BurmaNet News, December 6-8, 2008

[Editor]

December 6 - 8, 2008, Issue #3613


INSIDE BURMA
IMNA: Monks douse Moulmein market fire
Mizzima News: Win Tin, Khin Maung Swe to be members of CRPP
DVB: Comedian says Zarganar will boost prison morale
DVB: Land seized from farmers for steel factory
Irrawaddy: Price of Burmese mobiles slashed, but call charges soar
Xinhua: UNICEF to build disaster-resistant schools in Myanmar

ON THE BORDER
DVB: China strengthens border with Burma

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Weekly business roundup
Mizzima News: WFP resumes buying local rice in Burma
Xinhua: Myanmar, India to trade in euros, Singapore dollars

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN chief frustrated over lack of democratic steps in Myanmar

OPINION / OTHER
Toronto Star: Burma's junta finds no laughs in political satire – Marc and
Craig Kielburger
UPI: U.N. must be tough on Burma's dictators – Zin Linn

PRESS RELEASE
AIPMC: Over 200 Asian legislators urge UN Sec-Gen to travel to Myanmar,
secure release of all political prisoners



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 8, Independent Mon News Agency
Monks douse Moulmein market fire – Blai Mon and Mi Kyae Goe

Monks belonging to at least three monasteries in Moulmein led efforts to
douse last week's market fire, while authorities looked on, said local
eyewitnesses. The monks' efforts notwithstanding over 1,000 shops were
destroyed...

Monks belonging to at least three monasteries in Moulmein led efforts to
douse last week's market fire, while authorities looked on, said local
eyewitnesses. The monks' efforts notwithstanding over 1,000 shops were
destroyed.

Monks rushed to Moulmein's fire station when they learnt of the fire. The
fire brigade was yet to respond beyond sending a fire engine sans water.
"We are waiting for orders from superior officers," a monk quoted the
firemen as saying.

Monks then drove one of the fire engines to the blazing Zay Gyi market,
said a senior monk from a Moulmein monastery. Moulmein residents confirmed
seeing a fire truck arrive driven by monks accompanied by three to four
fire fighters.

Eyewitness also reported seeing monks shoulder fire hoses and organize
people to help to shift goods from the burning market. They even used
their monastic robes to beat at the flames. Fire trucks from Mudon, Paung
and Kyaikmayaw Townships in Mon State and Hpa-an Township in Karen State
eventually arrived, but too late to be of substantial help.

It is still not clear how many of Moulmein's 200 monasteries pitched in to
fight the fire. Sein Ma Ma, Shin Phyu, Ye Chaung and other monasteries are
said to have participated, getting together a total of over 300 men.

The government controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper devoted only a
few lines to the fire and made no mention of who participated in putting
out the blaze. The story did, however, specify the number of shops lost to
the blaze at 1,124.

Shopkeepers and their employees find themselves in a difficult situation
in the aftermath of the fire, said former shopkeepers and the senior monk.
For many, the fire meant a loss of all or nearly all inventory.

Shopkeepers looking at recovery must now struggle to find a venue for
selling their wares. Some, mostly small shop owners who roamed the aisles
between stalls, have set up shop in front of the gutted Zay Gyi market,
causing traffic jams and crowding.

Others have sought to buy space in Myaing Yadana Market, Moulmein's
largest market. But real estate prices there doubled nearly overnight,
with shops in prime locations selling for 120 million kyat and lesser
spaces for no less than 30 million.

In the past, shop spaces in Myaing Yadana were sold or rented by the
month, at much lower rates, said one seller who lost his shop in the
blaze. "Before the highest price was 60 million kyat, now the price is
double that – 120 million kyat," he told IMNA. "The highest rent for one
stall used to be 300,000 kyat per month. Now, it is about 1 million kyat."

The high cost of buying space in the Myaing Yadana market has priced most
buyers out of the equation, he added. "We cannot hire people or buy new
stalls because we cannot sell 1 million kyat worth of goods every month,"
he said. "Some people paid for new stalls, but most people cannot reopen."

According to rumours circulating in Moulmein, junta authorities are
planning to build a three-story market in place of the burnt Ze Gyi.
Unfortunately for those who lost their shops, however, owners will have to
repurchase shop space, even if they owned stores lost in the fire.

____________________________________

December 6, Mizzima News
Win Tin, Khin Maung Swe to be members of CRPP – Solomon

Win Tin and Khin Maung Swe, two veteran politicians were included on
Thursday as members of the central committee of the  Committee
Representing People's Parliament, a political alliance formed with members
of parliament elected in 1990.

Veteran journalist and politician Win Tin and Khin Maung Swe, Member of
Parliament elected from Sanchuang Township in Rangoon, were arrested and
detained in prison for a long time and were released on September 23.

"We believe we can strengthen the CRPP given their political experience
and skill because they are NLD's CEC members and involved actively in
political movements," Aye Thar Aung, secretary of the CRPP said.

The CRPP was formed in September 1998 with several political parties
including detained Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy and ethnic parties such as the Shan National League for
Democracy, and the Zomi National Congress.

The alliance, since its formation, had repeatedly urged the junta to allow
the 1990 elected MPs to convene Parliament and demanded the release of
political prisoners including the Aung San Suu Kyi, Win Tin, and Khin
Maung Swe.

Both Win Tin and Khin Maung Swe, since their release from prison have not
taken active political roles though they agreed to serve as central
executive committee members of the NLD.

"They both agreed to involve themselves actively in the group [CRPP]," Aye
Thar Aung said.

However, currently Win Tin is admitted to the Yangon Medical Centre in
Rangoon and is undergoing medical tests after doctors found that his heart
is weak.

A nurse at the clinic told Mizzima that doctors are taking an X-ray of his
chest and the result will be revealed soon. She added that he has
diabetes, asthma and his heart is weak.

Win Tin, the veteran journalist, during his 19 years in prison, had time
and again suffered from ailments and close friends said his health
deteriorated as the prison authorities failed to provide him proper
medication.

But after his release, he told Mizzima, "I must engage in politics anyway.
I must do as much as I can to achieve restoration and promotion of
democracy to some extent."

____________________________________

December 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Comedian says Zarganar will boost prison morale – Naw Say Phaw

Comedian Pa Pa Lay has said the 59-year jail term given to fellow
performer Zarganar will not demoralise him and will raise morale in the
prison where he is being held.

Activist and comedian Zarganar was sentenced to 59 years in prison last
month and sent to the remote Myitkyina prison in Kachin state.

Pa Pa Lay, a member of the Moustache Brothers performance troupe, spent
seven years in Myitkyina prison and said Zarganar’s presence was likely to
boost the spirits of inmates and staff alike.

"We are concerned that he is being detained, of course, but Zarganar and I
have the same mentality. We are healthy as long as we can sing, dance and
joke,” he said.

"If we can crack jokes as soon as roll call is made, everyone feels better
for the rest of the day,” he went on.

“We can even make the people who are giving the orders smile and that is a
tonic – they even ask us to crack more jokes."

Pa Pa Lay said conditions were very difficult during his time in prison.

"I was moved to a new cell every month or two. The food was poor and there
was not enough water. The roof leaked and I had to sleep on the concrete
floor," the comedian said.

"The weather was bitterly cold and it was worse in the labour camps with
no protection from the elements,” he said.

“As a result, we contracted skin conditions and chronic gastric diseases
with bloody stools. We received no treatment from outside.”

Pa Pa Lay said the recent long-term prison sentences and transfers to
remote prisons were intended to demoralise the detained activists and
their families.

"I want to offer them words of encouragement, to tell them that they will
be free one day,” he said.

“Those who work for the people will pray for them and for their immediate
release."

____________________________________

December 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Land seized from farmers for steel factory – Aye Nai

Over 1200 acres of land have been taken from farmers in villages between
Myin Chan and Taung Tha townships in Mandalay to be used in the
development of a military-owned steel factory, according to locals.

A local farmer said Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings, known locally as U
Paing, had started seizing the land a few years ago.

"The government's U Paing company started seizing hundreds of acres of
land from local farmers in Hnanphat, Phattaw and Sakha villages between
Myin Chan and Taung Tha for a steel factory development in the area," the
farmer said.

"Farmlands surrounding the factory were destroyed and the land was used
for roads and electric cable towers," he said.

"They just took the land from us just like that by showing off their guns
without even waiting until we’d finished harvesting our crops."

The farmers were told they would receive compensation for the loss of
their land, but they have so far received nothing.

"The company promised to give us compensation for our land and we had to
buy application forms for 3-4000 kyat, but in the end we didn’t receive
anything from them," the farmer said.

Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings is part-owned by the Burmese ministry
of defence, while the rest of the company is owned mainly by senior
military officials and their families.

It is among the companies designated by the US Treasury, which means that
any assets it holds within US jurisdiction will be frozen and US citizens
are prohibited from conducting business with the company.

____________________________________

December 8, Irrawaddy
Price of Burmese mobiles slashed, but call charges soar – Min Lwin

Central Marketing Company, an affiliate of Htoo Trading Company, is set to
launch a new service that will make SIM cards for GSM mobile phones more
accessible, but also much more expensive to use.

The service, which will become available from December 12 on a trial
basis, is being offered in collaboration with the state-owned Myanmar Post
and Telecommunications (MPT). It will initially target foreign residents
and tourists, according to business sources in Rangoon.

A source at Htoo Trading Company said that two types of cards will be made
available—cards costing 20 FEC (officially equivalent to US $20), which
must be used within four weeks, and 10-FEC cards valid for just two weeks.

This contrasts with the official license fee of 1.55 million kyat ($1,240)
currently charged by MPT. However, the cost of placing a domestic call
will rise dramatically, from 25 kyat (around $0.02) to 350 kyat ($0.30).

“It’s good to hear that the GSM phone SIM cards are cheaper, but at 350
kyat per minute, the charge for making local calls is too high,” said the
owner of a shop selling mobile phones in Rangoon’s Yuzana shopping center.

Another factor that is likely to limit the market for the new service is
the fact that it will only be available at hotels run by Tay Za, the owner
of Htoo Trading Company and a close crony of the country’s military
leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

“The hotels and resorts will also offer to sell handsets to customers who
want to buy the new SIM cards,” said the source at Htoo Trading.

Business sources in Rangoon said that Tay Za had reached an agreement with
the Burmese regime that put him in a position to dominate the
telecommunications sector through his effective control of the lucrative
GSM mobile phone market.

Htoo Trading Company already plays a major role in the Burmese economy.
The company’s business activities range from logging, tourism, hotels, air
transport and construction to technological investment in Yadanabon Cyber
City in Mandalay.

GSM mobile phones have become an important communications tool in Burma,
where there are now more than 200,000 GSM subscribers, according to MPT,
which introduced the service in 2002.

____________________________________

December 8, Xinhua
UNICEF to build disaster-resistant schools in Myanmar

The United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF) will build seven quake and
storm resistant schools in Myanmar's cyclone-hit regions to enable
students to pursue education in a safe environment in case of disaster,
the local Modern weekly journal reported Monday.

International professional architects will design for such schools
equipped with heath care and education services and be built by local
engineers, the report said, quoting the UN organization.

The quake and storm resistant schools will also provide shelter for local
people when meeting with disaster, the sources added.

According to earlier local reports, the UNICEF also planned to open at
least 100 amusement centers for survived children in Myanmar's two
cyclone-hard-hit divisions.

Secured environment will be selected for the location of the amusement
centers in Ayeyawaddy and Yangon divisions, which will be managed by, aid
workers and respective village dignitaries, the report said.

There were 51 children amusement facilities in the two divisions, of which
some were closed after storm.

According to the report, the UNICEF has helped establish information
center in Laputta, one of the hardest-hit townships inthe Ayeyawaddy
delta, and find 428 missing people with 15 family members getting
reunified with them.

Meanwhile, two orphanages in Phyapon and Laputta in the delta region were
also covered by the UNICEF to each house 300 orphans.

Deadly cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five
divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on last
May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest
casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359
injured according to the latest official death toll.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
China strengthens border with Burma

Chinese authorities have begun to erect walls along the border with Burma
near the Kachin Independence Organisation-controlled area in Laiza,
north-east Burma, according to local residents.

The construction project started in the last week of November as Chinese
workers and machines began digging along a border stream.

"In some places, they have already started laying bricks and digging the
ground,” a local resident said.

“In some places, it is as high as a person."

The decision to clearly demarcate and strengthen the border had been
discussed at coordination meetings, and sources close to the KIO said the
Chinese authorities met the Northern Command military security force and
KIO executive committee member Dr La Ja on 2 December. Fences and iron
posts have also been erected in the Shweli-Kyegaung area, locals said.

Some residents said that the fences had been put up on the orders of the
Yunan state narcotics elimination commission, but a resident of Laiza said
there appeared to be other motives.

"I think it is about more than the elimination of narcotics,” the resident
said.

“Fencing like this would not stop that."

Military analyst Aung Kyaw Zaw, who is based on the border, said the
construction of the walls could be a precautionary measure in anticipation
of activities by armed groups in the area in the run-up to the 2010
election.

"It is a way of putting pressure on the KIO,” Aung Kyaw Zaw said.

“This is clear because they are erecting the walls where the Pan Wa and
Kan Paik ethnic armed groups are based."

Aung Kyaw Zaw also speculated that the reinforced borders could be linked
to the construction of gas pipelines to China, which is due to start in
2009.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 8, Irrawaddy
Weekly business roundup – William Boot

Chinese Begin Dam Construction in Kachin State

Thousands of people are set to lose their homes and a fragile ecosystem is
now under threat due to construction under way of river dams in Burma’s
northern Kachin State.

Burma's military government, in collaboration with China Power Investment
Corporation (CPI) and Burma’s junta-friendly Asia World Company Ltd (AWC),
is to construct at least seven dams on the rivers Mali Hka and Nmai Hka,
with the electricity generated from the dams sent via China’s Yunnan power
network to feed the western region and the eastern coastal areas of China.

The electricity revenue to the Burmese junta from China could run to about
US $500 million per annum—but is not expected to improve Burma’s power
grid.

According to the Thailand-based Kachin Development Network Group (KDNG),
the Burmese junta’s Ministry of Electric Power No1 and CPI have agreed to
generate at least 3,600 megawatts of electricity from the hydroelectric
projects.

Work is already underway—eyewitness reports from the area say that roads
are being constructed using bulldozers and excavators and the AWC has sent
in geologists to begin inspections at three different locations along the
Nmai Hka watercourse between Chibwe and Sawlaw towns.

Under the watchful eye of the Burmese army’s No 121 Infantry Battalion,
more than 1,000 AWC construction workers have set up temporary camps at
the project site and dynamite explosions underneath the riverbed have been
heard with increasing frequency over the past two months, according to
local villagers.

It is estimated by the KDNG that up to 47 villages will disappear while
the dams will have a dramatic impact on fluvial biodiversity and plant
life while flooding vast areas of pristine forest.


Burma-Bangladesh Border Reopens after Sea Dispute

Border trade between Burma and Bangladesh has resumed after a row between
the two countries over their maritime boundary saw tensions rise in a
naval standoff and increased border troop deployments.

However, over the last few days heavily laden Burmese cargo boats from the
coastal region have once again been entering the Bangladeshi port of
Teknaf.

Burma exports an array of everyday goods into Bangladesh including
umbrellas, rope, Chinese-made batteries and ersatz cosmetics, all of which
enter the port of Teknaf.

The tensions also disrupted a lot of other, illegal cross-border trade.

Timber and teak are smuggled across the border from Arakan, their journey
made possible by substantial bribes paid to local army chiefs who turn a
blind eye to the destruction of Burma’s natural resources. Officially,
Burma does not allow the export of teak and timber into Bangladesh but
endemic corruption and desperation render the law virtually meaningless.
In the past, arrests have been made and contraband seized but the trade
continues unabated.

Large quantities of medicines are imported into Burma illegally through
Teknaf, the majority ending up in Burmese markets throughout the
impoverished country.

But some aid agencies have noted that some of the drugs imported into
Burma through Teknaf are fake and dangerous.


Thailand Draws Blank in Gas Search

In a rarely admitted failure, Thailand’s PTTEP oil and gas explorer has
abandoned exploratory drilling in an offshore well in the M-7 Block in
Burma’s Gulf of Martaban.

PTTEP, majority owned by the Thai government, admitted that the nearly US
$25 million venture had failed to find commercial quantities of gas,
despite drilling to a depth of more than 3,000 meters.

The M-7 Block is adjacent to M-9, a block which PTTEP also holds, in a new
partnership with Chinese state firms, and which has been found to hold
large reserves of gas.

Burma’s junta controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise is a silent
partner in both blocks.

____________________________________

December 8, Mizzima News
WFP resumes buying local rice in Burma – Solomon

After nearly six months of restrictions, the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) is recommencing the local purchase of rice in Burma to use
in support of relief efforts for cyclone victims in the country's coastal
regions of Rangoon and Irrawaddy Divisions.

Chris Kaye, Country Director of the WFP in Burma, told Mizzima in an email
message that Burma's military government had informed the WFP that it
could  again purchase local rice after the organization was forced to stop
buying locally in early June.

"The message [permission] was conveyed by the Minister for Agriculture and
Irrigation during a meeting with our Deputy Executive Director at our HQ
in Rome on 21st November," Kaye said in his correspondence.

He went on to say the WFP has since begun purchasing rice locally and
supplying it to cyclone victims, a program that is scheduled to continue
until the end of April 2009.

Kaye said the permission has saved "time and money. Imported rice is more
expensive and takes longer to get into the hands and mouths of people who
need it. It can take several weeks to procure rice from overseas and have
that rice shipped to Myanmar [Burma]."

WFP was officially requested to stop buying rice locally by the government
on June 11, and since then has been importing rice from India and Thailand
to be supplied to cyclone victims.

A source in the military establishment told Mizzima in June that the
government had stopped WFP from purchasing rice locally as it could lead
to food shortage that might in turn result in hikes in overall commodity
prices.

"The government feared that a rise in prices might instigate agitation
among the people and result in civil unrest like that of August and
September 2007," the source said.

Kaye explained that the government's request to stop purchasing rice
locally was in view of the "potential risk at that time of a reduced
harvest and the impact our purchases would have on prices in other parts
of the country."

He said WFP stopped the purchase to make sure that its purchases would not
have a negative impact on the food security of the country.

The source, however, said the Burmese government, after calculating that
it could stabilize food security, was again permitting the WFP to purchase
rice locally.

"The government thinks that it can now ensure that WFP's purchasing will
not destabilize the overall price of commodities, that's why they are
again allowing the purchasing of local rice," the source, who wished not
to be named, added.

____________________________________

December 8, Xinhua
Myanmar, India to trade in euros, Singapore dollars

Myanmar and India will use euros and Singapore dollars in direct trade
transactions as an alternative means to settle credit accounts between the
banks of India and Myanmar when Myanmar is under United States' financial
sanctions, the Myanmar Times, one of the leading local weekly reported
Monday.

Quoting the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry, the report said payments for bilateral trade will be conducted
through the United Bank of India and three state-run Myanmar banks --
Myanmar Investment and Commerce Bank, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and
Myanmar Economic Bank.

Myanmar exported 1.34 million tons of various beans and pulses to India in
the fiscal year 2007-08 which ended in March, earning about 700 million
dollars, official statistics show.

The majority of these beans and pulses were exported to India through
Singapore dealers to settle the letters of credit account in US dollars
owing to the US trade sanctions.

Last month, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry and the State Trading Corporation of India agreed to maintain
regular trade deal on beans and pulses with the Indian side proposing to
purchase Myanmar quality beans and pulses at international current prices
on a monthly basis.

India stands as Myanmar's second largest export market after Thailand and
the fourth largest trading partner after Thailand, China and Singapore.

Myanmar-India bilateral trade reached 995 million U.S. dollars in the
fiscal year of 2007-08 with Myanmar's exports to India accounting for 810
million dollars while its imports stood 185 million dollars, registering a
trade surplus of 625 million dollars.

The Myanmar compiled figures also show that India's contracted investment
in Myanmar reached 219.57 million U.S. dollars as of June 2008, of which
137 million were drawn into the oil and gas sector in September last year.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 7, Agence France Presse
UN chief frustrated over lack of democratic steps in Myanmar

UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced growing frustration at the failure by
Myanmar's military regime to restore democracy and ruled out a return
visit to the country at present.

After meeting with envoys of key countries seeking to foster dialogue
between the military regime and its democratic opposition, Ban told
reporters on Friday he sensed "not only high expectations but also growing
frustration that our efforts have yet to yield the results we all hoped
for."

"I share this sense of expectation and frustration," he added, noting he
expected Myanmar rulers "to implement their commitments" regarding the
release of political prisoners, including opposition leader and democracy
icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

"I urge the government of Myanmar to respond positively without further
delay to our specific suggestions," Ban said as he appealed to all
countries to "use whatever available leverage and tools to impress on the
government of Myanmar (the need) to implement their commitments."

The UN secretary general said he remained committed to pursuing his good
offices role to bring about national reconciliation in Myanmar but ruled
out a return visit in the immediate future.

"At this time I do not think that the atmosphere is ripe for me to
undertake my own visit there," he said. "But I am committed, and I am
ready to visit any time, whenever I can have reasonable expectations of my
visit, to be productive and meaningful."

Ban made a lightning visit to the country in May after its military rulers
came under international fire for not allowing foreign aid in after a
cyclone left 138,000 people dead or missing.

The UN boss made the remarks Friday after huddling with his so-called
"group of friends on Myanmar."

The group comprises the five permanent members of the UN Security Council
-- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as
Australia, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Singapore,
South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

On Wednesday, more than 100 former leaders wrote to the UN chief urging
him to travel to Myanmar to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and
other political prisoners.

The prominent figures behind the letter include ex-US presidents George
H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev,
ex-Australian premier John Howard, former French prime minister Lionel
Jospin, former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and ex-Philippine
leaders Fidel Ramos and Corazon Aquino.

The letter recalled that the Council had on October 11 last year issued a
statement urging the early release of all political prisoners in Myanmar.

The United Nations also had set the release of all political prisoners as
one of its benchmark goals for 2008.

However, in direct defiance of these demands, the military junta has
instead increased the number of political prisoners from 1,200 in June
2007 to over 2,100, the letter stated.

Last month, more than 100 Myanmar activists, including members of Aung San
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and relief workers, journalists,
monks and lawyers, were each given harsh sentences of up to 68 years in
prison.

Their jailing came in the wake of a crackdown on those involved in
protests in mid-2007 that were brutally crushed by the military junta.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 8, Toronto Star
Burma's junta finds no laughs in political satire – Marc and Craig Kielburger

When it comes to comedian Zargana, no one's laughing.

Any person who has ever performed knows how hard this can be. In comedy,
moments of silence feel like an eternity.

But Zargana, whose real name is Muang Thura, has a very tough audience.
You see, the silence isn't due to lack of skill – his sharp wit has been
critically acclaimed. It's not because his words are boring – his writing
has won international awards. And, the moments don't feel like eternity,
exactly.

They feel like 45 years.

This is because Zargana's audience is Burma and that country's military
junta is less than impressed with his political satire.

Zargana is no stranger to the inside of a Burmese prison cell. But, this
time, the comedian, poet and dissident went too far. He was incarcerated
for criticizing the government's response to Cyclone Nargis and leading a
private relief effort.

On Nov. 21 he was sentenced to a prison term of 45 years with no chance of
parole.

Mark Twain once said, "The human race has one really effective weapon and
that is laughter." We here in North America have the power to wield that
weapon live from New York, every Saturday night, and pretty much whenever
else we want.

"It's not enough to say we are lucky to have these freedoms," says Marian
Botsford Fraser, a co-ordinator with PEN Canada, an organization that
advocates for freedom of expression. "We have to use this freedom to
protect people like Zargana and pressure our own governments to stop these
terrible crackdowns."

Political satire has long played an important role in the commentary on
our political system. Comedy carries with it an element of truth. It makes
us think critically and commands accountability. We've seen that through
Jon Stewart's criticism of the Iraq War. Since 1970, the Royal Canadian
Air Farce has impersonated our leaders, drawing our attention to their
policies and making us think twice when casting our ballots.

But these comedians have done it while drawing ratings and without the
fear of imprisonment.

Zargana's story starts off similarly. In the late 1980s, the dentist
(Zargana means "tweezers") began his career as a comedian, appearing on
Burmese television farcically detailing the failures of government. His
programming received high ratings and delighted fans.

Then in 1988, Zargana was arrested for taking part in the nationwide
uprising demanding democracy. He would spend the next few years in and out
of jail as the government stepped up its brutal campaign of repression.

Zargana's "crimes" are eerily similar to our regular programming. In 1990,
he was imprisoned for impersonating Gen. Saw Maung, former head of the
military government. His videos and poems have been banned.

His latest offence – the one that carries the 45-year penalty – involved
organizing a group of entertainers to provide disaster relief.

"It's just heartbreaking that a man who was actually in the act of helping
people was arrested," says Fraser. "He was doing the work the government
was supposed to be doing."

You would be hard-pressed to find a person in North America who would
label Tina Fey's job as dangerous or expect to see Rick Mercer imprisoned
(unless it's part of a sketch, of course).

But, it's our job to make sure we don't stay silent. If laughter is our
greatest weapon, then we have the tools for change at our disposal.

The world is waiting for the punch line.


Craig and Marc Kielburger are children's rights activists and co-founded
Free The Children, which is active in the developing world.

____________________________________

December 8, United Press International
U.N. must be tough on Burma's dictators – Zin Linn

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Communities, organizations and governments
around the world will celebrate U.N. Human Rights Day on Dec. 10.

Article 9 of the declaration states: “Everyone has the right to liberty;
any detention must be lawful and should be used only as a last resort.”
This article may seem strange to the people of Burma, however. In the
military-ruled country, even possessing a booklet containing the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights could send one to jail for several years. To
people’s disappointment, Burma is still lacking in human rights education
and practices.

No one is under any illusion about the willingness of Burma’s military
regime to ruthlessly take action against challengers who are tired of the
military dictatorship. Nonetheless, the sentences handed down on 14
protesters on Nov. 11 were shockingly harsh.

The protesters were found guilty of four charges of using electronic media
without permission and given 15 years’ imprisonment for each charge, plus
five years for forming an unlawful organization, 65 years in total. The
sentences were handed down during a closed-door hearing at the infamous
Insein prison. On the same day, authorities gave a harsh verdict to
several dissidents for their participation in the protests in August and
September of last year.

Thet Zin and Sein Win Maung, respectively editor and manager of the
privately-owned Myanmar Nation Journal, were sentenced by a summary court
in Rangoon on Nov. 28 for being in possession of dissenting documents,
including a U.N. Special Rapporteur’s Human Rights report on Burma.

These sentences are typical of Burma's military regime, which has been
ignoring calls from the international community to improve its human
rights record. These retributions also contradict the junta’s claim that
its new Constitution and electoral procedure for 2010 prove the effort it
is making toward political change.

The release of all political prisoners is a vital step toward national
reconciliation, but the regime’s current stance is still backward-looking.
It continues to defy the presidential statement by the U.N. Security
Council on Oct. 11, 2007, calling for the release of all political
prisoners in Burma. The U.N. Security Council needs to take concrete
action to secure their release, without further delay. These recent
sentences are some of the harshest punishments handed out by the regime
since 1988.

At least 215 Burmese political activists were sentenced in November alone,
according to a report released on Dec. 1 by the Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (Burma). The first trial of activists arrested in
connection with last year’s uprising in August and September began on Oct.
8, 2007. Since then, at least 384 protesters have been sentenced, over
half of them in November, confirming recent reports that the regime plans
to speed up trials of political dissenters.

The ugliest abuse of power is the junta’s dissolution of justice. The
sentences recently handed down have ranged from four months on charges of
“contempt of court” for National League for Democracy lawyers U Khin Maung
Shein and U Aung Thein to life imprisonment plus eight years for Human
Rights Defenders and Promoters network founding member U Myint Aye, on
explosives charges.

Former political prisoner and well-known comedian Zarganar, arrested for
his efforts to coordinate volunteer relief efforts after Cyclone Nargis
hit in May this year, received sentences totaling 59 years. All Burma
Monks’ Alliance leader U Gambira, who played a leading role in last year’s
Saffron Revolution, was given sentences totaling 68 years. Twenty-three
members of the 88 Generation Students Group, who led the protests against
fuel price hikes in August last year, were handed sentences of at least 65
years each.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 3, a letter signed by 112 former presidents and prime
ministers – including former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy
Carter, former British prime ministers Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher and
John Major, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, former Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi and former Polish President Lech Walesa – urged
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to return to Myanmar and pressure the
military junta to free all political prisoners. The letter, an effort led
by former Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik of Norway, said Ban should
make good on the Security Council's call in Oct. 2007 for Burma to release
the prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Two days later, on Dec. 5, another public letter signed by 241
parliamentarians from eight Asian countries – South Korea, Thailand,
Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia – was
sent to Ban, urging him to obtain the release of all political prisoners
from Burma by Dec. 31. This letter expressed the parliamentary members’
concerns about the lack of progress in Myanmar’s human rights situation.

“It is important that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon travel to the country
himself and engage in serious dialogue with the military regime and
impress on them the calls by leaders and lawmakers from Asia and around
the world for the release of all political prisoners,” said Kraisak
Choonhavan, president of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, who
hosted the petition.

“The suffering of the people must not be allowed to continue and the world
can no longer sit idly by and only assist them when there is a devastating
natural disaster,” he added, in a separate cover letter to the U.N.
secretary general.

Despite the fact that Burma has intensified the tempo of imprisoning
political opponents, human rights defenders, bloggers and journalists, Ban
met with his “Group of Friends on Myanmar” on Dec. 5. Afterwards, he told
the media that he will only go to Burma if there are positive steps by the
Than Shwe regime, including the release of political prisoners.

In direct non-cooperation with the United Nations, the military regime has
not only refused to release political prisoners and take part in
meaningful dialogue, but has doubled the number of political prisoners in
excess of 2,100. Burma’s military dictators have continued to ignore
Article 9 of the UDHR, which says that no one shall be subjected to
arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

On this 60th anniversary of the UDHR, the world body should make concerted
efforts, through prestigious organizations and governments, to carry out
the true meaning of the significant charter. Burma’s human rights problem
should be the first task for the United Nations to deal with, in order to
make an extraordinary example. The United Nations must not surrender to
the military dictators of Burma. The United Nations must be tough enough
to confront military dictatorship.

--

(Zin Linn is a freelance Burmese journalist living in exile. He currently
serves as information director of the National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma in Bangkok, Thailand. He is also vice-president of the
Burma Media Association, which is affiliated with the Paris-based
Reporters Sans Frontiers. He can be contacted at uzinlinn at gmail.com.
©Copyright Zin Linn.)

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

December 8, Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus
Over 200 Asian legislators urge UN Sec-Gen to travel to Myanmar, secure
release of all political prisoners

In what is believed to be the first time in history, a large group of
parliamentarians from all over Asia have sent a public letter to the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him obtain the release of all
political prisoners from Myanmar / Burma by 31 December 2008.

The letter comes just after a group of 112 former Presidents and Prime
Ministers from 50 countries wrote to the Secretary General, also urging
him to meet the year-end deadline  in travelling to Myanmar to secure the
release of all of the over 2,100 political prisoners in the country.

Members of Parliament from Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia joined the effort by parliamentarians
from Asia who are extremely concerned about the lack of progress in
Myanmar’s human rights situation.

“It is important that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travel to the country
himself and engage in serious dialogue with the military regime and
impress on them the calls by leaders and lawmakers from Asia and around
the world for the release of all political prisoners,” said Kraisak
Choonhavan, President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, who
hosted the petition.

“The suffering of the people must not be allowed to continue and the world
can no longer sit idly by and only assist them when there is a devastating
natural disaster,” he added, in a separate cover letter to the UN Sec-Gen.

A total of 241 parliamentarians from these eight Asian countries
collectively reminded the UN Sec-Gen that the United Nations Security
Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council have all called on
Myanmar’s military regime to immediately release all political prisoners,
a call the military junta has defied.

For media contact or to facilitate an interview with Parliamentarians,
please call: Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Director) at +6-012-3750974 or
the numbers above.