BurmaNet News, April 22, 2008

[Editor]

April 22, 2008 Issue # 3449

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Detained monk leader U Gambira honored
Irrawaddy: Poll shows Rangoon residents cool on Referendum
Irrawaddy: NLD insists Suu Kyi must get chance to vote on May 10
DVB: NLD demands right to vote for detained activists
AP: Myanmar anti-junta protester who set himself ablaze dies, hospital
officials say
Mizzima News: Junta minister donates to get support for referendum
Mizzima News: Junta accuses Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors of Rangoon
blast

BUSINESS / TRADE
KNG: Chinese in Namtu exploit children with little pay

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Voting begins in Burmese embassy in Bangkok
Mizzima News: Absentee voting in India; Burmese students fear repercussion
AP: Six Thais face charges over deaths of Burmese migrants
Bangkok Post: No human trafficking here

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Junta’s vote ‘Yes’ media blitz appears to backfire - Wai Moe
The Nation (Thailand): The problem of being a good neighbour [Editorial]
IPS: Cracks in constitution divide Myanmar - Marwaan Macan-Markar

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 22, Irrawaddy
Detained monk leader U Gambira honored - Aye Lae

The United Kingdom-based Index on Censorship—one of the world’s leading
magazines on free expression issues—honored imprisoned Buddhist monk
leader U Gambira for his leading role in last September’s peaceful
demonstrations with an award on April 21.

The event was held at Christ Church Spitalfields, a 300-year old church in
central London, where Burmese monk U Ottaya and well-known Burmese blogger
Ko Htike received the prize—a medal—on behalf of U Gambira.

U Gambira is one of the leaders of the All Burma Monks Alliance, which
spearheaded nationwide protests in September. While he became a fugitive
following the deadly September 26-27 crackdown on protesters, he made
important announcements to the world about the alliance’s aims amid a
climate of fear and arrests of pro-democracy activists.

U Gambira, 29, once a child soldier at the age of 12, was arrested on
November 4 last year in Sintgaing Township in Central Burma where he was
hiding. He has reportedly been charged with treason by the military junta
and is currently being held at Insein Prison in Rangoon.

Along with other winners for film, media, literature and journalism, U
Gambira won the Bindmans Law and Campaigning Award. The Buddhist monk was
selected unanimously by the board of commissioners.

The advocacy group, Index on Censorship, noted on its website that the
award is given to lawyers or campaigners "who have fought repression, or
have struggled to change political climates and perceptions."

The award marks the first time that Index on Censorship has taken a stance
on military-ruled Burma.

According to BBC Burmese, an Index official said that Burmese monks
leading the demonstrations in September represented a significant event
which had got the attention of several human rights groups.

Pyinnya Jota, who fled to Thailand in February and who was also a leading
member of the All Burma Monks Alliance, said, “I am happy to say that this
award could bring international attention again to our country's current
situation.”

____________________________________

April 22, Irrawaddy
Poll shows Rangoon residents cool on Referendum

With less than three weeks to go until Burmese get a chance to vote on a
constitution drawn up by the country’s military rulers, a new poll
conducted by Irrawaddy correspondents in Rangoon shows that residents of
Burma’s largest city are less than enthusiastic about their first chance
to cast a ballot in nearly two decades.

Sixty-seven, or 44.7 percent, of the 150 Rangoon residents who responded
to the survey said that they had not yet decided how they would vote, or
were uninterested in the referendum.

Buddhist monks stroll past a Chinese made army truck in Rangoon. (Photo: AP)
The number who said they would vote against the constitution, meanwhile,
was 62, or 41.4 percent, while fewer than seven percent of those polled
said they would vote in favor of the constitution.

Slightly more than seven percent declined to respond to the question:
“Will you vote “yes” or “no” in the upcoming referendum on the draft
constitution?”

The poll was directed at a wide cross-section of Burmese society,
including laborers, street vendors, students, professionals, civil
servants, members of the armed forces and retirees. None of the
interviewees were politicians or activists.

Nearly half of those polled—70 out of 150—were described as working class,
of whom 41, or 58.5 percent, said they were undecided or not interested in
voting.

This group also had the largest number of “yes” votes, with nearly 13
percent saying they would support the draft constitution. Almost 29
percent said they would vote against it.

The only other “yes” vote came from an elderly respondent. Around
three-quarters of interviewees aged over 65 said they did not intend to
vote in the referendum, while 25 percent said they would vote “no.”

More than two-thirds of educated professionals said they would vote
against the constitution, while the remaining third was undecided. Ten out
of 10 students who were interviewed said they would reject the junta’s
charter.

Journalists were similarly unanimous in their rejection of the
constitution, with all 10 respondents saying they would vote “no.”

“I will vote ‘no’ because the constitution was not written by
representatives of the entire nation, including leaders of the national
races and members of parliament elected in the 1990 election,” said one
Rangoon-based editor.

Two civil servants and nine members of the armed forces who were
interviewed by The Irrawaddy would not say how they intended to vote. One
of the civil servants, a health ministry official, said that the
government had ordered all public employees to cast a “yes” vote, adding
that senior officials had also been instructed to read the constitution,
copies of which have been distributed to government ministry offices since
March.

Military personnel from Light Infantry Battalion 106 and Infantry
Battalion 16 said that their commanders had ordered them to vote “yes.”
Most of the rank-and-file soldiers said that they didn’t understand the
text of the constitution.

The Irrawaddy will continue to report its findings from a series of
surveys on the referendum.

____________________________________

April 22, Irrawaddy
NLD insists Suu Kyi must get chance to vote on May 10 - Saw Yan Naing

Burma’s main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has
called on the regime to make sure political detainees, including NLD
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, can vote in the constitutional referendum on May
10.

The referendum states that detainees who have not been convicted are
allowed to cast their votes in the referendum. But NLD spokesman Nyan Win
told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday the party was still worried that political
prisoners may find themselves disenfranchised.

An NLD statement issued on Monday called on the authorities to compile
lists of detainees who had not been convicted and to make sure they were
allowed to vote. Some prisons had begun compiling lists, he said.

Win Maung, father of detainee Pyone Cho, a member of the 88 Generation
Students group, said the authorities running Rangoon’s Insein Prison had
collected the names of unconvicted political prisoners there, including
members of the 88 Generation Students group.

More than 30 members of the 88 Generation Students group, including its
well-known leaders Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kywe and Min Zeya, are
being held in Insein prison, said Tate Naing, secretary of the
Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma),
AAPP.

They were arrested in August 2007 while demonstrating against sharp
increases in the prices of fuel and other essentials.

Many are reported to be in ill health. The latest to arouse serious
concern is
Su Su Nway, a prominent woman activist, winner of the John Humphrey
Freedom Award 2006, who suffers from a heart condition.

Min Ko Naing, leader of the 88 Generation Students group, is reported to
be at risk of losing the sight of one eye because of an infection that the
prison authorities refuse to allow to be properly treated.

Another member of the 88 Generation Students group, Hla Myo Naung, and NLD
member Than Lwin are also suffering from eye infections, according to Tate
Naing.

Than Lwin, who won his constituency in the 1990 election, was attacked by
pro-junta thugs wearing steel knuckledusters in June 2007 as he returned
home from a pagoda in Madaya Township, where he had been praying for the
release of Suu Kyi.

The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) says it has
received lists of prisoners, including monks and nuns, who are suffering
from serious ailments in Burmese jails. It called for proper medical
attention for the sick prisoners.

The AHRC also called on the Burmese authorities to allow the International
Committee of the Red Cross access to Burma’s prisons, under the terms of
its mandate.

The AAPP estimates that there are 1,864 political prisoners in Burmese
prisons.

____________________________________

April 22, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD demands right to vote for detained activists

The National League for Democracy released a special statement yesterday
calling for detained political leaders and activists to be given the right
to vote in the national referendum in May.

NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win said that politicians in detention including
NLD secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, deputy chairman U Tin Oo and other
leaders, as well as members of the 88 Generation Students should be
allowed to participate in the referendum.

Convicted criminals currently serving sentences are barred from voting,
but Nyan Win said this should not apply to those who were detained under
the government law aiming to protect the nation from “destructive
elements” but have not been convicted of any crime.

The government’s referendum law introduced in February states that all
citizens, naturalised citizens and temporary certificate holders aged 18
or over will be eligible to vote in the referendum.

But people serving prison terms for any offence are excluded from the
voting roll under the law, making the position unclear for those held
unlawfully or awaiting trial.

____________________________________

April 22, Associated Press
Myanmar anti-junta protester who set himself ablaze dies, hospital
officials say

A man who set himself on fire at Myanmar's most revered Buddhist temple to
protest military rule has died of his injuries, hospital officials said
Tuesday.

Kyaw Zin Naing suffered burns to more than 60 percent of his body in his
March 21 protest at the Shwedagon pagoda in the city of Yangon, the
officials said on condition of anonymity because they could be punished
for revealing information about a politically sensitive matter.

The 26-year-old man died April 17, they said.

Kyaw Zin Naing's protest was the first known case of self-immolation in
Myanmar since the military took power in 1962. According to witnesses, the
man shouted "Down with the military regime," before dousing himself with
gasoline and setting himself ablaze.

His action came at a time of heightened political tension in Myanmar,
which has been preparing for a May 10 referendum on a new military-backed
constitution.

The junta's critics charge that the charter a stage on the junta's
so-called "roadmap to democracy" was drafted in an undemocratic way, and
that it would perpetuate military rule.

The National League for Democracy party of detained opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi has urged voters to reject the draft constitution, but
long-standing restrictions on freedom of speech and harassment of
pro-democracy activists have made it difficult to mount a campaign against
the proposed charter.

Thousands of pilgrims were at the pagoda for a Buddhist holy day when Kyaw
Zin Naing set himself alight.

The Shwedagon temple has a history as a center for mass political
gatherings, and was a focus for Buddhist monks and pro-democracy protests
last September. At least 31 people were killed and thousands more were
detained when the country's military rulers cracked down on the peaceful
demonstrations.

Myanmar has had no constitution since 1988 when the current junta took
power and scrapped the previous charter after violently quashing mass
pro-democracy demonstrations.

Suu Kyi's party won the last general election in 1990, but the military
refused to hand over power, instead stepping up its repression of
dissidents.

____________________________________

April 22, Mizzima News
Junta minister donates to get support for referendum - Maung Dee

In a bid to win support for the draft constitution, Burmese Foreign
Minister Nyan Win is alleged to have made a donation to a school in Zegone
township of Pegu division north of Rangoon.

Nyan Win reportedly donated 4 million kyat (USD 3636) for repairing of a
middle school in Laedwinywa village in the township. Villagers are
concerned the donation might be motivated. In the past, the foreign
minister had seldom shown any interest in rural development.

"If he was really interested in development in rural areas, he would have
come earlier. It is obvious he wants the villagers to support the
constitution and using the donation to get it," another resident of Zegone
said.

Residents in Zegone said, the Burmese Foreign Minister arrived on April 13
and visited several surrounding towns and villages urging local people and
authorities to support the constitution.

"He said, a long time has been spent writing the draft constitution, if we
do not approve it now, more time will have to be spent writing another
draft. So, he asked people to support it," a resident of Zegone told
Mizzima.

Nyan Win was appointed Foreign Minister in late 2004 after the death of
the previous foreign minister Win Aung along with the junta's Military
Intelligence Chief Khin Nyunt. He is reportedly a native of Kannyiako
village in Zegone Township in Pegu division.

Despite campaigns by the junta's minister, a local resident of Zegone town
said copies of the draft constitution were made available only today at a
price of 1000 Kyat (less than USD 1) per copy. "A 1000 kyat is still
expensive for us, nobody could afford it. So, only a few will be able to
buy the draft constitution," said a Zegone resident.

____________________________________

April 22, Mizzima News
Junta accuses Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors of Rangoon blast - Phanida

The Burmese military junta, today accused members of the Vigorous Burmese
Student Warriors (VBSW) of being involved in the bomb blasts, which rocked
Rangoon on Monday.

The State Peace and Development Council's (SPDC) mouthpiece-- New Light of
Myanmar-- reported that the VBSW had been involved in the downtown Rangoon
bomb blasts of April 21, which, however did not result in any causalities.

The New Light of Myanmar reported that a student whose code name is Mone
Dine (the storm) had triggered the explosion. He had been assigned for
destructive operations inside Burma, after finishing his training by VBSW
along the border with other countries.

It was reported that security cameras recorded the person, who planted the
bomb as about 30 years of age. His physical appearance was 5 ft and 6
inches in height, fair complexioned, short hair with a long face.

On the night of April 20, at about 8 p.m. a bomb exploded in the drainage
way of 36th Street near ABC restaurant at the corner of Maha Bandula Road,
Kyaut Da Dar Township, Rangoon division. About 9 p.m. another bomb
exploded in the drainage way of 32nd Street near Traders' Hotel. No
causalities were, however, reported. After the explosion, on April 21, a
statement, by VBSW, was posted on the exile blog's pages.

In the statement, the group reported and warned that their warriors inside
Burma would continue to fight military dictatorship under the name of
Steel Operation. And during 2008, they would carry out revenge against the
military rulers, who had violently suppressed the people and monks in
2007.

It also stated that Steel Operation wanted to fight against the military
dictators' family members, associates and businessmen close to them, as
well as international governments and organizations, who support the SPDC.

Besides these attacks, the VBSW said, did not intend to harm the common
people and was only aimed at people's freedom. It opposed rhetorical
political organizations; those that did not care for people's lives and
for any explosion carried out by armed groups.

There is no confirmation however, whether VBSW issued that statement.

"To be honest I guess VBSW is not active now. It was active, while the
Burmese embassy in Bangkok was raided. After that real operators could not
be found except for them issuing statements. I do not think it was done by
this organization. I am not sure whether or not they are operational.
According to the facts in the statement issued yesterday the group wrote
the statement," said U Htay Aung from the Network for Democracy and
Development (NDD).

"They have no base and some members died when they raided the Burmese
embassy in Bangkok. They claim responsibility by issuing statements on the
internet. So, to be honest, I am not sure whether they are alive or not
and it is possible that SPDC can create terrorism by handpicking the
group. I cannot confirm whether that group has a hand in this explosion,"
he added.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

April 22, Kachin News Group
Chinese in Namtu exploit children with little pay

Chinese businessmen in Namtu Township in northern Shan State have been
exploiting children. Children in Man Jak village in Namtu are being made
to work but are being paid very little, a source said.

Chinese loggers pay 500 Kyat to children who are just about old enough to
go to school. But they cannot afford to go to school and just wander
around their village and spend time in the jungle, a local said.

The loggers have also asked the children to send letters to their parents
who live about four or five miles away, an eyewitness told KNG.

The Chinese loggers have been logging in forest areas following
negotiations with the authorities in Namtu Township since 2006. And the
same things occur in other places too, a resident in Namtu said.

A ton of timber costs 500,000 Kyat (est. US $ 450) and now the Chinese
loggers are felling all the big trees that are owned by residents. The
reason for felling timber is to find orchids (Tit Hkwa), said a local.

The Chinese loggers are logging in areas that belong to local residents
and cutting all the tress and yet the residents are in no position to
complain, a local added.

There are Burma's biggest silver and lead deposits in Namtu and Bawdwin
areas.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

April 22, Mizzima News
Voting begins in Burmese embassy in Bangkok

Burmese citizens in Thailand desirous of voting in the referendum to
approve the draft constitution of the military junta can vote at the
Burmese embassy in Bangkok starting today.

The Burmese Embassy in Bangkok said, Burmese passport holders will be
eligible to vote and can cast their ballot from April 22 to 27 between 6
a.m. to 4 p.m.

An embassy staff told Mizzima voters who want to vote must bring their
passports and ID cards with them to the embassy in Bangkok, which will be
the only polling booth across the country.

"Our staffs will be present at the embassy gate. They will explain the
voting procedure to eligible voters," she added.

The absentee voting at Bangkok Embassy began today as part of the Burmese
junta's planned referendum on a draft constitution, which it has announced
to hold on May 10 in Burma.

A voter, who had cast the vote at the Embassy told Mizzima that there were
not too many voters coming on Monday and embassy officials were present to
checked for the voters' passports and identity cards.

"Our names and ID numbers have already been printed on the voters list.
They checked our ID number against the voters list and issued a ballot
paper and an envelope," the voter said.

"There were three persons present. They kept a counterfoil of the ballot
paper with them as a proof of votes being cast. There are ball pens and
glue in the voting room behind the curtain. We can tick on the ballot
paper 'Yes' or 'No'. Then put our ballot paper inside the envelope and put
the envelope into the ballot box," a voter who had cast the vote at the
embassy told Mizzima.

Similarly, in Japan, the Burmese embassy announced that an absentee voting
will be held from April 26 to 27 starting from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"We have sent invitations to all eligible voters. We cannot say how many
voters will turn up at the polling station," an embassy staff in Japan
told Mizzima.

In Singapore, voters are informed that they can come to the embassy
beginning on April 25 to 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m to cast their votes.

An activist in Singapore said they would distribute 'No' campaign T-shirts
and caps to the voters on April 27 of this month.

"We have made 750 T-Shirts and 1,000 caps for that day. Some donated
drinking water bottles. Doctors, nurses and ambulance will be available
for emergency medical care. We want to send our 'No' vote campaign message
to voters," he said.

Meanwhile, Burmese embassies around the world are reportedly making
arrangements for polling stations, where Burmese passport holders who are
working and studying abroad can cast their votes in the referendum to
approve the constitution drafted by the junta.

While Burmese citizens are spread in various countries including western
nations, bulks of Burmese are found to be working in Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore and Japan.

____________________________________

April 22, Mizzima News
Absentee voting in India; Burmese students fear repercussion

Absentee voting in the military junta's referendum for Burmese citizens in
India will commence this weekend. This was declared by the Burmese embassy
in New Delhi.

An official at the Burmese embassy in New Delhi told Mizzima that Burmese
citizens with valid documents in India are invited to cast their votes at
the embassy premises from April 25 to 27.

He, however, declined to mention the procedure and the number of Burmese
citizens eligible for voting, and disconnected the telephone.

The announcement of the Burmese embassy in New Delhi is part of the
Burmese junta's referendum process, which will be held on May 10.

A Burmese student studying in one of India's universities who received the
invitation, however, expressed apprehension that casting a 'No' vote might
have repercussion on continuing his studies.

"We are unaware of the process to be followed in India. I fear that the
officials might find out the vote we cast and it would have repercussions
on my studies," said the student, who is studying for a degree in
Political Science.

His honest choice would be casting a 'No' vote, but he said "I have not
decided what to do and I would also like to study the draft constitution
first."

Another problem, he said, was that there are only a few Burmese students
in India and they could be easily identified if they cast a 'No' vote.

According to him, a rough estimate would suggest that there are about a
hundred Burmese students studying in India with valid permits.

Meanwhile, Burmese embassies in other countries including Japan, Singapore
and Malaysia have also announced to hold similar absentee voting on the
junta's draft constitution.

The Burmese embassy in Thailand has begun the process of absentee voting
today and will continue until 27 April.

____________________________________

April 22, Associated Press
Six Thais face charges over deaths of Burmese migrants - Ambika Ahuja

Six Thai nationals will be charged with causing death by negligence after
54 illegal Burma migrants suffocated while being smuggled through Thailand
in a locked truck, police said on Monday.

The 54 dead were among about 120 job seekers from Burma crammed inside the
truck, which was abandoned by the driver on April 10 when he found
passengers dying in the back.

The migrants suffocated when the air conditioning failed in the vehicle,
normally used for transporting seafood.

The migrants had been seeking jobs in the resort area of Phuket after
being smuggled by boat from Burma to the Thai port of Ranong on the
Andaman Sea.

Immigration police commander Lt-Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit said the crime of
causing death by negligence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail
for each person that died.

Not enough evidence exists yet to prosecute the six people, including the
truck's driver, for human trafficking, he said.

Among the 66 survivors, 50 were convicted of illegal entry into Thailand
and are still being held. Two were not charged because poor health kept
them hospitalized, and 14 were minors who will be returned to Burma.

Some survivors will be asked to testify against those involved, said
police Col Kraithong Chanthongbai, adding an investigation could take up
to three months to complete.

The tragedy shed light on the often brutal result of human trafficking and
the plight of desperate people in the region.

Thailand is a magnet for people from Cambodia, Laos and Burma who take
menial and dangerous jobs shunned by Thais, and face exploitation in their
efforts to earn a living. More than 1 million migrants from Burma are
believed to be working in Thailand.

____________________________________

April 22, Bangkok Post
No human trafficking here - Anchalee Kongrut and Wimol Nukaew

Authorities say that under Thai law human trafficking required an act of
exploitation, which was absent from the smuggling of people seeking proper
work.

The death-truck tragedy involving 120 illegal Burmese job seekers, 54 of
whom suffocated to death, is likely to be treated as a smuggling case and
not human trafficking.

An initial investigation had determined the evidence did not support a
human-trafficking case, immigration bureau chief Pol Lt-Gen Chatchawal
Suksomjit said yesterday.

It was a matter of legal interpretation, he said.

"This initial finding may run counter to general sentiment and reports
which labelled this as a case of human trafficking. But there is a
difference between human smuggling and trafficking, it's a matter of
degree," Pol Lt-Gen Chatchawal said. The offenders in the case would still
be brought to justice.

Under Thai law human trafficking required an act of exploitation, which
was absent from the smuggling of people seeking proper work.

Human trafficking must involve smuggling of people with the specific
objective of employing them in slave-like conditions and jobs, such as
forced prostitution. People smuggling was a crime of lesser degree. The
penalties were also different.

Police originally said there were 121 migrants on the truck, but now say
their original count incorrectly included a Thai man who had fainted at
the scene and was hospitalised.

Human rights commissioner Sunee Chaiyarose disagreed with such an
interpretation, which she said was based on vague, incomprehensive laws.

Treating the case as human smuggling would enable the authorities to speed
up the deportations.

The survivors should be allowed to stay and claim compensation.

Representatives of the Lawyers Council would meet with the survivors, who
had been moved from prison to the Ranong immigration office, and see if
any would like to file complaints.

Orathai Junsawanarak, manager of the anti-trafficking and child-protection
section of World Vision, said the authorities should urgently provide
counselling for the Burmese. The survivors, particularly children, badly
needed such services after such trauma, she said.

Ms Orathai said World Vision staff in Burma would look after these
survivors when they return home and provide shelter and counselling.

Ranong police have begun an intensive hunt for the last suspect in the
case, Supat Phothong, 34, believed to be the broker who brought the
Burmese job seekers to Thailand.

Six other suspects have surrendered to the authorities.

Mr Supat is believed to be armed and dangerous and in hiding with his
relatives in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Pol Maj-Gen Apirak Hongthong,
the chief of Ranong provincial police, said.

He had authorised the use of "harsh measures" if the suspect violently
resisted arrest.

Assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Chongrak Chuthanon is to travel
to Ranong on Friday for a briefing on the progress of the case.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

April 22, Irrawaddy
Junta’s vote ‘Yes’ media blitz appears to backfire - Wai Moe

The junta has launched a daily media campaign designed to promote “Yes”
votes during the May 10 constitutional referendum, but evidence is
mounting its pro-constitution blitz has convinced many people to vote
“No.”

The state-run The New Light of Myanmar said in a front-page headline on
Tuesday, “To approve the State Constitution is a national duty for all
people. Let us all cast ‘Yes’ votes in the national interest.”

A back-page headline said, “Let everyone who loathes foreign interference
and manipulation and who opposes puppet governments with colonialist
strings vote ‘Yes’ for ratification of the Constitution.”

Meanwhile, members of the pro-junta mass organization Union Solidarity and
Development Association (USDA) and local authorities, wearing T-shirts
with pro-constitution messages, are distributing pamphlets in a vote “Yes”
campaign across the country.

The regime recently started broadcasting pro-constitution propaganda on
state-run television programs.

Sources told The Irrawaddy that most people are now more determined than
ever to vote “No” because of the junta’s “Yes” campaign via
state-run-media and mass organizations.

“People are annoyed by the propaganda on state-TV and in newspapers. The
military rulers urge people to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum,” said a
Rangoon businessman. “But now more people will vote against the
constitution because they just dislike the juntas that have misruled the
country for more than four decades.

“The newspapers and TVs say everyone who is a patriot should vote ‘yes.’
The junta always uses the old ghost of neo-colonialism. But people aren’t
scared of the old ghost. They’re only afraid of the juntas that have run
the country down to the last place in the world.”

A Rangoon student cited the junta’s failed anti-American propaganda
campaign in past years. “The junta ran a lot of anti-American stories in
its media,” she said. “Then the Burmese people turned pro-American, not
because people know much about the US but because people hate the junta.”

A government worker in Rangoon said, “If the junta just told people to
vote on referendum day, it would be better for the junta. Now it’s very
weird that we see their odd propaganda in newspapers and TV.”

Htay Aung, a Burmese political analyst, cited a lesson in Burmese
history—in the 1960 election, the military led by Gen Ne Win urged people
to vote for the military-backed party, but people rejected that party.

“Now the military junta does the same thing again,” he said. “The junta’s
current propaganda seems a challenge to the people. It’s human nature for
people to think the opposite way.”

However, a Burma observer, Mikael Gravers of Aarus University in Denmark,
took a more pessimistic view about the referendum’s outcome, saying, “The
most important thing is not to create worries and conflicts over a yes or
no vote, because there is no difference, and there will be no significant
change in the power relations.”

Meanwhile, pro-democracy activists have been attacked and harassed by
pro-junta thugs because of their opposition to the constitution. In early
April, a leading human rights activist, Myint Aye, and a member of the
National League for Democracy (NLD), Tin Yu, were separately attacked in
Rangoon.

Last week, members of the NLD, Thi Han and Win Thein, were beaten by thugs
with batons and another NLD member, Tin Win, was arrested for wearing “No”
message on his T-shirt. Copies of an NLD statement urging people to vote
against the constitution were seized by authorities in several locations.

Burmese embassies have told Burmese citizens who live abroad that they can
vote absentee at embassies. Absentee voting is underway at Burmese
embassies in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. In
Singapore, the Burmese embassy announced on Tuesday that only Burmese
citizens in Singapore who have paid their Burmese taxes at the embassy may
vote absentee.

____________________________________

April 22, The Nation (Thailand)
The problem of being a good neighbour [Editorial]

Thailand must stop pandering to the Burmese junta and do more to bring
positive change

Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein is coming to Thailand for a two-day
visit next week. His purpose is to strengthen ties and forge closer
economic and development cooperation. Indeed, it is a good time to tell
the visiting guest what our country has in mind about his junta. First of
all, our government should stop pandering to Burmese wishes. Both under
the Thaksin government and the current one, Thailand has been acting like
a marionette for the Burmese junta. Our leaders are often ready to defend
Burma at all costs, whenever need be. When PM Samak Sundaravej visited
Burma, he came back making world headlines with his comments. He said the
Burmese leaders meditate and the country lives in peace. Normally any
leader of a peaceful country would not kill monks. Samak's comments showed
how naive our leaders can be. His observation sent shock waves throughout
the world and immediately turned him into a joke. But that has not stopped
him commenting on foreign affairs.

Secondly, Thailand should impress on Burma democratic lessons. People must
be free to speak up and vote without any imposition by the state.
Moreover, the Burmese media must be given liberty to report the truth. The
authorities must stop intimidating voters to vote "yes" for the
referendum, which aims to give power to the military. Thailand must not
behave like South Africa, which has refused to condemn Robert Mugabe and
the atrocities he has committed. We must not turn a blind eye towards
Burma. Unfortunately, Samak is following South African president Thabo
Mbeki by rendering support to junta leaders condemned throughout the
world.

Thirdly, Thailand must continue to engage the international community to
help end the Burmese quagmire. Since the 1988 pro-democracy crackdown,
Thailand has been on the receiving end of problems created by the junta.
Just look at the recent 54 deaths of Burmese migrant workers. The Thai
side should be blamed for taking bribes, including those accomplices at
the border. But we have to tackle the root cause of the current malaise in
Burma, where the junta rules without consent. It is amazing how Thai
leaders can become so timid when dealing face-to-face with the junta
leaders.

Thailand must support the UN and its current effort to find a solution to
the Burmese quagmire. We should encourage UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
to tackle this issue more seriously. He missed a good chance when he was
here earlier this year but failed to go to Burma. He went to Africa to
make his presence and concern felt on Mugabe. Why can't he do the same in
this part of the world? His special envoy, Ibrahim Gambari was useless in
delivering international concerns to the junta leaders.

Of course, the Thai authorities would immediately argue that it is
difficult for Thailand to get tough on Burma. Both countries share a long
common border and Thailand depends on imported energy from Burma. Pending
dam construction along the Salween River will provide much-needed
hydro-electricity in the future. We also need cheap Burmese labour. Over
three million Burmese sweat to promote the Thai livelihood. So goes the
conventional wisdom which impairs Thailand's sense of good judgement. We
have mistreated the Burmese labourers. Worse, we are colluding with the
junta under the disguise of bilateral cooperation to suppress democracy in
Burma. Quite a few economic cooperation plans are in place, which benefit
the junta more than the people. This government still promotes interests
that benefit the regime.

It is a shame for Thailand, as a front-line state, to behave the way it
has done all these years. So, when Thein Sein and his team come to town
next Tuesday, let us be bold and tell it like it is. It cannot get worse
than this.

____________________________________

April 18, Inter Press Service
Cracks in constitution divide Myanmar - Marwaan Macan-Markar

Myanmar's military regime is under fire for the language in a new
constitution to be approved at a national referendum on May 10. The full
text of the charter was made public only a month ahead of the plebiscite.

Articles that have aroused anger deal with attempts by the junta to
legitimize its role as the supreme political authority in the troubled
country. Such clauses make the constitution's promise of a new democratic
landscape meaningless, say critics.

Article No 445 tops the list of concerns for the Burma Lawyers' Council
(BLC) and groups like the US-based Global Justice Center (GJC). "No legal
action shall be taken against those (either individuals or groups who are
members of SLORC and SPDC) who officially carried out their duties
according to their responsibilities," states this article.

Tha SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) and the SPDC (State
Peace and Development Council) are the official names the governing arm of
the regime has been known by since military leaders staged a
power-grabbing coup in 1988. The regime that it overthrew was itself
military-based and had come to power following a 1962 coup.

"That clause is to provide immunity to the junta for all the human rights
violations it has committed since 1988," says Aung Htoo, general secretary
of the BLC. "The new constitution will be meaningless if the perpetrators
of violence can enjoy immunity after it is approved. What is the
difference for the people, who are the victims? Nothing."

It also undermines the hope of Myanmar transforming from a dictatorship to
a democracy, he explained in an interview. "A constitution for a
post-conflict society has to give justice and genuine national
reconciliation a priority. That is what happened in South Africa. But the
new constitution offers little to move Burma [Myanmar] away from its
current conflicts."

On Monday, the BLC and GJC issued a statement denouncing the military
regime for trying to evade "criminal prosecution" through the
constitution. "There is ample evidence that the military regime has
committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and potentially even
genocide through forced relocations, torture, rape, enforced disappearance
and extermination," they said.

Leaders of the Myanmar's ethnic communities are perturbed that the junta's
much-vaunted promise to create regional assemblies through the
constitution amounts to essentially toothless legislative bodies. The new
charter is set to create 14 assemblies in areas that are home to the major
ethnic groups, marking the first offer of political space to the
non-Burmese minorities since the country gained independence from the
British in 1948.

"The regional assemblies will be under the junta, which has the power to
appoint a fourth of the members and the chief minister for the region,"
says David Taw, joint general secretary of the Ethnic Nationalities
Council (ENC), an umbrella body for the seven major ethnic groups. "Most
of the people would like to choose their own chief minister through a
ballot."

The space for economic activity to meet the needs of the ethnic
communities is also restrained, Taw added in an interview. "The local
people will not be able to pursue their economic activity freely. It is a
setback to our hope of achieving a federal system of government."

The unresolved question of genuine political representation for Myanmar's
ethnic communities has dogged the country since independence, resulting in
bloody separatist conflicts that have lasted over six decades. "The
attempt to adopt a constitution to lengthen the military dictatorship will
[create] more problems," the ENC declared in a recent statement. "It will
also lengthen the 60-year-long civil war caused by breaching the
self-determination rights of the ethnic nationalities."

The current constitution has been 15 years in the making. Some say the
delay was created by the junta to stall the country's democratic parties,
led by detained Aung San Suu Kyi, in claiming a stake in running the
country. The junta refused to recognize the outcome of a parliamentary
election in 1990, which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won
in a landslide. Instead, the military created a national convention soon
after to draft a new constitution.

The current charter is Myanmar's third, following the 1947 document, which
was drafted by the country's resistance fighters ahead of independence
from British colonialism, and the 1974 document, which was shaped by the
military dictator at the time, General Ne Win.

The second constitution, which established a one-party state to promote a
socialist agenda, was torn up in 1988 by the current military regime.
Consequently, the SLORC and SPDC governed without constitutional authority
and were seen as lacking political legitimacy by a domestic and a growing
international constituency.

The only advance the new constitution has made over the 1974 document is
its promise to create a multi-party democracy. But the prospect of such
inclusive features has been undermined by the junta's move to limit the
drafting of the charter to military-appointed delegates and its harsh
restrictions on public discussion of the document.

"The military has made sure that any amendments to the constitution
introduced by political parties in the future will be harder to be
approved," says Aung Naing Oo, an independent Myanmar political analyst
living in exile in Thailand. "The conflict in the country will go on
without the prospect of change and improvement."

The likelihood of the constitution adding to the political fires already
burning in Myanmar arises from the deep divisions that plague the country.
"Burma is a different country today than it was in 1974. When the
constitution was passed then, we were not so divided," Aung Naing Oo
added. "Now it is different, and now the entire world is also watching."

The junta, for its part, appears confident that it has drafted the best
constitution for Myanmar. "Approving the constitution is the
responsibility of all citizens in the country. All who support our
national interests must vote in favor," declared the page-one headline of
a state-run newspaper on the week the referendum campaign was officially
launched.