BurmaNet News, October 31, 2008

[Editor]

October 31, 2008, Issue # 3589


INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima News: Six months after, survivors of Nargis face new risks
Mizzima: Detained 88 student leaders transferred
DVB: NLD members praise Win Tin’s negotiation efforts
Irrawaddy: Crime on the increase in Rangoon, Mandalay

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Switzerland company to advise on hydropower projects in Myanmar

HEALTH / AIDS
Irrawaddy: Water shortage threatens thousands in Delta
Khonumthung News: Chin people plagued with disease with onset of famine

INTERNATIONAL
Bernama (Malaysia): UN wants India to assist Myanmar reform

OPINION / OTHER
Asia Times: China's footprint in Myanmar expands – Brian McCartan
IPS: China's thirst for oil ignores environment, rights – Marwaan
Macan-Markar
Jakarta Post: Min Zin: Burmese activist crosses boundaries

INTERVIEW
DVB: Education for emancipation



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 31, Mizzima News
Six months after, survivors of Nargis face new risks – Solomon

Despite surviving deadly Cyclone Nargis, which ravaged Burma's
Southwestern coastal area six months ago, survivors say they are faced
with a new threat – a shortage of clean water.

A survivor of the storm in Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy delta said
that while they continue facing shortages of food and inadequate shelter,
the main threat has shifted to a shortage of clean water.

"For drinking water, rain is the only source, but with rains stopping
after this month, we are faced with a new threat of a shortage of water,"
the survivor said.

Though several international aid agencies along with the government have
been focusing on cleaning contaminated wells, the survivor said the wells
are hardly clean and they are almost impossible for people to use.

"Ponds were totally destroyed by sea water and are thoroughly salinated.
It's difficult to completely clean such water," he added.

Save the Children, a UK-based non-governmental organization that has been
helping cyclone survivors in Southwestern Burma, on Thursday echoed
similar concerns to that of the survivor, saying water shortage is posing
a new threat to the survivors.

Save the Children said as the dry season begins this month in Burma,
families will have few options for obtaining clean drinking water,
increasing the risk of disease.

"The water shortage that typically comes with the dry season is being
exacerbated by the unusually high salt content in water sources in the
delta, a lingering result of the cyclone," said Andrew Kirkwood, Save the
Children's country director in Burma.

"The lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children.
Scarce family resources will be further strained if they must purchase
water, as will relationships among communities if they must compete for
this resource," added Kirkwood in a press statement.

Besides a shortage of water, Save the Children said restoring the means of
livelihood for survivors is also another major concern as many cyclone
victims, despite surviving deadly waves, have permanently lost their jobs.

"Restoring the means to earn a living is vital to helping vulnerable
families pay additional expenses, including medical costs," said Kirkwood,
urging international and national donors to pour in more funding to help
survivors.

"It is expensive to rebuild one's life, and even more so for the poor. Any
new financial obligations could force people to make difficult choices in
regard to the food they buy or whether they can send their children to
school," Kirkwood added.

A local volunteer in Rangoon, who visited the cyclone ravaged townships of
Laputta, Bogale and Pyapon two weeks ago, said humanitarian assistance for
the survivors has drastically slowed, leaving many survivors finding it
difficult to continue rebuilding their lives.

"I see that many survivors are going back to the farms to plant, and
fishermen want to return to the sea, but the problem is that there is no
support to help them resume their work," the volunteer said.

He said that while villagers do not really prioritize their houses, they
face psychological problems due to not being able to resume their work.
Farmers find it difficult to go back to the fields because of a lack of
cattle and little fertile ground for the seed.

Similarly, fishermen are also stranded as they have no means to construct
or purchase new fishing boats, the volunteer said. He added that several
local volunteer groups have also ceased helping people in the delta.

However, he added, "But I think, in the overall situation, people aren't
doing that bad, not as much as we initially thought."

But a survivor from Thingangyi village in Laputta Township, who deals with
the salt business, said aid supplies to his village stopped two months
ago.

He said that while he has just barely resumed his salt business, he is
unable to make it run smoothly as he lacks the needed capital.

"We got about 100,000 kyat distributed by the government for our business
out of their promise to provide 300,000 kyat for one saltern acre," he
said, adding that the government had given the money on loan, leaving them
to worry over how to repay the money when business is not good.

Meanwhile, the Tripartite Core Group, composed of the United Nations,
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Burmese government, has
reportedly begun conducting the second phase of a survey in the delta.

The TCG, which released a report after conducting a Post Nargis Joint
Assessment (PONJA), said the emergency rescue phase needed to be done on a
parallel basis with the reconstruction process.

However several activists have publicly questioned the findings and
methodology of PONJA.

Ko Shwe, a Karen environmentalist who compiled a report after a survey
trip to the delta in June, said the PONJA report failed to include human
rights abuses committed by the Burmese junta during relief operations,
including the inadequate and partial distribution of aid supplies to
survivors.

____________________________________

October 31, Mizzima
Detained 88 student leaders transferred – Phanida

Nine Burmese student activists, recently sentenced to six months
imprisonment, were on Friday transferred from Insein prison in Rangoon to
Ma U Pin prison in Irrawaddy Division.

88 generation students – Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Hla Myo Naung, Htay
Kywe, Mya Aye, Nyan Linn, Phyone Cho, Aung Thu, and Aung Naing – were
transferred on Friday morning to Ma U Pin prison after being sentenced to
six month prison terms by the Insein prison court on Wednesday.

"They were taken away this morning to Ma U Pin prison. It is confirmed
that they have been transferred to Ma U Pin," a family member of Aung
Naing told Mizzima.

"They were seen wearing blue prison uniforms and were handcuffed and taken
away in a prison van. It is strange that they were transferred, and when I
inquired, eyewitnesses said the whole group was taken away," the family
member said.

When contacted by Mizzima, an official at Insein prison also confirmed
that the students were relocated to Ma U Pin prison, but declined to give
details of why they were transferred.

Aung Aung Tun, the brother of Ko Ko Gyi, said, "This morning I spoke to
lawyer Aung Thein and he said it is confirmed that the students have been
transferred. He said 'we cannot worry about other court trials, we can
only listen to what will happen to them'."

On October 29, the student leaders complained that there was no fairness
in their trial during a court session at the Northern District Court in
Insein prison. The court then charged the students with contempt of court
and sentenced them to six months prison.

Family members of the students said they had been ready to go to Insein
prison to attend the next court date of the students, scheduled for
Saturday.

A family member of Min Ko Naing, who wished not to be identified, added
they are worried over the transfer.

Meanwhile, Thaw Zin Min and Wai Lwin Myo, youth members of the National
League for Democracy, and a Buddhist monk, Sandimar (a.k.a. Apulay), all
arrested during the September 2007 protests, have reportedly staged a
hunger strike in Insein prison.

A family member of Wai Lwin Myo said he refused to accept food supplies
and was also denied a meeting with his mother, who, on October 27, visited
the prison.

"Wai Lwin Myo's mother on Monday went to the prison but she was not
allowed to meet him and also unable to hand over the food that she brought
for him," the family member said.

The three have reportedly staged a hunger strike in demand of security for
political prisoners and protection from criminal inmates, who frequently
beat them.

____________________________________

October 31, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD members praise Win Tin’s negotiation efforts – Nan Kham Kaew

Meikhtila National League for Democracy has praised the efforts of senior
NLD member Win Tin to reconcile youth members with the NLD leadership.

More than 100 NLD youth members resigned from the party earlier this month
in protest at reforms to the youth wing which were imposed by party
chairman Aung Shwe without consultation.

Meikhtila NLD secretary Htun Htun said the branch had passed a motion of
support for Win Tin at their monthly meeting on 28 October and called for
unity within the party.

“Last week there seemed to be some tension between the central executive
committee and youth members,” Htun Htun said.

“We didn’t receive any explanation but we heard from the media that the U
Win Tin had intervened to try to solve this problem, that’s why we decided
to offer support for his role as negotiator,” he went on.

“This is the right move. The reason we made this decision is that this is
a time when we should all unite to achieve our goal of democracy.”

____________________________________

October 31, Irrawaddy
Crime on the increase in Rangoon, Mandalay

Crime is on the increase in Rangoon and Mandalay, according to worried
local residents.

Although statistics aren’t made public by the police, three serious crimes
were reported by the public since the start of this week.

Residents in Rangoon’s Tamwe Township told The Irrawaddy that a local
woman, whom they named as Htay Htay was murdered by a man who robbed her
home on Wednesday. The robber escaped.

Two armed robberies were reported on Monday at Yuzana Tower, Shwegoneting
in Rangoon’s Bahah Township.

A gang armed with knives robbed the Myanmar Wood Mart company and later
the same day a store in Yuzana Tower was also robbed. A quantity of
foreign currency was reportedly taken from the timber company.

An increase in crime is also reported from Mandalay by the city’s
independent press.
The apparent increase in crime has led to mounting criticism of the
police, who are accused of doing too little to prevent robberies. “People
can’t depend on the police,” said a civil servant who lives in Rangoon’s
Thingangyun Township.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 31, Xinhua
Switzerland company to advise on hydropower projects in Myanmar

A Switzerland company will provide consulting services for implementation
of hydropower projects in Myanmar, the state-run newspaper New Light of
Myanmar reported Friday.

Under the agreement, signed by the Hydropower Implementation Department
(HID) under the Myanmar Ministery of Electric Power-1 and the Colenco
Power Engineering Limited of Switzerland in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw
on Wednesday, the Switzerland company will supply consulting services for
in-house engineering services for the implementation of hydropower
projects in Myanmar, the paper said.

Meanwhile, under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this
month in Nay Pyi Taw between the Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power-1, the
Italian-Thai Development Public Co. Ltd based in Thailand and the Windfall
Energy Services Ltd of British Virgin Island based in Singapore, the two
foreign companies will launch the hydropower project of 600 megawatts (mw)
in Myanmar's southern Tanintharyi division.

The MoU came after India's National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd
took up two similar projects in Myanmar last month, namely the Htamanthi's
of 1,200 megawatts' (mw) generating capacity and the Shwesayay's of 600 mw
under similar MoU.

In recent years, companies from Thailand, China, South Korea, Bangladesh
and India were engaged in Myanmar's hydropower projects.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

October 31, Irrawaddy
Water shortage threatens thousands in Delta – Saw Yan Naing

A water crisis is threatening the livelihoods of thousands of cyclone
survivors in Burma’s Irrawaddy delta, the international aid agency Save
the Children warned on Thursday.

Shazia Khan, a spokesperson for Save the Children, said that the lack of
safe drinking water is a major concern because many wells and drinking
pools in the region are still contaminated nearly six months after Cyclone
Nargis struck on May 2-3.

As the end of the monsoon season approaches, it will become more difficult
for people in the region to survive by collecting rainwater, she added.

“With the beginning of the dry season, the problem is that a lot of wells
and drinking pools are still contaminated. So we are really worried about
people not having enough water in the next few months,” she said.

Children are expected to be especially affected by the water shortage, as
they are highly vulnerable to diseases associated with poor sanitary
conditions.

“The lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children,”
said Andrew Kirkwood, the country director for Save the Children in Burma.

Save the Children estimates that around 40 percent of the 140,000 people
who were killed or went missing after the cyclone were children. Many who
survived were orphaned or separated from their parents.

The slow pace of the recovery in the delta is also having dire
consequences for the economic prospects of survivors.

“One of our major concerns is that we want to make sure that families get
back on their feet,” said Khan, who added that Save the Children was not
just providing families with short-term assistance, but also with the
means to help them rebuild their livelihoods.

“A lot of families lost everything. They lost their fishing boats and
their land, any means of earning a living,” she said.

According to Save the Children, the cyclone flooded about 600,000 hectares
of agricultural land, killed up to 50 percent of livestock in the delta,
and destroyed fishing boats, food stocks and agricultural implements.

“It is expensive to rebuild one’s life, and even more so for the poor,”
said Kirkwood.

“Any new financial obligations could force people to make difficult
choices in regard to the food they buy or whether they can send their
children to school.”

Save the Children is currently trying to complete a range of measures to
increase access to safe water and develop the ability of families to
manage over the upcoming months and supervise the health of children.

The charity is working in 14 of the 15 worst-affected townships in Burma
and has reached about 500,000 people with lifesaving food and water,
shelter materials and household and hygiene items.

____________________________________

October 31, Khonumthung News
Chin people plagued with disease with onset of famine

An official from Mohre Youth Clinic has reported that there have been many
visitors from Chin state's Matupi and Thantlang villages, who had come for
a check up in Mohre Youth Clinic, in the Indo-Myanmar boarder area earlier
this month.

Most of the patients were suffering from malaria PF, gastric, pneumonia
and other diseases. A report, released by the clinic said, "There were
more than 50 people who had come for a checkup in this clinic from Matupi
and Thantlang areas. Women were suffering from a swollen uterus and
children were diagnosed with pneumonia and gastric.

The clinic did not have enough beds for the patients as most of the
patients had come from Chin state, as a result some of them had been
sleeping on the floor and staying at the houses of relatives.

In Chin state, people are suffering not only from diseases but also from
shortage of food as bamboo flowering has occurred in this year, which
normally happens only once in every 50 years.

"Due to the onset of famine, Chin people cannot purchase even mosquito
nets, sometimes they are going without food all day long. Most of them are
suffering from malaria as they sleep without mosquito nets at night. Some
are suffering from gastric since they have been eating roots and leaves,"
Ko Unity said.

He added, "Chin people are getting checked free of charge. However, the
patients are increasing in number day by day. It's sure that there will be
many more patients this month as they can get free treatment here."

The clinic was established by the Chin community committee in Aizawl and
was set up in the Indo-Myanmar border area of Saiha District's Mohre
village in 2006. They have now started treating Chin people free of charge
from this month.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 31, Bernama (Malaysia)
UN wants India to assist Myanmar reform – P. Vijian

The United Nations (UN) wants India to continue helping military-ruled
Myanmar to achieve its political democratisation process to enable the
situation to return to normalcy.

"India, as a neighbour, could help fasten the political process and
encourage the democratisation process. India has been constructive in
helping Myanmar and its commitment is encouraging," UN secretary-general
Ban Ki-Moon told the media in Delhi Friday after meeting top Indian
leaders.

India and Myanmar have close military relations and the minerals
resource-rich Southeast Asian nation is of strategic interest to the
booming Indian economy.

Being its neighbour, India has always maintained cordial relationship with
the ruling junta despite isolation by the international community, mainly
by western and American powers, for failing to introduce political reforms
and release political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The leaders of Myanmar should look at the future of the people and the
county. They should accelerate democratisation and release Aung San Suu
Kyi and the political prisoners," said Ban, who is on his first two-day
official visit to India as UN secretary-general.

Touching on India-Pakistan relationship, he said both nuclear-armed arch
rivals should continue their peace talks to improve political ties.

"India and Pakistan should continue with the composite dialogue. I think
both leaders are committed to the dialogue.

"But I am disturbed by the deterioration of security in Pakistan because
of extremists, bombings and terrorist attacks.

"The international community must help Pakistan. Pakistan is an important
country in the region," he added.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 31, Asia Times
China's footprint in Myanmar expands – Brian McCartan

Once under the radar in mostly remote areas, China's growing investments
in resource-rich Myanmar have become more openly apparent as Beijing
parlays its close diplomatic ties to the country's ruling military junta
into lucrative contracts and concessions. China's commercial advance comes
while the United States and Europe impose strict trade and investment
sanctions against the military regime.

Recent investigative reports, including from environmental groups
EarthRights International and Arakan Oil Watch, detail the involvement of
some 69 Chinese multinational corporations in at least 90 hydropower,
mining and oil and gas projects across the country. The growing
commitments are a testament to China's pragmatic approach to commercial
diplomacy and underscore its interest in maintaining Myanmar's political
status quo.

China's Myanmar investments focus mainly on energy and natural resources,
which are required in ever-larger quantities to fuel its fast-expanding
industrialization and urbanization. Chinese projects range from hydropower
dams to the highly ambitious and controversial Shwe Gas pipeline that is
projected to cross the length of Myanmar to transport fuel to China's
landlocked southern Yunnan province.

That particular project is designed to open access for China to the Indian
Ocean for some fuel shipments and circumvent the congested Strait of
Malacca, through which over 70% of its current oil and gas imports travel.
Beijing has expressed strategic concerns that in a conflict the United
States could block the strait and starve the Chinese economy of fuel
imports.

India and Thailand also aggressively jockey for access to the resources of
neighbor Myanmar, in contrast to US and Europe, which subject the country
to strict trade and investment sanctions in protest against its rulers'
abysmal rights record. Those curbs were recently augmented by so-called
"smart sanctions" aimed at hitting the private resources of senior junta
members and their top business associates.

The growing scale of China's commitments have the potential to provide
huge profits for the regime, funds which historically have been employed
to buy weaponry that is used to suppress the democratic and ethnic
opposition. Some economic analysts estimate the regime has in recent years
earned US$3.5 billion in natural gas sales alone.

China's investment in Myanmar's oil and gas reserves is on the rise.
EarthRights International identified 21 Chinese-funded onshore and
offshore oil and natural gas projects, including the Shwe Gas project in
Arakan state and newer blocks in Sagaing division. China is also
reportedly interested in using Kyaukpyu Island off Arakan state as a
transshipment point for Middle Eastern oil and gas imports, which will
then be piped up through Myanmar to China's Yunnan province.

A $1 billion contract has been signed between the Myanmar government and
China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, to build a first oil
pipeline. A parallel gas pipeline is expected to follow. A memorandum of
understanding has also been signed between China National Petroleum
Corporation (CNPC) and Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) for an
assessment on the construction of a crude oil terminal.

Chinese partners are also involved in the gigantic 7,100-megawatt Tasang
Dam on the Salween river in Shan state, while other dams on the N'Mai Hka,
Mali Hka and Irrawaddy rivers in Kachin state are being built to provide
electricity to Yunnan. According to EarthRights Internation, the Kachin
state dams are expected to have a combined capacity of 13,360 megawatts.

Sidestepping sanctions
Chinese companies have also long taken part in small-scale mining
operations in Myanmar, often in quest of gold and jade. According to
EarthRights International, China is now involved in at least six major
mining operations in the country, including China Nonferrous Metal Mining
Company's recent $600 million investment in the Taguang Taung nickel
deposit.

While the US recently imposed sanctions on the import of precious stones
from Myanmar, Chinese merchants have helped to fill the trade gap. A
government-sponsored gem fair in Yangon in October netted the regime an
estimated $175 million. Chinese traders, who were mostly interested in
Myanmar jade, represented the largest contingent at the event, with 2,200
out of the 2,648 attendees.

China's commercial embrace of Myanmar is underwritten by a long-standing
policy of non-interference between the two neighboring countries. First
signed in 1954 and known formally as the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence, the policy nominally separates business from politics. It has
allowed China to invest heavily in Myanmar's underdeveloped resources
while resisting US, European and United Nations calls to leverage its
influence to push for political change.

Political change in Myanmar could erode Beijing's present privileged
position there. Certainly China has used its veto power in the UN Security
Council to block criticism and sanctions against Myanmar.

In the past year, Chinese statements on Myanmar have taken a slightly
critical edge, indicating to some either that Chinese patience with
Myanmar's generals is waning, or a concern that stability be maintained to
protect Beijing's economic and strategic interests. After the junta's
violent crackdown on demonstrators last year resulted in widespread
international condemnation, Chinese diplomat Tang Jiaxuan was reported to
have told Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win in September 2007, "China
wholeheartedly hopes that Myanmar will push forward a democracy process
that is appropriate for the country." That veiled criticism went further
the following month, when China joined with Russia and India in a call for
the Myanmar's ruling generals to meet with the opposition.

A UN Security Council resolution in October last year condemning the
Myanmar government for its use of violence against protestors and
demanding the release of political prisoners was supported by the Chinese
government. Yet China is clearly most concerned about a possible
international intervention or sudden regime change in Myanmar that
nullifies its commercial concessions and privileges.

Earlier this year, Beijing expressed strong opposition to the idea that
US, France and Great Britain should use military means to force Myanmar's
generals to accept foreign aid after the Cyclone Nargis disaster displaced
as many as two million people in the country. At the height of the
standoff, the US and France had warships near the coastal region worst hit
by the storm, while Western diplomats pushed to invoke a UN "right to
protect" provision to help the stranded victims.

China has instead advocated Myanmar change from within, in line with the
ruling junta's stated plans to move towards a managed form of electoral
democracy by 2010. At the same time, the democratic opposition has made
few attempts to convince China that should they take power, Chinese
strategic interests and investments would be preserved and guaranteed.

At least outwardly, there appears at present to be no contact between the
opposition and the Chinese government. China's ability to provide low-cost
machinery, technical know-how and long-term, low-interest loans would
presumably make it an attractive strategic partner regardless of who holds
power in Myanmar.

But from Beijing's point of view, its growing and more visible commercial
interests are for now better served by the devil it knows.

Brian McCartan is a Chiang Mai-based freelance journalist.

____________________________________

October 31, Inter Press Service
China's thirst for oil ignores environment, rights – Marwaan Macan-Markar

The largest island off Burma’s west coast is emerging as another frontier
for China’s expanding plans to extract the rich oil and gas reserves of
military-ruled Burma.

Initial explorations by a consortium, led by China National Offshore Oil
Company (CNOOC), has left a deep scar on Ramree Island, which is twice the
size of Singapore and home to about 400,000 people. ‘’They have destroyed
rice fields and plantations when conducting the seismic surveys and mining
the island in search of oil,’’ says Jockai Khaing, director of Arakan Oil
Watch (AOW), an environmental group made up of Burmese living in exile.

‘’The local communities have been directly and indirectly affected,’’ he
Said during an IPS interview. ‘’Hundreds of people have been forced to
relocate as a result of the drilling conducted near their communities. The
locals hate the Chinese; their world has become crazy after the Chinese
arrived.’’

CNOOC has been pushing ahead with its work since early 2005, with no
attempt to consult the local residents and showing little regard to such
notions as corporate social responsibility, adds Jockai. The Chinese
company, which is listed on the New York and the Hong Kong stock
exchanges, has ‘’not conducted the required environmental impact
assessments and social impact assessments that are recognised
internationally as a must before exploration work begins.’’

To dispose the waste from its drilling sites, ‘’CNOOC workers dug shallow
canals designed to carry the (toxic) ‘drilling mud,’ or wastewater
containing oil, away from the drilling sites and into Chaing Wa Creek,
which curves past several local farms before flowing into the Bay of
Bengal,’’ states a report by AOW, released in mid-October. ‘’This
arbitrary disposal can make soil in surrounding areas unsuitable for plant
growth by reducing the availability of nutrients or by increasing toxic
contents in the soil.’’

Concerns about the cost of letting China tighten its grip on the natural
resources in Burma (or Myanmar) has also been expressed by other groups,
like EarthRights International (EI), a U.S.-based group championing human
rights. There are 69 Chinese companies involved in 90 ‘’completed, current
and planned projects’’ in the oil, gas and hydropower sectors in Burma, EI
revealed in groundbreaking report released in late September.

That number marks an over 200 percent increase in the number of Chinese
energy developers thought to have had existed a year before. ‘’Given what
we know about development projects in Burma and the current situation,
we’re concerned about this marked increase in the number of the
projects,’’ the rights lobby stated in the report, ‘China in Burma: The
Increasing Involvement of Chinese Multinational Corporations in Burma’s
Hydropower, Oil and Natural Gas, and Mining Sectors.

‘’China is using Burma’s military dictatorship to its advantage as it goes
in search of oil and gas. There are no rules and regulations for Chinese
companies to follow in Burma,’’ Ka Hsaw Wa, executive director of EI, said
in an IPS interview. ‘’This will hurt the future of Burma.’’

Such criticisms come at a time when China has begun to show signs that the
environment cost of its projects abroad cannot be ignored. ‘’The country
lacked comprehensive environmental protection policies in its overseas
projects, although investment had been expanding,’’ states a report
released in mid-September by the Chinese Academy for Environmental
Planning (CAEP), according to the ‘China Daily’ newspaper.

‘’China’s overseas investment and aid mainly focuses on exploring oil and
other resources, processing and manufacturing, and construction in African
and Southeast Asian countries,’’ the English-language daily added.
‘’Without proper management, such projects are likely to cause
environmental problems, the (CAEP) report said.’’

Burma, in fact, will prove to be an ideal testing ground, given that China
emerged as the military-ruled country’s biggest investor in the country’s
power sector. The money flowing in from such foreign direct investments
and the sale of gas has helped to prop up a junta notorious for
suppressing its people through many forms of abuse.

In 2006, the junta earned an estimated 2.16 billion U.S. dollars from
sales of natural gas to Thailand, which accounts for close to half of
Burma’s export earnings and is the single largest source of foreign
earnings. In 2008, Burma is expected to earn 3.5 billion US dollars from
export of gas, according to one estimate.

But little of these benefits trickled down to the country’s beleaguered
people. Consequently, Burma ranks as one of the world’s least developed
countries. And having an abundance of natural resources has not improved
the power supply in the country for the people either. Regular blackouts
are frequent in Rangoon, the former capital, and elsewhere.

The junta has profited in other ways, too, from China’s energy interest in
Burma. ‘’Beijing has come to the junta’s rescue and protects it from
criticism at international forums like the U.N. Security Council,’’ says
Win Min, a Burmese national security expert teaching at a university in
northern Thailand. ‘’A strong relationship of mutual benefit has developed
since 1988.’’

In exchange for letting Chinese companies exploit its natural resources,
the Burmese dictatorship has got military hardware from Beijing. They
range from fighter jets and armoured carriers to small weapons, Win Min
told IPS. ‘’The junta will open the country to China because the military
regime needs Beijing more than the other way around.’’

____________________________________

October 31, Jakarta Post
Min Zin: Burmese activist crosses boundaries

Min Zin: Burmese activist crosses boundaries
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Berkeley, California

When applying for his masters degree at the University of California (UC)
Berkeley this year, Min Zin, a 35-year-old Burmese dissident, encountered
a big problem.

He had never finished high school.

Min Zin was kicked out of high school in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1988 for
his political involvement against the military junta.

After this, Min Zin had gone into hiding to avoid arrest until 1997 before
fleeing overseas where he worked as a journalist for years, voicing
democracy for the Burmese people.

"So when I applied for a masters degree in Southeast Asian studies at UC
Berkeley, I had no high school of undergraduate diplomas, and that caused
headaches for the faculty," he said.

However, UC Berkeley showed its grace. Endorsed by five professors at the
university, Min Zin was eventually accepted as a graduate student despite
some concerns over the issue of favoritism.

"This might not have happen at other universities or in other countries. I
was so grateful with UC's decision," Min Zin said in the courtyard of the
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

The opportunity to study at UC Berkeley means a lot to Min Zin. It means
he could gain access to tons of books and other material on his and other
Southeast Asia countries, and regularly discuss it with experts on the
region.

"I am always interested in Southeast Asian studies, particularly on
Indonesia because it has a lot of similarities to Burma," Min said
explained.

"As a neighbor, Indonesia is doing a good job managing the transition from
an authoritarian rule to democracy. Indonesia is fighting hard against its
deep-rooted corruption, and is dealing well with multi-ethnic and
religious radicalism issues -- all of which could be studied by my home
country."

It is not without good reason Min Zin suggested Indonesia was a good
example of an authoritarian-turned-democratic country, since millions of
Burmese people have been fed with news that "democracy will only lead to
separatism and the collapse of a country, just like in the Balkans".

"Indonesia is really a good case study for us to examine, not the
Balkans," he said, admitting that reading books about Indonesia had always
thrilled him.

Min Zin's reflections on his country showed that his mind and heart
remained their, despite the fact he is now living far away in the U.S..

"If I could return home today, I would go. I belong to Burma. My family is
there. I want to dedicate myself to establish good journalism and
education, because I realize that education is the key to developing
Burma."

Min believes that journalism -- through radio, print and television --
could be a vital tool for the informal dissemination of educational
material to the Burmese people, since the formal education system there is
very limited.

"Even if there was a political change tomorrow, our formal education
wouldn't be available for everyone in the country within 10 or 15 years.
People will remain reliant on informal education. That's why the media
people are very important," he said.

Min Zin may be far from home, but he is holding on to a message Burmese
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi sent him in early 2003, urging him to
continue with his education and emphasizing that it would be a valuable
investment for Burma.

The message was not given by chance, as Min Zin has known Suu Kyi since
1988 when he arranged for Burmese student unions to join peaceful
democratic protests against the military junta. He witnessed the latter
responding brutally with bullets, killing some 10,000 civilians.

Suu Kyi was put under house arrest later in 1989, as the military junta
launched raids against democratic activists. Min Zin managed to escape,
but his father, who passed away a few years ago, was imprisoned.

Ever since, Min Zin has moved from one place to another in Burma, hiding
from the military searches, and after Suu Kyi was released from house
arrest in 1995, he has communicated with her regularly to exchange ideas.

In December 1996, Min Zin was one of the key organizers of massive student
demonstrations, demanding better education and democratic reforms.

Instead of fulfilling the call, the military junta cracked down on the
protests, arresting Min Zin's student activist colleagues, however they
still could not find him.

As the military continued to hunt for him, Min Zin decided to leave the
country, sneaking out to neighboring Thailand by trekking through the
jungle for five days, in 1997.

In Thailand, he began his career as a journalist in Radio Free Asia (RFA
Burmese Service) and the Irrawaddy English magazine.

Then Min Zin got an opportunity to be a visiting scholar at the Graduate
School of Journalism, UC Berkeley, in 2001. He went back to the U.S. again
in 2004, this time to work full-time at RFA, whose headquarters are
located in Washington D.C.. Min once appeared in an MTV documentary
celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela that allowed him to talk with the
prominent world figure.

Since leaving RFA in late 2007, Min Zin is now working as a freelance
journalist, contributing articles to the Thai-based Bangkok Post
newspaper, Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review and The Irrawaddy
online and magazine.

Min still maintains his status as a Carnegie teaching fellow at the
Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley, and is currently studying in
the University's Southeast Asian studies program.

Those are the long and dynamic journeys Min Zin has made, his best assets
to help rebuild Burma.

Min Zin believes that the only way to solve Burma's protracted crisis is
that the military open a political dialog with the democratic opposition
parties and ethnic groups.

Min says the military-drafted constitution and follow-up elections in 2010
would not bring about the much-needed state-building process, a process in
which all parties rally together and make their voices heard.

Instead of state-building, the country is now crumbling with repression,
poverty and a humanitarian crisis, he said.

Min said the UN-led international community -- especially countries like
Indonesia -- should not give up their attempts to enforce an inclusive
political resolution in Burma by 2010.

"Of course, I am not optimistic," he said.

"But if the international community lets the generals in Burma continue
their unilateral 'road map', the country will experience a crash landing."

____________________________________
INTERVIEW

October 31, Democratic Voice of Burma
Education for emancipation – Nay Too

Czech minister Ondøej Liška stressed the importance of education in
bringing about democracy and an active civil society in Burma in an
interview with DVB.

Liška, the minister for education, youth and sport in the Czech Republic,
attended the Forum 2000 conference in Prague earlier this month.

Forum 2000 aims to prevent religious, cultural and ethnic conflict and
promote democracy and an active civil society.

DVB: What is the Czech Republic’s position on Burma?

OL: “President Havel, the former president of Czech Republic, is one of
the world’s most famous proponents and promoters of help to Burma and I
know that organisations from the Czech Republic, non-governmental
organisations, developed programmes to help young people. I wish the
government of Czech Republic would be much more effective.

“What we have done now is that we have integrated the development
cooperation of all ministries into one agency and I believe this agency
should have a very strong educational goal. That’s why I was also very
much involved in these preparations and I would like to also enhance the
number of, for example, fellowships of young people from Burma but also
from other countries to be able to come over to Czech Republic and return
back to their respective country and help themselves.”

DVB: What strategies do you think can best promote democracy in Burma?

OL: “I want to assure you that there are plenty of people, also young
people in the Czech Republic, who very closely follow the Burmese regime
and the conditions that the Burmese people live under there. Many are also
involved with non-governmental organisations organising help for Burma.

“I want to tell you ideas I have talked about today in the Forum 2000
conference we’re following. I believe education is one of the most
long-term effective tools to fight for democracy, openness of society and
also for emancipation of people, especially young people, so grasp any
opportunity you have to educate yourself because the more you know, the
better you are able to lead a dialogue with others, the stronger you are.

“Of course, regimes and powers we face in nowadays world they have arms,
they have weapons and education it’s a soft power but can be very powerful
as well. Any way Czech Republic could help you I will support this. As I
said there are non-governmental organisations and there hopefully will be
fellowship programmes for Burmese young people to help you as well.”

DVB: What would your message be to the Burmese people?

OL: “I will tell them the same thing I am telling to my colleagues in my
own government and I am telling to my colleagues in the European Union and
anywhere in the world. It is much more important to invest into education
than in military or any other resource because this is the future and I
think everybody would agree on that beside those who hold the power. So my
message would be: invest in education, this is the best for the future of
your country.”