BurmaNet News, December 3, 2008

[Editor]

December 3, 2008, Issue #3610


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Mandalay NLD members’ appeal denied
Irrawaddy: Hip-hop star banished to remote prison
IMNA: Gas pipeline fails near Lamine
Narinjara: Army collects paddy from local farmers

ON THE BORDER
Narinjara: Burma- Bangladesh border trade normalizes

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Foreign investment in Myanmar hits over 15 billion USD
AFP: Myanmar to slash cost of mobiles but call charges soar

HEALTH/AIDS
Kachin News Group: Over 1,000 HIV positives patients in 2008: KIO

ASEAN
AP: Indonesia to host ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting

REGIONAL
Mizzima: China, Burma take steps to strengthen military cooperation
SHAN: Migrant workers facing hardships under global financial turmoil

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: Burmese comedian & blogger nominated for RSF award

OPINION / OTHER
Yale Global: Burma’s nuclear temptation - Bertil Lintner
Irrawaddy: Burmese refugees in Australia face more hurdles - Sai Awin Tai

PRESS RELEASE
Freedom Now and Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights: Letter from 112
former Presidents and Prime Ministers sent to UN Secretary-General urging
him to press for release of all political prisoners in Burma by the end of
2008
UN Secretary-General Office of the Spokesperson: Highlights of the noon
briefing



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 3, Democratic Voice of Burma
Mandalay NLD members’ appeal denied - Aye Nai

Mandalay divisional court yesterday summarily rejected the appeal of six
Mandalay National League for Democracy members including organising
committee member Win Mya Mya, said their lawyer Myint Thwin.

Win Mya Mya and her colleagues – organising committee member Kan Htun,
Mandalay NLD deputy chairman Than Lwin, Win Shwe of Kyaukpadaung, Tin Ko
Ko of Meikhtila and Min Thu of Moegok – were given jail terms of between
two and 13 years at the end of October for their participation in the
Saffron Revolution last year.

Their previous appeal at Mandalay provincial court was rejected on 5
November.

Myint Thwin said the group will continue to take its appeal to the higher
level courts.

____________________________________

December 3, Irrawaddy
Hip-hop star banished to remote prison – Saw Yan Naing

Seven political detainees, including popular hip-hop star Zayar Thaw, were
transported to prisons in remote areas around Burma on Wednesday, said
sources in Rangoon.

Zayar Thaw, 27, who received a six-year prison sentence on November 20 for
his participation in the last year’s anti-government uprising, was
reportedly transferred on Wednesday from Insein Prison to Kawthaung Prison
in Burma’s most southerly province.

He was arrested on March 12 and charged with contravening criminal code
Section 24/1—possession of foreign currency—and section 6/88—belonging to
an illegal organization.

Zayar Thaw, a founder member of popular Rangoon hip-hop band Acid in 2000,
became involved in political activities in 2007 and established a
dissident group known as “Generation Wave” during the nationwide uprising
in September 2007.

Three of his colleagues from Generation Wave—Thiha Win Tin, Aung Zay Pho
and Arkar Bo—were also transferred from Insein on Wednesday. Sources said
Thiha Win Tin was moved to Nyaung-U Prison in Mandalay Division, Aung Zay
Phyo was sent to Taungoo Prison in Pegu Division and Arkar Bo was
transferred to Kyaukpyu Prison in Arakan State.

Also on Wednesday, a Buddhist monk convicted of anti-government
activities, Sandar Thiri, from Damma Theingi Shwe Theim Monastery in
Rangoon’s Thingangyun Township, was transferred from Insein to Sittwe
Prison in Arakan State.

Sandar Thiri was given an 11-year sentence for his leading role in the
monk-led demonstrations last year.

The other two political prisoners were Htun Htun Naing and Zayar Lin, who
were transferred to Bhamo Prison in Kachin State and Sittwe Prison
respectively.

Meanwhile, two members of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Kyaw
Ko Ko and Nyan Lin Aung, appeared at a court in Mayangone Township in
Rangoon charged with anti-government activities.

According to Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners—Burma (AAPP), some 388 dissidents were detained following the
nationwide uprising last year.

AAPP Secretary Tate Naing condemned the prison sentences. Speaking to The
Irrawaddy, he said, “The long sentences handed down to these dissidents is
a systematic plan [by the Burmese authorities] to cause divisions among
families—between parents and children, wives and husbands—until they die.”

An estimated 215 pro-democracy supporters were imprisoned in November,
said AAPP, one hundred and thirty-six of who have been sent to prisons in
remote areas around Burma.

AAPP estimates that more than 2,164 political prisoners remain behind bars
in Burma, including at least 180 women.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, more than 100 former leaders from 50 nations urged
the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma by the end of this
year and called for renewed efforts to secure the release of all political
prisoners, including democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

____________________________________

December 3, Independent Mon News Agency
Gas pipeline fails near Lamine – Blai Mon

The Kanbauk to Myaing Kalay gas pipeline burst near Lamine village,
northern Ye Township, in the early morning of November 25th, say local
sources, although the gas did not ignite.

At 5am on the 25th, a resident who lives near the pipeline said she heard
a loud sound. The pipeline appears to have failed at the joint between two
sections of pipe. According to area villagers who looked at the damage, a
large crack is visible at the seam between the two pipe sections.

According to local sources, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, which is
responsible for operating the pipeline, shut down the flow of gas and
repaired the crack by the end of the day. The next day, the flow of gas
had resumed, although it is unclear how much gas escaped before the leak
was repaired. Trains between Lamine and Ye were also canceled on the 25th
because the tracks pass close to the pipeline.

According to the resident, her house would have been burned had the gas
ignited. Other residents expressed fear at the pipeline explosion. “We are
afraid because of explosions. When there is an explosion with fire, it is
close our houses and we are afraid we will catch fire.”

The same pipeline exploded and ignited near Lamine in February 2003. In
June, another explosion ignited a large fire near Moulmein.

The Kanbauk to Myaing Kalay pipeline is the second of two natural gas
pipelines, which transport fuel from the Yadana gas fields to Thailand and
to a cement factory in Myaing Kalay, Karen State. According to a report
issued by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland in September, the
pipelines have exploded at least fifteen times since the first was built
in 1998.

Of these explosions, seven were substantial and six attributed to rebel
activity by Burma’s military government. Residents of villages along the
pipeline are frequently conscripted as unpaid forced laborers to maintain
the pipeline. Area villagers are also forced to guard the pipeline from
rebels and face violent retribution should an attack or explosion occur.

____________________________________

December 3, Narinjara
Army collects paddy from local farmers

The Burmese army in Arakan State has confiscated farmland from Arakanese
farmers for army projects without compensation since 1988, but authorities
are now collecting paddy from farmers that are located near base
headquarters, said one farmer.

U Tun Zan from Pya Lay Chaung Village located near the Sittwe and Ray Chan
Bying motor-road was ordered by army authorities to provide paddy for two
army battalions because his farms are located near the army headquarters.

U Tun Zan had 20 acres of farmland but lost his land when it was
confiscated for an army hospital and Light Infantry Battalion 270. After
losing his land, he and his family struggled to survive, so he apealed to
the high army authority for the return of his land. Upon this appeal, the
army agreed to return six acres of his land.

He was able to cultivate paddy again this year after the six acres of land
were returned to him, but army authorities forced him to pay four tinns of
rice per acre to the two army battalions when the harvest begins.

A close relative of U Tun Zan said that the authorities told U Tun Zan
that the farmlands are located nearby army headquarters and the owners of
such farmlands have to pay rice to the army as a government tax for the
land.

U Tun Zan is now facing difficulties paying this demand because he spent a
large amount of money in order to cultivate rice again. If he pays the
army's demanded tax, he will lose any profit from his farm.

Arakanese people are skeptical of claims from the Burmese army that they
are there to protect the property and land of citizens due to such abuses
against the local people.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 3, Narinjara
Burma- Bangladesh border trade normalizes

The border trade between Bangladesh and Burma has returned to normal with
Burmese cargo boats entering Bangladesh's Teknaf Port after trade stopped
for a month due to tension over a maritime boundary dispute.
A businessman from Teknaf told Narinjara News yesterday over the phone
that the border trade is now normal and many cargo boats loaded with goods
from throughout the coastal regions of Burma have entered Bangladesh since
last week.

The Burmese exports, some legal and some not, include many raw materials
such as timber, teak, rice, fish, and bamboo. These goods are exported to
Bangladesh through the Teknaf border port situated on the Naff River
opposite Burma's Maungdaw.

Bangladesh authorities opened a border entry point in Teknaf to promote
trade with Burma.

Local people report that there are many Burmese goods exported to
Bangladesh through the Teknaf Port, but some goods such as timber and teak
are smuggled across because Burma does not allow their export to
Bangladesh.

Burmese businessmen from Arakan export timber to Bangladesh through Teknaf
with the help of local army authorities who take large bribes from the
smugglers.

Bangladesh protects its own forest and does not allow timber production
domestically, so it must import smuggled timber in order to meet the
country's need.

In addition to the timber, cattle from Burma are also exported to
Bangladesh through the trade point in hopes of high profits.

A broker from Shin Ma Pru Island also confirmed that many cattle from
Rambree Island in Arakan are brought to Shin Ma Pru for export to
Bangladesh.

Many other goods including shoes, slippers, umbrellas, dolls, Chinese-made
batteries, longyi, makeup, and drugs are imported to Bangladesh from
Burma, while Bangladesh exports such goods as fertilizers, cement, tin,
and medicine via the border trade.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 3, Xinhua
Foreign investment in Myanmar hits over 15 billion USD

Foreign investment in Myanmar hit 15 billion U.S. dollars in 422 projects
up to September this year, the local weekly 7-Day News journal reported
Wednesday.

Of the 29 countries and regions investing in Myanmar, Thailand stood first
with over 7 billion dollars, followed by Britain and Singapore with over 1
billion dollars each, the report quoted the Union of Myanmar Federation of
Chambers of Commerce and Industry as saying.

Sectorwise speaking, electric power sector dominated with 6 billion
dollars, followed by oil and gas (over 3 billion dollars).

Such sectors as manufacturing, mining, real estate development and hotel
and tourism were injected with over 1 billion dollars each, while
fisheries and livestock breeding, and transport and communication took 300
million dollars each, industry estate 100 million dollars, construction
and agriculture 30 million dollars each.

Myanmar also received 136.5 billion Kyats' (113.7 million dollars)
investment from domestic companies in 11 sectors namely -- manufacturing,
real estate development, transportation, construction, fisheries and
livestock breeding, mining, hotel and tourism, electric power, industries
and agriculture, the report said.

Of these sectors, manufacturing topped the investment with 40 billion
Kyats (33 million dollars), followed by real estate development (25
million dollars) and transportation (16.6 million dollars).

Myanmar opened to foreign investment in late 1988 after the present
government took over the power of state.

____________________________________

December 3, Agency France Presse
Myanmar to slash cost of mobiles but call charges soar

Myanmar authorities will slash the cost of owning a mobile phone but
increase call charges ten-fold, a weekly journal said Wednesday.

The 7Day News journal said the state-run telecoms industry will begin
selling new SIM cards from December 12 for 50 FEC (Foreign Exchange
Currency), equivalent to 50 dollars -- 25 times cheaper than the current
price.

Myanmar citizens are not allowed to hold foreign currency under the ruling
military regime's laws.

The new service will be launched by the Myanmar Posts and
Telecommunications ministry at a five-day long telecoms exhibition in the
central city of Mandalay, it said.

The new cards will give users the equivalent of 10 dollars worth of calls,
the journal said.

But call costs will rise steeply, from the current rate of 35 kyats (three
cents) per minute for outgoing domestic calls, up to the equivalent of 30
cents.

A charge equivalent to five cents per minute will also be introduced for
all incoming calls.

"I do not like the new service, although the new SIM card is much
cheaper," housewife Ni Ni, 28, told AFP.

"We will be charged in FEC for both incoming and outgoing calls. It's ten
times higher than the old service," she added.

Under the current Myanmar system not everyone is entitled to an officially
sanctioned mobile phone, which costs 1,500,000 kyats (1,250 dollars).

Phones available on the black market in the main city Yangon cost at least
2,000,000 kyats (1,660 dollars).

According to official figures, some 610,000 mobile phones are in use
around the country while 1.1 million landlines and 900 exchange offices
have been installed for the population of 57 million.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962.

____________________________________
HEALTH/AIDS

December 3, Kachin News Group
Over 1,000 HIV positives patients in 2008: KIO

Over 1,000 patients have been found to be HIV positive in 2008 in the
biggest hospital in Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) controlled
Laiza, the largest ethnic Kachin ceasefire group in Burma's northern
Kachin state, said KIO sources. Both KIO servicemen and the people can
avail medical services at the hospital.

The HIV positive statistics was recorded at the public and military
hospital in Laiza, the headquarters and business centre of the KIO on the
Sino-Burma border following blood examination of every patient who came to
the hospital this year, said Naw Bu, deputy in-charge of the KIO central
Health Department.

Naw Bu added that only one-third of patients infected with HIV are
residents of Laiza and the rest are from the villages around Laiza and
people from Bhamo and Myitkyina townships, the most populated areas in the
state.

HIV was found mostly among Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) in the Laiza
hospital where the patients from outside Laiza also come for
hospitalization, according to Naw Bu.

Moreover, every eight out of 10 IDUs in Maijayang also called Mai Ja Yang
in Kachin, another KIO business centre on the border and headquarters of
the 3rd Brigade under the KIO are HIV positive, the results of blood
examination revealed, a NGO worker in the border-based Health Unlimited
(HU) said.

Maijayang is where the KIO's biggest and 24-hour non-stop casino is
located. Here thousands of people, mainly Chinese gamble. On the other
hand there are one or more drug users in every Kachin family in the
village, according to residents of the villages.

The London-based HU has its branch office in Kunming, the capital of
China's southwest Yunnan province and it is implementing harm reduction
project of HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) to IDUs and
commercial sex workers in the KIO controlled areas of Laiza and Maijayang,
said HU workers. The HU is also imparting public Malaria education,
prevention and cure projects in the villages along the Sino-Burma border
which are mainly controlled by the KIO.

On December 1, the special public education ceremonies on 'World Aids Day'
were held in Laiza and Maijayang and jointly managed by the HU and the KIO
Health Department, said sources.

According to the international medical group Doctors Without Borders,
AIDS-related illnesses killed 25,000 people in 2007 in Burma.  The group
said that some 240,000 people are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, but
only a few thousand are receiving life-saving treatment.

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 3, Associated Press
Indonesia to host ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting

A meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers will now be held in Jakarta
later this month following recent political turmoil in Thailand, an
Indonesian official said on Wednesday.

Thailand said on Tuesday it would postpone the Association of South East
Asian Nations' summit meeting, due to take place in the northern city of
Chiang Mai from Dec. 13-17.

"There is a proposal from Thailand as the head of ASEAN to hold the
meeting on Dec 15 at the Secretariat in Jakarta," Teuku Faizasyah, a
spokesman for Indonesia's foreign ministry said, adding technical
preparations were being made.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono offered on Monday to step in
to host some of the meetings, including the meetings of foreign ministers
meeting and finance ministers.

Yudhoyono had underlined the importance of meeting to officially introduce
the new ASEAN Charter, which aims to set up a political, economic and
social bloc of half a billion people, and is due to come into force in
mid-December.

It was also important to discuss a pool of currency swap lines called the
Chiang Mai Initiative, he said.

Faizasyah said discussions were still being held on whether a meeting of
finance ministers from ASEAN and the group's dialogue partners China,
Japan and South Korea would take place on Bali.

ASEAN comprises the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,
Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 3, Mizzima
China, Burma take steps to strengthen military cooperation - Salai Pi Pi

Chinese and Burmese senior military officials on Saturday agreed to boost
bilateral cooperation in various fields including military ties, a move
observers said is meant to ensure the Burmese junta international support.

Burma's third highest ranking military official, General Thura Shwe Mann,
and his counterpart, Chen Bingde, Chief of the General Staff of China's
People's Liberation Army (PLA), on Saturday agreed to enhance military
relations.

"The two countries should enhance military and state-to-state exchanges to
promote regional peace, stability and prosperity," reports quoted Chen as
saying.

The agreement also includes the signing of a series of pacts on
cooperation in the areas of economics, trade, culture, education, health,
technology and tourism.

However, Burmese military observers believe the two senior military
officials also agreed on joint military exercises, in addition an
agreement for Burma to purchase new military hardware as well as spare
parts for the maintenance of earlier purchases.

"It is very possible that they discussed and agreed on an arms deal, joint
military exercises and the buying of some peripheral equipment for
military hardware such as helicopters, jet fighters and warships that
Burma earlier bought from China," Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Sino-Burmese border
based military analyst said.

Aung Kyaw Zaw added that both countries might have included the issue of
ethnic ceasefire groups, referring to groups including the United Wa State
Army (UWSA), Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Kokang rebels, who
operate along the Sino-Burmese border.

Burma, according to Aung Thu Nyein, another Burma analyst based in
Thailand, is currently faced with a shortage of spare parts for
maintaining Chinese made jet fighters, warships and artillery earlier
bought.

"Apparently, that is the reason Burma is seeking closer ties with China,"
Aung Thu Nyein said.

However, another Burmese analyst believes that the close Sino-Burmese
relationship is driven by China's economic interest in Burma and Burma's
interest in obtaining political support.

"It is also a part of Burma's policy toward China, as China defends the
Burmese regime in the international arena," said Nyo Ohn Myint, in-charge
of Foreign Affairs for the National League for Democracy-Liberated Area.

China and Russia, two veto wielding countries at the United Nations
Security Council, in January 2007, rejected a draft resolution on Burma
introduced by the United States and supported by the United Kingdom and
France.

Following the objection of the resolution on Burma by China and Russia,
the Burmese junta announced its decision to sell its much sought after
offshore gas in the Bay of Bengal to China. Rights to the gas from the
Shwe fields had been contested by India, South Korea and Thailand.

Similarly, in October, Burma agreed to allow China to build oil and gas
pipelines that will link China's Yunnan province with Burma's western
seaport of Sittwe in Arakan state. The proposed pipeline will be a major
route through with China will import oil and gas from the Middle East and
Africa.

Critics further believe that the Burmese regime plans to accept new
military hardware from China in exchange for the gas.

"The Burmese regime plans to accept military hardware from China in
exchange for supplying gas," Aung Thu Nyein speculated.

China, a close ally of Burma, has continued to supply military hardware
and equipment to Burma even while the United States and European Union
maintain an arms embargo against Burma's military's rulers in response to
their appalling human rights record and failure to implement political
reform.

____________________________________

December 3, Shan Herald Agency for News
Migrant workers facing hardships under global financial turmoil - Hseng
Khio Fah

Migrant workers who are struggling in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are
facing many difficulties especially money hardship due to the global
financial crisis.

In Thailand, where the crisis has been worsened by its own internal
political instability, many business owners are reducing their workforce.

Many restaurants in Sukhumvit district in Bangkok have started to reduce
their laborforce in the face of less foreign visitors, said a Shan worker
working at a Korean restaurant.

“There are only a few foreigners coming to the restaurant compared to
before. So, our boss started to cut the number of workers. But, they
[bosses] did not tell us in advance. They just wait to see the laborers
making mistakes, and fire them. ,” said the worker.

“We must therefore be very careful on what we do, or we will be fired. On
the other hand, we have to be careful on police raiding.”

“In October, 6 workers were fired only in a day. And about 5 people were
fired last month,” he added.

There are over 100 workers in the restaurant and most of them are from
Burma, according to him. “And there are many of my friends who are working
near our restaurant who have not been paid for the last 4 months.”

Another Shan worker who works in a garment factory told SHAN that some
workers who had been earning extra money from working overtime suddenly
found themselves unable to do the same, because of fewer foreign orders.

Similarly, there are over 20 Shan migrants who are still unable to find
jobs because business owners don’t want to accept new workers, according
to Sai Lao Hseng, coordinator of the Shan Refugee Organization (SRO) in
Malaysia.

The situation is the same in Singapore.

 A Shan woman who went to look for work there returned home without
getting a job.

 “There were many Burmese workers who were laid off and have to return
home,” she said.

“I had been looking for a job for over three months in Singapore until my
visa deadline was gone, as I was not accepted by any companies.”

____________________________________

December 3, Mizzima
Burmese comedian & blogger nominated for RSF award - Zarni

Famous comedian and film director Zargarnar and blogger Nay Phone Latt
from Burma, both sentenced to lengthy prison terms, by the junta have been
nominated for the Reporters Without Frontiers "Cyber-Dissident or Blogger"
Award by the Paris-based media watchdog group.

The Burmese comedian and blogger are among 10 nominees named by the RSF
for the award, which honours bloggers and cyber dissidents who through
their work, their principled stand or their attitude have displayed
support for freedom of information.

"Both are listed among the nominees because despite suppression they have
managed to provide information to both people in Burma and to the outside
world through their work," Vicent Brossel, RSF's Asia-Pacific spokesperson
told Mizzima.

The RSF Award, which has been honouring journalists since 1992, will be
announced on December 4, after a panel of 35 senior editors and
journalists decide on the winners.

The award will be presented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi at a
ceremony in Paris on Thursday.

Nay Phone Latt, who owned at least three cyber cafés, was arrested by the
Burmese authorities for posting information about the September 2007
protests on his personal website and was sentenced to 20 years in prison
and was transferred to Paan prison in Karen state.

Similarly, Zargarnar (alias) Thura was sentenced to 59 years in prison
after he was arrested for providing information to journalists and media
groups outside the country.

The Burmese comedian was also awarded the 'One Humanity Award' by
Canada-based PEN, the New York-based Human Rights Watch's 'Dashiel Hammett
Award' and the London-based ArtVenture's 'Freedom to Create' award.

In 2007, the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), was named winner
of the RSF's 'media' award, which honours media outlets that symbolise the
battle for the right to inform the public and people's right to be kept
informed of events.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 3, Yale Global
Burma’s nuclear temptation - Bertil Lintner

Rich with uranium and desperate for control, the Burmese junta may find a
nuclear option attractive. Over the past year, Southeast Asia’s diplomatic
community has tried to sort fact from fiction in a stream of unconfirmed
reports from Burma, the region's most isolated and secretive country.
Burma’s fledgling nuclear program with Russian assistance and its
mysterious connections with North Korea raise concern in the region about
its purpose.

According to Burmese exiles in Thailand, the Russians and North Koreans
assist the Burmese in developing nuclear capability. But wary of similar
reports by Iraqi exiles a few years ago, which turned out to be false, the
international community remains skeptical. In a research paper for
Griffith University, for example, Australian scholar Andrew Selth,
dismisses the reports.

Nevertheless, certain facts are not in doubt. Burma first initiated a
nuclear research program as early as 1956, when its then-democratic
government set up the Union of Burma Atomic Energy Center, UBAEC, in
then-capital Rangoon. Unrelated to the country's defense industries, it
came to a halt when the military seized power in 1962. New power-holders,
led by General Ne Win did not trust UBAEC head Hla Nyunt.

In February 2001, Burma's present junta, the State Peace and Development
Council decided to revitalize the country's nuclear program, and Russia's
Atomic Energy Ministry announced plans to build a 10-megawatt nuclear
research reactor in central Burma. In July 2001, Burma established a
Department of Atomic Energy, believed to be the brainchild of the Minister
of Science and Technology, U Thaung, a graduate of Burma's Defense
Services Academy and former ambassador to the United States. US-trained
nuclear scientist Thein Po Saw was identified as a leading advocate for
nuclear technology in Burma.

At a press conference in Rangoon on January 21, 2002, Vice-Chief of
Military Intelligence Major-General Kyaw Win issued a statement:
“Myanmar's consideration of building a nuclear research reactor is based
on the peaceful purposes getting modern technologies needed for the
country, availability of radioisotopes being used peacefully, training
technicians and performing feasibility study for generation of electricity
from nuclear power."

While Burma suffers from chronic power shortages, the need for a research
reactor, used mainly for medical purposes, is unclear. Radioisotopes allow
imaging of the brain, bones, organs, lungs and blood flow, advanced
technology for Burma's basic health services.

However, observers pointed out the Russian-made nuclear-research reactor
that the Burmese authorities sought to acquire is similar to the
5-megawatt research reactor that the then–Soviet Union installed at
Yongbyon in North Korea in 1965, from which North Korea later extracted
plutonium for a nuclear device. Burma’s military leaders couldn’t help but
notice how North Korea stood up to the US, a harsh critic of the Burmese
regime, mainly due to its nuclear program.

Reports have been murky since. In April 2007, days after the restoration
of diplomatic ties between Burma and North Korea – broken since North
Koreans detonated a bomb in Rangoon in 1983 – a North Korean freighter,
the Kang Nam I, docked at Thilawa port. Burmese officials claimed that the
ship sought shelter from a storm. But two Burmese reporters working for a
Japanese news agency were briefly detained when they went to the port to
investigate, indicating possible other, more secret reasons for the visit.

According to the July 2007 issue of the Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based
publication by Burmese exiles: "by a strange coincidence, the 2,900-ton
North Korean cargo vessel MV Bong Hoafan...sought shelter from a storm and
anchored at a Burmese port last November. The Burmese government reported
that an on-board inspection had 'found no suspicious material or military
equipment.' But journalists and embassies in Rangoon remained skeptical."

At about the same time, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported "a
North Korean ship under US surveillance was believed to have unloaded
self-propelled artillery at a Myanmar port."

The deal with Russia was stalled for several years, but in May 2007,
Russia's atomic energy agency, Rosatom, announced construction of the
nuclear-research reactor. According to Rosatom, the reactor would use
low-enriched uranium, not plutonium. Up to 350 Burmese nationals, most
military personnel, already trained in Russia under the initial 2001
agreement, and since then several hundred more trained at Russian
institutions.

Signatories of the agreement reached in Moscow on May 15, 2007 were U
Thaung and Rosatom head Sergey Kiriyenko. According to Rosatom's press
release: " The sides have agreed to cooperate on the establishment of a
center for nuclear studies in the territory of Myanmar (the general
contractor will be Atomstroyexport). The center will comprise a
10-megawatt light water reactor working on 20 per cent-enriched
uranium-235, an activation analysis laboratory, a medical isotope
production laboratory, silicon doping system, nuclear waste treatment and
burial facilities. The center will be controlled by IAEA."

Despite that claim, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on May
17, 2007, that Burma had not reported plans to build a nuclear reactor. As
a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Burma is required to allow
inspections of any nuclear facilities.

The agreement does not mention North Korea, but in November 2003 the
Norway-based broadcasting station Democratic Voice of Burma, run by
Burmese exiles, reported that 80 Burmese military personnel had departed
for North Korea to study "nuclear and atomic energy technology."

The report remains unconfirmed, its source unclear. If Burmese military
personnel traveled to North Korea, it’s more likely for training in
maintenance of missiles, which Burma then wanted to buy from North Korea
but could not yet afford.

Alarm bells rang in August 2008, after India withdrew permission for a
North Korean plane to overfly its airspace on route to Iran, just before
taking off from Mandalay in Burma where it had made a stopover. The
Ilyushin-62 carried unidentified cargo, and it’s destination after the
stopover was unclear.

Reports of some cooperation between Burma, Russia, North Korea and Iran
have also come from two Burmese nationals, an army officer and a
scientist, who recently left the country. According to them, a
Russian-supplied 10-megawatt research reactor is being built, at Myaing,
north of Pakokku, said to be for peaceful research. But according to the
defectors, another facility exists south of the old hill station of Myin
Oo Lwin, formerly known as Maymyo. Three Russians supposedly work there
while a group of North Koreans are said to engage in tunneling and
constructing a water-cooling system. The defectors also assert that in
2007 an Iranian intelligence officer, identified only as "Mushavi,"
visited Burma. Apart from sharing nuclear knowledge, he reportedly
provided advice on missile systems using computer components from Milan.

Burma has uranium deposits, and the Ministry of Energy has identified five
sources of ore in the country, all low-grade uranium unsuitable for
military purposes. But the defectors claim that two more uranium mines in
Burma are not included in official reports: one near Mohnyin in Kachin
State and another in the vicinity of Mogok in Mandalay Division. The ore
is supposedly transported to a Thabeikkyin refinery, conveniently located
between the two alleged mines.

Until such reports can be verified, or refuted, speculations remain. But a
nuclear-powered Burma would be a nightmare for all neighbors and would
upset the balance of power in the region. All that is certain is that
Burma has a nuclear program. It may be years, if not decades, away from
developing nuclear-weapons capability. But the fact that the country's
military leadership experiments with nuclear power is cause for concern.

____________________________________

December 3, Irrawaddy
Burmese refugees in Australia face more hurdles - Sai Awin Tai

Many Burmese refugees who have newly arrived in Australia say they are
being denied full welfare assistance by Centrelink, the Australian
government support agency, despite government legislative programs which
guarantee assistance for refugees.

Burmese refugees, many of who spent more than 10 years in refugee camps
along the Thai-Burmese border, come to Australia on “Offshore Refugee and
Humanitarian” visas, which give them permanent residency and means they
should be able to access government settlement programs.

Most Burmese immigrants are concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne. Many
have suffered trauma in Burma and now face language barriers and cultural
and societal displacement.

On arriving in Australia, humanitarian refugees are normally given a
period of time to study English full-time, and to adjust to the demands of
a very different culture.

Under humanitarian visas, there is no requirement for them to sign up
immediately to look for jobs that would entitle them to welfare payments.

However, Centrelink has forced some refugees to sign up to the “Job
Network”, which means they must then apply for a certain number of jobs
each week (known as the “activity test”) to maintain welfare benefits. 
This is contrary to the Australian social security law, which was released
on November 3 this year. It states:

“A refugee is granted automatic exemption [from the “Job Network” demands]
for up to 13 weeks after arriving in Australia. This exemption cannot be
extended, except where the person is undertaking the Special Preparatory
Program (SPP) part of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP).”

It means that there should not be any pressure for new arrival refugees
within their first 13 weeks in Australia whether they are studying or not.
They are entitled to receive welfare payments without any demands to
undertake the normal job-seeking activities. For people who have made the
massive cultural leap from a refugee camp in the jungles of Asia to the
streets of a city in a developed country this period of adjustment is very
necessary.

However, some new arrivals have complained that they have had to join the
Job Network almost as soon as they arrived in Australia.

Than Aung, an ethnic Karen who spent nearly 10 years in Mae Hla refugee
camp, said he had to join Job Network as soon as he arrived in Australia
in November 2006.

Within one week of arriving in Australia, he joined the Adult English
Migrant Program (AEMP), which entailed 510 hours of English study. Despite
the fact that this meant he was studying full-time, Centrelink and the
“Job Network” required him to apply for five to ten jobs regularly to
claim his benefits.

There seems to be some confusion about what is required of new refugees in
the government agency Centrelink.

“Refugees can do full-time studies, such as Adult Migrant English Program
(AMEP). However if the course is more than one year the person may need to
claim Youth Allowance or “Austudy.” Centrelink will discuss these and any
other options with the customer before any changes to payments are made,”
Paul Creedon, the Centrelink NSW Media Adviser said.

However, at the Parramatta Job Network in Sydney, a spokesperson claimed
that Job Network does not accept students that study 15 hours a week or
more. Only those who study part-time, are unemployed, or are job seekers
are eligible to join Job Network, he said.

Refugees also complained that they were asked to sign agreements that they
did not really understand, and that there had been no interpreter
available to them when they meet Centrelink staff.

In the meantime, groups such as NSW Service for the Treatment and
Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) is helping
refugees recover from their experiences and build a new life in Australia.

“Quite a lot of Burmese refugees come to see the STARTTS for counseling
with their difficulties. Most of their problems relate to Centrelink” said
Danial Zu of STARTTS.

There is an issue of understanding the problem of refugees and their home
country background, such as torture and other trauma.

Most Burmese refugees have experienced civil conflicts, war and have spent
more than a decade in isolated refugee camps.

Neng Boi, a Burmese refugee of Kuki ethnic background who arrived in
Melbourne about six months ago, said, “Some Centrelink staff understand
our problem but some staff do not understand, they just pressure us to do
things without checking our file properly.”

Neng Boi said that one Centrelink staff member pressured her to search for
a job and told her that she is not allowed to study, while another staff
member on another day said she could continue to study full-time.

Referring to refugees’ complaints, Centrepoint’s Creedon responded: “Let
me say that there has been no change to the way Centrelink services its
refugee customers. We have a Refugee Servicing Unit based in Sydney. Staff
in the Refugee Servicing Unit are specialists in servicing refugees and
understanding their needs and issues”.

Earlier this year, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) urged the
Australian government to do more for refugees by addressing the practical
problems faced by recently-arrived humanitarian entrants, especially in
housing, language learning and access to employment.

A Burmese case worker at the Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre said there
are some Burmese refugees who are homeless, and come to seek help, but the
lack of funding from the government means they can do nothing for them.

According to Australian Immigration, in 2007-08, Australia granted 2,961
humanitarian visas to Burmese refugees. It is expected Burmese will
continue to be one of the largest groups of entrants under Australia’s
humanitarian program for 2008-09.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

December 3, Freedom Now and Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights
Letter from 112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers sent to UN
Secretary-General urging him to press for release of all political
prisoners in Burma by the end of 2008

Today, Freedom Now and the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights released
a letter from 112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from more than 50
nations to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging him to personally
travel to Burma before the end of the year to secure the release of the
military junta’s 2,100 political prisoners. Last month, more than 215
activists, National League for Democracy party members, Cylone Nargis
relief workers, journalists, monks, and even some of their lawyers were
each given draconian sentences of up to 68-years in prison.

This initiative has been led by the Honorable Kjell Magne Bondevik, former
Prime Minister of Norway and President of the Oslo Center for Peace and
Human Rights.

“This is a historic outpouring of global support for the people of Burma,
and I am pleased that so many have joined me in spotlighting this
important issue,” he said.

“Today we unite to call on the United Nations to take action. The first
step towards achieving national reconciliation in Burma is creating a firm
deadline for the release of all political prisoners.”

Joining Mr. Bondevik on the letter are such luminaries as Corazon Aquino,
Tony Blair, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Joaquim Chissano, Jacques
Delors, Abdou Diouf, Elbegdorj Tsakhiagiin, Kim Dae-jung, Vicente Fox,
Árpád Göncz, Mikhail Gorbachev, Václav Havel, John Howard, Lionel Jospin,
Junichiro Koizumi, Chandrika Kumaratunga, John Major, Benjamin Mkapa,
Brian Mulroney, Romano Prodi, José Ramos-Horta, Margaret Thatcher,
Alejandro Toledo, Mary Robinson, and Lech Wa³êsa.

The letter recalls that on October 11, 2007, the UN Security Council
issued a presidential statement urging the early release of all political
prisoners in Burma.

Further, the UN set the release of all political prisoners as one of its
benchmark goals for 2008. However, in direct defiance of these calls, the
junta has instead increased the number of political prisoners from 1,200
in June 2007 to over 2,100 today.

“The Burmese people are counting on the United Nations to take the
required action to achieve the breakthrough they desperately need to both
restore democracy to their country and address the serious humanitarian
and human rights challenges that they face,” the letter reads. It further
urges Ban Ki-moon to encourage the Security Council to take “concrete
action” to implement its October 11, 2007 statement if these efforts are
not successful by the end of December 2008.

Interviews with Mr. Bondevik can be arranged through Hans Petter Bergli at
+47-913-55-314 or hans-petter.bergli at oslocenter.no

____________________________________

December 3, UN Secretary-General Office of the Spokesperson
Highlights of the noon briefing

SECRETARY-GENERAL NOT TO VISIT MYANMAR WITHOUT SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS BY
GOVERNMENT

Asked about a letter from more than 100 Heads of State or Government about
Myanmar, the Spokeswoman confirmed that the Secretary-General received
that letter. The Secretary-General also received a phone call this morning
from former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of Norway, the coordinator
of that initiative, Montas added. They discussed the letter, which asks
the Secretary-General to visit Myanmar and to urge the release of all
political prisoners by the end of this year.

The Secretary-General, the Spokeswoman said, reiterated his pledge to
remain fully engaged, both personally and through his Special Adviser,
Ibrahim Gambari. He said he would like to visit Myanmar again to discuss a
broad range of issues but that he will not be able to do so without
reasonable expectations of a meaningful outcome.

The Secretary General has consistently said that the primary
responsibility lies with the Government to deliver substantive results,
including freeing political prisoners and holding a dialogue with Aung San
Suu Kyi, she added.

Asked about Gambari’s travels, the Spokeswoman noted that he would not
travel to Myanmar unless there was a real possibility of moving forward
there.