BurmaNet News, October 8, 2008

[Editor]

October 8, 2008 Issue # 3573


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Labor rights activist Su Su Nway stages prison protest
Irrawaddy: Five Burmese educational journals shut down
DVB: KNPP denies reports of ceasefire
DVB: Shan state villagers forced to grow crops
Mizzima News: Flood in Burma's 'Ruby Land' collapses building
Narinjara News: Youths missing in Sittwe

ON THE BORDER
DVB: Burmese soldier murdered on Burma-India border
Kachin News Group: Rigorous checking on border trade route

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima News: Chinese milk scandal provokes confusion among businesses
Reuters: PTTEP sees Myanmar M-9 gas project ready end of 2011

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Myanmar agrees to move forward hydropower plant proposal
Kaladan News: Burmese opposition distributes leaflets in Cox's Bazaar

INTERNATIONAL
AP: Myanmar junta raises suppression, says opposition

OPINION / OTHER
World Politics Review: New arrests dim hopes raised by Burmese prisoner
release – Brian McCartan
IPS: New role for an old Indian road – Ranjita Biswas



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 8, Irrawaddy
Labor rights activist Su Su Nway stages prison protest – Saw Yan Naing

Jailed Burmese labor rights activist Su Su Nway is refusing to accept
medical treatment in protest at not being allowed to be treated outside
prison, according to her sister.

Htay Htay Kyi said her sister, who was imprisoned in November 2007, also
refused to attend a scheduled court session in Rangoon’s Insein prison on
Wednesday. Her lawyer, Khin Htay Kywe, said her non-appearance was also a
gesture of protest.

Htay Htay Kyi said the authorities had prevented her from visiting her
sister for more than two months after she visited the Rangoon office of
the International Labor Organization (ILO) to report on Su Su Nway’s
deteriorating health.

Su Su Nway suffers from heart trouble and hypertension and was now
experiencing glandular problems, Htay Htay Kyi said.

Su Su Nway, a member of the opposition National League for Democracy, was
arrested after participating in a demonstration in November 2007 and
charged with “threatening the stability of the government,” under articles
124, 130 and 505 of the penal code.

In 2006, she was awarded the John Humphrey Freedom Award for her work in
promoting labor rights.

Htay Htay Kyi said the Insein prison court rescheduled Su Su Nway’s
appearance for next Wednesday.

____________________________________

October 8, Irrawaddy
Five Burmese educational journals shut down

Five educational journals have disappeared from Burmese schools following
a publication ban imposed by the Ministry of Education, according to
informed sources.

The ban, imposed in July, closed down publication of Educator, Prime,
Digital Way, Nyein and Pan Daing [“Goal”], which were aimed at middle and
high school students.

A member of the Educator staff said no reason had been given for the ban,
which had been imposed by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Board on the
instructions of the Ministry of Education.

Staff of the five publications are reportedly discussing with the Press
Scrutiny and Registration Board a possible resumption of publication.

The Board is currently reviewing 80 educational books, according to media
sources.

Several parents and teachers expressed concern about the disappearance of
the five banned publications. “It will have an effect on most high school
students,” said one Rangoon resident.

The five publications were valued as supplements to the inadequate
teaching material provided by state schools.

Educator, a fortnightly journal, was founded in 2001 and reached a
circulation of 15,000, mostly tenth graders. Nyein was also a fortnightly.

Prime and Digital Way, both weeklies, were founded in 2005 for middle and
high school students. Pan Diang was published monthly.

____________________________________

October 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
KNPP denies reports of ceasefire – Aye Nai

The Karenni National Progressive Party has denied rumours that it is
negotiating an agreement with the State Peace and Development Council to
put down its arms.

The KNPP responded to the widespread rumours in a statement issued yesterday.

KNPP secretary Khu Oo Reh said the Burmese regime had been spreading false
information among the Karenni people and ceasefire groups.

"We have no plan to ‘exchange arms for peace’, as there has been no
discussion or consideration,” Khu Oo Reh said.

“I want to say that it is pure propaganda by the SPDC – they are
systematically spreading false news to cause misunderstandings among
ceasefire groups and the public about the KNPP."

The KNPP reached a ceasefire agreement with the SPDC in 1995 but the
Burmese military violated the pact and hostilities resumed.

Peace talks between the KNPP and the Burmese military were held in
Tachilek on the Thai-Burma border in March 2007 but did not result in any
formal agreement between the two sides.

"After last year's latest negotiations on the border, I can say that there
is no prospect for dialogue,” Khu Oo Reh said.

“The plan to make an agreement with the SPDC and resettle in our homes is
not feasible anymore,” he said.

“We are not trying to meet and negotiate because we do not believe that a
ceasefire would benefit the whole Karenni population."

____________________________________

October 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Shan state villagers forced to grow crops – Nan Kham Kaew

The Burmese government’s Light Infantry Battalion 99 based in Lin Khe
township in southern Shan state has been forcing locals to grow physic nut
and sesame for the military since 22 August, locals said.

Locals said those who owned tillers were told to use their equipment to
contribute in the cultivation and those who did not were told to work with
their hands.

Six villages located north of Lin Khe were given similar orders by LIB 99
in September, according to Nan Mway Ngin from DVB's Shan ethnic programme.

"The six villages – Wan Nong Lum, Wan Than Kan, Wan Nam Thoke, Nam Thim,
Nam Naw and Lom Kaw – have been forced to grow the crops that LIB 99
wanted,” Nan Mway Ngin said.

“The forced labour has been going on since the end of September in those
villages and is still going on now," she said.

"It was only for the military and the villagers will get no benefit from
the work."

____________________________________

October 8, Mizzima News
Flood in Burma's 'Ruby Land' collapses building – Phanida

Incessant rains in the town of Mogoke in upper Burma caused a house to
collapse on Wednesday morning, local residents said.
Following torrential rains overnight in Mogoke, known as the capital of
Burma's 'Ruby Land', a surging Yeani Chaung River – which flows throw the
town – swept away a house located near its bank in the ward of Aung Chan
Thar, according to locals.

"Yes the house collapsed and was carried away by the river at about 6 or 7
a.m. in the morning today after the water overflowed the river's bank. But
nobody lived in the house and it frequently collapsed whenever there was a
flood," Hla Oo, a local resident of Mogoke, told Mizzima.

The flood in Mogoke is the third this year, though so far there have been
no reports of casualties related to this latest incident.

Mogoke, a valley town surrounded by hills in Mandalay Division, is famous
for its rubies and ruby mines. However despite being rich in natural
resources, the town is impoverished, subjected to irregular electricity
and victim of an improper drainage system – which is partly responsible
for the recurrence and severity of floods in the town.

____________________________________

October 8, Narinjara News
Youths missing in Sittwe

Over a dozen youths have gone missing in the last three months in Sittwe.
It is believed they were conscripted by the Burmese Army, said an elder
from Sittwe.

"My friend Maung Lon's son went missing in August. He has not been able to
find him yet. The family members believe he has been recruited by the
army," he said.

Maung Lon is a businessman living on Minba Gri Road in Sittwe.

According to a family source, the 14-year-old Aung Myin Naing went missing
one day when he had gone out of his house. Family members have not
received any information about his whereabouts.

"Maung Lon complained about his son's disappearance at the police station,
but the police cannot look for the youth. I had heard of similar cases
having been filed at the police station in Sittwe," the elder said.

In Sittwe, over a dozen youths have gone missing, some of them students,
he added.

Recently, a youth from Kandaw Gyi Ward near Thalondaw Dat temple went
missing but family members found him at an army recruitment unit in
Sittwe. Army authorities shifted the boy to Mrauk U before his parents
could take him home.

Ko Maung Than, a teacher from Maw Late Ward, confirmed that a few youths
have been missing in Sittwe recently and that they were most likely
recruited by the army.

Residents in Sittwe are concerned about their children's safety because
the army has been conscripting teenagers.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

October 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese soldier murdered on Burma-India border – Khin Maung Soe Min

Burmese soldiers have been deployed to an area along the border with India
where a lance corporal from Light Infantry Battalion 228 was killed and
his gun taken on 23 September.

The lance corporal was killed on a jungle path regularly used by black
market traders near Lailet village in Falam township, Chin state.

Since his death, soldiers from LIB 228 and others stationed in Kalay,
Sagaing division, have been deployed to the area.

A police officer on duty at an Indian police station in Kyanphaing told
DVB that police were still investigating the incident, but said that India
was not involved in the murder.

"There has been no involvement in this matter on the part of India. The
Myanma soldiers crossed the border and demanded money from merchants,” the
officer said.

“We are still investigating whether the murdered soldier was on his own or
at a distance from his unit,” he said.

“It is not known precisely whether he was killed on our territory or
Myanmar's. But the corpse was found near the Myanmar border."

Soldiers from the battalion believe that the lance corporal’s murderer
could be taking refuge on Indian territory.

A border resident said some suspects had been arrested and taken to the
strategic office in Hakha, the capital of Chin State, but had now been
cleared.

“So they decided it must be one of the villagers and watched the villagers
here,” the resident said.

“There have not been any arrests yet but I heard that they arrested a
villager near Lailet this morning as a suspect,” he said.

“He is being interrogated. They told Lailet villagers to capture him."

Burmese soldiers stationed along the Indian-Burmese border are said to
often wait on their own or in small groups on the paths used by border
traders to demand money from them.

On occasion these soldiers have intentionally or inadvertently crossed
over to the Indian side of the border and clashed with Indian border
troops.

____________________________________

October 8, Kachin News Group
Rigorous checking on border trade route

Travellers are being rigorously checked at military checkpoints,
especially between Lajayang and Garayang Villages on the illegal
Sino-Burma border trade route in Kachin State, northern Burma by the
Burmese Army, since Monday (October 6), said travellers.
Cars and people are not being allowed after 6 p.m. between Myitkyina and
Laiza for security reasons, said sources close to the Burmese Army. People
from both the State Peace and Development Council (SDPC) and the KIO
between Myitkyina and Laiza are affected by this order as of 6 p.m. today.
The orders have come from the junta's Northern Command HQ based in
Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

Several travellers told KNG today, that every car carrying passengers and
motorcyclists are being stopped at more than five multi-security
checkpoints between the two villages. People have to get down from their
cars and motorcycles and cross the checkpoints on foot.

Moreover, every traveller has to show his or her National Registration
Card (NRC). Their baggage is also being searched by multi-security agents
at every checkpoint, added passengers.

According to border traders, there are more than five military checkpoints
between Lajayang and Garayang villages and there are soldiers, police,
special branch police, narcotic police, Military Affairs Security Unit
(Sa-Ya-Pha), Forestry, Immigration officials and members from other
government departments present.

Lajayang village is the base of the Burmese Army's Infantry Battalion No.
105 and its branch posts are located in Nam San Yang, Gang Dau Yang, the
two edges of Mali River (Not Irrawaddy River) bridge and Garayang. It is
positioned at the entrance Laiza, the border business centre in the
controlled area of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) on the
Sino-Burma border in Kachin State.

The Myitkyina-Laiza Road is the key border route for import and export of
goods to and from China and Burma in northern Burma and hundreds of
travellers use this road daily, said local traders.

Traders in Kachin State mainly import basic children's and adult food
commodities, construction materials, fuel, books, stationeries,
motorcycles and plastic materials from China. While Kachin traders mainly
export raw materials like log, jade, cattle, wild animals (bear, fish, and
snakes), tree roots, among others, according to local traders.

All travellers, traders and passengers on the Myitkyina-Laiza Road came
under strict checking a day after the Northern Command commander Maj-Gen
Soe Win visited Laiza, the headquarters and business centre of the KIO.

The Burmese Army calls it the front line and every three months it changes
the battalion there because it is located near the KIO controlled areas on
the Sino-Burma border.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 8, Mizzima News
Chinese milk scandal provokes confusion among businesses

A government warning to people of possible contamination from Chinese milk
and milk products has negatively impacted Burmese markets and sown
confusion among consumers, say local businessmen.

A domestic dairy company, Diary Queen, in Mandalay, said that in addition
to having to prove that its products are free of the chemical melamine, it
also has to do extra work in advertising through newspapers.

"We take our raw materials from Poland and other parts of Europe. And all
of them are tested and free of chemicals, but we have to re-advertise to
convince our customers," an official at the company explained.

The official said they produce baby cereals, condensed milk and other milk
related products, all of which are approved by the Food and Drug Authority
(FDA) of Burma, yet the company has been forced to do extra work to
convince customers in the wake of the Chinese milk scandal.

Burma's military government on Monday said it has destroyed at least 16
tons of Chinese made milk powder that were found to have included the
industrial chemical melamine, used in making plastics, and warned people
to be aware when consuming milk and milk products.

Following the announcement, traders and businesses in Mandalay's Zegyo
market, the largest market selling a variety of Chinese made goods
including milk powder, said there has been a decline in the sale of milk
powder.

Ko Chun, a Chinese man who owns a shop in Zegyo market, said, "Though so
far there is no official notice to stop selling Chinese milk, sales have
been declining. Only a few people come to buy milk powder."

Besides, Ko Chun said, he also has to do extra work explaining to
customers the safety of his goods, as there is confusion among customers,
with many having ceased to purchase any goods owing to confusion over the
safety of the various products.

The FDA, under the Ministry of Health, said it is taking samples of milk
powder from companies and markets and is conducting a scan. But it has so
far failed to announce which labels are found to be contaminated.

An official at the FDA, when contacted by Mizzima, said he cannot reveal
testing results as officials are unauthorized to speak while on tour.

Meanwhile, an official newspaper of the junta, New Light of Myanmar, this
week warned traders and businesses to halt the sale of milk until testing
is completed. However shops, traders, businesses and companies say they
have not received any official notice asking them to stop sales.

Nevertheless, Fuxing Brother, a Chinese owned domestic company dealing in
the supply and sale of Chinese made goods including milk powder, said they
have temporarily halted the sale of milk powder.

"We have been told not to sell or supply any milk powder, but we don't
know the reasons," a salesman at the Fuxing Brother's Mandalay branch
office told Mizzima.

But unlike the Fuxing Brothers, another domestic dairy company, Star,
which takes its raw materials from New Zealand, said that while they have
not halted the sale of milk powder, sales have not been as robust as might
be expected.

"We have not halted sales, which are going almost as normal. But we are
worried that we might run out of stock as the government has banned
imports," a spokesperson for the company in Rangoon told Mizzima.

Star, which produces milk powder in Burma with raw materials supplied from
New Zealand, said that with the Ministry of Commerce banning the import of
dairy products, it fears that it might soon run out of raw materials to
produce milk powder.

Following the news that Chinese companies had exported contaminated milk
products to five developing countries including Burma, the Burmese
Ministry of Commerce announced the closure of land as well as water
borders to the import of milk and milk powder.

Yet despite the ban, milk products are still being sold in markets and
authorities have not imposed strict restrictions to stop the sale of milk
powder.

An official with the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), a civic
body that oversees the city's development including the maintenance of
markets, said they have not received any order to remove Chinese milk
powder from markets across the city.

The health department of the Yangon City Development Committee, empowered
with overseeing the safety and cleanliness of foods sold in markets, said
they have not received any order from the Ministry of Health to retract or
ban the sale of milk powder in markets.

"We have not received any order from the Ministry of Health, and we are
not doing anything at the moment on the sale of milk products," confirmed
Dr. Aung Than, in-charge of the YCDC's health committee.

But several companies, including New Zealand Company PEP, said they have
submitted samples of their products to the FDA for testing. PEP, which
deals in producing and supplying dairy products, announced that it
welcomes the FDA's testing as it clarifies the question as to which
products are safe.

"Our overall business is being negatively impacted by the possibility of
contaminated milk products, so we have to take this trouble. After the
results are known we will have to take a second step to re-convince our
customers," said an official at PEP, adding that sales of dairy products
have declined by 40 percent.

Reporting by The The, writing by Mungpi

____________________________________

October 8, Reuters
PTTEP sees Myanmar M-9 gas project ready end of 2011

PTT Exploration and Production <PTTE.BK>, a unit of Thailand's top energy
firm, said on Wednesday it expected its M-9 natural gas project in Myanmar
to be completed by the end of 2011.

"It will be done by the end of 2011," Asdakorn Limpiti, vice president in
PTTEP's strategy and capability development division, told Reuters at the
Africa Upstream 2008 oil conference in Cape Town. (Reporting by Paul
Simao)

____________________________________
REGIONAL

October 8, Xinhua
Myanmar agrees to move forward hydropower plant proposal

Visiting Myanmar high official Wednesday agreed to move forward a
Bangladesh proposal to set up a hydro power plant project in Myanmar from
which Bangladesh will get electricity.

This came during the meeting here between Myanmar Energy Minister Brig
General Lun Thi and his counterpart, the Bangladesh caretaker government
Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Power and Energy Ministry M Tamim.

As per the proposal, Bangladesh will build up the plant in Myanmar at its
own cost and get 70 percent of the electricity from the project while
Myanmar will get 30 percent as royalty.

Tamim after the meeting told reporters that the neighboring country's
minister assured him of taking necessary steps to move forward the scheme.

The hydropower-project proposal was initiated by Bangladesh about two
years ago. Both sides also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to
implement the project.

As a follow-up step, Bangladesh offered to conduct a joint visit to select
a project site in the Rakhine state of Myanmar about six months ago.

Tamim said the Myanmar side Wednesday agreed to conduct the joint visit by
experts to select project site. "We've urged the Myanmar minister to
expedite the move," he said.

____________________________________

October 8, Kaladan News
Burmese opposition distributes leaflets in Cox's Bazaar

The Burmese opposition in exile in Bangladesh today distributed leaflets
in Cox's Bazaar and submitted a statement to the foreign embassies in
Bangladesh, protesting against the visit of General Maung Aye, the number
two man in the country's military hierarchy.

The Bangladesh branch of the Sasana Molli, which led the Burmese
opposition in exile, distributed leaflets with a picture of General Maung
Aye captioned "Killer" to local people in places like bus stations,
markets, cinema halls and road junctions, said a protester.

"In Cox's Bazaar, security was tight because the delegation from Burma was
to visit the Buddhist monastery and other places. We were unable to put up
posters and leaflets in the markets. We will try again in the market in
the evening," said Ko Naing Naing to Kaladan News.

Some of the Burmese opposition met media persons in Cox's Bazaar Press
Club and narrated the crack down by the Burmese junta on people and monks
where many were killed in September 2007. The visiting Burmese general,
who was also responsible for the crack down, will visit the Chittagong
Hill Tract tomorrow. The opposition group needs the support of the media
in its struggle to restore democracy in Burma and for coverage of the
demonstration against the Burmese general, he added.

During the talks the two leaders from Dhaka and Rangoon discussed early
construction of a 23-kilometre road linking Burma at a cost of 20.3
million U.S. dollars.

The Sasana Molli condemned the regime and released a statement on the road
construction in Arakan, saying there would be forced labour for villagers
on the stretch of road, relocation, rape and demolition of religious
buildings such as Mosques, Madarasas and Pagodas.

When Dhaka requested Rangoon to export rice to Bangladesh to meet its
growing demand for food, the Burmese delegation responded positively. The
foreign adviser said Rangoon agreed to export up to 100,000 tonnes of rice
to Bangladesh on a regular basis as the country has taken care of the
damage caused by Cyclone Nargis.

"All the people in Burma are facing starvation as the country has no food
for the public, but the regime is going to sell rice to other countries,
not caring for the people of its own country," said U Chan Da Wara, the
spoke person of  Sasana Molli in Cox's Bazaar.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 8, Associated Press
Myanmar junta raises suppression, says opposition

Myanmar's military rulers have stepped up suppression of political
opponents ahead of the country's elections in 2010, an opposition party
spokesman said Wednesday.

Nyan Win, of the National League for Democracy, said many party members
arrested since last year were now facing trials, with at least 30 having
been sentenced to at least 2 1/2 years in prison between September and
early this month.

The regime has increased pressure on opponents and critics "so that they
can manipulate the elections any way they like," he said.

The junta has announced elections in 2010 as part of a "roadmap to
democracy" that critics have slammed as a sham designed to cement the
military's power. A military-backed constitution was approved in a
national referendum in May, but the party charges that the vote was
unfair.

International human rights groups say the junta now holds more than 2,100
political prisoners, compared with nearly 1,200 in June, 2007.

Among those detained is Nobel Peace Prize laureate and NLD leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for more than 12 of the past 19
years.

Nyan Win said party members Soe Kywe, Khin Aye and Myint Thein — as well
as a regime critic, Soe Kywe — were given 2 1/2 year prison sentences
Monday for allegedly "disturbing tranquility."

The spokesman said Hline Aye and San Pwint, two other party members, were
jailed for the same term on Sept. 22 for similar offenses.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 8, World Politics Review
New arrests dim hopes raised by Burmese prisoner release – Brian McCartan

The arrest last week of Ohn Kyaing, a 69-year-old former journalist and
member of the Burmese opposition National League for Democracy (NLD),
suggests that recent hopes concerning the Burmese military regime's
willingness to cooperate with the international community were premature.

Kyaing's arrest comes little more than a week after the junta announced
the release of 9,002 prisoners as a goodwill gesture, perhaps targeting
world opinion in anticipation of nationwide elections in 2010. Seven
prisoners of conscience were among those set free, including U Win Tin,
the country's longest serving political prisoner. Tin, who was a key
adviser to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, had served over 19 years
in prison for his role in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. Other political
prisoners released included prominent writer Aung Soe Myint and four
members of the opposition NLD.

The United States welcomed the move, as did U.N. Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon. And while both called for the release of more political
prisoners, in particular Aung San Suu Kyi, there was a sense that
international pressure on the Burmese junta might be bearing fruit. A
Sept. 24 U.N. statement said that the release of prisoners was one of the
issues discussed by U.N. Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari during his August
visit. Another statement on Sept. 23 said that one of the topics discussed
by U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Tomas Ojea Quintana during his
visit in early August was "the progressive release of all political
prisoners starting with the elderly, those with health problems and
long-serving prisoners."

Not everyone, though, was impressed with this round of prisoner releases.
Human rights groups and political groups in exile say that most of the
released prisoners were common criminals, and that no timetable was
announced for further releases of political prisoners. Noting the timing
of the release, just a week after the beginning of the U.N.'s General
Assembly in New York, they claim that the move was simply a stunt to
deflect criticism from the regime. The U.S., Great Britain and France were
expected to again raise the Burma issue in the General Assembly. Past
releases of prisoners have resulted in international praise for the
regime, and the generals have become adept at organizing releases at times
of heightened tensions and criticism.

Critics also allege that the move was simply an attempt to garner
much-needed international credibility before elections in 2010. The
generals are keen to have the U.N.'s approval to add credibility to their
so-called "roadmap to democracy," the government's plan to move from
military rule to a constitutional democracy, albeit one with a strong role
for the generals.

Human rights organizations, including the Thailand-based Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), Amnesty International and
Human Rights Watch also claim to have documentation that arrests of
activists have continued unabated since the prisoner release. AAPP and
Human Rights Watch claim that 39 political activists were arrested in
August and September, with 21 sentenced to prison. AAPP claims fourteen
activists have been arrested since Sept. 9 alone. Security reportedly has
been very tight during August and September, the anniversaries of
anti-government protests and violent crackdowns in 1988 and 2007.

Human rights activists say that more than 2,100 documented political
prisoners remain in Burma's prisons, including 136 Buddhist monks. Ethnic
minority political groups say even these figures are low, claiming that
they do not represent the thousands of ethnic minority prisoners arrested
for alleged aid to or being members of political groups in rebellion
against the government.

The U.N. itself voiced concern on Sept. 16 over the sentencing of labor
activist U Thet Way to two years of hard labor despite agreements between
the regime and the U.N.'s International Labor Organization (ILO) to
safeguard individuals who report abuses of forced labor. Amnesty
International has confirmed that one of the seven released on Sept. 23, U
Win Htein, was re-arrested only a few hours after his release.

Burma's most famous political prisoner, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
has been under house arrest for almost 13 of the past 19 years. In May of
this year, her house arrest was extended despite widespread calls for her
release. Prominent student activist Min Ko Naing and ethnic Shan political
leader Hkun Htun Oo also remain behind bars. No timeframe has been set by
the regime for their releases. The arrest of Ohn Kyaing indicates that it
will not be any time soon.

Brian McCartan is a journalist based in northern Thailand.

____________________________________

October 8, Inter Press Service
New role for an old Indian road – Ranjita Biswas

The Stilwell Road, built during World War II as a strategic link between
India and Myanmar (then Burma), is being resurrected as part of India's
"Look East" policy of improving economic links with its Southeast Asian
neighbors.

The 1,726 kilometer road, named after General Joseph "Vinegar Joe"
Stilwell, was built in the latter months of the war to supply weapons to
Chiang Kai Shek, China's leader during the Second Sino-Japanese War, as
his Kuomintang forces battled the retreating Japanese in China's Yunnan
province.

It was constructed as alternative to a hazardous air supply route to
Kunming dubbed the "aluminum trail" due to the litter of crashed aircraft
that marked its way through the mountains. The road was opened on May 20,
1945 after 28,000 US and British engineers completed what they called "the
toughest job". Their efforts inspired the 1945 film Stilwell Road which
starred Ronald Reagan as its lead narrator.

After the war ended, the road - which began in Ledo in Assam and passed
through Mytkyina, Myanmar, before finishing at Kunming in the Yunnan
province of China - fell into disuse, partly because of the turbulent
events in Myanmar and also due to a general neglect of India's
insurgency-prone northeastern states.

But India's Ministry of Commerce has indicated it targets to have the
Stilwell Road operational by 2010, hoping its revival will brighten the
economic outlook for the entire Assam region, giving it direct access to
international hub Bangkok.

"All these years we were isolated from the rest of India, save for the
narrow link between West Bengal and Assam. Today, people are waking up to
the possibilities of mutual economic benefits with neighboring countries
to the east," Assam state's minister for industries and commerce Prodyut
Bordoloi told the Inter Press Service.

The Look East policy, launched in 1992 to mark a strategic shift in
India's vision of its place in the evolving global economy, had the aim of
renewing India's ancient links with Southeast Asian nations. India has
since became a summit level partner of the 10-country Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

India's northeast had maintained commercial and socio-cultural exchanges
with Indochina for centuries before drifting apart in the 20th century.
The Ahoms, who ruled Assam for over 600 years and gave the state its name,
are believed to have migrated from Thailand.

Thailand has been enthusiastic about the planned restoration of the
Stilwell Road and is a keen member of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Cooperation) that groups
Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
Tourists moving from Thailand to southern China and Bhutan are already
showing an interest in India's northeast, according to tour operators.

India sees in BIMSTEC an opportunity to change the northeast region from
one beset with security problems into a land of economic opportunity.

"Reviving the Stilwell Road is seen as a way to open India's northeast to
China and Southeast Asia," said Mahesh K Saharia, chairman of the North
East Regional Council of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. "The opening of
the road is not so much political but for commercial reasons and the
development of the northeast."

Saharia says the logic is simple. "Although 40% of the world's people live
in China and India, they represent less than 9% of world trade, and
intra-trade between the two neighbors accounts for less than 3.5% of it."

If intra-trade doubles as projected a land route remains the best option
for moving the huge tonnage of goods, he said.

China has already built a highway to reach Mytkyina on the old Burma Road,
reducing the distance from India to Kunming considerably. In fact, Kunming
will then be only 700 kilometers from upper Assam, Saharia points out.

"Stilwell Road is not a new road. From ancient days, the 12th century
particularly, it has been a trans-migrational route for people of
different tribes. Now we have to renew those ties."

There are security concerns - the jungles of Myanmar are alleged to be
training grounds for insurgents in the northeastern region and are known
to be used as a staging ground for the movement of narcotics from the
infamous Golden Triangle.

Bordoloi brushes aside the fears. "We need to review old ideas; you can't
look at everything through the prism of security. Old paradigms do not
work. If there is better infrastructure and connectivity, narco-terrorism
can be controlled better."

Myanmar's military junta has been wary about the Stilwell Road because a
300 kilometer-stretch runs through the jungle blanketed valleys of
insurgency hit Kachin state, over which it exercises limited control.

However, according to Papori Phukan, a researcher for the New Delhi-based
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, the junta cannot afford to ignore
certain geographical realities. "The area is not connected with mainland
Myanmar and the locals who live in and around the Pangsau pass already
procure their basic requirements from Nampong in India, where the Burmese
are allowed to visit without passports," she said.

Similarly, people from Arunachal Pradesh state regularly cross over into
Myamnar using the Stilwell road, to buy goods from Pangsau, Papori said.