BurmaNet News, March 18, 2008

[Editor]

March 18, 2008 Issue # 3424


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burmese monks call for exam, constitution boycott
Irrawaddy: Bogus news distresses Burmese internet users
Irrawaddy: Grassroots members question NLD’s stance on referendum
IPS: Burma: Back to child recruitments
Asian Tribune: Burmese military intelligence arrested Kyaw Ko Ko, leader
of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions
DVB: U Gambira held in solitary confinement
DVB: 1600 sign letter against harassment of labour activists

BUSINESS / TRADE
Independent-Bangladesh via AFP: Sanctions on Myanmar may take sparkle out
of Thai jewellery
DVB: Bean farmers hit by poor harvest and low prices

REGIONAL
Bangkok Post: PM's remarks favourable to junta panned
Malaysia Star: Divergences work in favour of Myanmar junta

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: US Congressmen propose rejection of junta's constitution
Irrawaddy: The UN considers its options on Burma

OPINION
Irrawaddy: Thai PM ignored the other side of the coin

STATEMENT/PRESS RELEASE
UN Human Rights Council: IBMO via Conectas Direitos Humanos
USCB: Congressional resolution introduced to reject the constitution made
by the Burmese military junta

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 18, Irrawaddy
Burmese monks call for exam, constitution boycott – Saw Yan Naing

Burmese Buddhist monks will take part in a broadly based boycott of
state-run examinations which are scheduled to start on March 24, according
to monks inside Burma.

The All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA) released a statement on Tuesday
calling on all Buddhist monks and citizens to remember the September 2007
crackdown and boycott the state-run examinations and May’s referendum on
the constitution.

Many monks living in monasteries in Rangoon, Mandalay, Pakokku, Pegu
Division and Arakan State have joined the symbolic protest against the
military government for its bloody crackdown on the civil uprising in
2007.

Ashin Mandala, a monk in the New Masoeyein Monastery in Mandalay, told The
Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “No monks in new and old Masoeyein monasteries will
sit for the exams because of the September crackdown.”

About 4,000 monks live in New Masoeyein Monastery and Old Masoeyein
monastery, he said. Many monks form other monasteries in Mandalay
including Mya Taung Monastery and Maha Withutayon Monastery will also
boycott the exams.

Monks in Baw-di-Man-Dai Monastery in Pakokku in Magwe Division will not
take the exam because they are still enforcing patta ni kozana kan, a
refusal to accept alms from members of the armed forces and their
families, a senior monk at the monastery told The Irrawaddy.

Pakokku was the location of a bloody clash between Buddhist monks and
Burmese security forces, in which several monks were beaten with batons
and rifle butts.

Many monks are still exercising patta ni kozana kan in protest of the
bloody suppression of the peaceful demonstrations, in which at least 31
protesters died.

U Pyinya Zawta, a leader of the underground monks alliance group, said,
“In support of the protesters and monks who were arrested, we urge all
monks in Burma not to sit for the state exams. We also want citizens to
show bravery and vote “No” in the referendum.”

Suppression of democracy activists and religious leaders will be worse if
the draft constitution is approved, he said.

“They [Burmese generals] are ruling the country informally, yet they dare
to brutally suppress citizens and religious leaders,” he said. “If the
constitution is officially enforced, then the overall situation will be
worse.”

“So long as the junta is in power, the Burmese people will never be
liberated from suppression,” said U Pyinya Zawta.

On February 9, the military regime announced the referendum will be held
in May and a multi-party election in 2010.

Meanwhile, a number of protesters who were arrested during the uprising,
including monks, went to court on Monday in Bahan Township in Rangoon.
They were charged under article 505 (B), which involves a threat to the
government’s stability, said Aung Thein, a Burmese lawyer.

“If found guilty, they [monks and protesters] will face two years
imprisonment,” he said.

Meanwhile, pro-democracy activists in Rangoon are facing increased
pressure from the buildup of security forces last week, according to
dissident sources.

On Sunday, two pro-democracy activists—Kyaw Ko Ko and Nyan Linn Aung, both
members of the All Burma Federation of Students Unions—were arrested by
authorities, according to a statement released on Tuesday by the
Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Also, one leader and more than a dozen members of a dissident group known
as Generation Wave were arrested recently.

Rangoon authorities raided the home of Kyaw Kyaw, a leading member, and
later arrested him and eight of his colleagues at their hiding place, said
a Rangoon source. Since March 6, about 18 members of the group have been
arrested.

____________________________________

March 18, Irrawaddy
Bogus news distresses Burmese internet users – Violet Cho

Burmese are not easily taken in by misinformation spread by their military
rulers, but when it comes to the Internet, many are just beginning to
learn the perils of putting too much faith in what they read.

Yesterday, Burmese who Googled May Sweet, a popular singer and actress,
received some distressing news. According to a report purportedly
distributed by Associated Press, the celebrity had been killed in a
traffic accident during a visit to London, where she was preparing to
perform in a concert to mark the Burmese New Year on April 19.

The story included some convincing details. According to the report, at
the time of the accident, May Sweet was traveling with three companions in
an old Ford Escort driven by “a failed asylum seeker” identified as Mr.
Pauk Sa, who was said to be driving “well above the national speed limit.”

Other details were “sketchy at the moment” but the report went on to say
that the singer’s body had been taken to West Ealing Hospital and “a
detail post morten [sic] will be carrying out on Monday evening.”

Despite the dubious English, the story was quickly picked up by bloggers
and some exiled media agencies, which republished the bogus news item on
their Web sites without confirmation. Within minutes, the Burmese
blogosphere was full of expressions of grief over the sudden passing of
the popular singer.

Hours later, however, readers realized they had been fooled, and the story
was pulled from Burmese media Web sites and blogs. The Irrawaddy contacted
a family member of the supposedly deceased singer and was told that she
was alive and well and staying at her home in Los Angeles.

It has since been confirmed that May Sweet’s London performance will go
ahead as planned on April 19. Mon Mon, a London resident and one of the
organizers of the event, said that she was relieved to learn that reports
of the singer’s death were untrue. “The news about May Sweet spread very
quickly among the Burmese community in London,” she added.

May Sweet is not the only Burmese public figure who has been prematurely
declared dead. Activist Min Ko Naing and famous astrologer Min Thein Kha
have also been recent casualties of the Burmese rumor mill. Early this
week, there were also reports that Snr-Gen Than Shwe, the ruling junta’s
hard-line leader, was among Burma’s living dead.

Although rumors are nothing new to information-starved Burma, the May
Sweet case is the first involving a story that originated on the Internet.
In other cases, rumors that began word-of-mouth quickly spread through
thriving online communities.

____________________________________

March 18, Irrawaddy
Grassroots members question NLD’s stance on referendum – Min Lwin

Several grassroots members of the National League for Democracy (NLD),
elected members of parliament and the Committee Representing the People’s
Parliament (CRPP) have openly rejected the constitutional referendum to be
held in May, according to Aye Thar Aung, secretary of the CRPP.

However, Aye Thar Aung criticized the NLD’s ambiguous stance toward the
referendum. “The NLD should tell people whether they should go to the
polling stations and vote ‘No’ or boycott the process entirely,” he said,
adding that the NLD was the key player in the Burmese political arena.

Rangoon-based observers said that the grassroots NLD members were raising
serious concerns and there would be more pressure on the NLD leaders to
identify their policy regarding the constitutional referendum.

The observers said the NLD grassroots members will continue to condemn the
regime's draft constitution, rejecting the government’s Road Map and
advocating a “Vote No” campaign.

An NLD member from Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division said that members of
the NLD’s divisional levels met recently in Mandalay to discuss the
referendum. However, he could not provide further details of the meeting.

A source close to the NLD told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday: “Most NLD members
want the current NLD leadership to remain at the forefront of the
democracy movement.

“However, the fact that the monks led the September uprising is an
indication that the NLD was not playing a leading role,” he added.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win reportedly said that the party didn't think the
referendum was the final fight.

“We will probably release a specific statement later about the
constitutional referendum,” Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy by phone on
Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Burmese intellectuals continue to debate and second guess the
NLD’s dilemma. A five-page pamphlet written by a leading Burmese academic
is being distributed among Burma observers inside and outside the country.
The pamphlet examines the NLD leadership’s role with regard to the
constitutional referendum.

Last week, Ludu Sein Win, a prominent journalist and former political
prisoner, addressed a recorded message to Burmese both inside and outside
the country, totally rejecting the referendum. He said that neither
dialogue nor the UN Security Council would help the political situation.

____________________________________

March 18, Inter-Press Service
Burma: Back to child recruitments – Marwaan Macan-Markar

Till last September, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) office in
military-ruled Burma had received few complaints about children being
forced to join the army. But that is no longer the case.

In a new report, the ILO makes a pointed reference to the shift noticed
since September 2007, the month when the Burmese junta launched a brutal
crackdown on peaceful street protests led by thousands of Buddhist monks
chanting a prayer for ‘’loving kindness.’’

Prior to that month, the majority of complaints received about forced
labour ‘’concerned public works under local administration with only a few
military-related complaints and cases of underage recruitment,’’ reveals a
report submitted to the ILO’s governing body, which is currently meeting
at the labour rights agency’s headquarters, in Geneva.

‘’Since September that pattern has been reversed with majority of
complaints now being military-related and underage recruitment cases,’’
adds the report prepared by the ILO’s Rangoon office of the 15 ‘’child
soldier/forced recruitment cases’’ between Feb. 26, 2007 and Feb. 25,
2008.

What happened to an ILO account of a 14-year-old Burmese boy in late
October may be typical. He had gone to a market in Rangoon, the former
capital, to lend a hand at a stall run by his elder brother. But he was
stopped by soldiers and taken in a truck to an army recruiting office.

In fact, the ILO admits that its record of young boys forced to swell the
ranks of the ‘Tatmadaw’, the Burmese name for the armed forces, is not an
accurate picture. ‘’We believe that the number of complaints we have
received does not reflect the size of the problem. It is the tip of the
iceberg,’’ Steve Marshall, the ILO’s liaison officer in Rangoon, said in
an IPS interview.

‘’We understand there are some people who operate as brokers. They use
force or trickery to take children to recruiting officers,’’ he added.
‘’We have lodged complaints with the government and it has responded
quickly, discharging the recruit and disciplining the recruiting
officer.’’

But human rights groups warn the international community not to be fooled
by the junta’s claims that it is trying to end the scourge of forced
conscription. The London-based Burma Campaign UK has ‘’dismissed as total
nonsense’’ claims by a state-run newspaper that ‘’hundreds of children
have been returned to their families in recent years’’.

In 2004, the military leaders in Burma, also called Myanmar, responded to
growing international criticism about the recruitment of child soldiers by
setting up a high-powered group to deal with the problem. But the record
of the Committee for Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage
Children has proved wanting, with its regular statements tending to
denounce reports of child soldiers in the country than helping to curb
this on-going violation of labour and children’s rights.

A November 2007 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirms the failure of
the junta’s special committee to save children from the Tatmadaw.
‘’Children as young as 10 are being targeted by Burmese military
recruiters and threatened with arrest or beaten if they refuse to join,’’
revealed the report by the New York-based global rights lobby.

‘’Child soldiers are sometimes forced to participate in human rights
abuses, such as burning villages and using civilians for forced labour,’’
adds the report, ‘Sold to be soldiers: The recruitment and use of child
soldiers in Burma’. ‘’Those who attempt to escape or desert are beaten,
forcibly re-recruited or imprisoned.’’

The dismal tone of this report echoed a similar tone of a 2002 report by
HRW dealing with the growing number of child soldiers in Burma. That
report, ‘My gun was as tall as me’, estimated that ‘’70,000 or more of the
Burma army’s estimated 350,000 soldiers may be children.’’

And the hunting ground for the army’s recruiters to grab children has
changed little over the last five years. Soldiers and civilians assigned
the job target markets, railway stations, bus stations, ferry terminals,
streets and festivals. The rewards for such forced conscription missions
have varied, though, with some being paid in cash of up to 25 US dollars
per child or given a bag of rice.

The gap between the junta’s rhetoric and the reality in the South-east
Asian country is stark, says David Scott Mathieson, HRW’s Burma
consultant. ‘’There is a massive disconnect between the laws and
regulations the Burmese regime has made and the reality on the ground.’’

‘’There is widespread forced recruitment of children into the army,’’ he
told IPS. ‘’It is part of a mercantile system. The battalions have to meet
their quotas of recruits, and if they do so they are rewarded.’’

The junta’s hunger for young Burmese boys to fatten the ranks of the
Tatmadaw is rooted in a shift in military policy after 1988. That year saw
a pro-democracy uprising, drawing tens of thousands of civilians to the
streets, to challenge a military dictatorship that had been in power since
a 1962 coup. And the army responded with bullets, killing some 3,000
unarmed demonstrators.

Soon after, the Tatmadaw, which was a much leaner and smaller and had no
record of child soldiers, was ordered to expand to strengthen the junta’s
grip on power. It went from being a force of some 180,000 to its current
number of nearly 400,000 -- at least on paper.

Yet, as a Burmese military analyst notes, the Tatmadaw has been hit with a
high desertion rate, adding to the number of soldiers it keeps losing in
the on-going conflict in the border areas with ethnic rebel groups. ‘’A
northern commander reported that during a four-month period in 2006 the
army had lost an entire brigade of soldiers due to desertion,’’ Win Min,
who lectures at Payap University in northern Thailand, said in an
interview. ‘’That is over 3,000 soldiers based on the strength of a
battalion in Burma.’’

It was worse during the previous year, when internal military records
reveal that during a four-month period in 2005 the Tatmadaw was hit with
4,701 deserters across the country, adds Win Min. ‘’My estimate is that by
the end of last year the situation may have got worse. The army may have
been hit with nearly 15,000 deserters in 2007.’’

But how many soldiers fled the Tatmadaw after being ordered to fire on the
highly revered Buddhist monks who led last September’s protest still
remains unknown, he revealed. ‘’This may come out when the commanders have
their next quarterly meeting, which has not been held since May last
year.’’

____________________________________

March 18, Asian Tribune
Burmese military intelligence arrested Kyaw Ko Ko, leader of the All Burma
Federation of Student Unions

Burmese Military Inteligence Unit arrested on 17 March Kyaw Ko Ko, the
leader of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, taken away from his
hiding place. Earlier, with the help of supporters, Kyaw Ko Ko twice had
escaped arrest. Nyan Linn Aung, another ABFSU leader, was also arrested
together with Kyaw Ko Ko. It is not known where they were taken.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has expressed concern
over the arrest of Kyaw Ko Ko and Nyan Lin Aung. Military authorities are
notorious for torturing political prisoners, and often the most severe
treatment occurs during the interrogation stage following the arrest.

Background:

Kyaw Ko Ko is a student who is attending in Economic University from
Yangon for a master degree. He is 25 years old and a son of U Kyaw Gyi. He
is a leader of All Burma Federation of Student Unions which was
reestablished on 28 August 2007.

Burma’s first student union, the Rangoon University Students’ Union, was
founded in 1931 by national independence hero Gen Aung San and his
friends.

The group was renamed the All Burma Students’ Union in 1936 before
switching to the ABFSU in 1951.Following Gen Ne Win’s military coup in
1962, the office of the ABFSU in Rangoon was demolished and hundreds of
students were killed by the army.

During the nationwide pro-democracy 8888 uprising, the ABFSU resurfaced
under the leadership of Min Ko Naing and other prominent student leaders
on 28 August 1988.

During th Suffaron Revolution
..

“Today we reestablish the ABFSU to take on the shifting roles of former
students in a new generation to fight for freedom, justice and the
building of a democratic country,” Kyaw Ko Ko said on 28 August 2007 when
the fighting peacock flag was raised again.

“I hereby encourage all students across the country to accept the shifting
responsibilities on behalf of our former brothers and sisters,” he added.

The influential All Burma Federation of Student Unions has resumed its
struggle against the country’s military government .

“Student unions must exist for the students in Burma,” said Kyaw Ko Ko.

____________________________________

March 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
U Gambira held in solitary confinement – Aye Nai

Mar 18, 2008 (DVB)–All-Burmese Monks Alliance leader U Gambira has been
put in solitary confinement in Insein prison, where he is currently being
held, according to family members.

U Gambira’s sister Ma Khin Thu Htay, who visited him on Monday in Insein
prison, said the 27-year-old monk had been put into solitary confinement
in a cell inside the prison's main ward on 14 March for unknown reasons.

"During my visit to him yesterday, he told me he was moved into cell (4)
of the main prison's ward (1) by himself on 14 March at around 5.30pm,"
she said.

"He said he had no idea why they had put him in solitary confinement."

U Gambira was arrested by government authorities in Magwe division's
Sintgaing township on 4 November 2007 for his role in leading public
protests in September.

He was later sent to Insein prison in the former capital Rangoon where he
was charged with violations under section 17/1 of the Unlawful
Associations Act, section 13/1 of the Burma Immigration (Emergency
Provisions) Act for illegal movement across borders, and article 5(j) of
the Emergency Provisions Act.

Khin Thu Htay said it is likely that the charges under sections 13/1 and
17/1 will be dropped as Alone township court, where these charges are
being heard, has not extended U Gambira’s remand.

She added that Hlaing township court, which is handling the hearing for
his alleged violation of article 5(j), cancelled his court hearing on
Monday.

Khin Thu Htay said that her brother and other monks in Insein prison were
continuing to respect the boycott against government officials.

"U Gambira said all the monks detained in Insein prison are still chanting
metta, the main activity of the monk protesters during the events of
September, and still practicing their boycott of communicating with
government authorities," she said.

Monks at a number of monasteries in Burma have taken part in the boycott
against the government, with some refusing alms donations from regime
officials or passing them on to the poor, and others opting out of
government-run monk exams.

The ABMA released a statement on 18 March urging Burmese monks to boycott
the government-run Pahtamabyan Dhamma Sriya exams for monks, and not to
forget the junta’s brutal treatment of monks during the crackdown on
public demonstrations last year.

____________________________________

March 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
1600 sign letter against harassment of labour activists – Maung Too

About 1600 signatures have been collected from the people of Arakan state
for a complaint letter to the International Labour Organization about the
government’s increased harassment of labour right activists.

The letter, addressed to the ILO headquarters in Geneva, details the
rising number of labour right activists who have been arrested and
imprisoned by the military junta, one of the campaign leaders said.

The letter also calls for ILO action against the military government for
breaching the agreement recently signed between the regime and the ILO to
extend its cooperation on tackling forced labour.

In January this year, residents of Taunggok township in Arakan state
collected signatures for a petition to be sent to the ILO to draw
attention to forced guard duties imposed on them by local authorities.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

Marach 18, Independent-Bangladesh via Agence France Press
Sanctions on Myanmar may take sparkle out of Thai jewellery

Thai jewellers are buying highly coveted rubies and jade at an official
auction this week in Myanmar, who supplies stones for the kingdom’s
booming multi-billion dollars jewellery industry.

But once they cut and set the gems, they could face problems selling them
as companies and western governments move to ban trade in precious stones
from the military-ruled state.

Myanmar has about 153 million dollars worth of gems on the auction block
this week, at the second official sale of the year in a country that
produces some of the world’s most spectacular stones.

Up to 90 per cent of the world’s rubies are from Myanmar, including
‘pigeon blood’ rubies that are considered the finest in the world,
sometimes costing more per-carat than a diamond.

Imperial jade — emerald green in colour — is another Myanmar treasure that
is highly sought after. However, leading jewellers including Tiffany,
Cartier and Bulgari, are refusing to sell the stones in protest at the
military’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist
monks in September.

Their boycott is backed up by tightened sanctions in the European Union,
which ban trade in Myanmar’s gems. The United States is also moving to
close a loophole in its sanctions regime, which had allowed the sale of
Myanmar stones as long as they were cut in Thailand.

That has cast a shadow over Thailand’s jewellery exports, which soared 33
per cent last year to 185.15 billion baht ($5.8b). The kingdom’s top buyer
is the United States, followed by Hong Kong and Australia, according to
government data.

‘Sanctions over trade in gems from Myanmar by the US or the European Union
will certainly hurt some gem and jewellery exporters in Thailand,’ said
Vichai Assarasakorn, president of the Thai Gem and Jewellery Traders’
Association.

He estimated that up to two million dollars worth of gems, mainly rubies,
are imported into Thailand from Myanmar each year. But he said there are
no official import records, so it’s impossible to know the exact amount.

The actual figure could be much higher. Myanmar sells more than 300
million dollars worth of precious stones every year, and Thailand and
China are the two biggest buyers. Jewellers associations from around the
world plan to meet in Switzerland next month to draft a letter calling on
the United States not to ban all sales of Myanmar gems, he said.

‘The US government and politicians need to thoroughly consider all the
information, because their sanctions may not be the right answer to solve
the problem,’ he said.

____________________________________

March 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
Bean farmers hit by poor harvest and low prices – Aye Nai

Bean farmers in Tharawaddy township in Bago division have suffered losses
due to low bean prices and a poor harvest caused by unseasonal rains.

A local farmer said that they had only managed to harvest one-fifth of the
amount produced in previous years.

“All the farmers in this area have suffered losses due to the poor harvest
for beans and summer paddy,” the farmer said.

“Farmlands that produced about 30 tin [120 litres] per acre in previous
years only managed to produce five to six tin this year.”

The farmer said the low yield was caused by rain during the period when
the bean plants come into flower.

While the crops grew again after the rains, it was already too close to
the harvesting season to recover from the setback.

Farmers have also been hit by low bean prices since the government banned
traders from exporting the crop.

In previous years, 1 tin of beans would fetch around 20,000 kyat, but this
year it is only worth about 14,000 to 15,000 kyat.

The total cost of producing one acre of beans, including labour costs,
fertilisers, equipment and maintenance, is around 200,000 or 300,000 kyat,
and with each acre only producing around 6 tin of beans this means that
farmers are making a significant loss on each tin.

The ban on exports has also affected bean traders, who say that the
government will not allow exports before May this year, when traders will
have to apply for permits to sell the crop overseas.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

March 18, Bangkok Post
PM's remarks favourable to junta panned – Achara Ashayagachat

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was attacked by critics yesterday after
making favourable comments about the ruling Burmese junta and indicating
the government plans to focus on making economic gains from Burma.

Surapong Jayanama, secretary for political affairs to former premier
Surayud Chulanont, said the Thai approach to Burma would benefit certain
groups at the expense of human rights there.

He viewed the policy towards Burma as a resumption of that undertaken by
the government under deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

''They [the ruling generals] know that Thai bureaucrats in collusion with
politicians care about economic interests'' while ignoring Burma's weak
points, said Mr Surapong, a former career diplomat.

Mr Samak said he was impressed with the Burmese generals after his one-day
visit to Naypidaw, the new Burmese administrative capital, on Friday.

The trip clearly showed the government's stance towards Burma and that
Thailand cared less about human rights and democracy there and more about
cooperation on infrastructure development, Mr Surapong said.

''The nearer the summer approaches, the more we'll see ethnic groups along
the Thai border battered. They will be sacrificed as the Thai government
turns a blind eye for the sake of certain Thai traders' concessions in
Burma,'' he said.

Mr Samak said he respected the Burmese generals because they meditate,
like good Buddhists.

Pornpimon Trichot, a senior researcher on Burma at Chulalongkorn
University's Institute of Asian Studies, said the junta tended to be smart
when entertaining guests and first-time visitors have therefore been
impressed by the image presented by the government.

But she said Thailand should realise that behind the peaceful, beautiful
scenes on the surface there are far more threatening and heart-breaking
situations.

____________________________________

March 18, Malaysia Star
Divergences work in favour of Myanmar junta – Salman Haidar

PERSISTENT efforts by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari to encourage political
change in Myanmar seem to have had some impact, but the further outcome is
uncertain. In recent months, Gambari has visited Myanmar three times to
try to persuade the ruling junta to be flexible towards Aung San Suu Kyi,
thereby opening the way to democracy.

The generals, who have reigned for two decades with surly disregard for
internal protest and international criticism, were jolted by last year's
street protests led by Buddhist monks that spread across the country.

The world was shocked and alarmed, the UN Security Council weighed in, and
demands for action against Myanmar’s rulers made.

Though no concerted action proved possible, the UN dispatched an envoy to
try to improve human rights practices and encourage moves towards
democracy. This is no easy task: an earlier UN envoy with much the same
mission persevered for some years but failed to get very far, the junta
alternately encouraging and shutting him out.

But in the changed circumstances and with stronger international backing,
Gambari seems to have been able to make greater headway. He has had a few
meetings with significant personalities, including the military leaders
and the incarcerated Suu Kyi.

At his urging, a minister of relations has been appointed to seek
reconciliation between the junta and its democratic opponents. Suu Kyi
herself has sufficiently been encouraged by these developments to make
hopeful statements in recent months, expressing willingness to cooperate
with the regime for the benefit of the country.

Gambari was again in Myanmar a few days ago where he met top personalities
once more. Something seems to be stirring.

Yet these hopeful signs are balanced by discouraging ones. On his latest
visit Gambari was unable to meet the chairman of the junta, Senior General
Than Shwe.

Nor did he succeed in persuading the regime to permit a three-sided
meeting between himself, Suu Kyi and a junta representative. This proposal
was dismissed as “interference,” and rejected with the usual rhetoric
about upholding national prerogatives and refusing to bow to external
pressure.

Myanmar has experience in stonewalling attempts by the UN and other
international bodies hoping to persuade it to change. Thus, Than Shwe
recently announced that he was ready to meet Suu Kyi, but on the condition
that she stopped opposing his regime.

Some observers see the small signs of flexibility extracted by Gambari as
essentially intended to head off the tough sanctions the UN Security
Council could impose. In this view, there is no change of intent on the
part of the junta, only an adjustment of tactics to deal with an immediate
problem.

There is now little expectation that the referendum on the new
Constitution slated for May this year will make any real difference.
Gambari had asked for international observers to oversee the referendum,
but it was dismissed on grounds that observers would infringe of Myanmar’s
sovereignty.

There are enough divergences within the international community to prevent
a smooth and solid front taking shape against Myanmar, so that the junta
has been able to find ways of surviving, even prospering.

The United States recently renewed its economic sanctions for another
year. But there are others to take up the slack, so Myanmar can obtain all
the goods it needs from abroad, including the lethal weaponry for
perpetuating the junta.


>From the start, the principal foreign supplier of goods has been China,

whose policy of engagement has never been deflected by international
pressures. The rapid growth of trade and communication links has
underpinned a well-established and expanding relationship between the two
countries.

In South-East Asia, Asean has remained cautious in expressing and acting
upon its disapproval of Myanmar’s policies. Thus for all the international
admiration showered on her, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s incarceration has made
no decisive difference to compel the junta to adjust its ways. – The Korea
Herald / Asia News Network

The writer is a former foreign minister of India.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 18, Mizzima News
US Congressmen propose rejection of junta's constitution – Mungpi

United States lawmakers on Friday proposed a Congressional resolution
urging the President to call on the United Nations to reject the Burmese
military junta's constitution and not to recognize its efforts to
legitimize it through a referendum in May.

House Concurring resolution 317 was introduced by Representatives Rush
Holt (D-NJ), Howard Berman (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in the
U.S. House of Representatives on March 14, 2008.

The resolution, which is now referred to the House Committee of Foreign
Affairs for consideration, calls on the President "to call for the United
Nations Security Council to pass a binding resolution," on Burma, which
will instruct the Burmese regime to comply to the calls made by the United
Nations and the international communities.

The resolution denounces the one-sided, undemocratic, and illegitimate act
by the Burmese military junta to legalize its rule with a constitution
drafted with its hand-picked delegates and criticizes the junta's
scheduled referendum in May.

It also urges the President to push for a comprehensive arms embargo
against the Burmese junta at the United Nations Security Council so that
weapons produced by foreign countries, including Ukraine, China, and
Russia, who currently sell weapons to Burma's military regime, can no
longer contribute to the atrocities committed by Burma's military regime
against civilians.

The resolution also urges the Burmese junta to comply fully and
immediately with the recommendations made by the United Nations Special
Envoy Ibrahim Gambari and the United Nations Security Council Presidential
Statement issued on October 11, 2007.

The concurrent resolution, however, is the first step of the legislative
process, and will require deliberation, investigation, and revision by the
House Committee of Foreign Affairs before it can go for a general debate.

The resolution was introduced a week after the UN special envoy Ibrahim
Gambari concluded his last visit to Burma on March 10.

Gambari, who has visited the Southeast Asian nation for the third time
since the ruling junta brutally suppressed protesting monks and laymen in
September, suggested to the junta to make necessary changes to be more
inclusive.

But critics view Gambari's mission a failure as he was not allowed a
meeting with the junta's head Snr Gen Than Shwe and all his requests were
flatly rejected by the junta's officials.

The Burmese junta has announced holding a referendum on its draft
constitution in May and general election in 2010, and told Gambari that
the process of its roadmap is already inclusive and needs no modification.

The junta in 2003 first announced a seven-step roadmap to democracy and
started kicking off the process with a 14-year long National Convention,
which claims to have drafted the principles for the future constitution.

Burma's main opposition political party – National League for Democracy –
led by detained Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi initially joined
the junta's National Convention but walked out in 1996, saying the process
is not transparent and is made to rubber stamp the junta's policies.

Meanwhile, the US Campaign for Burma, a rights group, in a statement
welcomed the Congressmen's proposal saying it reflects the will of the
Burmese people.

Aung Din, Executive Director of the USCB, in a statement expressed
gratitude and appreciation to the Congressmen who proposed the resolution
saying it is an important initiative not to recognize the military junta's
illegitimate constitution, which is designed to perpetuate military rule
in Burma by vesting supreme power in the hands of the Chief of the
military, Commander-in-Chief.

"People of Burma are determined to reject this sham constitution at any
cost, which will make them slaves of the military for generations," Aung
Din said.

On Friday, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human
Rights Situation in Burma, who visited the country in November to
investigate the junta's brutal crackdown on protesters in September and
October, criticized the junta and condemned its continued arrest and
detention of activists and dissidents.

Pinheiro, at a news briefing at the U.N.'s European headquarters in Geneva
ridiculed the Burmese junta's planned roadmap saying, "if you believe in
gnomes, trolls and elves, you can believe in this democratic process in
Myanmar [Burma]."

While the international community including the United Nations called on
the junta to make its plan more inclusive, neighbouring countries
including Thailand has been supportive of the junta's move.

Thailand's newly elected Prime Minister Samat Sundaravej, who recently
came back from Burma, praised military leaders as strong devotees of
Buddhism giving the impression that killing and suppression in the country
are normal.

"Tragically, like the Thai Prime Minister, there are some governments in
Asia and Europe who believe in myths. We need similar actions from other
Members of Parliament around the world to urge their respective
governments to reject the junta's sham constitution and to apply more
pressure on the Burmese military junta," Aung Din said.

____________________________________

March 18, Irrawaddy
The UN considers its options on Burma – Lalit K Jha

The UN special envoy for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, met the UN General
Assembly president, Srgjan Kerim, on Monday and briefed him on his recent
trip to Burma and the progress of his efforts to nudge the country towards
a restoration of democracy and protection of human rights.

Gambari is also scheduled to brief the powerful 15-member UN Security
Council on Tuesday. He is expected to give a frank assessment of the
current situation in Burma and to outline what the international community
can do, in his view, to ensure that the junta addresses the demands of the
international community, including calls for the release of pro-democracy
leader Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

Gambari ended his third visit to Burma in a little over six months on
March 10. During his visit, the UN envoy met Aung San Suu Kyi and several
senior military officials. However, he made little visible progress
towards achieving the goals set by the UN Security Council through its
presidential statement in October.

Now that the approach of “dialogue and accommodation” has demonstrably
failed, the United Nations appears to be set to review its Burma policy.

A UN diplomat privy to a meeting between Gambari and UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon in Dakar, Senegal last week told The Irrawaddy that the UN is
now reevaluating its approach to Burma. “That is what the purpose (of the
meeting) was,” the diplomat said.

During his meeting with the UN secretary-general, Gambari is believed to
have conceded that he has been unable to get things moving in Burma.

The junta’s public snubbing of the UN envoy, which was widely reported by
the official media, made it clear to Gambari that his approach of
accommodating the generals in an effort to engage them in a dialogue on
ways to move forward has not worked.

Despite several rounds of discussions with junta leaders and military
officials in Burma and countless trips to capitals around the world over
the past six months, Gambari has been unable to accomplish any of the
goals set by himself, by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, or by the Security
Council.

Nonetheless, following his meeting with Gambari, the UN General Assembly
President Srgjan Kerim expressed confidence in the work of the special
envoy. He also issued a statement calling for “serious engagement and
strong commitment” from all parties to further national reconciliation.

Kerim said he was encouraged by the fact that the UN envoy was able to
meet with key figures, including Suu Kyi, as well as with representatives
of the Referendum Convening Commission and the Constitution Drafting
Committee.

The General Assembly president also said that he hoped the Burmese regime
would be open to giving the UN a monitoring role in an upcoming referendum
on the new draft constitution, even though the military junta has already
rejected the proposal.

Now that Gambari’s efforts have failed to yield any favorable results, UN
diplomats are brainstorming what the world body’s next policy towards
Burma should be.

But neither the UN nor member states that have taken a strong
pro-democracy stance have a “plan B” on which they can move immediately.
Given the interest of key neighboring countries and the pro-junta position
of Russia and China inside the Security Council, it is unlikely that a
consensus on a new UN policy towards Burma will emerge anytime soon.

Following his briefing with the Security Council, Gambari is also expected
to participate in a meeting of the secretary-general’s Friends of Burma
group later this week. These meetings, officials said, would set the
ground for preparing a new policy on Burma.

Those closely watching these developments said that time is running out,
as the referendum on the junta-drafted constitution is scheduled to take
place in May, and the world body has still taken no effective measures to
ensure that pro-democracy forces and ethnic groups are given a voice. They
also point out that the junta must release Suu Kyi and enter into a
time-bound dialogue with her.

But whether the UN can pressure the generals to make any concessions, with
Russia and China possibly blocking any efforts to impose sterner measures
against the regime, is the million-dollar question. Russia, which holds
the presidency of Security Council for the month of March, is unlikely to
allow the 15-member body to take any strong stance against the junta, as
advocated by pro-democracy supporters.

Reflecting the views of millions of Burmese, however, three Security
Council members—the United States, Britain and France—are now expected to
push for a binding resolution against Burma. This means that the generals
may soon be forced to listen to the language of confrontation—a language
they understand much better than the more conciliatory noises now coming
out of the United Nations.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

March 18, Irrawaddy
Thai PM ignored the other side of the coin – Kyaw Zwa Moe

“Burma is a Buddhist country. Burma’s leaders meditate.”  Thai Prime
Minister Samak Sundaravej brought that information out of Burma last week
after an official goodwill visit. Nothing about his statement is wrong,
and I personally believe it’s true: The generals meditate.

But the prime minister failed to answer a key question, “What are the
generals meditating on?” I believe the generals meditate on things that
would horrify true Buddhists.

First, the top generals probably meditate on how to rid themselves of
their sins, or karma, after ordering security troops to shoot, kill and
beat Buddhist monks in the September 2007 uprising.

Second, they meditate on how to rule the country forever, how to pass on
power to the next generation of the military.

Actually, Burma’s top generals have seriously been in deep meditation
since 1988 on how to wash away the karma of killing 3,000 innocent people
during the country’s pro-democracy uprising.

The Thai prime minister also said, “They (Burmese leaders) say the country
lives in peace.”

If the prime minister and his delegation had been a little more sensitive
when they signed their trade agreements (Thailand is Burma’s third largest
trading partner), they would have seen the spirits and ghosts of Burmese
freedom fighters who sacrificed themselves while trying to win freedom for
the Burmese people.

The Thai prime minister also said, “Killings and suppressions are normal
there [Burma], but we have to understand the facts. The general view of
this country has always been one-sided, but there are two sides to a
coin.”
Is Samak saying killings and suppression should be accepted? He totally
ignored the other side of the coin, the side that shows the people’s
suffering and human rights abuses.

Will the Burmese people now see the Thai government as a good friend of
their enemy, the junta? How will they answer the question, “Is Thailand a
good neighbor?
In terms of foreign policy, it’s a strategic mistake to place too much
emphasis on friendship and cooperation between two governments at the
expense of the people.

Doing the right thing in terms of friendship and cooperation between the
people of both countries is more important and long lasting.

The current Thai government’s “neighborly engagement” policy needs to be
directed not only at Burma’s government but also at the Burmese people.

Of course it’s understandable that Samak’s government wants to promote
friendship, cooperation and strengthen economic ties with neighboring
countries, including Burma.

It’s understandable that Thailand needs to do business deals with the
junta, especially in the areas of natural gas and hydro energy. But
there’s a wise way to do business deals while also promoting human rights.

Thai governments often act as if they have no real power when dealing with
Burma. Blindly supporting the military regime only guarantees that serious
issues including refugees and migrant workers will continue.

Yes, Samak should remember a coin has two sides. He should send a clear
message to the Burmese people that Thailand wants to do business deals
with Burma, but it is first and foremost a friend of the people.

Thailand must not be viewed by the Burmese people as a neighbor that is
insensitive to the democracy movement in their country. Thailand should be
an eternal friend of the people, truly a good neighbor.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

March 17, UN Human Rights Council
International Burmese Monks Organization via Conectas Direitos Humanos

We are here today to offer voice to all of the peoples of Burma,
especially the Buddhist monks, who have been silenced by a cruel military
dictatorship.

Today in Burma, the most fundamental human rights - the right to speech,
the right to assembly, and for us monks, the right to vote, are denied. 
As the Special Rapportuer said in his statement to the Human Rights
Council on March 14, "...between 3,000 and 4,000 people had been arrested
in September and October 2007...many remain unlawfully detained including
a number of monks."

Inside Burma, we have no right to speak out against these abuses. To ask,
even peacefully, for respect and common human decency is to invite attack,
torture and even death from the military junta.

Burmese Buddhist monks outside of Burma have therefore formed the
International Burmese Monks Organization, to give voice to our brave
brothers and sisters inside who have no voice.

Last fall millions of people around the world witnessed the killing by the
junta's soldiers of peaceful demonstrators led by Buddhist monks and nuns.

Today our monasteries are largely empty or occupied by soldiers. Thousands
of Buddhist monks and nuns are still unaccounted for. We are receiving
very disturbing information from contacts inside Burma, that many monks
have been defrocked and sent to forced labor camps.  And we have heard
that some of our sister nuns have been badly abused.

This is why we are calling for the Human Rights Council to renew the
mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Burma and monitor the situation in
Burma.

Please understand: I am not a politician.  I am a simple Buddhist monk. As
a monk, it is my religious duty to speak out against injustice and to help
end suffering. The Buddha spoke of ten duties for kings, the tenth being
non-opposition to the will of the people. Burma's junta claims to be
Buddhists, which are they are in name only.

We call upon all international organizations and the Human Rights Council
to take action to see that the situation in Burma receives immediate
attention to avoid further bloodshed, further conflict, further suffering.

We call upon all governments to stop selling weapons to a junta that has
no external enemies, and uses its guns against its own citizens – its
monks, students, farmers, and workers.

We ask that the world support a genuine transition to a government in
Burma that respects basic human rights and is accountable to its peoples.

_______________________________

March 17, U.S. Campaign for Burma
Congressional resolution introduced to reject the constitution made by the
Burmese military junta

Media Contact: Jennifer Quigley at 202-234-8022 or 732-606-7508

The U.S. Campaign for Burma, a Washington DC-based organization mobilizing
international support for freedom and democracy in Burma, today welcomes
and supports the introducing of Congressional resolution, H. Con. Res.
317, calling for the President to call for the United Nations Security
Council to not accept or recognize the state constitution, unilaterally
written by the Burmese military junta, and the outcome of the upcoming
referendum, scheduled for May this year.

House Concurrent Resolution 317 was introduced by Representatives Rush
Holt (D-NJ), Howard Berman (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) in the
U.S. House of Representatives on March 14, 2008 and it was referred to the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs for consideration.

Congressman Berman (D-CA) is Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs, who has succeeded Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), who was a
champion for the Burmese democracy movement and passed away last month.
Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen is Ranking Member of House Committee on Foreign
Affairs. Congressman Holt serves on House Committee on Education and
Labor, Committee on Natural Resources and Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence. All three Representatives are strong supporters of the
non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights for the people of
Burma, led by the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung
San Suu Kyi.

Congressman Rush Holt, author of the resolution said, “The Burmese people
are determined to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that so many of take
for granted. The heroic efforts of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize
winner Aung San Suu Kyi and others have given hope to victims of terrible
oppression, and they deserve our support. Passage of this resolution would
send a strong signal to the people of Burma that we stand with them in
their struggle for democracy.”

Their resolution denounces the one-sided, undemocratic and illegitimate
constitution drafting process and referendum by the Burmese military
junta, known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), insists
the SPDC engage in a tripartite dialogue with democracy forces led by Aung
San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives, and demands the immediate and
unconditional releases of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners. It
also urges the President Bush to call for the UN Security Council to not
accept and recognize the SPDC’s constitution, pass a binding resolution
which will enforce the SPDC to comply with recommendations made by the
United Nations, and impose a global arms embargo.

They introduced the resolution after the SPDC flatly rejected all
recommendations made by the United Nations, which are the establishment of
an all-party inclusive transparent process of constitution writing,
meaningful and time-bound dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, releasing all
political prisoners, establishment of a broad-based poverty alleviation
commission, opening of an office in Rangoon for the UN Special Envoy, and
an offer to provide UN assistance to help ensure the referendum is free
and fair. During the last visit of UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari on
March 6-10, the five top leaders of the SPDC, Senior-General Than Shwe,
Vice-Senior-General Maung Aye, General Thura Shwe Mann, General Thein Sein
and Lieutenant General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myin Oo, refused to meet with
Mr. Gambari. The highest level official whom Mr. Gambari was allowed to
meet was Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan, the SPDC’s Minister of Information. On behalf
of the SPDC, Kyaw Hsan rejected all of the UN’s recommendations and even
complained that “The United Nations should stand fair and square without
bias.”[1]

 “We appreciate Representatives Holt, Berman and Ros-Lehtinen for this
important initiative to not recognize the military junta’s illegitimate
constitution, which is designed to perpetuate the military dictatorship
in Burma by vesting supreme power in the hands of the Chief of the
military, Commander-in-Chief,” says Aung Din, Executive Director of the
U.S. Campaign for Burma. “People of Burma are determined to reject this
sham constitution at any cost, which will make them slaves of the
military for generations,” continues Aung Din.

On March 14, 2008, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in
Burma ridiculed the junta’s plan by saying that “if you believe in gnomes,
trolls and elves, you can believe in this democratic process in
Myanmar,"[2] at a news briefing at the U.N.'s European headquarters in
Geneva. However, Thai Prime Minister Samat Sundaravej, who recently came
back from Burma, praised military leaders as strong devotees of Buddhism
and killing and suppression in the country are normal.[3] “Tragically,
like the Thai Prime Minister, there are some governments in Asia and
Europe who believe in myths. We need similar actions from other Members of
Parliament around the world to urge their respective governments to reject
the junta’s sham constitution and to apply more pressure on the Burmese
military junta”, added Aung Din.