BurmaNet News, March 17, 2009

[Editor]

March 17, 2009, Issue #3673


INSIDE BURMA
Associated Press: Myanmar arrests 5 members of pro-democracy party
The Standard: Misery of boat people must not be in vain
Mizzima: NDA-K ready to surrender arms Tuesday

ON THE BORDER
DVB: Waiting in silence: life in a border refugee camp

TRADE
ANTARA News: Indonesia, Myanmar to intensify trade relations
BBC: Burma’s gem mines face closure

REGIONAL
The Times of India: Border fencing by Myanmar upsets Bangladesh

INTERNATIONAL
IPS (via Irrawaddy): Free Political Prisoners Campaign Picks Up
VOA News: UN Expert Calls for Burma to Release Political Prisoners
Inner City Press: On Myanmar, UN Official Predicts April 18 Ban Visit


____________________________________

INSIDE BURMA

March 17, Associated Press
Myanmar arrests 5 members of pro-democracy party.

Yangon, Myanmar — Authorities in Myanmar have arrested five members of
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, a
spokesman said Tuesday, a day after the U.N. called for the release of
more than 2,000 political prisoners in the military-run country.

Among those arrested was Kyi Lwin, who has not been an active party member
since suffering a stroke a year ago, said Han Tha Myint, spokesman of the
National League for Democracy. Police took him from his home Sunday
without explanation.

In a report published Monday, U.N. human rights investigator Tomas Ojea
Quintana had called on the junta to release its 2,100 or so political
prisoners before elections planned for 2010, the country's first ballot in
two decades.

Quintana, presenting his report Tuesday at a meeting of the U.N. Human
Rights Council in Geneva, said Myanmar's government should release all
"prisoners of conscience" — starting with the elderly, the sick and
political leaders — because their detention breaches basic human rights.

In recent months, the junta has locked away pro-democracy activists in an
apparent attempt to clear away dissent before the promised election.
Military courts have sentenced hundreds of pro-democracy activists to
prison terms of up to 104 years.

"The government should understand that for the international community to
see these elections as meaningful, they should start respecting human
rights and adopt measures in this regard," Quintana told reporters after
his presentation.

Responding to the report, Myanmar's Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva said
his country holds no political prisoners. "In fact, these are only
individuals who are serving prison terms for breaking the existing laws of
Myanmar," said Wunna Maung Lwin.

The others arrested between March 6-13 include Myint Myint San, also known
as Ma Cho, a member of the National League for Democracy's Social Support
Committee, which helps support political prisoners and their families. The
three others are Sein Hlaing, Shwe Gyo and Thein Lwin, who are active
party members, the league's spokesman said.

Han Tha Myint said the U.N. call to release all prisoners offered "great
moral support."

Quintana told reporters that he would look into the circumstances of the
new arrests.

"The government of Myanmar is part of the United Nations, so it should
start respecting human rights," he said.

Quintana visited Myanmar last month but was not allowed to meet Suu Kyi,
who has been under house arrest for more than 13 of the last 19 years.

____________________________________


March 17, The Standard (Hong Kong)
Misery of boat people must not be in vain – Nehginpao Kipgen

Antonio Guterres, chief of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
recently wrapped up his assessment of the plight of one of the world's
most suppressed and controversial refugee groups, the Rohingyas.
The six-day mission to Burma, which began on March 7, included visits to
Naypyidaw and Sittwe.

"On the basis of his observations and the discussions held, the High
Commissioner came to the conclusion that the UNHCR's current level of
activities in northern Rakhine state does not correspond to the actual
needs, and a decision was taken to upgrade the program with immediate
effect," said the agency statement issued on the last day of Guterres'
visit.

Sadly or fortunately, the international community has come to better
understand the reality of the socio-political problems inside Burma since
the 2007 uprising, which many called a "saffron revolution."

Since then, developments in Burma have periodically appeared in the
headlines of many leading cable news stations and newspapers around the
world.

The latest story concerns the ill-treatment meted out to the Rohingya boat
people by Thailand. This happened at a time when the new Thai government,
which emerged after weeks of protests and a court ruling, was in the
process of building trust and stability.

The Union of Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in
Southeast Asia and has the longest-lived armed revolutionary groups in the
entire region. Comparatively, the total land size of Burma is a little
smaller than the US state of Texas.

The military junta identifies "135 national races." The major ones are:
Arakan/ Rakhine (seven subgroups), Burman/ Bamar (nine subgroups), Chin
(53 subgroups), Kachin (12 subgroups), Karen/Kayin (11 subgroups),
Karenni/ Kayah (nine subgroups), Mon (one group), and Shan (33 subgroups).
This classification is primarily based on dialectical variations.

The much-discussed "Rohingya people" are not refused only by countries
like Thailand and Indonesia but by Burma itself. The suffering of the
Rohingyas is exacerbated by the fact that they are not given full citizen
rights in Burma.

Guterres traveled to Sittwe, capital of Arakan/Rakhine state near the
Bangladesh border, where most Rohingyas live.

According to Burma's State Peace and Development Council, there are seven
sub-ethnic groups in Arakan state: Rakhine, Kamein, Kwe Myi, Daingnet,
Maramagyi, Mro, Thet. The Rohingyas are not listed as an ethnic group.
The controversy surrounding whether or not the Rohingyas are indigenous
people of Burma has been a longstanding problem. The existence of this
controversy was evidenced by the statement of Burmese consul general Ye
Myint Aung in Hong Kong on February 9 when he said: "In reality, Rohingya
are neither Myanmar [Burma] people nor Myanmar's [Burma's] ethnic group.
They are ugly as ogres."

Even within the state of Arakan, there have been unending claims and
counter claims on the question of the origin of Rohingya people. In early
February, one senior Arakan leader and member of the Committee
Representing the People's Parliament said: "How could they claim that they
came from Burma when in fact they come from Bangladesh?"

While the Rohingyas are called Bengalis or illegal immigrants by the
Burmese military junta and some Arakan leaders, Bangladesh people have
treated them as Burmese migrants.

The fact is that the Rohingyas have lived in Burma before the
establishment of the present-day Union of Burma in 1947. However, until
today they are considered or treated as stateless people.

One positive outcome of the Rohingya boat people episode is that the very
question of their existence on Earth as a people is now being widely
discussed. Leaders of Thailand and Burma have talked on the issue
bilaterally, and it was discussed, though inconclusively, at the 14th
summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The UN refugee agency coming forward to increase its focus on the areas of
Rohingya settlement in Burma and a plan by ASEAN foreign ministers to
discuss the Rohingya refugee issue as part of the "Bali Process" in
Indonesia next month (April 14-15) are positive signs in addressing the
suffering of these people.

The problems arising out of the boat people should not end in discussing
only the fate of these refugees but must be part of a process to find a
long-term solution for the Rohingya people as a whole.

Ignoring this pressing issue may prove a greater burden for Burma and the
international community.

As of July 2003, Burma's population according to the military was 52.4
million. The last official census, in 1983, reported a population of just
over 35 million (35,442,972).

Religious affiliation is estimated to be: Buddhism (89.2 percent),
Christianity (5 percent), Islam (3.8 percent), Hinduism (0.5 percent),
Spiritualism (1.2 percent) and others (0.2 percent).

Under the military junta, the mistreatment and suffering of ethnic
minorities is not uncommon. This is one basic reason why ethnic minorities
demand a federal system of government.

Nehginpao Kipgen is general secretary of US-based Kuki International Forum
(www.kukiforum.com) and a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in
modern Burma (1947-2004)
____________________________________


March 17, Mizzima News
NDA-K ready to surrender arms Tuesday - Solomon

New Delhi - A Sino-Burma border based ethnic Kachin rebel group has
declared it is ready to abandon armed struggle after the 2010 general
elections, if the new elected government urges them to do so.

Zahkung Tingying, founder and leader of New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K)
told Mizzima on Tuesday that they are ready to lay-down their arms if they
can be sure that their demands will be fulfilled.

The NDA-K was the first Kachin armed group to reach a cease-fire agreement
with Burma’s military junta, the then State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) in 1989.

“We are fighting for our rights, development of our people and if these
are guaranteed why do we still need to continue armed struggle?” said
Tingying. The rebel leader said this in a tone that suggested that the new
elected government would be able to fulfill their demands.

“It is possible that we will surrender our arms but at the same time we
need to see that our demands and desires will be fulfilled,” he added.

The Burmese military junta in recent months has stepped up pressure on all
cease-fire ethnic armed groups to surrender their arms before the 2010
general elections and urged them to transform into political parties to
contest the election, sources said.

But, so far, the junta has been unable to convince any of the ceasefire
groups to surrender their arms.

The NDA-K, which claims to be fighting for security, social, economic and
educational development of its people, however, said they believe that
their hopes would materialize after the elected government assumes office
following the 2010 elections.

The NDA-K, which is based in North-eastern Kachin state along the
Sino-Burma border, was founded by former Kachin Independent Organization
(KIO) officers Zahkung Tingying and Layawk Zelum in 1989.

But sources said, following the ceasefire agreement, the NDA-K has
focussed more on business than politics and has not maintained active
armed cadres. Militarily and politically, the NDA-K has lost its strength,
the source added.

“They are no longer interested in the welfare of the people because they
could not take the responsibility of the people. So what they say is not
significant,” another source, who has a close relationship with the group,
told Mizzima.

Similarly, a Sino-Burma border based military analyst, Aung Kyaw Zaw,
said, the NDA-K lately lacks military power and strength and that it might
be possible for them to surrender any time if the junta asks them to.

“They [NDA-K] have only around 300 to 400 soldiers right now. The military
regime can compromise them anytime they wish to so it will not be a
surprise if they lay-down their arms,” Aung Kyaw Zaw said.

He said the NDA-K was used well by the military government in its efforts
to weaken the KIO, which is the major armed group among ethnic Kachin.

NDA-K has appointed five representatives to contest the ensuing election
and will represent the group in the political party, which will be formed
by representatives of all political and civilians groups in Kachin State.

The political party, which has not been officially announced, would be
called the “Kachin State Progressive Party” (KSPP), sources said, and it
will contest in the 2010 election as a representative party of the Kachin
people.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER


March 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
Waiting in silence: life in a border refugee camp - Rosalie Smith

Although being in Nu Pho camp feels like being in any little village
peppered with bamboo huts, no one I spoke to there seemed to feel safe.

"The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army is just too close", says Kohw, an
Arakan monk who has lived in Nu Pho for over a year and a half. Kohw is
unregistered, and therefore illegal, along with the other thousand or so
in the Arakan section of the camp.

Rumors about planned DKBA attacks on former political leaders in Nu Pho
circle around the camp from time to time. The DKBA split from the Karen
National Liberation Army – the armed wing of government opposition group
Karen National Union – in 1992 and joined sides with the then State Law
and Order Restoration Council (now State Peace and Development
Council-SPDC), Burma’s ruling military regime.

"We have so many spies affiliated with the Burma government," says Kohw's
friend, who approaches us to warn about any curious bystanders in the
camp. On 28 January last year, one suspected DKBA spy was arrested by the
camp security officers and later executed.

“All the Burmese people here who speak good Thai are potential SPDC
spies", Kohw says. The presence of spies creates a climate of fear,
despite many of the people in Nu Pho having no valuable information or
contacts, and thus being of no use to the SPDC. Still, people remain
careful about what they say and who they speak to.

The sight of children playing in the narrow streets and the friendly
attitude of people in Nu Pho seems to give a false facade. Hleswe, a
registered refugee who owns a small cornershop, has contacts among the KNU
leaders and firmly believes that the DKBA will attack in the next two
months.

"Current KNU leaders have warned me that former KNU leaders here, and all
political leaders, are in danger of getting assassinated," he whispers.
Hleswe has seen up to a hundred border police moving up to the Thai side
of the mountains nearby. “The DKBA will enter the camp from there, behind
the mountains,” he said. “It will happen.”

Kohw is an ex-political prisoner, and is aware of the assassination attack
rumors too. He is worried about the camp policy whereby ex-political
prisoners or people affiliated with activism in Burma live among refugees,
who have no special status in the SPDC's eyes.
"If an attack happens, the Thai military will be of no use to us," he said.

Hleswe believes that lack of resources mean the KNU won’t be of much help
in the event of an invasion. Likewise, the Thai military do not have the
capability to maintain security in the event of a DKBA invasion.

"I don't feel safe here," Hleswe admits. In Burma he worked for an armed
political organization and is worried that his past will hinder
resettlement. His wife and nephew are in the camp illegally.
“What will I do after I resettle? The same, long process waits for my wife
and nephew.”

Living under stress

Feelings of frustration and stress are common among the unregistered
refugees in Nu Pho. Some who have stayed in the camp longer suffer from
mental health problems says a monk who works with an underground
organisation in the camp that deals with social welfare issues among
Arakan refugees. Camp officials, however, do not allow such organizations
in Nu Pho so they are forced to work covertly.

“We have no work, no income and no hope for finding work,” says one Arakan
monk.

Unregistered refugees are not entitled to a camp pass that would let them
go in and out of the camp premises. They don't have access to the food
supplies controlled and distributed by the Thailand Burma Border
Consortium (TBBC) and are not offered shelter either.

Out of the 14,000 or so refugees in Nu Pho, as many as 4000 are estimated
to be unregistered. Since 2006, there has only been sporadic registration
of newcomers, meaning the majority go unregistered.

Along with lack of food and shelter, unregistered refugees also have to
worry about the camp officials who monitor their every move.

“When there is a conflict between registered and unregistered refugees,
Thai officials have threatened to deport any unregistered refugees
immediately, whether the conflict was their fault or not," Kohw says.

Like many others, Kohw spends his days in waiting. Some are waiting for a
chance to get registered, while other are holding out for resettlement.
And everyone waits for a possible attack.
Until recently, Nu Pho residents were under a strict curfew starting 9pm,
forbidden from walking outside, listening to the radio or even having
lights or candles on. Now, only wandering around after 9pm is forbidden
but the huts still seem to stay silent and dark, creating a perpetually
tense and ominous atmosphere.  "I feel like I'm under house arrest" said
one Arakan monk.


____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE


March 17, ANTARA News
RI, Myanmar to intensify trade relations, stage fair in Yangon


Jakarta,(ANTARA News) - Monday`s meeting between President Sosilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein resulted in agreements
holding out bright prospects for the two countries` trade relations.

The two leaders agreed to increase their trade volume to more than US$300
million from the current US$269,6 million in addition to conducting direct
trade and building direct banking links often seen as barriers in the two
countries` trade relations.

As the first step to meet this commitment, businessmen from Myanmar and
Indonesia are coordinating to hold a trade fair in July this year to boost
bilateral trade.

To be sponsored by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce
and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce Industry of Indonesia, the
Myanmar-Indonesia trade fair will comprise over 60 booths from the two
countries, the 7-Day News said on its website on Tuesday.

On display at the Myanmar booths will be agricultural produces, while that
at the Indonesian`s will be metals, electrical goods, medicines, and
textile, the sources said.

Indonesia, which mainly imports from Myanmar red onion and beans and
pulses, is Myanmar`s fourth largest trading partner among members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations after Thailand, Singapore and
Malaysia, having a bilateral trade with Myanmar standing at 293.96 million
U.S. dollars in the fiscal year of 2007-08.

Indonesia`s exports to Myanmar amounted to 207.24 million dollars, while
its imports from Myanmar valued at 86.72 million dollars, Myanmar official
statistics show.

In 2006, Indonesia established its first direct sea trade route with
Myanmar operating between Jakarta and Yangon, broadening its network in
the Southeast Asian region, according to earlier local reports.


In the meantime, Indonesian deputy ambassador to Myanmar Gopokson
Situmorang said on Monday said that Indonesia and Myanmar agreed to
develop direct trade to promote economic cooperation between the two
countries.


He said his office had approached Myanmar`s central bank and airline to
explore the possibility of establishing a direct banking links and flights
between Indonesia and Myanmar.


"We are exploring a direct banking and direct transport between Indonesia
and Myanmar," he said after attending a meeting between the Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and a visiting Myanmarese
delegation.


So far trade between the two countries is carried out through Singapore.
"Shipping of goods is also done through Singapore while if it is done
directly, for example, from Sabang (Aceh), the route will be closer and
the cost will also be less," he said.


He said he hoped the Myanmar central bank could connect Indonesian banks
with Myanmar Economic Bank (MEB), Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and
Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB) to serve import and export
transactions.


His side was reported to be in process of exploring it. If it could be
done directly no commission would have to be paid. Under the current
system our goods become more expensive, he said.

Kadin`s committee chairman for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, Juan
Gondokusumo, meanwhile said that the main obstacle hindering the
development of trade relations with Myanmar was the use of indirect system
of payment for the trade.
"They do not use US dollars and so it poses a problem in transactions. To
open a letter of credit a third party namely Singapore is also needed," he
said.

The government was urged to immediately seek a way to facilitate trade and
economic relations between the two countries.

Kadin and Myanmar`s Chamber of Commerce and Industry are currently
preparing a draft memorandum of understanding to improve the relations
between the two countries in the field of economy.

"We are going to jointly make a memorandum of understanding on everything
we are going to improve," he said.

Myo Oo, deputy to the director general of Myanmar`s trade department,
admited that banking still posed a problem hindering the development of
trade relations between the two countries.

"Because of US sanctions we cannot conduct transactions in US dollars and
so we use Euro or other currencies such as Singapore Dollar. We wish to
try to trade in Euro like what we have done with other countries," he
said.

He said that Indonesia remained one of his country`s 10 biggest trade
partners after Thailand, India, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and
Malaysia.

In view of that his side had agreed to cooperate with Indonesia to promote
growth of trade between the two countries. "However we are now still
seeking the right sector for development. (We are still considering)
whether it is agriculture or if Indonesia would still import rice," Myo Oo
said.

He said Indonesia had so far imported green peas and onions from Myanmar
through Malaysia.
Oo hoped exports and imports between the two countries could later be
carried out directly.

"Myanmar`s main exports to Indonesia are green peas totaling around 20,000
tons a year. Now we also wish to include onions and therefore we wish to
conduct direct relations with our buyers in Indonesia," he said.

The total value of trade between the two countries in 2007 was recorded at
US$292.8 million, increasing 86 percent from 2006 totalling US$157.4
million. From January to November 2008 the value of trade between the two
countries reached US$269.6 million.

Indonesia has so far enjoyed a surplus in its trade with Myanmar.
Indonesia`s exports to Myanmar in 2007 reached US$262.4 million while its
imports from that country were recorded at US$30.4 million.

Indonesia exports among others oil and gas, palmoil, cigarettes, sarongs
and herbal medicines to Myanmar while it imports among other things, peas,
onions, beans and fishery products from that country.


____________________________________


March 17, BBC
Burma’s gem mines face closure – Thuyein Kyaw-Zaw

Burmese rubies and jades are famous for their quality, and sold all over
the world.

But even such a reclusive and secretive country as Burma cannot protect
itself against the worldwide economic downturn.

Orders for Burmese precious stones have almost come to a halt and prices
have plummeted.

As precious stones are Burma's third biggest export, the collapse in
demand is having a serious effect on the economy.

They are usually sold, often via the black market, to China and Thailand -
where they are treated, polished and then sold.

"A viss (approximately 1.63kg) of jade stones, whether good or bad,
usually fetched a little over £100 ($144). Now we are unable to sell them
at a tenth of that," one gem trader told the BBC.

Burmese rubies and jades are mined in northern Burma, famously dubbed the
Valley of Rubies, or the Mogok region which is 800km (500 miles) from
Rangoon.

Some estimate that the region accounts for 90% of world ruby production.

But with falling demand, almost all the mine fields in Magok are facing
closure.

Some mine fields have closed completely, and some have seen up to 90% of
miners lose their jobs.

US ban

Many in the industry blame the drop in demand on the ban imposed on the
import of Burmese gems by the United States.

The ban was imposed by the Bush Administration following the crackdown on
the pro-democracy movement in 2007.

The former first lady, Laura Bush, also called for the boycott of
twice-yearly-held gem emporium in Rangoon.

But others dispute the importance of the US ban in the collapse in demand,
saying that because most Burmese gems end up in Europe, American sanctions
have only had a limited impact.

The business of mining Burmese precious stones is dominated by the
state-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings and the Myanmar Economic Corporation
(MEC).

With the fall of orders from Thailand, MEC has stopped its operations
altogether.

Sources from biggest mining fields told the BBC that until the downturn
there were about 500,000 people working in both government-owned and the
much smaller privately-owned mines.

This represented about 10% of the working population.

In Mineshu, the largest mining area, there were once 100,000 people
employed in the mines. Now it is reported that three-quarters of them have
lost their jobs and left.

One miner summed up the current state of the mining industry in Burma as
"close to extinction".

He said if the fall in demand continues into next year, it could spell the
end for the entire precious stones mining industry in Burma.


____________________________________
REGIONAL


March 17, The Times of India
Border fencing by Myanmar upsets Bangladesh

DHAKA - Bangladesh says its eastern neighbour Myanmar is "unilaterally"
erecting a barbed wire fencing along its border and has mobilised troops
and naval force.

Tension runs high along the Bangladesh-Myanmar 200 km long border, The
Daily Star said Tuesday quoting unnamed defence sources.

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mohammad Towhid Hossain confirmed that
Myanmar started mobilising its forces in the bordering areas since an
incident in the Bay of Bengal in November.

"The reinforcements are still there but we do not have any information
about the construction of fences," Hossain said.

"Bangladesh has no problem if Myanmar erects fences on their territory, he
said adding, "It will curb smuggling and illegal trespassing".

Myanmar started putting up barbed-wire fences along its borders with
Bangladesh last November when its naval ships intruded into Bangladesh's
maritime boundary. But the construction of the fences became visible
recently, Bangladeshi officials claimed.

Sources said an airport in Myanmar's Sitwe town, close to Bangladesh
border, is being revamped through construction of long runways.

Myanmar has also mobilised a number of China-made naval ships close to its
maritime boundary with Bangladesh.

Defence sources said they have information that the Myanmarese military
rulers were unhappy that the country in early November had to withdraw an
oil and gas-drilling rig from Bangladesh's maritime boundary which they
claimed as theirs.

Since then Myanmar has kept its soldiers on high alert alongside
Bangladesh border while Bangladesh also put its troops on alert for some
time.

"As tension mounts, smuggling in the bordering areas stopped totally.

"A Myanmarese drilling rig was positioned close to Bangladesh maritime
boundary the day before yesterday. But it did not enter our waters," said
a source.

The government has already been informed about the prevailing situation
but no specific instructions were given to the army, navy or air force.


____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL



March 17, IPS (via Irrawaddy)
Free Political Prisoners Campaign Picks Up – Marwaan Macan-Markar/IPS Writer

Bangkok — It is a photograph from happier times. Nilar Thein and her
husband Kyaw Min Yu look relaxed and free. They both sport warm smiles.
Kyaw Min Yu, or ‘Jimmy’, is carrying the couple’s baby daughter.

But it was a brief spark of happiness for the Burmese couple. They are
paying a heavy price for being in the vanguard of the country’s
pro-democracy struggle, challenging the oppressive grip of the ruling
military regime.

The baby was born in May 2007. Three months later, on August 21, Jimmy was
arrested with other leading pro-democracy activists for staging street
protests against the rise in the prices of oil and commodities in the
already impoverished South-east Asian nation.

Nilar Thein’s luck ran out after being on the run for over a year. She was
arrested in September 2008. It was not for the first time that she, like
her husband, had been jailed for being a political activist. After all,
they had met in prison, when they were serving long sentences previously.
But the sentences that the 37-year-old Nilar Thein and the 40-year-old
Jimmy received in November 2008 pointed to a sinister plan by the junta,
to crush any hint of opposition ahead of the planned general elections in
2010. Nilar Thein and Jimmy, who had served nine-year and 15-year terms
respectively, were each slapped with 65-year prison sentences.

Their story—and the picture of the once free couple—is expected to
traverse across the globe as part of the largest international signature
campaign launched by 150 Burmese groups to secure the release of all
political prisoners in Burma, or Myanmar.
The organizers of the Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now! (FBPPN)
campaign hope to collect nearly one million signatures before May 24, the
day pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be released after six
years of house arrest, if the junta abides by the law.

Such a high number of endorsements during the 11-week campaign are
expected to turn the heat on UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, target of
the global signature campaign. The FBPPN wants the world body’s top
diplomat to "make it his personal priority to secure the release of all
political prisoners in Burma, as the essential first step towards
democracy in the country."

"The freedom for all the political prisoners in Burma has become an
international benchmark to judge the state of democracy in the country,"
Soe Aung, spokesperson for the FBPPN campaign, told IPS. "The campaign
hopes to reach to a larger group of people concerned about the repression
in Burma."

"As long as political prisoners stay in the jails, there will not be peace
and development in Burma," says Su Mon Aye, who became the youngest female
political prisoner in the country when she was arrested in April 2000. She
was 19 years at the time and an undergraduate student of chemistry.

"Those who are released never give up their political activity. They
refuse to sign statements promising to stay away from politics," added Su
Mon Aye during the Bangkok launch of the global campaign. "We have to
fight the government to get our freedoms."

Other activists who also served prison terms for their political beliefs
are as adamant. "It is high time for the Burmese authorities to release
all political prisoners,’’ says Moe Zaw Oo, who was jailed in Rangoon’s
notorious Insein prison for nine years following his 1990 arrest for being
a political activist. "They are not criminals."

Currently, Burmese jails hold over 2,100 political prisoners, up from the
1,200 activists in jails in mid-2007. This jump follows the wave of
arrests that followed the peaceful, pro-democracy street protests led by
Buddhist monks in September 2007, which was harshly suppressed.

Nilar Thein and Jimmy are among the 23 leaders of the 88 Generation
Students group of pro-democracy activists who have received 65-year prison
sentences each. The group gets its name from giving leadership as students
during the August 1988 pro-democracy uprising, which was brutally crushed
by the military - resulting in close to 3,000 deaths.

Burma’s jails hold 220 monks and six nuns, all of whom "have been forcibly
stripped of their robes by the authorities and many of them have been
tortured," says the FBPPN in a campaign note.

The other political prisoners include 456 members of the National League
for Democracy (NLD), the opposition party led by Suu Kyi, 186 female
prisoners, and 20 men and women who were volunteers assisting victims of
the devastating cyclone that crashed through Burma’s Irrawaddy delta in
May last year, killing tens of thousands of people.

The move by the FBPPN to turn to the Internet to secure the nearly million
signatures by calling for sympathizers to endorse the on-line petition
also places this drive in a new league. It marks a steady shift away from
the traditional form such campaigns took—writing letters that were sent in
the mail.

"The campaign is taking advantage of a medium that has become a powerful
tool to get information out of Burma," says David Scott Mathieson, Burma
consultant for the global rights lobby Human Rights Watch (HRW). "It is a
smart move."

"Ban Ki-moon will have to redouble the UN’s efforts since this campaign
will mean a million people will be aware of Burma’s political prisoners,"
Mathieson told IPS. "This is one the biggest campaigns that aims to show
the world just how serious the problem is."

The campaign could unnerve the military which has held the country in its
grip since a 1962 coup. "Burma’s military leaders could not ignore this
unified call,’’ says Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy, a current affairs
magazine published by Burmese journalists living in exile. "They are
afraid of it, we have heard from our sources."


____________________________________


March 17, VOA News
UN Expert Calls for Burma to Release Political Prisoners – Lisa Schlein

Geneva - A U.N. special investigator is calling for Burma's ruling
military junta to release more than 2,000 political prisoners. The human
rights expert urges Burma's government, also known as Myanmar, to free
Democratic Opposition Leader and Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi from six
years of house detention. The investigator has submitted his report to the
U.N. Human Rights Council.

The U.N. Special Investigator's call for Burma's military junta to release
2,100 prisoners of conscience has had serious repercussions. News reports
from Yangon say authorities arrested five members of detained
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party.

The Investigator, Tomas Ojea Quintana, visited Burma last month but was
not allowed to meet Suu Kyi. In presenting his report to the U.N. Human
Rights Council, he notes she has been under house arrest for almost six
years, one year longer than permitted under Burmese law.

Quintana reiterates his appeal for the release of political prisoners and
says they should be allowed to vote in the country's elections in 2010.

"I cannot discuss the situation of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar and
not mention the harsh sentences delivered by prison courts," he said.
"During the period between October and December 2008, some 400 prisoners
of conscience were given sentences, ranging from 24 years to 65 years of
imprisonment."

"In January 2009, a member of All Burma Federation of Student Union, in
his early 20s, was sentenced to 104 years of imprisonment," he continued.

The Burmese Ambassador to the United Nations, Wunna Maung Lwin, rejects
the investigator's charge his government was holding 2,100 prisoners of
conscience.

"I would like to reiterate to the Council that there are no prisoners of
conscience in Myanmar," he said. "In fact, these are only individuals who
are serving the prison terms for breaking the laws in Myanmar."

Human rights expert Quintana raises concerns about the dire living
conditions confronting millions of Burmese residents. He says many people
have barely anything to eat, no medical facilities or utilities such as
clean water.

He is very critical of the abusive treatment of ethnic minorities living
in Kayin State.

"I traveled recently to Kayin State," said the U.N. special investigator.
"I urge the Myanmar army and non-state armed groups in the country, to
respect and not use violence against un-armed civilians. In this regard,
recruitment of child soldiers, displacement of villagers, the use of
anti-personnel landmines, and the forced labor of civilians should stop
without any delay."

The Burmese Ambassador denies charges the military recruits children into
the army. He says this is a smear by non-governmental organizations. He
adds his government is cooperating with the International Labor
Organization in efforts to eradicate forced labor.  
___________________________________

March 16, Inner City News
On Myanmar, UN Official Predicts April 18 Ban Visit, US Softens Too, Gas
as Lubricant – Matthew Russell Lee

United Nations - On Myanmar, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is actively
arranging a visit for just after the April 12 ASEAN meeting, most probably
on April 18, a senior UN official told Inner City Press on Monday night.
The official painted a rosy picture of recent actions by the military
government of General Than Shwe, from his belated softening on the Muslim
Rohingya population to his government's engagement with Indonesia on this
refugee issue. The news on Myanmar is good, the official said, mirroring a
shift in United States policy under Barack Obama.

As Inner City Press reported from Washington last week, sources in the
White House say that lobbying by the U.S. oil and gas industries has
played a role in the Administration's signals that economic sanctions
haven't been working in Myanmar, that it's time for more engagement --
read, U.S. business entry.  The question on Ban Ki-moon, these sources
say, is whether a visit by him can be accompanied by enough face-saving
concessions by Than Shwe to allow everyone to make money.

The UN's spin of good news from Myanmar runs counter to a recent report on
that military government's performance in the aftermath of last year's
Cyclone Nargis. A Johns Hopkins report called for referral of Than Shwe
and his senior officials to the International Criminal Court for crimes
against humanity. While some thought the indictment of Sudan's president
might make referral of Myanmar more likely, the trend appears quite the
opposite.  "If you can't beat them, join them," appears to be the UN's
approached to Myanmar. Or at least, "visit them." Watch this site.

Footnotes: The above-quoted UN official, left nameless in an abundance of
respect, spoke at a surreal reception Monday night to commemorate the 1988
massacre by gas of Kurds in Halabja. The reception, sponsored by Iraq's
Mission to the UN, features smoked salmon and jumbo shrimp on ice, as well
as liquor as more than one reported noted. The Kurds are not fanatics,
said one correspondent long stationed there, wondering if one day 9/11/01
will be celebrated like this, or even by mall sales.  One trusts that
Burma's 8/8/88 will never be similarly toasted, despite the plentiful
shrimp along the coast.