BurmaNet News, January 6, 2009

[Editor]

January 6, 2009, Issue #3625


INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima News: Pro-junta group announces formation of political parties
Mizzima News: Nargis volunteer sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
Irrawaddy: Political activist hospitalized
DVB: Journals ordered to condemn NLD demonstration
DVB: Detained MPs charged in Insein prison court

ON THE BORDER
IMNA: Migrant workers taxed by corrupt police in Ye Township

BUSINESS / TRADE
AP: Myanmar trade surplus shrinks as gas exports fall
AFP: 25% fall in Myanmar's tourists
Japan Economic Newswire: Myanmar's trade with Japan declines 1st-3rd qtrs
of 2008
DVB: USDA grants loans to farmers
The New Light of Myanmar: UMFCCI and Chinese delegation meet

HEALTH / AIDS
VOA: Report: UNICEF to Continue Polio Vaccinations in Burma

DRUGS
New Nation (Bangladesh): 2 KGs heroin seized in Cox's Bazar

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Burmese killed in Thai nightclub fire

OPINION / OTHER
National Post (Canada): The world looks away as Burma mocks democracy –
David Scott Mathieson
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi issues a New Year challenge – Editorial



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 6, Mizzima News
Pro-junta group announces formation of political parties – Salai Pi Pi

A pro-junta group, the 88 generation students (Union of Myanmar), has said
it is all set to contest the upcoming 2010 general election as drawn up by
the ruling junta.

Aye Lwin, a former 88 generation student and leader of the group, said
they will have two parties to contest the election, believing the process
could set Burma on the road to political reform, though democracy in Burma
will admittedly require more time to evolve into a mature and stable
political institution.

"We will have two parties to contest the election," Aye Lwin told Mizzima
on Tuesday. While he will be leading the National Political League (Union
of Myanmar) as its chairman, the 88 generation students (Union of Myanmar)
will be led by other former students who participated in the 1988 general
uprising.

"We are waiting for the announcement of the Election Law and specifics
regarding the registration of political parties," he said.

Aye Lwin added that the election is the only way forward for Burma, which
has remained in a virtual political stalemate for the past 20 years.

"We have begun campaigning in at least six divisions and three states and
will continue with it," commented Aye Lwin, a former Rangoon Institute of
Technology student and a colleague of detained student leader Min Ko Naing
during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

Aye Lwin, who later switched political stands and criticized fellow
student leaders and the mainstream opposition movement, including Aung San
Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said he
believes that democracy can be best and earliest achieved through the
junta's roadmap.

Meanwhile, NLD spokesperson Nyan Win said his party has not yet decided on
whether or not to contest the upcoming election, saying, "We would like to
first observe the situation."

The NLD and other opposition groups have condemned the junta's roadmap and
criticized the constitution as a tool to cement military rule in Burma.

____________________________________

January 6, Mizzima News
Nargis volunteer sentenced to 10 years imprisonment – Myint Maung

An individual arrested while undertaking volunteer relief services for
victims of Cyclone Nargis was yesterday sentenced to ten years
imprisonment by a court in Rangoon's outlying district of South Dagon.

Khin Maung Win (29), a resident of South Dagon Township, yesterday at
approximately 2 p.m. was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard
labor, having been found guilty of establishing an unlawful organization
and undertaking an illegal border crossing.

"Ko Khin Maung Win was given five years under an unlawful organization
case and another five years through the Immigration Act, totaling ten
years", Rangoon lawyer Nyi Nyi Hlaing, who is familiar with this case,
told Mizzima.

An eyewitnesses heard Khin Maung Win reciting a poem written by 88
Generation student leader Min Ko Naing, 'I'll plant the fighting peacock
flag on the classroom walls', as he was boarding a prison van to take him
back to Insein prison following the sentencing.

Khin Maung Win is a member of the anti-junta organization 'New Generation'
and was arrested on the 10th of October last year while acting as a relief
campaign volunteer in storm ravaged areas of the country. Cyclone Nargis,
which struck Burma on May 2-3 of last year, left around 140,000 people
dead or missing.

Previously, Khin Maung Win worked in Malaysia and was forced to return
illegally to Burma after losing his passport abroad.

"Most Burmese citizens who lose their passport return to Burma illegally.
But only Ko Khin Maung Win was punished because of his political
activities," Nyi Nyi Hlaing iterated.

The 'New Generation Group for Justice', of which Khin Maung Win is
reportedly a member, was formed in March 2008 by youth in Rangoon who
subsequently took part in the 'Red' and 'NO' campaigns associated with
drumming up support in opposition to the junta's draft constitution, which
was put to a referendum in May of last year.

Khin Maung Win officially married Pan Phyu Phyu Pwint (29) on the day of
his sentencing by signing a marriage deed at the main entrance to Insein
prison in the presence of the parents of both the bride and groom.

____________________________________

January 6, Irrawaddy
Political activist hospitalized – Saw Yan Naing

A prominent Burmese political prisoner, Kyaw Ko Ko, who has been detained
in Insein Prison since March 2008, was yesterday moved to the jail’s
hospital suffering from jaundice, according to his family in Rangoon.

Kyaw Ko Ko, 27, a leader of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions
(ABFSU), was arrested by Burmese authorities in March 2008 following his
involvement in the Buddhist monk-led uprising in September 2007 and has
since been detained at Insein Prison.

Since his arrest, Kyaw Ko Ko has appeared in court several times, but has
not been sentenced. His latest appearance in court was last Friday, said
his father.

 A master’s degree student from Yangon Economic University, Kyaw Ko Ko
called on the Burmese military government to allow Burmese students to
exercise their freedom of expression in terms of thinking, writing,
forming groups and establishing students’ unions in an interview with The
Irrawaddy on the occasion of Burma’s National Day in December 2007.

The ABFSU was active in leading demonstrations during the 2007 uprising
and many of its members have since been arrested by Burmese security
forces. The students’ organization was originally founded by Gen Aung San,
father of Aung San Suu Kyi, in 1936.

Due to poor medical treatment and physical restrictions, two political
prisoners—Maung San and Htay Lwin Oo—died in prison last month, according
to Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma
(AAPP).

About 138 political prisoners have died in Burmese prisons in recent
years, according to AAPP, and there are currently more than 2,100
political activists behind bars.

____________________________________

January 6, Democratic Voice of Burma
Journals ordered to condemn NLD demonstration – Ahunt Phone Myat

Weekly news journals in Burma have been ordered by the state censor board
to publish articles criticising National League for Democracy members for
staging a demonstration in Rangoon last week.

Journalists and publishers in Rangoon said yesterday that censor board
officials had recently ordered them to publish a government-approved
article on the protest.

The article accused senior NLD member Win Tin of being behind a
demonstration on 30 December by nine NLD youth members who were arrested
by authorities.

It also claimed that their demonstration was not supported by the general
public.

A journalist in Rangoon said he had seen the article printed in several
news journals and other publications.

"I saw the article in the True weekly journal and a few others; it accused
U Win Tin of encouraging the youths to stage the demonstration," he said.

"The publications had other choice but to include the article to keep
their business out of trouble, but everyone knows whether or not the
details of the article were accurate."

Veteran journalist and former political prisoner Win Tin said he had read
the article in the Morning Post.

"It has two main points – first, that the youths were brainwashed by the
propaganda of me and U Khin Maung Swe's speech, and second, that the
public has no interest in their activities," Win Tin said.

"If they want to say that I brainwashed the youths, then they should
include the details of how I did that," he said.

"Just claiming U Khin Maung Swe was behind the [demonstration] because the
youths did it after listening to his speech is wrong,” he went on.

“U Khin Maung Swe only talked about independence and they have no reason
to say there is a link between what he said and the demonstration."

Win Tin also challenged the claim that the demonstration had no public
support.

"The article said there is no public interest in the NLD youths'
demonstration and I think that is also wrong," Win Tin said.

"A lot of people oppose the government and want to rebel against it,” he
said.

“Saying that these people, who would applaud anyone acting against the
government, have no interest in such activity is actually very wrong."

Nine NLD youth members were arrested on 30 December while taking part in a
peaceful march following a talk at the party headquarters in Rangoon.

The activists carried placards calling for the release of detained
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and were walking towards the Myenigone
area when they were arrested in front of the old parliament building.

____________________________________

January 6, Democratic Voice of Burma
Detained MPs charged in Insein prison court – Nan Kham Kaew

Elected members of parliament Dr Tin Min Htut and Nyi Pu appeared before
Insein prison special court yesterday charged with sedition and disrupting
the national convention.

Nyi Pu is the elected representative for Gwa township and an Arakan
National League for Democracy organising committee member, while Dr Tin
Min Htut is an elected MP from Panatanaw township in Irrawaddy division.

The two men, who were arrested in August 2007, were also charged under the
electronics act.

In a separate development, four of the nine NLD youth members who were
arrested last week, including Tun Tun Win of Sanchaung township NLD, have
been taken to ward 3 of Insein prison, according to a family member of a
political inmate.

The nine were arrested for taking part in a peaceful march from the NLD
headquarters in Rangoon after attending a meeting.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 6, Independent Mon News Agency
Migrant workers taxed by corrupt police in Ye Township – Leyh Mon

Police in northern Ye Township are taxing migrant workers returning from
Thailand and Malaysia, say local sources.

“Police are waiting at the entrance gate of our village. If they receive
information about migrants returning home, they will wait for the migrant
workers at the gate. One person has to pay 10,000 kyat,” said a migrant
worker who recently returned from Thailand to Thabyay Ywa Thit village.
“If they do not see the migrant worker in the evening, they will come to
the worker’s home the next morning and demand money,” he added.

“When we come back along the road, we do not need to pay checkpoint taxes
because we pay the whole cost to the broker [to organize the trip back
from Thailand]. But when we arrive at our village, the police specially
demand the money. If we do not pay them 10,000 kyat, our belongings on the
bus would be seized,” agreed a villager who recently returned to nearby
Hnitkayin village. “The police frighten people, and we have to pay. People
who sneak home have to pay 20,000 kyat as a fine.”

According to a veteran broker with five years experience ferrying migrant
workers to and from Thailand, the taxation began when a new police captain
was posted to the area in September 2007. “The former police chief never
did his job like this,” she said. “When we went to the headman to make a
complaint, he told us we should pay because if we pay there will be no
quarrel.”

The police captain controls four villages, but the taxation could only be
confirmed in Hnitkayin and Thabyay Ywa Thit villages. Other nearby
villages not under the captain’s control, including Thaungpyin, Taung bone
and Andin confirmed that similar taxes are not levied.

Taxation of the four villages is likely to earn the captain significant
extra income. In just the last three weeks, the broker estimated that 100
people had returned to Hnitkayin and Thabyay Ywa Thit villages. Those
numbers are higher than normal because many of the workers were returning
for an important festival, the broker added.

A large portion of the population, however, is working in Thailand.
Hnitkayin, the largest of the four villages, is home to over 1,000
households. According to a longtime resident, 80% of working age people
are abroad as migrant workers. “Only young people and their grandparents
are left,” she said.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 6, Associated Press
Myanmar trade surplus shrinks as gas exports fall

Myanmar's trade surplus shrank in the first nine months of last year on
lower exports of gas, according to official statistics.

Figures from the Ministry of National Planning and Development, seen
Tuesday, show the surplus dived more than 39 percent to $1.72 billion from
$2.83 billion in the same period of 2007.

Imports rose 28.1 percent to $2.97 billion from $2.32 billion in January
to September 2007, while exports dropped 8.9 percent to $4.69 billion from
$5.15 billion.

The report says that natural gas exports, which account for about 40
percent of all export revenues, dropped 28.5 percent in value to $1.69
billion from $2.36 billion.

Myanmar's gas exports go to neighboring Thailand.

The United States and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions
against Myanmar to pressure the military government to improve human
rights and release detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

____________________________________

January 6, Agence France Presse
25% fall in Myanmar's tourists

MYANMAR received nearly 25 per cent fewer tourists through its main
airport in 2008, official figures showed Tuesday, in a year when a deadly
cyclone laid waste to vast swathes of the military-run nation.

A total of 177,018 visitors arrived at Yangon international airport, down
from 231,587 in 2007, figures from the government's hotel and tourism
department revealed.

The best month for tourism was March with 21,100 arrivals and the worst
was May with 9,258 visitors.

Cyclone Nargis swept the south of Myanmar May 2-3 last year, leaving
138,000 people dead or missing and destroying homes and farmland,
particularly in the southwest delta region.

The main tourist season in Myanmar runs from October to April, but the
total number of flights for the year was also down to 3,772 from 4,263 in
2007.

No figures were available for the number of tourists arriving by land, but
on average about half of visitors enter by land border checkpoints.

Most visitors were from Asia - 115,735 in total, including 26,903 Thais
and 18,883 Chinese.

Other tourists came from the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and
Pacific countries.

'The figures were down because of the Nargis cyclone in May. The figures
might also be down in coming months because of the Bangkok crisis and
India attack,' tour operator Khin Khin told AFP, adding the global
recession was also to blame.

Militant attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai in late November and
political turmoil in Thailand that closed Bangkok's international airport
for eight days damaged regional tourism.

Although Myanmar has many beautiful places to attract tourists, it has
been shunned by many visitors to the region because of the ruling junta.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962 and is under US and
EU-wide sanctions because of its human right record and the ongoing
detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
____________________________________

January 6, Japan Economic Newswire
Myanmar's trade with Japan declines 1st-3rd qtrs of 2008

Myanmar's bilateral trade with Japan in the first nine months of 2008
declined 5.6 percent to $275.98 million, compared to $292.33 million in
the same period of 2007, official statistics showed Tuesday.

Imports, from the January-to-September period, declined 8.3 percent to
$148.56 million compared to $161.96 million in the same period in 2007,
while exports edged down 2.3 percent to $127.41 million from $130.37
million in the previous year, the figures from Myanmar's National Planning
Ministry showed.

Myanmar mainly exports fishery products, garments, and agricultural
products, while it imports machinery, automobiles, electronics, iron and
steel from Japan.

____________________________________

January 6, Democratic Voice of Burma
USDA grants loans to farmers – Naw Say Phaw

The Union Solidarity and Development Association in Rangoon division is
offering agricultural loans to local farmers for this year's harvest, but
some farmers claim the move is intended to secure votes in the 2010
election.

A farmer in Thonegwa said the local township USDA was going to provide
farmers with loans under a different system to that used by the
government's agricultural bank.

For farmers with 1-5 acres of farmland, the USDA is giving loans of 8000
kyat per acre, while farmers with 5-10 acres farmlands can borrow up to
5000 kyat per acre up to a maximum of 50,000 kyat.

"At the moment, the USDA is offering loan agreements to farmers in 64
villages within Thonegwa township and they are offering a total of around
500 million kyat in loans. Some people have already signed up," the farmer
said.

"A lot of people think they are providing loans as a way of getting our
support in the 2010 elections," he said.

"We are worried they might pressure us to vote for them in the election
because we have borrowed money from them."

Many farmers are in financial difficulties this year, particularly in
areas affected by Cyclone Nargis, due to low yields and falling crop
prices.

Farmers in some areas have said the loans provided by the government are
not sufficient, and have been forced to take out loans with private
lenders.

____________________________________

January 6, The New Light of Myanmar
UMFCCI and Chinese delegation meet

Vice-presidents of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and
Industry U Zaw Min Win, U Aung Lwin, U Thaung Tin and U Mya Han, general
secretary U Sein Win Hlaing, central executives, executives received a
trade delegation led by Mr Gao Zhengwu, Division Chief of Department of
Commerce -of Yunnan Province of People's Republic of China on 31 December
2008 at the headquarters of the federation.

They discussed matters related to promotion of bilateral trade.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

January 6, Voice of America
Report: UNICEF to Continue Polio Vaccinations in Burma

A report in a weekly Burmese magazine said the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF) plans to continue its polio vaccination program in Burma
this year.

Weekly Eleven said the vaccination campaign in Burma will be conducted in
two rounds this year - once in January and a second round in February.

The magazine said the campaign will include areas of the country that were
hit by Cyclone Nargis last May.

UNICEF has been carrying out a vaccination campaign in Burma since 1996.
The campaign also includes vaccination against measles, tetanus,
diphtheria, whopping cough, and ARI - Acute Respiratory Infection -
diseases.

In 2007, Burmese officials reported a new outbreak of polio near the
country's western border with Bangladesh.

The outbreak of the potentially crippling disease occurred in Rakhine state.

Burma declared itself free of polio in 2000. But the virus was detected
again in the East Asian country in 2006.  Polio also continues to infect
people in parts of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

____________________________________
DRUGS

January 6, New Nation (Bangladesh)
2 KGs heroin seized in Cox's Bazar

BDR personnel seized 2 kgs of heroin from two buses on Cox's Bazar-Teknaf
highway on Monday and yesterday.

BDR men also arrested Faridul Alam of Hila village in Teknaf upazila on
charge of smuggling heroin from Myanmar.

BDR sources said the jawans arrested Farid along with 1 kgs of heroin
worth Tk one crore from Cox's Bazar-bound bus at Hoyaikeng check post at
about 4 pm.

On Monday, BDR men searched a bus and recovered 1 kg heroin at Panerchhara.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 6, Mizzima News
Burmese killed in Thai nightclub fire – Than Htike Oo

The fire that broke out in a Bangkok nightclub, Thailand on New Year's
eve, being celebrated with fireworks, left 64 dead including a Burmese
citizen.

The deceased Burmese Win Kyaw Phyo (26), was an ABAC graduate and was
believed to be working in Thailand. He visited the famous nightclub in
Bangkok, Santika, on the fateful night for the New Year party. The
nightclub was usually the haunt of well-to-do families in Bangkok.

The Santika nightclub which is located in Ekamai Soi 9, celebrated the New
Year's party on December 31. The fire started after the countdown and
killed 64 and left over 200 injured, the police said.

The 'Thong Lor' police station confirmed the death of a Burmese citizen in
the fire.

"Yes, we confirm his death. His family came and took away his mortal
remains on January 4," he told Mizzima.

The club owner arranged to shift his club as there were difficulties for
an expansion plan. Ironically, a sales promotion poster on the fateful
night read, 'Goodbye Santika'.

After the New Year countdown, the revelers welcomed the New Year with
fireworks reading 'Happy New Year' which later ignited the soundproof
ceiling of the second floor and spread to other areas of the two storey
pub.

Most of the about 1,000 revelers did not notice the club had caught fire.
They thought the fireworks were being displayed at the party, said
survivors recalling their horrifying stories.

Then the light  went off suddenly and the revelers realized that the club
had caught fire. They rushed to the sole exit door. Most of the victims
died in the stampede and from asphyxiation, the police said.

The police chief Jongrak Jutanont said that they would take action against
the club owner on grounds of negligence and criminal homicide.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 6, National Post (Canada)
The world looks away as Burma mocks democracy – David Scott Mathieson

Dictatorships are not known for their sense of humour, nor do they
appreciate being laughed at. It came as no surprise then when the ruling
military regime in Burma recently sentenced the country’s best known
comedian, named Zarganar, to 45 years in prison.

Zarganar (which means pliers in Burmese — he was a practising dentist) was
arrested in June for staging private relief operations for survivors of
Burma’s devastating cyclone in May, and for speaking out about the poor
response by the authorities. These efforts, and his unique blend of
sardonic wit and absurd reflections about the crushing repression of the
military government, landed him in prison for his third stretch in the
past 15 years.

Zarganar’s sentencing is part of an astonishingly brutal campaign by the
ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in Burma to eradicate
all political opposition in the country ahead of planned elections in
2010. In recent months, hundreds of prominent activists, Buddhist monks
and nuns, journalists, labour activists, bloggers and hip-hop artists have
been sentenced to lengthy jail terms. Some of them are facing between 100
and 150 years back in prison, many for their third or fourth times. Even
some of the lawyers representing these activists have been imprisoned, for
speaking out about the grossly unfair secret trials held in jail or in
closed courthouses.

The activists include a brave labour rights representative named Ma Su Su
Nyay, who was handed more than 12 years, and Min Ko Naing, the leader of
Burma’s 1988 student-led uprising who has already received more than 65
years just on a few charges; his sentencing will probably land him 150
years back in jail, where he spent most of the time between 1988 to 2004
in solitary confinement. Both of them have been past recipients of
Canada’s John Humphrey Freedom Award.

The past several months have constituted Phase Two of the SPDC’s crackdown
on peaceful dissent, following on from August and September, 2007, when
many of the activists were arrested for their parts in protests against
military rule, which saw thousands of Buddhist monks march through the
streets to carve out space for larger demonstrations. When the SPDC
finally cracked down, dozens of people were killed and thousands were
arrested, Zarganar included. He was held in a tiny cell, and when finally
released cracked jokes about police dogs and which parts of his anatomy
they tried to bite off. Grim humour.

The SPDC has been sentencing these activists for two reasons. The first is
to decapitate any possibility of challenge to a tightly scripted and
controlled political reform process, by locking away the leadership and
spiritual and artistic supporters of resistance to military rule. The
second is to instill fear in an already fearful and beaten down
population; by targeting a cross-section of Burma’s resurgent civil
society, the regime is stating clearly that resistance is futile.

Future military rule with a civilian façade is the end goal, and Burma’s
recently released constitution ensures just that. The planned elections
had their prelude in a ruthlessly orchestrated referendum just a week
after the cyclone, conducted while the SPDC was blocking urgently needed
international assistance. The result? A 98% voter turnout and 92%
approval, laughably improbable even by Burma’s low standards.

As this despicable process proceeds, the world has shrugged its shoulders
in exasperation. The United Nations’ muted response to the sentencing
rounds is in contrast to the outrage the world expressed after the 2007
demonstrations were met with violence. The UN’s efforts at mediation
inside Burma are, unfortunately, in tatters. That diplomatic solutions
have been elusive is clear: The West and Asia have been at loggerheads
over divergent approaches to Burma for years; both quiet persuasion and
business investments, over loud human rights moralizing and sanctions,
have been equally ineffective in shifting this implacable and shady
regime. As China’s heavy investments show, especially recently announced
plans to build two massive oil and gas pipelines through Burma into
Yunnan, the SPDC is content to maintain control over a resentful
population as long as they can survive on the proceeds of natural resource
sales and the diplomatic cover provided by China, Russia, India and
Burma’s Southeast Asian neighbours.

The world must speak out, now more than ever, to deny legitimacy to a
military reform process that mocks the very idea of democracy and
fundamental freedoms. The regime thrives on frustration and lack of
attention, happily repressing its people in quiet. If we do not loudly and
strongly condemn this draconian process, hundreds of Burma’s leading
thinkers and performers will disappear into the country’s squalid gulag,
and the ephemeral promise of a liberal and free Burma could well be lost
to another generation.

David Scott Mathieson is Burma consultant for Human Rights Watch.

____________________________________

January 6, Irrawaddy
Suu Kyi issues a New Year challenge – Editorial

News reports from Rangoon suggest that Burma's detained democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi commemorated the country’s Independence Day alone at her
house—but this time not so quietly.

Behind the locked gates of her home, where she has been under house arrest
since 2003, the Nobel Peace Prize winner played old songs, popular in the
pre-independence era, according to members of her election-winning party,
the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Suu Kyi has also put up a new red banner, which can be viewed from the
street, with words in yellow quoting her father, independence hero Gen
Aung San: “Act decisively in the interest of the nation and the people.”

Rumors are coursing through Rangoon and the diplomatic community
suggesting that Suu Kyi could be released this year. If she is freed, the
big question remains: who is going to ensure her safety ahead of the
election in 2010?

There’s profound concern that she would again become the target of the
anger of the regime and its thugs. Some Western diplomats are talking
about the possibility of a “gradual freedom” for Suu Kyi in order to
guarantee her safety.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Kyi Win, said
Burmese authorities still have not replied to his request to meet with the
detained opposition leader to discuss her appeal against her continued
detention. Suu Kyi’s personal doctor, Tin Myo Win, was allowed to visit
her on January 1, and he reported that she was in good health.

Two days before the doctor’s visit, nine NLD members were arrested when
they staged a protest in Rangoon calling for her release. Repeated calls
by world leaders and the international community for her release continue
to fall on the deaf ears of the regime.

Burma entered a new year with bleak prospects for the future. In an
Independence Day message, NLD Chairman Aung Shwe said candidly: “Hope for
the present and future of the country is totally lacking.” Many Burmese
will agree with his assessment.

Aung Shwe’s pessimism was, of course, countered by an upbeat message from
junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who urged people to “cooperate in
realizing the state's seven-step Road Map with union spirit and patriotic
spirit with the firm resolution to build up a peaceful, modern and
developed democratic nation with flourishing discipline”.

Than Shwe repeated his old refrain of accusing “neo-colonialists”—usually
a reference to the West—of interfering in Burma's affairs.

“The entire people are duty-bound to safeguard the motherland...while
keeping a watchful eye on attempts of neo-colonialists to harm the
sovereignty of the country,” he said.

Than Shwe failed to appear at the Independence Day state dinner usually
hosted by him and his wife, although he was seen in the cyclone-hit
Irrawaddy delta a few weeks ago and gave a speech at the Defense Services
Academy in Maymyo in December.

Observers ask: Was he sick or perhaps suffering from fatigue after his
travels? Or is he just depressed at seeing so little support for his “road
map?”

Whatever the cause of Than Shwe’s absence from the dinner table, the less
he is seen on the political stage, the better for the country. A younger
generation of army leaders should be taking over progressively more of his
duties and undertaking work for genuine reconciliation.

Despite the discouragement that Burmese people must feel, they should not
lose faith in seeing a new democratic and prosperous Burma.

On the eve of Burma's Independence Day, the US State Department wished the
Burmese people well on the 61st anniversary of their independence from
British rule.

“We wish to express our warmest wishes to the people of Burma on this
occasion,” said a brief State Department statement. “As we reflect on
Burma's independence struggle, led by Gen Aung San, we are reminded of our
own history.”

The statement said the US stands with the Burmese people in honoring Aung
San's vision of an independent, peaceful and democratic Burma.

It said the US also looks forward to the day when Burma's citizens will be
able to enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. “We earnestly hope that
day will come soon,” the statement said.

In reality, it is depressing to look at Burma’s political situation, and
few would argue with Aung Shwe’s sober assessment.

Nevertheless, news of Suu Kyi playing old music and putting up a new
banner at her home raised some hope. The message “Act decisively in the
interest of the nation and the people” has a definite meaning for many
Burmese, and can be interpreted as a call to the leadership and members of
the NLD.

Critics lament that over the past 20 years, NLD leaders have failed to act
decisively to seize and exploit political opportunities as they present
themselves.

Even during the “Saffron Revolution” of 2007, some critics said NLD
leaders lagged behind the mass uprising when monks and activists bravely
took to the streets. Now they sit and watch from the sidelines as Than
Shwe prepares to implement his “road map” to “disciplined democracy.”

Although the year 2009 begins with depressing news, Suu Kyi’s new banner
demanding  decisive action in the interests of the nation poses a
challenge to all Burmese, including members of the armed forces—and also
to world leaders and the entire international community.