BurmaNet News, December 8-11, 2007

[Editor]

December 8-11, 2007 Issue # 3360

INSIDE BURMA
Al Jazeera: Climate of fear hangs over Myanmar
DVB: Activists celebrate international human rights day
Irrawaddy: Junta tells USDA to prepare for more demonstrations
DVB: Forced labour continues on highway project
Mizzima News: Junta intensifies attacks on Karen rebels
Irrawaddy: Military offensive targeting villagers’ food supplies

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima News: Monks flee to Bangladesh to evade arrest
Kaladan News: UNHCR floats tender for food to refugee camps

BUSINESS / TRADE
Financial Times: Burma's outlook 'poor' as inflation soars to 35%
Irrawaddy: Burma-China bilateral trade fair opens on Northern Border

HEALTH / AIDS
Myanmar Times: Bago, Yangon host HIV education fairs

INTERNATIONAL
UNNC: International community’s patience with Myanmar ‘running out’ - Ban
Ki-moon
AP: US Bill boosts sanctions against Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Human Rights Council to hear Pinheiro’s report and Junta’s denials
Irrawaddy: UN Working Group recommends child protection proposals for Burma
Irrawaddy: US Congressional Gold Medal for Aung San Suu Kyi?
Irrawaddy: Burmese delegation on mission to US
Irrawaddy and Associated Press: Laura Bush again urges Burma to create
democracy

OPINION / OTHER
The Nation: Ban must go to Burma [Editorial]
Sydney Morning Herald: Fresh Start Needed to Deal with Junta - Jared
Genser and Meghan Barron

PRESS RELEASE
ITUC and FIDH: Burma’s “Saffron revolution” is not over

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 11, Al Jazeera
Climate of fear hangs over Myanmar - Sze Wah Leong

In a narrow street in central Yangon, people push their way through a
frenzied crowd to get a free plate food.

Many stuff their pockets with rice and vegetables to save for later.
Barefoot children throw lollipops and soft drinks into plastic bags, to be
shared out later with others whose only home is the street.

It's hard to believe that just 50 years ago Myanmar was one of the richest
countries in the region, supplying most of Asia with rice.

Nowadays, despite the country's abundant natural resources, it can barely
feed it's own people.

Just four months ago, unannounced fuel price hikes pushed food costs up
threefold, triggering street protests that were led by monks and ended
with the army turning its guns on the demonstrators.

Today, to talk about food is to criticise the government. So no matter how
much the people suffer, few are brave enough to open up.

I asked one woman why food was so expensive. Even with her identity hidden
she wouldn't respond, such is the state of fear in Myanmar today.

Yangon's Shwedagon pagoda is one of the country's most important religious
shrines and became one of the centres of the protests in September.

Now, in the streets around the pagoda, everything looks normal. Kids sell
flowers or offer to wash the hair of worshippers to earn extra money for
their families.

Hopes for the future
Inside the 2,000 year old monument, devotees light candles and touch their
heads to the marbled ground.

Elderly monks collect alms and give out blessings, as though encouraging
the faithful to keep their hopes up for the future.

Along the streets leading up to the Sule Paya Pagoda where troops fired on
unarmed civilians, pavements are a riot of colours with stalls hawking
goods such as tomatoes, multi-patterned longyis, cameras, gems and
watches.

Everyone seems happy, everything seems calm. But of course appearances can
be deceptive.

Many of the monestaries which were shut in the wake of the crackdown are
still closed.

Dissident monks are banned from returning to their sanctuaries and the
dreaded undercover police are everywhere, watching for any signs of
agitation that could lead to more protests.


The United Nations estimates that at least 4,000 people were detained
following the protests.

Up to a thousand remain in detention or have disappeared. Many activists
have gone underground and even those who sympathise with them live in fear
of being arrested in the middle of the night.

I found one man willing to talk, but we had to walk through the streets
for an hour before he found a place he felt safe enough to talk.

Desperate
The situation in Myanmar, he said, had become desperate.

"The business is very slow so the people are suffering. We also feel
depressed. Our spirits are a little down."

He told me that the generals had put forward a series of economic
initiatives based on its "Roadmap to Democracy".

More encouraging though was their engagement with the opposition, the
National League of Democracy, and its leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi.

But he said the way forward wouldn't be easy.

"Within this period we will have so many struggles and sometime it may be
bloody".

For now the primary concern for most in Myanmar is how to stay alive.

These days a bowl of noodles costs the equivalent of 80 cents - an
enormous amount for a people who, on average, live off just one dollar a
day.

While spirits are low, people in Yangon say they still have hope, if not
for democracy then at least for a government that does not starve them to
death.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/F19F347C-9CED-43BE-8114-D14B9DB8425C.htm

____________________________________

December 10, Democratic Voice of Burma
Activists celebrate international human rights day

A ceremony to mark international human rights day was held today at the
house of a prominent activist in Kyi Myint Taing township, under the watch
of officials.

The event was held from 9am to 10.30am at the home of Human Rights
Defenders and Protectors network leader U Myint Aye, and Bogalay township
HRDP representative Saw Banku acted as master of ceremonies.

Nearly 100 people attended, including diplomats from the US Embassy, human
rights activists and ordinary people with an interest in human rights
issues, as well as Union Solidarity and Development Association members.

U Myint Aye condemned the abuses of human rights carried out by the
Burmese regime.

“We’ve been through the saddest moment for our country because of the
human rights violations,” he said.

“It is so wrong to arrest people and throw them into prison on the pretext
of national stability. We don’t believe our national reconciliation can be
built on this kind of situation.”

U Myint Aye criticised the government’s claim of victory over destructive
elements after its suppression of demonstrations.

“A true national victory can only be achieved through just and balanced
law,” he said.

“Being able to hold a celebration like this like human rights day is a
powerful thing for the HRDP itself and also for the Burmese government.”

HRDP representatives from Arakan, Nattalin, Zegone, Bogalay and Bassein
read out their annual human rights reports and an HRDP statement was
released.

Letters from the Asian Human Rights Network and the 88 generation students
were also read at the event.

Another HRDP member said that members of the activist network and other
interested people from across Burma had attended the celebration, as well
as some government supporters.

“About four Swan Arr Shin members who call themselves people as well
attended the celebrations,” he said.

He also said that two trucks holding government officials were parked
across the road from U Myint Aye’s house during the celebration.

U Myint Aye stressed the need for unity in addressing human rights issues
in Burma.

“There are a lot of human rights violations in Burma, and we cannot
achieve human rights in Burma alone. Everyone has to know it, understand
it and ask for it,” he said.

A number of other activists also spoke about their concerns for Burma on
international human rights day.

Daw Myint Myint Aye, secretary of Meikhtila National League for Democracy,
highlighted the repression of political activists in the country.

"Burma is at its worst state of human right violations now. Everyone in
the country has their rights violated."

"Political activists suffer more of the violation of human rights in
Burma. My family's printing shop business have been shut down by
authorities since 1996."

NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win also spoke about the severe limitations placed
on human rights activists.

"In Burma, you can’t even read out loud the 30 articles of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in public," he said.

Sai Leik, spokesperson for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy,
said that ethnic nationalities have faced severe abuses of human rights.

"Ethnic nationalities suffer the most of the violation of human rights in
Burma. We have no freedom in promoting our own culture and literature so
let alone in other issues."

Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma,
complained about the lack of an independent system to protect human rights
in Burma.

"Every other country apart from Burma has a non-governmental and
independent human rights commission which is run by human rights experts
who have no affiliation with the government.” Aung Myo Min said.

“This system has been built to prevent human rights violations from any
parties including the government itself,” he said.

“But in Burma, it is the minister of home affairs general Maung Oo who
acts as the chairman of the human rights commission. That's the biggest
evidence of how Burma's human rights violations have got really bad."

International human rights day is observed every year on 10 December, the
anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
by the United Nations General Assembly.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
Junta tells USDA to prepare for more demonstrations - Wai Moe

Leaders of the Union Solitary and Development Association (USDA) have been
told by officials of the Rangoon Regional Command and Ministry of Home
Affairs to be prepared for more pro-democracy uprisings, according to
sources close to the USDA.

The sources told The Irrawaddy recently that Brig-Gen Hla Htay Win, the
commander of the Rangoon Regional Command and Maj-Gen Maung Oo, the
minister of Home Affairs, met with USDA leaders in Rangoon during November
and December.

“Authorities expect more protests," the source said. "They ordered us to
be prepared to crackdown and prevent demonstrations. These meetings were
quite unusual for us.”

The meetings included only USDA leaders and did not involve officials of
the Township Peace and Development Council.

The USDA and its hired thugs, members of Swan Arr Shin, played key roles
during the violent crackdown on the peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations
led by monks in August and September.

The violent suppression of the protesters claimed at least 30 lives and
dozens of people are still missing, according to a report by the UN Human
Rights Rapporteur to Burma.

Sources noted that the USDA has been active this year in state water
supply projects and registration for identity card across the country. The
projects were in preparation for future elections through the regime's
"seven-step roadmap to democracy," according to sources.

The roadmap is now at step three, the drafting of a new constitution by a
54-member committee appointed by the military regime. The roadmap's step
four calls for a national referendum on a new constitution; the fifth
steps calls for national elections.

The USDA has also been seeking respected individuals in townships to
become USDA-endorsed candidates, if elections take place.

The USDA was created in September 1993, with "three national causes:"
non-disintegration of the union, non-disintegration of national solidarity
and the perpetuation of sovereignty.

Meanwhile, according to reports from inside Burma, only about 10 percent
of the usual number of monks registered for the official annual
examinations held by the state, a sign of the havoc and ill-will that now
exists between the Sangha and the junta.

The Alliance of All Burmese Monks, the underground network that led the
September demonstrations, called on monks to boycott the examinations to
show the opposition to the military government.

____________________________________

December 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
Forced labour continues on highway project

Government officials in Hakha township, Chin state, have been collecting
money from local residents to fund a highway project and forcing those who
cannot pay to work on the highway.

Township residents said that village and ward Peace and Development
Council officers in Hakha township were demanding the money or labour, and
those who worked were given no assistance with travel or expenses.

A local resident said that the project had been making slow progress and
costs were rising.

“The cost of the highway project has now reached 50 million kyat already,
and only about 3 miles of highway have been completed so far,” he said.

Residents have been ordered to pay between 5,000 and 10,000 kyat,
depending on their means, but those who are unable to pay are forced to
contribute their labour.

Workers have complained that they have to travel on foot for two days to
get to the highway construction site and must stay working there for seven
days at a time.

The authorities do not provide any food, transportation, accommodation or
health insurance for the workers, who must carry their food and camping
materials with them when they walk to the site.

Hakha PDC officials refused to comment on the claims.

Residents of Hakha and Mantaw townships have previously reported extortion
and forced labour by government officials in the construction of the
highway.

____________________________________

December 10, Mizzima News
Junta intensifies attacks on Karen rebels - Than Htike Oo

To increase its stranglehold on Burma, the military junta is bent on
snuffing out all opposition groups, particularly armed resistance ones,
who are opposing its planned road map, an ethnic Karen armed rebel group
said.

The Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of ethnic Karen rebels,
Karen National Union , has come under heavy attack by the Burmese Army
troops since the end of November, the KNU said.

An onslaught has been launched on KNLA bases in Nyaunglaybin and Taungoo
districts in Burma's Pegu division by the Burmese Army, in a bid to wipe
off KNU's presence from the area, because the group remains the strongest
threat to the junta's planned roadmap, KNU information Officer Padoh Saw
Hla Ngwe said.

"They [the junta] are clearing everything and every one out of their way
to enhance their power through its seven-step road map," Phado Saw Hla
Ngwe said.

In a statement released today, the KNU said the Burmese Army since
September has launched attacks on KNLA bases in Tathong, Taungoo,
Nyaunglaybin districts in Pegu division, Taninsarim division, Papun,
Kawkriek, Myawaddy, Kyarinnseikgyi, Three Pagoda Pass, Dupalaya and Phaan
districts in Karen state.

"The Burmese Army battalions came with porters and well equipped with
arms, which shows that they are determined to launch attacks," Phado Saw
Hla Ngwe added.

The Burmese Army that has gone on the offensive is using villagers as
porters and mine sweepers. It has used rape as weapon against Karen women,
has been extorting money from villagers, killed and burnt down villages,
said the KNU in its statement.

The KNU, which has been waging war against successive military rulers of
Burma for over 50 years, has urged all opposition groups to denounce the
junta's action while calling for unity for the struggle against the junta
in the larger context.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
Military offensive targeting villagers’ food supplies - Shah Paung

The Burmese military government are destroying paddy fields and food
stores in a dry season offensive against a Karen armed group and villagers
living in Karen State and Pegu Division, according to Karen sources.

The Karen Human Rights Group field coordinator, Poe Shan, said that
government troops have been destroying villagers’ farms and paddy fields
in a bid to cut off the villagers’ food supplies and to force villagers to
move into government-designated relocation sites.

“The military authorities want to put these villagers into designated
sites to make it easier to control them,” he said. “But villagers are
refusing to move because they believe the government will use them as
forced labor and they will not have time to work for the benefit of their
families.”

Dry season is the time when Karen villagers collect their paddy and store
it until the following year. However it coincides with the reinforcement
of Burmese troops for the military’s annual ground offensive against the
Karen National Union.

Some villagers sneak off to the jungle and grow paddy and stock food in
secret locations; however, if the soldiers find the food stores they
destroy them, prevent the villagers from buying food and pressure them to
move into the designated sites.

“Now it is very difficult for the villagers to find food—some of them must
resort to asking for handouts from each other,” Poe Shan added.

The Free Burma Rangers relief team reported on November 22 that since the
army commenced operations to relocate villagers in 2006 the Burmese troops
had killed more than 370 villagers, including women and children. Over
30,000 people have been displaced, most of whom are hiding in the jungle.

Maw Law, the spokesperson for the Karen Office for Relief and Development,
said that more than 1,300 villagers sought refuge in Ei Tu Hta camp on the
Burmese side of the Salween River from January to November 2007. These
displaced persons came from northern Karen State and Pegu Division. The
refugee population of Ei Tu Hta, which was built in mid-2006, has now
swollen to over 3,900 people.

According to a KNU statement released on Monday, the Burmese junta has
positioned 83 new battalions in the KNU areas. There is now a total of 187
battalions of Burmese soldiers ready to step up offensive operations.

Mahn Sha, the general secretary of the KNU, confirmed that the State Peace
and Development Council has sent more troops into the KNU-controlled areas
and that they are working together with the existing battalions to build
roads. The government is building roads from: Kyar Inn Seik Gyi to Three
Pagodas Pass (often referred to as the Payathonsu border crossing); from
Kyar Inn Seik Gyi to Kyaikdon; and from Kawkareik to Kyaikdon in Karen
State.

Mahn Sha said that of the seven brigades under KNU control, Burmese troops
mainly attack brigades 1, 2, 3 and 5, which are in northern Karen State
and Pegu Division. However, the Burmese forces had also commenced
operations in the 6th and 7th brigades, he added.

The KNU and the Burmese military government agreed a ceasefire known as
the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” in December 2003 during a meeting between a
Karen delegation led by the late KNU leader, Gen Bo Mya, and deposed
Burmese Prime Minster Gen Khin Nyunt.

However, according to Mahn Sha, the ceasefire agreement was annulled when
Khin Nyunt was arrested in October 2004. The KNU ceased all communications
with the junta early in 2007 after Maj-Gen Htain Maung, former head of KNU
Brigade 7, defected to the Burmese junta.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 11, Mizzima News
Monks flee to Bangladesh to evade arrest - Nyein Chan

A Buddhist monk from Rangoon's Zathilaryama monastery, who took part in
the September protests, fled from the manhunt launched by the Burmese
military junta and arrived in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh.

Ashin Panyathami, a young monk from the Zathilaryama monastery in Rangoon,
fled to Bangladesh along with more than 20 fellow monks, following the
junta's relentless search to arrest and detain monks and protesters.

"As the authorities launched widespread search operations, more than 20
monks, had to hide near the Moe Yeik River for three days. After that we
returned to our monastery but there the soldiers called more than 20 of us
for interrogation," Ashin Panyathami, who arrived Cox Bazaar on December
5, told Mizzima during an interview.

"They took our photographs and asked us whether we had joined the
protests. They told us not to join up again and threatened that we would
be arrested if we did," added the young monk.

After arresting the abbot of their monastery, U Zarthila at the end of
September, soldiers had continued their rampant crackdown by conducting
raids in monasteries and had come to their monastery several times.

The young monk, who is an ethnic Arakan, said he left the monastery in
Rangoon for his native home town in Arakan State for fear that authorities
would continue raids and arrests.

Along with Ashin Panyathami, several monks went back to their native
hometowns. However, authorities were reportedly looking for him to arrest
as he possess photographs, which he had taken at the Maha Wizeyatheindaw
monastery in Rangoon.

The young monk said, he finally left Burma for Bangladesh as authorities
were conducting raids in several monasteries in Arakan searching for him.
The monk said, he had to hide himself for five days and nights along Kin
Chyaung River , and finally crossed the border to Bangladesh.

Similarly, on October 29, U Indra Panya and U Magindar from the Alodawpyih
DamaSariya monastery, who had actively participated during the recent
protests, fled to Bangladesh after authorities came in hot pursuit of the
duo.

____________________________________

December 11, Kaladan News
UNHCR floats tender for food to refugee camps

Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh: The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) has floated a tender on December 9 for Bangladeshi
citizens to supply food-items to Burmese refugees, says our correspondent.

The UNHCR, Sub-office in Cox's Bazaar floated a tender for the purchase of
the following items for 12 months of 2008.

The food-items are: 561,600 eggs 86,400 packets of 90 gm biscuits (glucose
90 gm packet), and 86,400 packets of 50 gm roasted peanuts (50 gm packet),
according to an official report.

The fuel items: 3, 800 Mt (metric tons) of compressed Rice Husk (CRH) and
61,200 liters of kerosene.

The quantity is for 2008. The actual quantities may vary.

Interested and bonafide suppliers, contractors, producers and dealers are
invited to collect the Quotation Request Form (QRF) from UNHCR, sub
office, Motel road, Cox's Bazaar, on office days from December 11 to
December 19, 2007. The office will be opened from 9 am to 5 pm.

The schedule and quotation submission deadline is December 24, 2007 by 4
pm at the following address: UNHCR sub-office, New Cottages, Motel Road ,
and Cox's Bazaar.

The QRF may also be sent by courier service/post and fax, if it reaches
the office before closing time.

At present, refugees are provided rice, pulse, sugar, salt, edible oil,
shoji (blended food), kerosene, soap and CRH.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 7, Financial Times
Burma's outlook 'poor' as inflation soars to 35% - Amy Kazmin

Chronically high inflation in military-ruled Burmahas soared to 35 per
cent a year, the highest in Asia, while its economy is slowing because of
the poor investment climate and business confidence, the International
Monetary Fund has said in a new report.
In its annual evaluation of Burma's energy-rich economy, the IMF called
the Burmese economy's medium-term outlook "poor", forecasting slackening
growth of 5.5 per cent this year, and 4 per cent next year.

While Burma's military rulers claim robust growth of 12.7 per cent last
year, the IMF report called such an expansion "implausible", estimating 7
per cent growth, driven by rising natural gas exports and government
construction projects such as the new capital city.

"While the economy is growing modestly, per capita gross domestic product
[of about $250] and other indicators of social well-being are
significantly below those of other low-income countries in the region, and
poverty is widespread," the IMF said in the assessment, a copy of which
was obtained by the Financial Times.

The IMF team visited Burma in late August, just weeks before mass protests
triggered by a sharp rise in the government-set price of subsidised fuel.
The report, completed last month, is not public as the regime has not
approved its release by the IMF.

The United Nations says most Burmese are struggling to survive, and that
worsening hardship and rising prices were at the root of the recent
protests. In its report, the IMF called for targeted subsidies to address
"deteriorating social-economic conditions".

The IMF said Burma could rein in inflation, and boost growth to 10 per
cent a year, if it undertook reforms such as cutting unproductive state
spending, unifying a complicated "multiple exchange rate" system, and
liberalising agriculture to give farmers more freedom to grow and sell
their crops.

But prospects for such policy changes seem unlikely, given the apparent
reluctance of Senior General Than Shwe, the powerful junta chief, to
undertake any economic reforms after the response to the abrupt slashing
of fuel subsidies.

The military regime, once chronically short of hard currency, is
relatively flush. Its foreign exchange reserves have doubled to $2bn
(€1.4bn, £988m), the equivalent of eight months of imports, due to gas
sales, and tax revenues have risen due to reforms of the revenue
collection system.

But the regime's spending has risen too, due to the cost of building a new
capital and a salary rise for civil servants. The fiscal deficit is up to
4 per cent of GDP, the highest in Asia, with the printing of money to
cover that fuelling inflation. Agriculture, which accounts for 40 per cent
of GDP, remains constrained by the regime's restrictions on the transport
and sale of rice, and other market interventions that the IMF say "reduces
farmers' production incentives".

Burma's economy is also vulnerable to shocks, such as a poor harvest,
political turmoil, a banking crisis or falling gas prices, which the IMF
says could "cause severe economic disruption."

The economy is also distorted by an overvalued official exchange rate 5.5
Burmese kyat to the dollar, a 24,000 per cent premium over the market rate
of 1,300 kyat to the dollar.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
Burma-China bilateral trade fair opens on Northern Border - Saw Yan Naing

A bilateral trade fair held on the border between Burma and China opened
on Monday, attracting thousands of business and government participants,
according to residents.

The five-day trade show, held at the border town of Jiegong, China,
opposite Muse, Burma, opened on Monday and ends on Friday.

A participant told The Irrawaddy that about 3,000 people attended the
trade show on Tuesday.

She said the show featured products mostly from China, including machine
instruments, motorbikes and commercial products such as textiles, guitars,
clocks and other items. Burmese products included traditional medicines,
seafood products, various types of crops and agricultural items and
sculptures.

Tang Hai, the economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in
Burma,, said trade between the two countries has increased with China now
Burma's second largest trading partner, following Thailand.

He told the Xinhua news agency that in first three quarters of the year,
bilateral trade volume hit US $1.4 billion, increasing by 37.7 percent
over last year. Of the total, China's export to Burma stood at $1.2
billion, up about 45.8 percent, while imports from Burma totaled $220
million, up 5.2 percent.

China's exports to Burma are mainly textiles, steel and refined oil
products. Imports from Burma include timber natural rubber and cane
products.

Since 1992, China’s imports from Burma have totaled about $638 million,
mainly comprising hydropower, gas, oil, minerals and other products,
according to Tang Hai.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

December 9, Myanmar Times
Bago, Yangon host HIV education fairs - Phyu Lin Wai

The Myanmar Medical Association (MMA) will hold HIV/AIDS education fairs
in Bago and Yangon next month to teach young people about the disease in
interesting ways, said Dr Ne Win, the secretary of the association's
General Practitioners' Society.

He said the fairs, which will be organised in collaboration with the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will be held at Bago Stadium on
December 8 and 9 and at the association's headquarters on Theinbyu Road in
Yangon on December 15 and 16.

He said the Bago event will use slideshows, reading corners and exhibits
to provide information about HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities
run by the MMA and UNFPA.

He said exhibitions will also be put up by the National AIDS Program under
the Department of Health and some non-government organisations like Marie
Stopes International.

Dr Ne Win said the association will open counselling rooms where young
people can have confidential discussions with doctors about the disease.

"We will also organise a three-level contest where young people can test
their knowledge about HIV/AIDS by answering questions. Those who get 80
percent of the questions correct will advance to the next level where the
questions become harder," he said.

The Bago fair will also include a donation corner, games and food stalls,
he said, adding that all money raised will be donated to people in need.

He said the Yangon fair planned for the following weekend will have a
slightly different schedule of events.

"We are still planning the schedules," he said.

Dr Ne Win said young people in rural areas have now been educated about
behaviours that put them at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS because many
organisations were conducting health education programs.

"But it takes time for them to actually change their behaviour to put this
knowledge into practice," he said.

http://www.mmtimes.com/no395/n013.htm

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 10, UN News Center
International community’s patience with Myanmar ‘running out’ - Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Myanmar’s authorities to step up
their efforts towards democratization and the full respect of human
rights, noting that the international community’s patience with the
troubled South-East Asian nation is wearing thin.

Speaking to reporters in Bangkok, Mr. Ban seized the occasion of Human
Rights Day to urge Myanmar’s authorities once more to fully respect the
principles of the UN Charter by engaging with the international community,
democratizing and promoting human rights.

Calling the appointment of a liaison minister who is in contact with Aung
San Suu Kyi “a good beginning,” he called for further efforts so that the
detained pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate can engage in an in-depth
dialogue with the country’s senior leadership.

“I know that the international community is very impatient, and our
patience is running out,” he stated, stressing once again that a return to
the status quo prior to the Government’s crackdown on peaceful protesters
in August and September is “not acceptable and politically unsustainable.”

The people of Myanmar have suffered from isolation for a very long time,
the Secretary-General stated, adding that it is high time for them to
enjoy genuine democracy and freedom. “This is what the international
community expects.”

Mr. Ban pledged to continue his good offices role through his Special
Adviser Ibrahim Gambari, who is scheduled to return to Myanmar at the end
of this year or early next year. He also highlighted the special role and
responsibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) in
further promoting democracy in Myanmar.

The situation in Myanmar and the work of ASEAN were among the issues
discussed by Mr. Ban and Thai Prime Minister Surayudh Chulanont earlier
today in Bangkok, the first stop on the Secretary-General’s current
three-nation trip, which will also take him to the UN Climate Change
Conference in Bali, Indonesia, as well as Timor-Leste. The leaders also
discussed climate change, UN reform and global public health, according to
a spokesperson for Mr. Ban.

The Secretary-General also addressed the UN Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and visited, with his wife, the Royal
Chitralada projects, a bio-fuel initiative which he described as one of
the many examples of the King of Thailand’s commitment and dedication to
human development and the environment.

The Secretary-General and Mrs. Ban also had an audience with the King and
Queen of Thailand in the evening. They are scheduled to arrive in Bali
tomorrow.

____________________________________

December 11, Associated Press
US Bill boosts sanctions against Myanmar - Foster Klug

The House approved a bill Tuesday meant to stop Myanmar's rubies and high-
quality jade from entering the United States. The bill tightens already
tough sanctions against a ruling military junta that killed peaceful
pro-democracy protesters and Buddhist monks in September.

The House bill would freeze assets by Myanmar's leaders and cut off tax
deductions for U.S. companies working in Myanmar, also known as Burma. It
attempts to stop Myanmar from dodging U.S. sanctions through laundering
gemstones in third countries before selling them in the United States.

"Burma's generals fund this repression of their own people by selling off
the country's natural resources, especially oil and gems, leaving the
Burmese people in poverty," Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. Tightened sanctions
would "ensure that the United States stands up to these thugs."

To avoid U.S. sanctions, the Myanmar regime tries to hide the origin of
the gemstones it ships to the U.S. according to the bill, which passed by
voice vote: "For example, over 90 percent of the world's ruby supply
originates in Burma, but only 3 percent of the rubies entering the United
States are claimed to be of Burmese origin."

The bill would also stop Myanmar's leaders from using U.S. financial
institutions in third countries to launder their money. Officials involved
in the crackdown would be banned from getting U.S. visas, as would their
families. The bill would also cut off tax deductions for U.S. companies
working in Myanmar.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

In August, thousands of Buddhist monks joined rallies against a fuel price
increase. The junta began shooting and arresting protesters in September.
Dissident groups put the death toll at about 200. Rights groups have
reported continued arrests and abuse, despite claims by the junta that the
crackdown has stopped.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta came to
power after snuffing out a 1988 pro-democracy movement against the
previous military dictatorship, killing at least 3,000 people in the
process.

Myanmar's natural resources are coveted by its neighbors and by large
companies around the world.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
Human Rights Council to hear Pinheiro’s report and Junta’s denials -
Violet Cho

A damning report on the Burmese regime’s crackdown on the September
demonstrations, vigorously challenged by the junta, was being discussed by
the newly-established UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.

The report was written by the UN special rapporteur on human rights, Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro, who visited Burma from November 11 to 15, weeks after the
demonstrations that swept Burma and led to a brutal crackdown that killed
a number of monks and other protesters and led to thousands of arrests.

Pinheiro says his inquiries convinced him that at least 31 people died in
the crackdown, three times the official death toll. In a reply to
Pinheiro’s report, the junta sticks by its official death toll of 10, and
challenges many of the envoy’s findings. One of Pinheiro’s accusations
“would only serve to damage the image and cooperation of the government of
Myanmar [Burma],” the junta declares.

Pinheiro’s report lacked “credibility and authenticity,” the junta
charges—accusing the UN envoy of basing it on “the distorted information
received from unreliable sources.”

The 77-page report is the fullest account yet of the suppression of the
country's largest uprising since 1988, and challenges many of the regime’s
central statements on the events.

Accounting for the discrepancy in the death tolls, Pinheiro cites "very
disturbing" accounts of a large number of bodies, including monks, wrapped
in plastic and rice bags, burned at a Rangoon crematorium during the
nights of September 27-30, suggesting the authorities were trying to hide
the true number of those killed.

The UN envoy says the authorities confirmed to him that 15 people had
died, although the state-run media stuck to a death toll of 10, and he
found evidence of a further 16 deaths.

Pinheiro’s report cites at least 74 cases of "enforced disappearance,"
where Burmese's authorities are either unable or unwilling to account for
the whereabouts of individuals.

Pinheiro’s inquiries showed that up to 4,000 people were arrested,
compared to the official count of 2,927, while between 500 and 1,000 were
"still detained at the time of writing," including 106 women, of whom six
were nuns.

As evidence of the “excessive force” with which the authorities suppressed
the demonstrations, Pinheiro’s report lists the use of live ammunition,
rubber bullets,  tear gas, smoke grenades, wooden sticks, rubber batons
and slingshots. Pinheiro accuses the regime of violating "fundamental
rules of international law."

The UN envoy urges the regime to conduct an independent and thorough
investigation into the killings, severe beatings, hostage taking, torture
and disappearances. Furthermore, the report recommends the regime to
invite an international commission of inquiry or fact-finding mission to
conduct a more comprehensive inquiry.

The report also calls for the release of all those taken into custody for
the peaceful expression of their political beliefs, an amnesty for
detainees already sentenced and for charges to be dropped against those
still awaiting trial.

In its response, the regime says it’s not necessary to invite an
international commission of inquiry or fact-finding mission to Burma as
the matter is solely within Burma’s domestic jurisdiction. It says an
“investigation body” was established on October 31 to look into offences
against fundamental human rights during the September demonstrations.

____________________________________

December 10, Irrawaddy
UN Working Group Recommends Child Protection Proposals for Burma - Lalit K
Jha

The UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict will
soon recommend measures to protect children affected by armed conflicts in
Burma and Burundi.

The set of recommendations by the working group, expected to be submitted
soon to the Security Council, follows a detailed discussion on the
situation of children in Burma and Burundi last week.

“On the basis of the discussions and of future consultations, the working
group shall make recommendations to the council on possible measures to
promote the protection of children affected by armed conflict in Burundi
and Myanmar [Burma],” said Jean-Maurice Ripert, French Ambassador to the
United Nations.

France is the chairman of the Security Council Working Group on Child and
Armed Conflicts.

The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika
Coomaraswamy, expressed concern over the use of child soldiers in Burma
and Burundi, despite repeated appeals made by the international community
including the United Nations.

“The issue of recruitment and use of children continues to be a problem in
Myanmar [Burma] both with regard to the Government and various non-state
actors,” Coomaraswamy said in a statement a day after she made a detailed
presentation before the Working Committee.

Raising the issue of access for UN monitors in Burma, Coomaraswamy said
“the government should provide the UN country team with free access to
conflict areas and to recruitment centers so that monitoring and reporting
can be performed effectively and all the information can be verified.”

Highlighting the question of the lack of humanitarian access, she said:
“Children are the first to be affected by a humanitarian crisis. There is
a real urgency for a humanitarian needs assessment in the conflict areas.”

Coomaraswamy, who visited Burma earlier this year, said the efforts of the
Working Group and the monitoring and reporting mechanism established by
the council had led to commitments by some parties to stop the recruitment
and use of children in Burma.

“The government has adopted directives that explicitly prohibit the
recruitment of children under 18 and set up a high-level Committee for the
Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children," she said.  The
KNU and the KNPP have also signed deeds of commitment that are currently
being finalized,” she said.

The Burma representative also presented the views of his country during
the discussion on the issue.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
US Congressional Gold Medal for Aung San Suu Kyi? - Lalit K Jha

A resolution has been moved in the US Congress to award Aung San Suu Kyi a
Congressional Gold Medal—the highest US civilian award, which is bestowed
only on the rarest of individuals, such as the Dalai Lama and Nelson
Mandela.

The resolution (H.R. 4286) was moved in the US House of Representatives
last week by Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY). It is co-sponsored by as
many as 237 lawmakers in a house of 453 members.

The resolution, which has now been sent to the House Committee on
Financial Services, recommended that Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu
Kyi be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of her
courageous and unwavering commitment to peace, nonviolence, human rights
and democracy in Burma.

The resolution recollected the achievements of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has
spent more than 12 of the past 17 years under house arrest. She is the
world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

“For her efforts on behalf of the Burmese people, she was awarded the
Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990, the Presidential Medal of
Freedom in 2000, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991,” the statement read.

As Suu Kyi continues to fight on behalf of the Burmese people, the
resolution noted that she even donated the $US 1.3 million from her Nobel
Prize to establish a health and education fund for Burma.

“Despite an assassination attempt against her life, her prolonged illegal
imprisonment, the constant public vilification of her character, and her
inability to see her children or to see her husband before his death, Suu
Kyi remains committed to peaceful dialogue with her captors, Burma's
military regime, and Burma's ethnic nationalities towards bringing
democracy, human rights and national reconciliation to Burma,” stated the
resolution.

Congressional sources told The Irrawaddy that given the level of support
Aung San Suu Kyi carries in the Congress it is expected to be passed soon
by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Dalai Lama was
the last foreign national to receive this highest American civilian award.
Despite opposition from China, the award was bestowed on him in October
this year.

Also in October, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded honorary citizenship of
Canada by the Canadian Parliament—the highest civilian award in the
country. She was only the fourth person in Canada’s history to receive
this award.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy
Burmese Delegation on Mission to US - Lalit K Jha

A five-member delegation of Burmese leaders—living in exile in
Thailand—arrived Sunday on a two-week mission to the United States to
lobby their cause, seek more support and resources to accelerate the
pro-democracy movement inside Burma, and to counter the junta’s propaganda
that only the military can keep the country united.

Representing a variety of ethnicities and including exiled leaders from
the National League for Democracy, the delegation held face-to-face talks
with members of the Washington DC-based think tank, the Center for
Strategic and International Studies—the policymakers, lawmakers and
academics who influence US policy on Burma.

The members of the delegation are: Khaing Soe Naing Aung, vice-president
of the Arakan Liberation Party and vice-president of the National Council
of the Union of Burma; Rimond Htoo, secretary of the Karenni National
Progressive Party; Win Hlaing, an elected member of parliament and
secretary of NLD (Liberated Area); Maung Maung, the general secretary of
Federation of Trade Unions-Burma, as well as the National Council of the
Union of Burma; and Lway Aye Nang, the president of the Palaung Women’s
Organization.

A sixth member, Bo Hla Tint, finance minister for the National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma and an NLD spokesman in Washington,
joined the delegation in the US.

The tone and tenure of their maiden public appearance and their agenda for
the next two weeks was set by Burmese Prime Minister-in-exile Sein Win,
who made an unexpected and unscheduled appearance at the meeting and
briefly addressed the delegates on Monday afternoon.

Responding to charges that the pro-democracy leaders would not be able to
keep the nation united and that Burma would disintegrate into various
ethnic regions once the present regime lost power, Sein Win alleged that
it was, in fact, the military junta which was following a policy of
“divide and destroy” in the country.

“Our policy is the opposite of theirs. It is very important for us to have
ethnic harmony if we want to move ahead with development, freedom and
democracy. We are very worried that the military is trying to divide the
country on ethnic grounds. We [support] human rights, democracy and ethnic
harmony,” said Sein Win, who had just arrived from Norway and other
European nations where he was campaigning for the Burmese pro-democracy
movement.

Observing that the situation in Burma was now very critical, the Prime
Minister said, “We all have to work together and solve this problem. We
are now at the stage of getting together and working together for ethnic
harmony.”

Speaking in Burmese—which was translated into English for the
audience—delegate Win Hlaing alleged that the military junta did not want
to engage in genuine dialogue. While the NLD stands for peaceful
resolutions to the civil unrest and restoration of democracy in Burma, it
is the junta that is indulging in violence and atrocities against the
people of the country, he said.

“We request the international community to increase the pressure on the
junta,” Sein Win concluded, adding that allowing the regime to continue
its atrocities is destroying the unity of the country.

Addressing an audience for the first time in the US, Rimond Htoo initially
came across as nervous, but was soon at ease, making people laugh with his
humor. Representing the ethnic Karenni community, he said that the Karenni
originally wanted independence from Burma. “But this is not the case now,
he said. “Ethnic communities are not trying to cause the country to
disintegrate as is being propagated by the military junta.”

Rimond Htoo said the ethnic communities first took up arms for protection
against the junta which had unleashed a reign of terror. “The policy of
the Ethnic National Council is to remove the regime and establish a
genuine democracy in the country. We would work together to achieve
federal democracy,” he said.

Referring to military government propaganda that without the regime the
ethnic communities would seek independence, he said: “This is incorrect.
It is also incorrect that all the ethnic groups would continue fighting if
the military were not in power.”

Representing the Arakan Liberation Party, Khaing Soe Naing Aung listed
various agreements reached by the ethnic communities for a united and
federal Burma. “We want a democratic federal system and we are all working
towards this,” he said.

In a forceful presentation, Bo Hla Tint argued that, when the time came,
the pro-democracy and ethnic leaders would show the world that they are
capable of governing the nation more effectively than the junta. Referring
to recent steps taken by the military government towards national
reconciliation and starting dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, he said: “The
military is indulging in window addressing. It is not interested in a
genuine dialogue.

“We want the US to be assertive and send a clear message, not only by
statements, but by deeds,” said Khaing Soe Naing Aung, adding that, first
and foremost, the European Union, the US and Asean should have strategic
consultations on this issue and try to bring China on board. “Once China
is on board, India would come automatically,” he said.

Maung Maung, general secretary of the NCUB, said that in order to carry
the movement forward inside Burma there would constantly be a need for
resources. “We need more funds for setting up training camps and
underground networks inside Burma. Unfortunately, this is not coming
through. We need more now. Help us get more funds,” he said.

____________________________________

December 11, Irrawaddy and Associated Press
Laura Bush again urges Burma to create democracy

US first lady Laura Bush on Monday called on Burma’s military junta to
step aside if it cannot bring about a democratic transition.

Speaking on International Human Rights Day, the wife of President George W
Bush held a video teleconference at the White House with officials at two
locations in Thailand, which borders Burma.

Bush spoke with Dr Cynthia Maung, the founder of a medical clinic near the
Thai-Burmese border and Ralph Boyce, the US ambassador in Bangkok.

The first lady said the people of Burma "are denied nearly every right"
enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN
General Assembly in 1948.

"For nearly 20 years, Burma's military regime has crushed peaceful dissent
and jailed thousands of political prisoners," Bush said.

"President Bush and I call on all nations, especially Burma's neighbors,
to use their influence to help bring about a democratic transition."

She said the junta leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, "has offered only token
gestures of reconciliation."

"She and other political leaders should be released immediately and
unconditionally so they can plan strategy for Burma's peaceful transition
to democracy. Members of the junta have promised to engage in serious
dialogue with democratic representatives of the Burmese people.

"If Than Shwe and the generals cannot meet these very basic requirements,
then it's time for them to move aside and make a clear path for a free and
democratic Burma."

Dr Cynthia Maung who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award gave a 10-minute
talk on refugees, internally displaced persons and the health crisis along
the border.

“After the Treasury Department added regime supporter Tay Za to the
sanctions list, his airline, Air Bagan, had to stop flights to Singapore,
because the company’s banks in Singapore ended their business
relationship,” she said.

Tay Za is a wealthy businessman who founded the Htoo Trading Company, a
leading exporter of timber. He consolidated his relationship with the
junta by creating Myanmar Avia Export, Burma’s sole representative for
Russia’s Export Military Industrial Group.

Bush said that international outrage is affecting the sale of Burmese
gems. The regime recently held gem and jewelry auction in Rangoon. The
first lady said, “at the gem show [on November 20] only $150 million was
yielded—half of what the regime hoped to make.”

Senior officials, including Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary for
the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said pressure will continue
on the regime and expressed support for UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari’s
effort to bring about change in Burma.

He indicated that increased pressure and new US financial sanctions
against the regime leaders and cronies could be applied.

On Friday, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN human rights expert assigned to
Burma, said he believed Burma’s crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters
in September killed at least 31 people. The actual death toll could be
higher, he said.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 10, The Nation
Ban must go to Burma [Editorial]

An opportunity will be wasted if the UN secretary-general does not visit
the rogue state while in the area

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Bangkok yesterday for a
three-day stay. Apart from meeting Thai luminaries and having an audience
with His Majesty the King, he must take this opportunity to go to Burma
and demonstrate his seriousness and interest in the situation there. He
must show that the United Nations, which he leads, is following up on the
developments there closely. If he does not go to Burma, this could be an
opportunity lost.His visit to Bangkok also coincides with the release of a
report by Human Rights Watch. It reveals the harsh reality facing the
Burmese people and the lies perpetuated by the junta. According to the
report, many more Burmese were killed and imprisoned in the violent
crackdown on monks and protesters in September than the junta has
admitted.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says that at least 20 were killed and thousands
jailed. UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
put the number at 31 killed, 74 still missing and 650 in custody. The
junta said that only 15 people were killed in the crackdown.

The HRW report, which was based on more than 100 interviews with
eyewitnesses in Burma and Thailand, concluded that the junta's security
forces shot into crowds using live ammunition and rubber bullets. They
beat marchers and monks before dragging them onto trucks and throwing them
in jail. In addition to the monks, many students and other civilians were
killed, although without full and independent access to the country, it is
impossible to determine the exact casualty figures.

One of the latest developments the report did not touch on was the
increase in the number of arrests and torture of journalists and stringers
working for foreign news organisations or news organisations set up by
Burmese in exile. Over a dozen Burmese journalists are now behind bars.
Several more are currently in hiding. Some journalists were exposed by the
junta's militia and volunteers working for the Union of Solidarity and
Development Association, and were taken into custody and tortured. These
thugs continue to identify persons working for the pro-democracy movement
and media organisations.

Therefore, it is imperative that Ban take up this matter with the junta.
Since he is in Bangkok, it would not much time for him to travel to Burma.
Any resistance on the part of the junta to his visit would be condemned.
After all, the junta has pleged to cooperate with the UN, especially its
special envoy for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari. The presence of Ban in Rangoon
would boost the UN's role and make a strong impression internationally of
the UN's seriousness and conviction in seeing this dialogue on national
reconciliation proceed.

After a strong show of enthusiasm among members of the UN Security Council
and an international outcry, the Burmese junta is buying time, hoping that
the will of the international community would soon wane. Meanwhile, the
junta is betting on its democratic process, known as the seven-point road
map. But this process is not acceptable because the junta is determined to
exclude opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the constitution-drafting
process. Current consultations, which started last month, continue to be
limited and sluggish.

The UN process must be accelerated otherwise it will be stalled and would
eventually play into the junta's hands as in the past. As always, the
junta is trying to undermine Suu Kyi's role. In the beginning, the junta
preferred to deal with pro-democracy students, who turned out to be more
lethal and unyielding. Then the junta played the ethnic card against Suu
Kyi, trying to drum up support from minority groups that struck cease-fire
agreements with the government in exchange for agreeing to turn against
her. So far, all of these attempts have proved ineffective. Rangoon is now
looking for a way to woo millions of Burmese expatriates living around the
world to return and help prop up the regime. It will be a hard sell.

Obviously, the junta is betting that playing the UN card is the best way
for it to buy time at this juncture. China and Russia, its allies on the
security council, continue to play the role of saviour, no matter what
happens. Therefore, it is incumbent on Ban to change the current equation
by throwing the UN's weight on the junta.

____________________________________

December 10, Sydney Morning Herald
Fresh Start Needed to Deal with Junta - Jared Genser and Meghan Barron

Far from the excitement surrounding Australia's political changing of the
guard in a vibrant democracy, a 62-year-old woman sits alone in her house,
as she has for years. The telephone does not ring because calls are not
allowed. The doorbell does not ring because most visitors are forbidden.

There is no mail. There is no news. For Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only
imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate and democratically elected leader,
there is almost complete isolation.

In Burma, as was seen in the recent crackdown against hundreds of
thousands of peaceful protesters, the military junta rules with an iron
fist. Widely condemned by the international community, the junta has
engaged in decades of barbarous human rights abuses against its people.

As the inevitable reassessment of Howard-era policies gets under way, the
time is ripe for Australia to embrace a much-needed shift in its relations
with global issues. There are few countries more in need of close
attention and international effort than Burma.

For years, the Howard government resolutely embraced a policy of
"constructive engagement" with the junta, eschewing sanctions and firm
international solidarity as useless. Whether one supports or opposes
sanctions, there can be no doubt John Howard's preferred approach failed
to ease the misery of the Burmese people.

As the result of a military campaign characterised by killings, torture
and rape of ethnic-minority women, it is estimated that almost 3000
villages have been destroyed since 1996. One million refugees have fled to
neighbouring countries while 600,000 internally displaced persons now
struggle to subsist in primitive jungle conditions. The military junta is
also estimated to have imprisoned more than 800,000 people in forced
labour camps and to have utilised more than 70,000 child soldiers.

As Burma disintegrates, its decay seeps into the surrounding region. The
country is the second-largest exporter of heroin and opiates in the world.
The Australian National Council on Drugs has labelled it "one of the
largest producers of amphetamine-type substances", including the
methamphetamine "ice", which has found its way to Australia's streets.

The new Prime Minister has accurately stated that the "policy of
constructive engagement with the Burmese regime has conspicuously failed".

Now, having recognised the futility of this longstanding approach, the
moment has arrived for Kevin Rudd to consider the following actions.

First, in Rudd's own words, "it is important for Australia to join the
international community and fully embrace the call by President [George]
Bush [to] unite in a program of targeted sanctions both in terms of travel
and in terms of financial transactions on individual members of the
Burmese regime".

Australia made a good start on October 24 by imposing an array of
sanctions against Burma's ruling and business elite. But Rudd should
monitor more closely the training of senior Burmese police and
intelligence officials by the Australian Federal Police so that it is not
used, as it may have been in the past, to help the junta crush the recent
peace marches in the country.

Second, the Prime Minister should put his Mandarin skills to work and urge
China to exert a positive influence on the Burmese junta and stop vetoing
UN Security Council resolutions on Burma, as it did in January.

Such a resolution would empower the UN special envoy, urge a time-bound
approach to national reconciliation in Burma, and press for the immediate
release of all political prisoners in the country, a prerequisite for any
genuine dialogue.

As China recently became Australia's largest trading partner, Rudd stands
in an ideal position to press this issue.

Third, Rudd should pressure the Association of South-East Asian Nations to
cease tolerating the junta's actions. After an expression of disgust in
the days following the military's brutal crackdown on peaceful
demonstrators in September, ASEAN yielded to the junta's will during its
recent summit in Singapore.

Not only did the group criticise the implementation of sanctions against
the regime and reject calls for Burma's suspension from the organisation,
it snubbed the UN special envoy to Burma by cancelling his briefing on the
situation there.

Rudd's statements have proven that he understands the magnitude of the
crisis in Burma and knows what must be done.

We hope, as we imagine the Australian and Burmese people hope, that he
proves to be a man of his word.

Jared Genser and Meghan Barron are lawyers for the Nobel peace laureate
and leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma, Aung San Suu
Kyi. Today is the UN's International Human Rights Day.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

December 10, ITUC and FIDH
Burma’s “Saffron revolution” is not over

International trade union and human rights organisations say international
community must seize the opportunity now!

The ITUC and the FIDH today released a new report on Burma

The ITUC and the FIDH today released a new report on Burma entitled:
“Burma’s “Saffron Revolution” is not over”. Based on the findings of a
joint international mission to the Thai-Burma border and interviews with
participants in last October’s protest movement and victims of its
repression by the military, the 50-page report includes detailed policy
proposals and recommendations to the international community. It comes on
the eve of two key events scheduled next week.

On Monday, 10 December, which is also International Human Rights Day, EU
Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels are expected to assess the situation
after a number of high-profile United Nations visits to Burma. The next
day, the same topic will be discussed by the UN Human Rights Council,
meeting in Geneva.

As indicated by the report’s sub-title, the ITUC and FIDH believe this is
the “Time for the international community to act”. The underlying analysis
is that the violent repression, particularly the targeting by the military
of peacefully-demonstrating monks, has deeply antagonised Burma’s society,
at the same time as it has created new resistance dynamics which are
unlikely to fade away. “Desire for change seems to be greater than ever”,
the report says. Noting that “no real signs of de-escalation of repression
and commitment to a peaceful transition have been given by the ruling
junta since the crackdown”, the world’s largest global trade union
organisation and the oldest international human rights organisation with a
universal mandate argue that the recent events make a strong case for
urgent and increased international pressure. They say this view reflects
positions defended both by victims and by organisations representing
Burma’s democracy movement, based inside and outside the country. In
addition to meeting with victims and witnesses, the mission held meetings
with 15 different organisations as well as with the diplomatic community.

The joint report details four key principles for action and suggests the
international community should focus on four main leverage points. The
principles stress that Burma should be kept as a top priority on the
international agenda; that increasing pressure on the junta now will be
useful, not harmful to the reconciliation and democracy process; that the
international community should accept “taking responsibility for Burma”
rather than sticking to its “wait-and-see” attitude; and that it should
implement a two-pronged approach of influencing the regime and encouraging
the people by sending clear messages of international support. The
leverage points cover detailed recommendations aimed both at raising
international pressure on the military junta and supporting national
reconciliation; cutting the junta’s economic lifeline through
comprehensive sanctions including, in particular, the priority sectors of
oil and gas, timber, gems and financial - including banking – services,
with due consideration, where justified, for exceptions on humanitarian or
similar grounds; establishing a “Burma Transition Fund” that would be
available after a return to democracy and, finally, supporting a peaceful
transition to democracy by concrete initiatives aiming at promoting a
culture of democracy within Burma, also directed at the army, the
professionalizing of which should be accepted both by officers and
soldiers themselves, as well as by the population. While also expressing
support for the “good offices” mission of the UN Secretary General’s
Special Envoy to Burma, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the mandate of the UN
Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Prof. Sergio Pinheiro, the
report notes that the junta has so far failed to fully cooperate with
either. It explains why both mechanisms should be allowed to open
permanent representation offices in Burma.

The report contains detailed recommendations addressed on all these issues
to the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, the EU, ASEAN and
other regional organisations and governments. It also contains a concrete
warning to the ruling military junta, that it “should consider very
seriously” that, unless it “acts swiftly to towards implementing the
reforms expected from it”, it may soon find itself facing legal action
against it at the International Court of Justice and the International
Criminal Court. Both options, currently under examination at the
International Labour Organisation (ILO) and by the international legal
community and human rights movements, respectively, are explained in
detail in the relevant sections of the report. Other pressure points, such
as a Security Council arms embargo, or decision to place all revenue from
international investment and trade with Burma on an escrow account, are
also examined in the report.

All stakeholders in the Burma crisis must accept their share of
responsibilities in encouraging a peacefull transition to democracy, say
the FIDH and ITUC. “There is no time to loose: we cannot run the the risk
that the current window of opportunity for a democratic transition swings
shut”, said Olivier De Schutter, FIDH Secretary General. “While the United
Nations Secretary General will declare open, on Monday 10 December a
year-long campaign to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, our collective capacity to effectively
realise and promote peace, human rights and democracy, is at stake” added
Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary.

For more information, please contact:

- ITUC Press Department on +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018 (Mathieu
Debroux, in Brussels) or +32.477.580.486 (Janek Kuczkiewicz, in
Washington, D.C.)

- FIDH Press Office on +33 1 43 55 90 19 and + 33 1 43 55 14 12 / + 33 1
43 55 25 18 (Karine Appy) and Gaëtan Vanloqueren, mission expert/chargé de
mission FIDH: +32 4 72 33 17 71

http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/mm485a.pdf