the Monastery

Those who choose to adopt Buddhism as a career often do so for financial
reasons, as donations collected by the monks are shared with their family
members. As a result, there is almost equal number of monks as the
soldiers (400,000 to 500,000 approx.) in the country

Their sheer number and their participation in the protest movement against
the military junta offered a glimmer of hope to the democratic forces both
within the country and in exile. Ostensibly against rising food and fuel
prices, the protests undoubtedly showed the political exasperation of a
long-suffering populace. The ground realities in the country, however, go
against the grain of hope

First, junta's complete control over the means of violence to intimidate
and instill fear in people to political passivity; second, its success in
emasculating opposition leadership through a systematic campaign of
misinformation and debilitating the civil society through its curb on the
universities

The junta's ability to stay in power is partly due to the failure of its
opponents to form a solid coalition with a long-term, common strategy. In
the recent protests more than 100,000 people were drawn onto the streets
of the country's cities, but the protests lost steam after the authorities
took action

Anti-junta activists inside and outside the country failed to capitalize
on the momentum of the protests or prolong and push the monks' initiative
further and channel it into major national and international movements

At the same time the emergence of new leadership from the student
community were stifled. The ethic-based desire for independence further
complicates the national movement, with these ethnic groups having their
own military wings that resist the central government

Unless the national movement can reconcile its goals with the ethnic
uprising's leaders then it is unlikely that the campaign against the junta
will find success in the near future

More importantly, the nature of the military regime in Myanmar is
different from other military regimes that enjoyed power in other
Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia. The Myanmarese
military not only took over political power in 1962 when they overthrew
the civilian government of U Nu, but also took complete control over the
economic life of the country

The Tatmadaw is also much better equipped than at any time in Myanmar's
modern history, mainly due to massive procurement of arms from China. The
latest expansion comes at a time when the ruling military has managed to
strike cease-fire agreements with most of the country's rebel groups, so,
during the past decade, there has been very little fighting in Myanmar's
traditionally volatile frontier areas

Peoples' power need to be supplemented by other objective conditions --
split within a regime, economic collapse and withdrawal of support from
the benefactors of the regime. None of those factors are present in
Myanmar today to trigger a collapse of the junta. While there are rumors
about a rift between Gen. Than Shwe and Gen. Maung Aye, the latter
believed to be unhappy about the brutal manner in which the Monks'
agitation have been put down, there is no major crack within the regime.
On the other hand, there are enough indications to show that the Junta is
united in its resolve to stay in power, as there are too many vested
interests at stake

Economic collapse can also trigger change in a military or authoritarian
regime One may be tempted to draw a parallel with Indonesia in Myanmar
where the current unrest was also sparked by the rising fuel and food
prices and the resultant hardships of the people. Price rises and economic
hardships have not led to the same kind of economic depravation in the
Myanmar to make the ordinary people rise in revolt

Military regimes have collapsed when their international promoters and
benefactors have withdrawn their support. Both Marcos and Soeharto were at
one time darlings of the United States for their critical role in
promoting the Western strategic objectives in Southeast Asia during the
Cold War, but as they outlived their usefulness and made a mess of their
polity and economy through misrule they fell from favor and became a major
source of embarrassment

The Myanmar junta derives its sustenance from the crucial support it
receives from China for whom Myanmar is vitally important for its
projection of military power in its southward movement into the Indian
Ocean. The main beneficiary of political and strategic developments in
Myanmar is China, upon whose military and financial support Myanmar
depends

Now India is also friendly with the Myanmar junta for its own national
interests -- curbing insurgency in the Northeast India in cooperation with
the Myanmar army and competing with China in securing energy concessions
and certain other strategic goals

As the Western sanctions in the past have not been able cripple the regime
and international communities pleading for political reconciliation have
fallen on deaf ears, the world is now calling on India and China to use
their leverage to make the junta to see reason

However, neither China nor India has so far shown any inclination to
abandon their pragmatic strategic engagement with the regime for moral
principles. The UN Secretary General's envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari
has also not brought back any good news out of his recent mission

So where the hope for change in Myanmar does lies? It surely will not come
through the current efforts of the West, which is still limited to
sanctions If all any pressure or persuasion will work with the regime, it
will have to come from China, India and ASEAN acting in concert offering
certain incentives to the junta in return for their readiness for
political reconciliation, in the same way as North Korea was persuaded to
give up its nuclear program

India can host a Six-Party talks involving China, ASEAN, USA, EU and
Myanmar. As first step, Myanmar should be urged to free Aung San Suu Kyi
immediately in return for lifting of economic sanctions, followed by the
beginning of political reconciliation based on a framework whereby the
interests of the people and their democratic aspirations need to be
matched and reconciled with the legitimate concern of the armed forces

There is need for concessions from Suu Kyi's side as well. She can
possibly do what Ramos Horta of Timor Leste once suggested -dissociate
herself from the NLD and emerge as a non-partisan leader, a mediator and a
facilitator in the progress toward democracy -- Nelson Mandela of Myanmar.
It is a difficult job but worth trying to break the deadlock.

Baladas Ghoshal, New Delhi The writer is Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy
Research, New Delhi

He can be reached at baladas_1 at yahoo.co.in