BurmaNet News, May 19, 2009

[Editor]

May 19, 2009, Issue #3713


INSIDE BURMA
AP: Lawyer: Myanmar may rush democracy leader's trial
Press Trust of India: Suu Kyi's "ready to face anything"; trial enters 2nd
day
AFP: Burma state media gives first reports on Suu Kyi
DVB: Surveillance stepped up outside Insein

HEALTH / AIDS
Mizzima News: Ministry of Health bans unregistered indigenous medicines

REGIONAL
BBC News: Asian leaders condemn Burma trial

INTERNATIONAL
DVB: UN envoy delivers message to Burma junta
Irrawaddy: Two Burmese die in Malaysian detention center
AP: Trial of Suu Kyi may dash change in US policy
AP: Paris mayor calls for Aung San Suu Kyi to be freed
AP: 'Why Aung San Suu Kyi must be freed': Carla Bruni's letter to junta
Xinhua: China expects Myanmar to realize reconciliation through dialogue

OPINION / OTHER
Time: Why foreigners can make things worse for Burma – Hannah Beech
Irrawaddy: China should break its silence on Suu Kyi
Irrawaddy: Foreign companies in Burma must review their involvement – Yeni
IPS: Nature conspires against Cyclone Victims, denying them clean water –
Marwaan Macan-Markar

INTERVIEW
Irrawaddy: ‘We don’t recognize the trial’ – Win Tin



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 19, Associated Press
Lawyer: Myanmar may rush democracy leader's trial

Myanmar's military regime appears to be rushing a trial of democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, one of her lawyers said Tuesday on the second day
of proceedings seen as a pretext for the government to keep the Nobel
laureate jailed through elections next year.

Five prosecution witnesses gave testimony Tuesday in the case, which
accuses Suu Kyi of violating her house arrest after an American man swam
to and entered her lakeside home without her permission.

Suu Kyi, who has been in detention without trial for more than 13 or the
past 19 years, had been scheduled to be freed May 27. The charges against
her come as the ruling junta prepares for elections that it says are the
culmination of a "roadmap to democracy," which has been criticized as a
fig leaf for continued military control.

Her two companions and John W. Yettaw, 53, of Falcon, Missouri, are being
tried with her. The offense is punishable by up to five years'
imprisonment.

Hundreds of police in full riot gear, some armed with rifles, were
deployed along all roads leading to Insein prison as the trial continued
Tuesday morning. About 100 Suu Kyi supporters gathered peacefully near the
prison.

The witnesses who testified Tuesday included the two police officers who
were said to have fished Yettaw out of Yangon's Inya Lake after he swam
away from Suu Kyi's residence, said Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy party and one of four lawyers representing
her at the trial.

Yettaw's family has described him as an as well-intentioned admirer of Suu
Kyi who merely wanted to interview her, unaware of the problems his
actions could trigger. Her supporters have expressed anger at him for
getting her into trouble.

Because Yettaw is on trial, a U.S. consular official has been allowed to
attend the hearing, which is otherwise closed to the press and public.

The prosecution has scheduled 22 witnesses for the trial, prompting Nyan
Win to say earlier that the proceedings could last three months.

"Now it is very clear that they are trying to speed up the trial," he told
reporters Tuesday at party headquarters. "If it goes on at this rate, it
could even be over by next week."

Nyan Win said he did not know why authorities might be speeding up the
trial, which few expect to go in Suu Kyi's favor. Courts in military-run
Myanmar have rarely ruled in favor of Suu Kyi or any pro-democracy
activists in numerous cases over the past two decades.

Last week's arrest of the Nobel Peace laureate reignited criticism of
Myanmar's military junta and led to renewed calls by world leaders for her
immediate release.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the charges against Suu Kyi
were "unjustified" and called for her unconditional release and that of
more than 2,100 other political prisoners.

Suu Kyi's arrest could well derail a "softer" approach that the Obama
administration had been searching for to replace Washington's sanctions
and other get-tough policies that did nothing to divert the ruling junta's
iron-fisted rule.

Even Myanmar's partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or
ASEAN, which rarely criticize one another, expressed "grave concern,"
saying "the honor and the credibility of the (Myanmar government) are at
stake."

But China, Myanmar's closet ally, on Tuesday showed no signs it would
exert pressure on the Myanmar government on the issue of Aung San Suu
Kyi's trial.

"Myanmar's issue should be decided by the Myanmar people," Foreign
Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said at a regular news briefing. "We hope
that the relevant parties in Myanmar could realize reconciliation,
stability and development through dialogue."

____________________________________

May 19, Press Trust of India
Suu Kyi's "ready to face anything"; trial enters 2nd day

Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi today said she was "ready to
face anything" as her lawyer said the military junta appeared rushing her
trial to keep her incarcerated on charges that she violated conditions of
her detention by sheltering a US citizen.

Five prosecution witnesses testified today at the closed -door trial of
Suu Kyi, according to the spokesman of Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD).

Four of the witnesses are police officers, including the one who arrested
an American intruder who sneaked into her lakeside home on May 3, Nyan Win
told a news briefing at the NLD's head office after the second day of
court proceedings.

"It seems like they have sped up the trial process," said Nyan Win, who
earlier said he expected the trial to last at least three months.

"Normally the court does not have hearings everyday. At this rate the
trial could finish next week," he was quoted as saying by Kyodo news
agency.

If convicted, Suu Kyi, 63, could face three to five years in prison.

Nyan Win said that Suu Kyi told NLD members not to worry about her as she
has not violated any law. "She said she is ready to face anything," he
said.

The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner has been under house arrest for 13 of
the past 19 years -- a confinement that the military junta has regularly
extended.

____________________________________

May 19, Agence France Presse
Burma state media gives first reports on Suu Kyi

Burma's tightly controlled state media has reported on the trial of Aung
San Suu Kyi for the first time, giving a rare mention of the imprisoned
pro-democracy leader.

State television and radio carried brief items late Monday after the first
day of proceedings, while the government mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar
newspaper had a report on Tuesday.

It was the biggest story on the back page of the English-language paper,
but failed to knock a story about a state transport and agricultural
scheme off the front page.

Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial on Monday on charges of breaching her house
arrest after John Yettaw, a US national, swam to her lakeside home earlier
this month.

Yettaw and the opposition leader's two aides are also on trial.

The newspaper said that Yettaw now faced a third charge, brought by the
Yangon City Council Sanitation Department, of swimming in Inya Lake
without permission. He is also charged with breaching security and
immigration laws.

The court on Monday heard two witnesses, one in Aung San Suu Kyi's case
and one in Yettaw's, it said.

The Burmese-language Myanmar Ahlin newspaper also had a report on its back
page, which said that after Yettaw entered her compound on May 3, Aung San
Suu Kyi "gave him food and let him stay at the house" for two nights.

Both reports gave details of the lawyers for the defendents, their lawyers
and the judges.

Neither paper mentioned the fact that the trial was being held behind
closed doors in the notorious Insein prison, where Aung San Suu Kyi is
being held, only saying that it was taking place at Yangon's northern
district court.

The television and radio reports late Monday had similar details but were
brief. They came after several reports about official engagements by
members of Burma's military regime and immediately before the daily
weather forecast.

____________________________________

May 19, Democratic Voice of Burma
Surveillance stepped up outside Insein – Naw Say Phaw

Security outside Insein prison, where Aung San Suu Kyi is facing the
second day of court hearings, has increased, with reports that officials
are photographing supporters of Suu Kyi waiting outside the gates.

According to an anonymous source outside the prison, members of the
government-affiliated Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA)
have joined police and militia groups to monitor crowds.

“Today, there are more security forces than yesterday including members of
the special police branch in plain clothing,” said the source.

“They and some USDA members are taking photographs of every single person
who came to gather near the prison gates, who are mainly National League
for Democracy members and university students.

More and more people were arriving outside the prison, he said, adding
that shops at Insein market, which had been closed yesterday on the first
day of the trial, were now open.

Similarly, a roadblock on a bridge near to the prison was now allowing
some container trucks leaving Rangoon to pass through.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

May 19, Mizzima News
Ministry of Health bans unregistered indigenous medicines – Phanida

The Burmese Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced a list of some
unregistered indigenous medicines, which were unfit for consumption, in
all the daily newspapers.

The Ministry of Health in Burma has banned 16 items of indigenous
medicine, which is the follow-up list of some brands of pickled tea
leaves, indigenous medicines for children and fish paste, banned earlier.

The announcement of the Health Ministry claims that these banned products
are unregistered with them and they cannot guarantee their authenticity
and effectiveness. These products are unfit for use by the consumers, the
announcement said.

These banned products are Kachin Thway Say with Gyophyu brand, Sein Thaw,
Tu Tazin and Kyaw brands for asthma, pain killers, gynecology drugs,
gastric and hypertension drugs. Most of these products are produced and
marketed in Kachin State and Rangoon Division.

Similarly, the Ministry earlier banned Daw Htwe Gaw Mutta and Daw Kyin
brands of medicines for children, for excessive use of arsenic and lead on
May 4, 2009.

Over a 100 brands of pickled tea leaves, were similarly banned last month
after it was found that they contained industrial chemical dye 'Auramine
O'.

It has been learnt that this chemical dye is normally used in dyeing of
fabrics, wool, silk, paper and hides, which can cause liver and kidney
diseases and can affect the growth of the body in case of long term
consumption.

Moreover, the Ministry banned about 80 brands of fish paste for using the
chemical dye 'Rhodamine B', which can cause cancer to consumers.

This red chemical dye is used for dyeing and polishing of fabrics, wool,
silk, paper and hides and is also used as a chemical reagent in pathology
labs.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 19, BBC News
Asian leaders condemn Burma trial

South East Asian leaders have expressed "grave concern" in their first
official response to the trial of Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.

A statement by Asean - a 10-nation grouping that includes Burma - called
for proper medical care for Ms Suu Kyi.

It warned the "honour and credibility" of Burma's government were at stake.

The 63-year-old, whose health is frail, is facing a second day on trial at
Rangoon's Insein prison, charged with breaking the terms of her house
arrest.

As a member of Asean, Burma "has the responsibility to protect and promote
human rights", said the statement issued by Thailand, which currently
chairs the bloc.

"With the eyes of the international community on Myanmar (Burma) at
present, the honour and the credibility of the government are at stake,"
it added.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says the statement is unusually strong
for Asean, which has a tradition of not criticising the internal affairs
of its members.

But he says that as Asean has discovered to its great embarrassment since
admitting Burma as a member 12 years ago, its voice carries little weight
with the military rulers.

Baseless charges

The closed-door trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose health is known to be
fragile, began on Monday amid tight security.

A BBC reporter in Rangoon - whose name is being withheld for his safety,
because all foreign journalists are barred from Burma - says dozens of
supporters gathered near the jail in quiet protest.

But riot police set up barbed wire barricades to prevent them getting too
close, and plain-clothes officers filmed them.

Ms Suu Kyi is on trial, along with her two female assistants, for
violating the terms of her house arrest after a US man, John Yettaw, swam
to her lakeside home earlier this month.

Mr Yettaw is also facing charges.

According to Burma's constitution, Ms Suu Kyi's latest period of detention
was to expire on 27 May, and many observers see the case as a pretext to
ensure she is in jail during next year's elections.

She has already spent 13 of the past 19 years in jail or detained in her
home, and faces a further three to five years' imprisonment if found
guilty of these latest charges.

It is unclear how long the trial will take, but estimates range from a few
days to several weeks, as the government is expected to summon 22
witnesses to support its claim.

The outrage expressed by Western governments will make little difference
to Burma's generals if past experience is any guide.

Perhaps China - Burma's biggest trading partner - is the only country that
can influence it, analysts say.

The EU plans to ask Premier Wen Jiabao to speak out on behalf of the
detained opposition leader - but such a break with China's customary
silence seems unlikely, analysts say.

____________________________________

May 19, Irrawaddy
Two Burmese die in Malaysian detention center – Wai Moe

Two Burmese migrant workers who were detained at an immigration detention
center in Malaysia have died of leptospirosi, an ailment caused by
unhealthy drinking water, sources said.

According to the Burma Worker Rights Protection Committee, two migrant
workers died in Bukit Mertajam at Bukit Mertajam Hospital following their
detention in Juru Immigration Detention Center in Pulau Pinang Province.

“We heard that a second Burmese from the immigration camp died on Monday.
On May 12, another Burmese died of the same cause,” said Ye Min Tun, the
secretary of the group.  The names of the dead were not available.

“There is no proper drinking water system for detained foreigners,” said
Ye Min Tun.
“There is no health care for detainees.”

Malaysian health officials told local newspapers that about 25 people from
the immigration camp have contracted leptospirosi and are being treated
now. One man is in critical condition.

Leptospirosis is commonly transmitted by allowing water that has been
contaminated by animal urine to come into contact with unhealed cuts or
abrasions on the skin, eyes or mucous membranes. It is a relatively rare
bacterial infection in humans, health experts said.

“Out of the 23 cases under treatment as of yesterday, one has died. Three
were discharged, leaving 19 cases still under treatment now,” said
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, in a statement.

Former inmates said that water storage facilities in the detention camp
are near toilet areas. There are three buildings in the camp. An estimated
700 foreigners, held by immigration authorities for various offenses, are
detained there.

Earlier this year, two Burmese migrant workers died at a detention center.
Two men, indentified as Ko Paul and Kyaw Swa, died in January 2008,
sources said. No cause of death was given.

“After they tighten the rules in the centers, immigration officials and
RELA [a government-backed group that focuses on illegal immigration]
harassed detainees at the center,” said a former detainee who spoke on
condition of anonymity.

He said that during searches detainees are sometimes beaten. RELA is a
mass group that is used to suppress illegal migrant workers in Malaysia.
Human rights groups say RELA members are not trained properly as
professionals. In 2005, authorities granted RELA the right to help oversee
immigration detention centers and arrest illegal migrants.
In an effort to escape economic hardship at home, millions of Burmese
migrant workers are in neighboring countries in Southeast Asia,
particularly Malaysia and Thailand.

Malaysia is home to an estimated 500,000 Burmese migrant workers,
illegally or legally, while Thailand hosts at least 2.5 million migrant
workers from Burma.

“Malaysia is not a good place for foreigner migrants, particularly migrant
workers,” said Latheefa Koya, a well-know Malaysian human rights lawyer.
Human rights standards for migrant workers are low, she said, and there is
also a high level of xenophobia, which compounds the problem.

Malaysia needs to reform its migrant worker laws, which now allow
systematic abuse of migrant workers, she said.

This story was written under a 2009 Southeast Asian Press Alliance Fellowship

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 19, Democratic Voice of Burma
UN envoy delivers message to Burma junta – Nay Htoo

The United Nations envoy to Burma has said that the international
community, including the UN, should step up pressure on the regime to
ensure unwarranted charges against Aung San Suu Kyi are dropped.

Suu Kyi’s second day of court hearings began at around 10am this morning.
She faces charges of breaching her house arrest after US citizen John
Yettaw swam to her lakeside home earlier this month.

The UN human rights envoy to Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, said however that
the charges are unsubstantiated.

“The message to the government is first that this new file has to be
dismissed immediately, because there are no grounds at all,” he said.

“She cannot be accused of any crime at all.”

Quintana reiterated a comment he made last week that the breach of
security achieved by Yettaw is a fault of the government, and not Suu Kyi
or her caretakers, who are also on trial for the incident.

“The responsibility regarding the security and the conditions of the her
house arrest lie in the government,” he said.

“She was under government custody, therefore the government is responsible
for the security conditions.

“That’s very important because her case under these circumstances requires
all the attention from all of the world.”

Similarly, the now exiled former Burmese ambassador to the United States
implied that Yettaw’s breach could have been allowed by security in order
to give the government an excuse to continue her detention, which was due
to expire on 27 May.

“There are about 250 security personnel around Daw Suu’s house, including
three outposts guarding the neighbourhood, the road at the front and Inya
lake,” said Aung Linn Htut.

“It is no way possible for someone to infiltrate such heavy security.”

Quintana called upon international leaders to increase their demands for
her release in light of the spiraling humanitarian situation there.

“It is very clear for me that these new circumstances against Suu Kyi are
a message that the human rights situation is getting worse in the
country,” he said.

“I am calling all the members of the United Nations Human Rights Council
to raise their voices in favor of her release.”

____________________________________

May 19, Associated Press
Trial of Suu Kyi may dash change in US policy – Foster Klug

The Obama administration has been considering whether a softer approach on
Myanmar could spur democratic change in the military-run country, but the
trial starting this week of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi may dash
the possibility of a new U.S. policy.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly was blunt when asked Monday whether
the proceedings against Suu Kyi make it more difficult for the
administration to ease tough sanctions against Myanmar:

"It certainly doesn't help."

Kelly would not elaborate, saying only a "whole range of options" are
being considered as senior officials from various U.S. agencies meet to
review the policy meant to push Myanmar's junta "to do the right thing."

Even as the review continues, President Barack Obama extended for another
year on Friday a state of emergency regarding Myanmar, also known as
Burma. Sanctions would have expired had the emergency order not been
extended.

Still, signals from Obama's administration had prompted speculation that
the United States might be poised to reconsider its hard line against
Myanmar.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in February, on a trip
to Indonesia, "Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions
hasn't influenced the Burmese junta." She added, however, that Myanmar's
neighbors' policy of "reaching out and trying to engage them hasn't
influenced them either."

Suu Kyi, who went on trial Monday, already has spent more than 13 of the
past 19 years in detention. The Nobel Peace laureate has been charged with
violating conditions of her house arrest by sheltering an American man who
swam to her lakeside home to secretly visit her earlier this month. The
offense is punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

David Steinberg, a Myanmar specialist at Georgetown University, said the
Obama administration might have been considering small changes, such as
joint efforts to recover the remains of U.S. soldiers.

"The modest progress that could have taken place will be set back now," he
said. The United States, Steinberg said, cannot begin easing sanctions
until it sees real change from Myanmar's generals.

Suu Kyi had been scheduled to be freed May 27 after six consecutive years
of house arrest. The latest charges are widely seen as a pretext for the
government to keep her detained past elections scheduled for next year.

Ralph A. Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank, questioned
the U.S. policy of maintaining "total isolation and strict sanctions"
until the junta recognizes the results of the 1990 elections it lost in a
landslide to Suu Kyi's party but did not honor.

"That a new policy is needed is beyond dispute," he wrote last week. "What
that policy should or will be is far from clear, however." Some, Cossa
said, have pushed for an approach similar to the six-nation negotiations
being used by the United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China to
try to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs.

U.S. sanctions, he wrote, "need to be more targeted against the government
and its leaders and not against the people themselves."

Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell, the Senate's top Republican and a regular
critic of Myanmar's generals, offered rare praise for Obama on Monday for
his decision to extend the emergency order against Myanmar.

He warned Myanmar's leaders that both Democrats and Republicans "will
continue to follow Suu Kyi's trial with great interest and deep concern."

____________________________________

May 19, Associated Press
Paris mayor calls for Aung San Suu Kyi to be freed

The mayor of Paris has called for the release in Myanmar of Nobel Laureate
and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is on trial on charges she
violated the terms of her house arrest.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoe joined other municipal officials at the Place de la
Republique in eastern Paris on Tuesday where a large portrait of Suu Kyi
was hung.

Suu Kyi is an honorary citizen of Paris.

France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, on Monday called on Myanmar's
ruling junta to release Suu Kyi. She has been in detention without trial
for more than 13 of the past 19 years.

The offense for which Suu Kyi is now on trial is punishable by up to five
years' imprisonment. The trial is closed to the public and media.
____________________________________

May 19, Associated Press
'Why Aung San Suu Kyi must be freed': Carla Bruni's letter to junta

France's first lady called on Burma's ruling military junta to free
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who went on trial in Rangoon today.

In an open letter entitled "Why Aung San Suu Kyi must be freed", Carla
Bruni-Sarkozy said that Suu Kyi's poor health meant that her life could be
at threat if she was sent to prison.

Suu Kyi is being tried on charges she violated conditions of her most
recent house arrest by sheltering an American who swam to her lakeside
home this month.

She had been scheduled for release from house arrest at the end of May but
now faces up to five years' imprisonment.

"It's a question of simple humanity to allow a sick woman to be freed so
she may get herself treated properly," said the letter.

"To imprison her, and all of the regime's opponents, is to smother any
hope for democracy in Burma," said the letter.

Bruni-Sarkozy said she was speaking on behalf of those in France who "find
the fate reserved for this woman intolerable."

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also denounced Suu Kyi's trial,
which he called a "scandalous provocation" and an attempt by the
government to neutralise a major political opponent before upcoming
elections.

"I hope that any sentence (levied against Suu Kyi) will be only
theoretical," Kouchner told France-Inter radio on Monday.

Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in Burma's democratic elections in
1990, but the ruling military government refused to honour the result. The
Nobel laureate has spent more than 13 of the last 19 years in
government-ordered detention.

In Paris, demonstrators gathered near the Burmese embassy to condemn the
trial. Protesters, some brandishing red and yellow flags reading "Freedom
for Myanmar (Burma)," included representatives of Amnesty International,
French women's rights advocates and Burma nationals.

"All of this is utter manipulation by the junta," said Khin Zin Minn, an
activist who immigrated from Burma to France in 2002.

Like some of the other Paris protesters, Minn suggested that John William
Yettaw - the US citizen who swam to Suu Kyi's home - had been encouraged
to do so by the Burmese government.

British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a longtime supporter of
Burma's pro-democracy movement concurred, saying the incident "fell like
bread from the sky for the military junta."

Another Paris demonstrator, former opposition politician Maung Hla Aung,
called the trial "an insult to the whole Burmese population."

He said Suu Kyi represents the "the sole hope" for human rights in Burma,
which has been ruled by its military since 1962.

____________________________________

May 19, Xinhua
China expects Myanmar to realize reconciliation through dialogue

China hopes Myanmar can realize reconciliation, stability and development
through dialogues of all parties, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu
said here Tuesday.

Ma made the remarks when answering a question concerning Myanmar
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a regular press briefing.

Suu Kyi is on trial, charged with accommodating and speaking to an
American named John William Yettaw, who sneaked into her restricted house
on May 3.

If convicted, Suu Kyi would face five years of imprisonment and an
automatic extension of her current term of house detention since 2003.

"Myanmar's affairs should be decided by its people. As a neighbor, China
hopes Myanmar can realize reconciliation, stability and development
through dialogues of all parties," said Ma.

The Obama administration of the United States has extended economic
boycott against Myanmar last week and voiced its concerns over the health
of Suu Kyi, urging her immediate release out of the house arrest.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 19, Time
Why foreigners can make things worse for Burma – Hannah Beech

There's something about Burma. Zimbabwe, Laos, North Korea, Sudan,
Uzbekistan — all these countries are plagued by repressive rulers. But
none of these places grips the popular imagination like this isolated
nation in the heartland of Asia. With its thuggish ruling junta and
defiant, beautiful opposition leader, Burma inspires unparalleled
international sympathy and the passions of do-gooders. Only the Dalai Lama
rivals fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi when it comes to
dissident magnetism — and, even so, the Tibetan monk has not languished
under house arrest for much of the past two decades as Suu Kyi has.

Yet it may be the same global allure of the woman who Burmese simply refer
to as "the Lady" that, in the strangest of circumstances, landed Suu Kyi
in court and on trial on May 18. The 63-year-old democracy activist is
charged with violating her house arrest by allowing an American intruder
to stay at her lakeside villa after he unexpectedly — and illegally — swam
across a lake and snuck into her backyard. John Yettaw of Missouri was
arrested as he was paddling back from Suu Kyi's villa in early May. The
American was put on trial the same day as Suu Kyi, charged with various
crimes, including immigration violations and swimming in a forbidden part
of Inya lake in Burma's commercial capital Rangoon. Two of Suu Kyi's
aides, who live with her, are also on trial. (See pictures of Burma after
Cyclone Nargis.)

The American's rationale for sneaking into the residential compound of the
world's most famous political prisoner without her permission is
uncertain. But the implications are chilling. Suu Kyi's most recent
house-arrest stint was supposed to expire at the end of the month. Now,
Burma's generals have a pretext, outlandish as it may be, to keep her
locked up anew. The charges against the democracy activist carry a prison
sentence of up to five years. "I cannot tell you what he was thinking when
he made those swims or whether or not he considered the consequences for
anyone but himself," Yettaw's stepson Paul told the Associated Press. "I
am very sure it never occurred to him that Suu Kyi or her companions could
also suffer from his choices."

A conviction will effectively sideline the Lady from lending her voice to
nationwide elections that the junta has announced for next year. Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide the country's last
elections back in 1990, but the junta ignored the results. This time
around, they have rigged the electoral system with arcane regulations that
deliberately exclude Suu Kyi from participating. Other rules specify that
top posts must be reserved for members of the military, thereby ensuring
the junta's longevity. Nevertheless, many in Burma had hoped that Suu Kyi,
in whatever limited form, might be able to influence the political
process. It will be near impossible for her to do so from prison.

It is a remarkable irony that an unknown American, who presumably wanted
to champion Suu Kyi's democratic cause, was the catalyst for her latest
troubles. But so go the unintended consequences of political inexperience.
"Burma's pro-democracy movement has long been an attraction for
fantasists, fanatics and adventure tourists," writes Aung Zaw, editor of
the respected online news magazine the Irrawaddy, sho covers Burma from
neighboring Thailand. "Did John William Yettaw consider the consequences
[of his swim]? Did he think for a minute that he would do more harm than
good? Probably not."

One of Suu Kyi's lawyers branded Yettaw a "wretched American." Inside the
country, it can be easy to spot the foreign idealists masquerading as,
say, tourists or teachers, who have made it their mission to change Burma.
They whisper about regime change and seethe with political indignation.
They talk about signature campaigns or the latest effort to get foreign
parliamentarians to condemn the Burmese regime's odious behavior.

The impulse to want to rid Burma of its cruel government is
understandable. But, so far, the outcome of this imported idealism has
been nothing but failure. Since seizing power in 1962, the military regime
has only tightened its grip on power. And when foreigners are sentenced to
jail in Burma, they have a far better chance of being released early or
treated favorably than a Burmese political dissident does. As Aung Zaw
noted in the Irrawaddy, two British activists who were convicted for
staging separate political protests in Burma in 1999 were both released
early after serving only a fraction of their jail sentences. Good news for
them. But Burmese can hardly expect the same treatment. If Suu Kyi is
convicted — and Burmese courts have a frighteningly high conviction rate —
few expect the Lady to taste freedom anytime soon.

____________________________________

May 18, Irrawaddy
China should break its silence on Suu Kyi

The removal of Aung San Suu Kyi from her home to Rangoon’s infamous Insein
Prison and her trial before a secret court have sparked international
outrage and condemnation, shared by world leaders, Nobel Prize winners and
prominent personalities.

Two governments have remained significantly silent, however—those of
Burma’s two giant neighbors, China and India.

The reasons for their silence aren’t difficult to discern.

Both countries exploit Burma’s natural resources and are major trading
partners. China, in particular, profits from lively arms sales to the
pariah regime.

China makes no secret of its strong ties with Burma. New Delhi, on the
other hand, is a pathetic hypocrite, changing its policy from support for
Suu Kyi to one of subservience to Burma’s ruling generals. India has
descended a long and ignoble decline since presenting Suu Kyi with its
coveted Jawaharlal Nehru Award.

It’s sad indeed to see one of the world’s largest democracies—whose
commitment to democracy has just been proved in a general
election—kowtowing to the bullies of Naypyidaw.

China’s stance on Burma is, by comparison, at least intriguing.

At the time of the September 2007 demonstrations, when monks and other
protesters were gunned down in the streets of Rangoon, China told Burma to
exercise restraint. Beijing urged the junta to restore order quickly and
to address the domestic tensions that caused the unrest.

Although the regime ignored the appeals from Beijing, China remained on
friendly terms with Naypidaw and used its UN veto to block a Security
Council resolution on Burma in 2007.

Beijing is not blind, however, to Burma’s ongoing problems. Chinese
analysts and officials have been meeting exiled Burmese and making
assessments on Burma. They have suggested that Beijing is wary of
political development in Burma.

China has also told the Burmese regime that it doesn’t share Naypyidaw’s
description of Suu Kyi as a tool of the West, and has indicated strongly
that it wants to see national reconciliation in Burma.

When Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited Burma in December, he
urged junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe to respect the UN’s request for an
inclusive political process in Burma, and he reportedly mentioned
political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Informed sources in Naypyidaw suggested that Than Shwe looked unhappy,
while briefing his Chinese visitor on the state of the country, including
its political and economic development and reconstruction work in the
cyclone-hit Irrawaddy delta.

It is sad that Burmese leaders have found in China a convenient shield to
hide behind whenever they face international outrage and condemnation.
Again, the silence emanating from Beijing only sent a wrong signal to Than
Shwe.

As in September 2007, Beijing should speak out. But this time it should
exercise its political influence not only on Burma but also on the region
as a whole to press for the release of Suu Kyi and the other political
prisoners.

Such a move by China would be warmly welcomed by oppressed Burmese and the
exiled community. It shouldn’t be forgotten that they also want to regard
China as a friend.

____________________________________

May 19, Irrawaddy
Foreign companies in Burma must review their involvement – Yeni

As the Burmese regime brutally increases its isolation of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the US and countries of the European Union remain
steadfast in applying their pressure on the junta. US President Barack
Obama formally extended his administration’s sanctions, while the EU is
considering whether to step up its own measures.

Burma's stubborn, thuggish military leaders can shrug off Western
pressure, however, knowing they can rely on support from such friendly and
powerful neighbors as China and India. While neither Beijing nor New Delhi
has officially commented on the latest moves against Suu Kyi, many
Southeast Asian countries, some of whom have significant trade and
investment links with Burma, are also inclined to follow a
live-and-let-live policy towards the regime.

However, both camps—supporters of sanctions and proponents of engagement—
acknowledge failure in their efforts to influence Burma’s military
leaders. That is why US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in February
correctly said that sanctions applied by the US and the European Union, as
well as the policy of constructive engagement by the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Burma’s neighbors, were not working.

So the question remains: who can influence the Burmese generals to listen
to world opinion?

Many observers agree that a start could be made on at least ending ongoing
human rights abuses if oil and gas companies operating in Burma use their
influence with Burma's ruling junta, the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC).

Current investors in Burma’s oil and gas industry include companies from
Australia, the British Virgin Islands, China, France, India, Japan,
Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Russia and the US.

Those companies are funding the Burmese dictatorship. At the height of the
monk-led demonstrations in September 2007, Marco Simons, US legal director
at EarthRights International, an environmental and human rights group with
offices in Thailand and Washington, declared: "The oil and gas companies
have been one of the major industries keeping the regime in power."

The concept of "corporate social responsibility" is often advanced by
companies operating in Burma, although that’s usually just a shield behind
which they campaign against international environmental and human rights
regulations.

For instance, there have been documented abuses connected to the Yadana
project operated by the French company Total and the US-based Unocal,
including land confiscation, forced labor, rape, torture and killings
within the communities along the pipeline. Compensation was paid to some
victims after human rights groups filed legal actions against the
companies before a federal court in the US.

Foreign investment in Burma’s oil and natural gas sector is significant.
But there is no transparency in Burma about how much the government
receives in oil and gas payments, nor clarity about how the funds are
spent.

The military receives the largest share of the official budget and the
Burmese regime allocates little to public sectors such as health and
education. Instead, hundreds of millions of dollars disappear annually
into the pockets of the ruling generals, their cronies and their pet
projects, such as the new administrative capital, Naypyidaw, the cyber
city, Yadanabon, and even a nuclear research reactor.

The latest action against Suu Kyi, following the regime’s criminal
mismanagement of Cyclone Nargis relief and its crackdown on the September
2007 demonstrations should lead companies to search their consciences when
contemplating deals with the regime.

ERI Project Coordinator Matthew Smith believes there are also business
reasons to think twice about accepting Burma contracts. "Financing the
Burmese regime in this way can only reflect poorly on a company’s
reputation and that will ultimately affect their bottom line and ability
to capitalize on deals in the future,” he says. “It’s simply bad
business.”

Of course, good business must come with ethics, morality and
responsibility. This is the time for shareholders of global and regional
oil and gas companies operating in Burma not only to think about
maximizing profits but also to face up to their responsibilities by
evaluating the human rights impact and the criteria for continuing to
invest there.

____________________________________

May 19, Inter Press Service
Nature conspires against Cyclone Victims, denying them clean water –
Marwaan Macan-Markar

A year after powerful Cyclone Nargis tore through Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta
and southern Rangoon, killing tens of thousands of people, nature
continues to play a cruel trick on survivors.

It has led to thousands of villagers still left without access to clean
water, a situation that is rare in natural disasters of similar magnitude.
In Indonesia’s northern province of Aceh, which was flattened by the 2004
tsunami, clean water was restored to the survivors within the first year.

The problem in Burma stems from the challenge to clean the large ponds
that serve as a major source of water for the villages spread across the
nearly 18,500 square kilometres that was affected by the cyclone in the
early hours of May 3, 2008.

Out of the 4,540 ponds that were damaged, nearly 1,000 have still to be
rehabilitated, according to aid agencies. The latter are struggling
against the forces of nature - where salt water seeps into the ponds that
have been cleaned, preventing the cyclone-affected victims from turning to
such ponds as they did before the disaster.

"This is an unusual situation," Andrew Kirkwood, head of the humanitarian
agency Save the Children’s operations in Burma, told IPS. "In these areas,
the drinking ponds and wells have been contaminated by salt water and the
streams and rivers are much too salty to drink at this time of the year."

Consequently, some 240,000 people in the southwestern swathe of the delta
"don’t have access to fresh drinking water in their own communities," he
revealed. "We are distributing three litres of water per day per person.
That is the absolute minimum."

It is a situation that is "not sustainable," he added, due to the pressure
on the 10 water treatment plants that Save the Children set up in remote
parts of the delta to remove salt from the water. "Because the machines
cost a lot to operate. The boats to distribute the water are expensive to
run. And, the machines will eventually breakdown."

Aid agencies are hoping that the onset of the monsoon rains this month
will help. "We hope the problem will ease during the rainy season," says
Bernd Schell, head of the Burma office of the International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). "It takes time to
rehabilitate this particular type of water source."

The efforts to clean the ponds were not limited to flushing out the water
with high salinity. "There were many dead bodies inside; there were many
dead animals," Schell told IPS.

IFRC’s initial supply of water to the victims soon after Nargis struck
conveys the challenges faced by relief agencies. It supplied some 800,000
litres per day as its contribution to the relief efforts.

Cyclone Nargis, which killed nearly 140,000 people and displaced 2.4
million, created a major humanitarian challenge for the government of
military-ruled Burma, or Myanmar. Restoring the supply of clean water was
among them.

A report by a tripartite group, including the Burmese government and the
United Nations, revealed that 63 percent of victims surveyed admitted that
their "current access to clean water was inadequate."

"Approximately 1.8 million severely affected people (are) in need of
improved water supply," added the report, released two months after the
disaster.

The Burmese junta’s reputation as an oppressive and corrupt regime did not
help in the relief efforts. Much needed foreign funds to help in the
immediate relief efforts and longer-term rehabilitation programmes have
fallen well short of the set targets.

A U.N. flash appeal to attract 477 million dollars to help in the urgent
relief efforts has succeeded in raising only a 66 percent financial
commitment, or 315 million dollars, according to the world body.

And early this year, a fresh appeal by the U.N. for 691 million dollars to
fund the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan - covering a period
from 2009-2011 - has only raised 100 million dollars.

This funding shortfall is reflected in water and sanitation programmes for
the Nargis victims. Only 29.7 million dollars have been subscribed, which
is some 60 percent of the 49.7 million dollars requested in the initial
flash appeal after the disaster.

The money that has come in has helped to ensure that 150,000 school
children in 800 schools have access to water and sanitation facilities, in
addition to constructing 2,000 hand-dug wells, states a U.N. background
note on the on-going humanitarian relief and recovery efforts in Burma.

Such work, in addition to cleaning some 3,500 ponds, also went a long way
to prevent the outbreak of major water-borne diseases, which many feared
would sweep through the delta after the cyclone.

"We believe that the interventions have helped in averting major disease
outbreaks," says Waldemar Pickardt, chief of water and environmental
sanitation for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one of the
many U.N. and aid agencies that teamed up to supply clean water to the
victims. "There have not been any reported cases of mortality or morbidity
related to shortage of water or consumption of unsafe water."

To ensure that picture prevails, relief agencies agreed to increase the
amount of water supplied to cyclone victims who still lack access to
natural sources of water. "The initial minimum limit was set at a minimum
of three litres per person per day. In March 2009, this was increased to a
minimum of five litres per person per day," added Pickardt in an e-mail
interview from Rangoon, the former Burmese capital.

____________________________________
INTERVIEW

May 19, Irrawaddy
‘We don’t recognize the trial’ – Win Tin

Win Tin, a leader of the National League for Democracy, spoke to The
Irrawaddy regarding the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Question: Do the authorities have a strong case against Aung San Suu Kyi?

Answer: I don’t think so. This is a conspiracy. The matter of her security
is totally in their hands. If the authorities don’t open up the compound,
no person can enter it. At this time, they [the authorities] have rejected
her appeal and even charged her with another case. I believe that it is a
conspiracy. I believe they did it because they don’t want to release her.
They want to ban her from being involved in politics in the future.

Q: What do you think will be the outcome of the trial?

A: Ideally, they want to put her into prison. But politically, they can’t
do that. The international community is voicing its concern and even
demanding she be released.  We [the NLD] also don’t accept the charges and
demand she be released.

If the case proceeds, we demand justice during the court process. The
court must open up to the public so people can witness the court process.
They must allow enough lawyers to defend her in court. It means that the
number of lawyers must be enough not only for the defense at court but
also for the legal preparation, to collect data and facts on the case.

A fair trial would allow the families of the defendants as well as the
public to observe. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has sons in England. They should
issue visas for them to come to Burma. Likewise, the family of  Daw Khin
Khin Win lives abroad. The authorities must allow them to come here if
they wish. Even if the family members are foreign citizens, they must
issue visas.

Media must be allowed to report the case. Journalists should have the
right to ask the defense lawyers and the prosecutor questions. They should
have the right to ask the opinions of people who come to the court to see
the trial.

Another issue is security. We can’t say that the security is good, and
they won’t threaten her security even in the courtroom set-up in the
prison compound. They must guarantee Daw Suu’s security. They must also
guarantee the security of her lawyers.

Q: In the past 20 years, Aung San Suu Kyi has been attacked and detained
for many years. She has been under house arrest for more than 13 years.
What is her mental state?

A: I didn’t see her, but [her lawyer] U Kyi Win saw her. What I first want
to say is to repeat the comments of U Kyi Win: Daw Suu is mentally strong
and firm in her stand. Regarding the case [of John W. Yettaw], she clearly
told her lawyer that she didn’t breach any laws. Based on these facts, Daw
Suu’s position is strong and firm. Although I haven’t seen her for years,
based on our past experiences and her political stance and sacrifice
during these 20 years, I can say that she will never feel depressed and
give up or change her political stance.

Q: Why do you think the government wants to continue to detain her?

A:  The truth is that it’s because of Daw Suu’s personal fame and the
world’s recognition of her position. She has become the main enemy of the
military regime. But putting aside personal fame and looking at things
from the point of view of current politics, the situation has largely
changed. In the past, we asked for a parliament to draw up a constitution
in accordance with the 1990 election results, which we have consistently
supported. Now, we recently called for parliament to review the
constitution and for a dialogue [with the military]. We changed our
position to be flexible in order to bring about a dialogue.

Daw Suu has been in a very important position for solving political
problems through the dialogue method since 1988. Gen Saw Maung pointed out
the importance of arranging a dialogue when there are many parties
involved. Many parties gave their mandate to Daw Suu to engage in dialogue
with the military. The NLD also gave its mandate to her. Even today, if we
have a dialogue with the military regime, I think all ethnic nationalities
will want her to speak on behalf of them.

Daw Suu is a key player if we are to solve the current political situation
through a dialogue. Therefore, the present charges against Daw Suu mean
that they [the generals] are trying to eliminate her from the stage. I
feel that they are trying to destroy the possibility of political dialogue
and national reconciliation by political means.

Q: Dr Tin Myo Win, Aung San Suu Kyi’s family doctor, was detained for
nearly a week. How is he related to this case?

A: At first, we heard that Dr Tin Myo Win had also been brought to court
and that there would be five persons in this case. But he was not on the
list. Perhaps, he was under interrogation and was tortured. He has endured
such an experience in the past. I am worried that they are putting
pressure on Dr Tin Myo Win to say things that they want him to say. Or
they will prosecute him with other charges because this case can only
warrant three to five years imprisonment.

Another option is that they can put Dr Tin Myo Win on the witness list. If
so, we are not worried about him because he is not a person who is easily
persuaded to say what others wish. We know his political beliefs and
opinions, and his personal history. We also respect him. We are not
worried about that.

If they brought him to the court as a witness, he would tell what really
happened. What he did is not much; Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told him to report
Yettaw’s first entry last year to the authorities, and he went to the Home
Ministry to report it. He has no more than that to say. We don’t expect
him to say he had a personal encounter with Yettaw.