BurmaNet News, September 15, 2009

[Editor]

September 15, 2009 Issue #3797

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: Burma to provide 150,000 CDMA phones
Narinjara: Youth Forcibly Conscripted in Arakan
Irrawaddy: Monks under the eye of the junta
Mizzima: Suu Kyi denied permission to attend appeal hearing

ON THE BORDER
KNG: Burmese civilians in Mongla flee to China in apprehension
SHAN: Ceasefire groups ponder whose side Beijing is on
Bangkok Post: Literacy has no nationality
DVB: Karen troops ambush Burmese army

INTERNATIONAL
VOA: UN: Millions Denied Human Rights Because of Discrimination
DPA: Myanmar prime minister to attend UN General Assembly



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 15, Mizzima News
Burma to provide 150,000 CDMA phones

New Delhi - To meet mounting telecommunication needs, Burmese authorities
have decided to provide 150,000 CDMA telephones to residents of Mandalay
and Rangoon, the two largest cities in the country.

A document of the Burmese Telecommunication, Post and Telegraph Ministry
available with Mizzima, states that authorities in three phases will
install 50,000 CDMA 2000 1X (800 MHz) Wireless Local Loop (WLL) telephones
each in the two cities.

The document, which will be soon made public, states that in the first
phase, from September to November 2009, the ministry will provide 35,000
and 15,000 phones in Rangoon and Mandalay respectively through the
divisional administration, which will have the responsibility of
installing the telephones.

In the second phase, from February to April 2010, the same number of CDMA
telephones will be provided to the two cities but in the third phase, from
July to September 2010, Rangoon will receive 30,000 while Mandalay will
receive 20,000 CDMA phones, accounting for 50,000 phones for Mandalay and
100,000 for Rangoon.

The document states, in the first phase US $ 2.096 million worth of
equipment is to be donated by the Chinese company, Huawei Technologies,
which will be used along with radio material produced by Yadanabon
Teleport.

Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or cordless telephones, are to be
installed in place of the normal landline telephones, as the overall
expenditure including installation and equipments is much less, according
to the document.

The document said, while installing a normal landline on an average costs
about Kyat 1.7 million (USD 1700), the new CDMA lines will cost an average
of Kyat 650,000 (USD 650).

Besides, the document adds that the new CDMA phones will be in a prepaid
top-up format.

In Burma, where the government controls all sectors including
telecommunication, being a telephone subscriber is immensely difficult for
most common people as prices are prohibitive.

The Ministry’s document states there are currently 1.7 million telephone
subscribers in Rangoon and about 40,000 in Mandalay.

____________________________________


September 15, Narinjara News
Youth Forcibly Conscripted in Arakan

Sittwe - The Burmese army stationed in Arakan State has been forcibly
recruiting youth from villages to serve in the army, said a retired
teacher.

"The system for forced recruitment of soldiers has been missing for a long
time, but now it has appeared again. The army authority ordered village
councils to recruit five youth from each village to serve in the army," he
said.

The Burmese army has conscripted youth from Arakanese villages in the past
by pressuring village councils, but the system had not been used for
nearly a decade after people protested.

"The army authority has failed to recruit voluntary soldiers in Arakan
because many Arakanese youth have refused to join the army. The army
authority has resumed the old tactic for drafting soldiers in Arakan," he
said.

Many local army battalions stationed in Buthidaung, Rathidaung, Sittwe,
Pauktaw, Kyauktaw, Paletwa, Mrauk U, Min Bya, and Kyauk Pru in Arakan
State have ordered their respective villages to recruit five youth to send
to army headquarters.

In the past, many villages in Arakan had to spend a lot of money in order
to recruit youth to serve in the army. Every village had to send two
youths to army headquarters as the army authority collected soldiers from
the villages on a quota system.

"We had to send two youths to army headquarters each year in the past. We
looked for youths who were jobless, and who wanted to join the army after
we paid him. We had to pay at least 200,000 kyat to a youth to get their
agreement to join the army. People suffered from the system. So people
opposed it and later the system disappeared," he said.

According to a local source, some USDA members and village councils in
rural areas of Arakan are now organizing youth to join with the Burmese
army by enticing them with money and food rations.

In Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, army authorities have also been
arresting young men and rickshaw pullers during the night and forcing them
to enlist in the army.

A monk from Sittwe said, "Many youths and rickshaw pullers have avoided
going outside their homes after 10 pm due to fear of arrest by the Burmese
army authorities. Many poor youths in Sittwe have been sent to the army
recruitment unit located at LIB 20 based in the city after being arrested
by army authorities."

Some parents in Sittwe are suffering from losing their children after they
walked on the streets of Sittwe at night. The family members know the army
authority arrested them to serve in the army, but they have not had the
chance to bring their children home from the army recruitment unit.

Another source said many tribal youths, including Khami, Mro, and Rakhine
in Paletwa Township have also been conscripted into the Burmese army.

The rates of disasters and loss of soldiers has been increasing alarmingly
in the Burmese army, causing the army to conscript young men from anywhere
they can in Arakan.

____________________________________


September 15, Irrawaddy
Monks under the Eye of the Junta – Wai Moe

On the two-year anniversary of the monk-led September mass demonstrations,
the military junta keeps a close eye on the estimated 400,000 Buddhist
monks in Burma with continued surveillance and propaganda in the media.

Security forces are present at the annual examinations for monks from
Sept. 14 to 30 at Sangha [Monk] University in Rangoon.

About 60 soldiers are stationed in the university compound, according to
monks taking examinations.

Meanwhile, in recent months publications in Rangoon and other cities have
printed stories warning people of the dangers of a division between
Theravada Buddhists and Mahayana Buddhists. Most Burmese are Theravada
Buddhist.

The papers accused well-known Buddhist writers such as Parugu, Aye Maung,
Chit Nge, Ashin Thoma Buddhi and Kyaw Hein, a veteran actor turned monk,
as fostering confusion among Buddhists.

A main target of the stories is a former political prisoner, Ashin Nyana,
a monk who exposes an alternative view of Buddhism that differs from
traditional Theravada Buddhism. Since the 1980s, Ashin Nyana has advocated
what he calls Paccuppanna [the present] Karma Buddhism. Unlike most monks
in Burma who wear saffron robes, he wears sky blue robes.

He was charged with discrediting Buddhism in 1983 and served three years
in prison. He was arrested again in 1991and received a 10-year prison
sentence. He was released in 1998 in an amnesty.

“People are saying now that these papers were published by the Military
Affairs Security [military intelligence] or the government-backed Union
Solidarity and Development Association to create dissension among monks,”
said a journalist in Rangoon.

In fact, Buddhism actually promotes critical thinking. The Kalama Sutta
said: “Do not accept anything by mere tradition...Do not accept anything
just because it accords with your scriptures...Do not accept anything
merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions...But when you
know for yourselves—these things are moral, these things are blameless,
these things are praised by the wise, these things, when performed and
undertaken, conduce to well-being and happiness—then do you live acting
accordingly.”

Correspondent Ba Saw Tin contributed reporting from Bangkok.
____________________________________

September 15, Mizzima News
Suu Kyi denied permission to attend appeal hearing - Myint Maung

New Delhi – Aung San Suu Kyi’s request to the Rangoon Division of the
Special Branch of Police to allow her to be present in court, which will
hear her appeal against the lower court’s verdict, has been rejected.

The Rangoon Divisional court will hear arguments by her lawyers on
September 18 on her appeal. She sent a letter of request to the Special
Branch (SB) of Police on September 11 to allow her to be present in court
on that day but it was rejected by SB through her lawyers the next day.

“Daw Suu applied on September 11, but the SB called us to their office on
September 12 and told us about rejecting her request saying that the
matter concerned only the court,” her lawyer Nyan Win told Mizzima.

Regarding the nature of the court hearing, Nyan Win said, if the accused
wanted to be present in the court during the hearing of appeal and the
court had no objections, the accused can be allowed into the court.

“But If this person is in prison, the prison authorities must accompany
the person to the court. In this case, Daw Suu is being detained by the
SB. So the SB must take her to the court. So we applied to the SB,” he
added.

As per the 8-point restriction in her detention clause at her home on
University Avenue in Rangoon, she can send request letters for whatever
she wants. So she sent a letter to the Rangoon Divisional SB to let her be
present at the court hearing.

After an American John William Yettaw entered her house in early May this
year, the military regime tried her and sentenced her and her two live-in
party colleagues to three years in prison with hard labour on September
11.

But an executive order by the junta Supremo Senior Gen. Than Shwe reduced
her sentence by half and allowed her to serve time at her home.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers defended her in the district court on the
ground that the 1974 Constitution under which the case was filed, is no
longer in force.

In paragraph 3 of the Preamble of the 2008 Constitution, it says ‘the 1974
Constitution came to an end because of the general situation occurred in
1988’. Moreover Senior Gen. Than Shwe signed an ordinance on 29 May 2008
which says the 1974 Constitution has come to an end and is null and void.

The Burmese pro-democracy leader’s lawyers filed an appeal case against
the lower court’s verdict in the Rangoon Divisional Court on September 4.
The divisional court agreed to hear the argument by her lawyers and fixed
the hearing date on September 18 at 10 a.m.



____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

September 15, Kachin News Group
Burmese civilians in Mongla flee to China in apprehension

Even before hostilities break out thousands of civilians in Mongla in
eastern Shan State of Burma are fleeing to neighbouring China for two
reasons, following the Burmese junta breaking a ceasefire pact and
capturing the Kokang rebel's capital Laogai on August 24, said local
sources.

Firstly, Mongla residents are really worried about the inhuman act of the
Burmese soldiers, who shot dead dozens of innocent children and civilians
in Kokang territory during gun battles between the Burmese Army and the
Kokang rebels loyal to Peng Jiasheng from August 27 and 29, said residents
of Mongla.

Kokang and independent sources said Burmese soldiers shot dead
Kokang-Chinese civilians in their homes and wherever they saw them in
Kokang territories during the major clashes for three days.

 The second reason was the Burmese Army's offensive would spread to the
Mongla-based National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State
(NDAA-ESS) led by Sai Leun, the son-in-law of Peng Jiasheng, the supreme
leader of Kokang rebel also known as Myanmar National Democratic Alliance
Army (MNDAA), added residents.

Since the end of the clashes in MNDAA territory, the junta has sent
thousands of troops with about 20 tanks and heavy artillery like mortars
near the Mongla, said local eyewitnesses.

In apprehension, therefore most people of a population of about 30,000 in
the NDAA's headquarters Mongla have fled to the border town Ta-law in
Chinese territory soon after the fighting started in MNDAA, according to
residents of Mongla. All shops are closed and business has come to a halt
in Mongla.

Besides, thousands of civilians in the United Wa State Army (UWSA) area,
which is contiguous to the territories of MNDAA and NDAA, including the
group's headquarters Pang Sang (also spelled Panghseng), also fled to
China. But civilians in UWSA territories have now been stopped from
fleeing to China by the group, said residents in UWSA.

Now, thousands of Burmese refugees from MNDAA, UWSA and NDAA are being
accepted in the border towns like Ta-law and Nan San in China's Yunnan
province by Chinese refugee agents, said border sources.

Chinese refugee agents are also arranging for food, medicines and tents on
the border for future arrivals from Burma, said border sources.

Meanwhile, China has deployed a fresh batch of People’s Liberation Army
(PLA) soldiers with about 60 tanks on the border after the Burmese junta
attacked the MNDAA last month, according to local eyewitnesses.

Till now, civilians in UWSA and NDAA-ESS areas believe that civil war will
actually occur between the Burmese troops and the two ceasefire groups.

Border sources rejected news of the junta-run media that Kokang refugees
are coming back to their homes. Some Kokang refugees came back for
checking their properties, when the fighting stopped.

www.kachinnews.com
________________________________________


September 15, Shan Herald Agency for News
Ceasefire groups ponder whose side Beijing is on

 “We used to think whatever happened, China’s our friend,” said a
middle-aged officer from one of the ceasefire groups located on the
Sino-Burma frontier. “After Kokang, I’m not sure.”

Kachin, Kokang, Wa and Mongla have always believed that they, together
with Shans, would be collectively treated as a buffer, as North Korea is,
to successive Burmese governments’ efforts to establish détente with the
west especially the United States.

That was until Kokang, the ethnic Chinese dominant territory of Burma, was
not only invaded but resoundly beaten last month by the Burma Army that
prompted only a few complaints from Beijing.

Many of those questioned by SHAN admitted they “can’t help but feel that
we have been let down by the provincial government, if not the central
government.”

The following, they say, are the reasons for their suspicions:
•    When tensions between Naypyitaw and Kokang mounted triggering people
to flee across the border, there were already temporary camps where they
could stay complete with mats and blankets (The International Crisis Group
meanwhile says Beijing “was not even forewarned”)
•    “During the fighting, we heard the Burma Army had requested that the
PLA (People’s Liberation Army) to move back a few hundred meters from the
boundary,” said an officer, “The PLA just ‘obeyed’.”
•    One of the Wa sources said when they went across the common border
with Kokang to help defend Qingshuihe against the Burma Army attack, they
were ‘advised’ to wait resulting in the Kokang stronghold’s fall
•    The deposed Kokang leader Peng Jiasheng’s assets inside China are
also being seized
•    Both Panghsang and Mongla were also ‘advised’ to keep their
territories off limits not only to Peng and his family but also to anyone
associated with his Kokang army
•    Most recently, banks along the border were ordered to set a limit to
how much the depositor could withdraw. “One of my friends went to withdraw
Ұ100,000 ($14,300) a few days ago,” said an officer, “and he was
told the bank first needed to know how he was going to spend that kind of
money.”

“This is the last straw,” said an officer. “Now only the Burma Army can
buy as much as it wants without fear of its assets being freezed.”

On the other hand, there have been an increase in the frequency of drug
seizures along the Thai-Burma border recently. Interviewed by the
Irrawaddy on the latest haul of almost 3 million meth pills on 11
September, the Burmese police in Tachilek said the drugs originated in
Panghsang. “That’s the damnedest thing I’ve heard in 20 years,” a veteran
Thai security officer in Maesai, opposite Tachilek. “In the past, the
Burmese officials always immediately came to the Wa’s defense, whenever we
leveled our accusations at them.”

These days, according to a businessman in Kengtung, 160 km north of
Maesai, the only way to survive and get ahead as a drug entrepreneur is to
be “politically correct,” that is, to support the military junta. “From
now on, the Wa are not going to be allowed to sell drugs and buy weapons
to be used against Naypyitaw.”

The New Light of Myanmar, on Sunday, 13 September, had warned all the
ceasefire armies to be ready to transform themselves into Burma
Army-controlled border guard forces (BGFs). Kokang was attacked and its
1,500 strong force routed after it turned down the BGF proposition.

________________________________________


September 15, Bangkok Post
Literacy has no nationality – Purich Trivitayakhun

The education of stateless children along the Thai-Burmese border remains
a problem in search of a solution

Tak - There are 580km of border between Thailand and Burma in Tak, a
province in northern Thailand. Immigrants, some of whom are refugees, have
been settling in Tak for decades. Many generations have since been born on
Thai soil. Many of these immigrants, as well as their children, remain
stateless - not recognised as a citizen of any country.

Students from a neighbouring learning centre are absorbed in their lesson
at Ban Tha Ard School, an opportunity made possible by the ‘School within
a School’ initiative.

This article explores education opportunities for these stateless children
and how the government is trying to ensure that they receive proper and
standard education.

"It is the principal duty of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ensure
that all children, regardless of nationality, who live in Thailand are
given equal learning opportunities," says Deputy Minister of Education
Chaiwuti Bannawat.

Learning centres

"There are no Thai students," Wichuda Daengthoen responds quickly after
being asked for the number of Thai students in Namtok School. "Most of the
students here are the offspring of immigrants who work in the agricultural
industry," she says.

Wichuda is a Thai-language instructor and the only Thai teacher in Namtok
School, which is located at the centre of the Phop Phra cultivation area.

The moderate temperatures and the fertile ground present in Phop Phra, a
Thai-Burmese-border district about 120km west of Tak provincial city, make
it and its surrounding areas one of Thailand's largest vegetable and
flower suppliers. Crops and fruits in this region are produced by a large
number of foreign immigrants.

She says that many students return home to help their parents in the
fields after they graduate from the school.

Currently, Namtok School hosts 252 students and 10 teachers and has
classes from Anuban to Prathom 6 (kindergarten to Grade 6). Its student
body comprises Burmese, Karen, Mon and other ethnic minorities, but no
Thais. Other than the Thai-language class, all subjects are taught in
Burmese and English.

Even though the name Namtok School is written on a small wooden board in
front of the building, this establishment is actually a learning centre.

In Thailand, around 60,000 stateless children are enrolled in private and
public schools. At the same time, more than 100,000 other students with
the same political status are being educated in learning centres similar
to Namtok School and schools located in shelter areas, which are mostly
run by non-govermental organisations (NGOs), scattered along the
Thai-Burmese border.

In Tak province alone, there are 61 registered learning centres and
several unregistered similar establishments. The registered centres are
hosts to about 10,800 students and 625 teachers. Nearly all of the
students and teachers are foreigners and ethnic minorities.

Tak Educational Service Area Office 2 (Tak ESAO 2) has joined hands with
the World Education Consortium to develop a curriculum for science and
mathematics that have been translated into the Burmese and Karen languages
and based on Thailand's 2001 Curriculum for Basic Education for Prathom 1
to 3 (Grades 1 to 3). Also, the consortium developed a simplified course
for teachers to use when teaching the Thai language.

Conflicts and solutions

Although several learning centres are registered, Namtok School for
instance, and are thus under the collaborative supervision of the
government and NGOs, the majority of them continue operating as rogue
centres, making it difficult to know the content of their teaching
ideology or its impact on the students.

"While we commend the learning centres for their meritorious actions in
looking after the interests of the students, more problems may arise if we
continue to let them run in different directions as we don't know what
they are teaching the students," comments Mr Chaiwuti, adding that letting
these centres operate unregulated might also have serious effects on
national security as well as on the students themselves.

According to the minister, an existing problem with learning centres is
that they have divergent standards and curricula. Moreover, they tend to
have many volunteer teachers who entered the country illegally.
Additionally, there is a lack of continuity in the learning process of
many students due to high student turnover rates that occur when their
parents relocate.

Finally, many of the centres do not provide lessons on the Thai language,
Thai culture and Thai laws. Knowledge of these subjects is vital for
students planning to remain in Thailand.

"These issues need to be addressed by all government agencies. It is also
important that the private sector and NGOs participate in solving the
problems," Mr Chaiwuti says.

He suggests that learning centres that have potential to meet the
prescribed standards be promoted to the level of private education
institutions. Once they are upgraded, they will be eligible to benefit
from the government's free education policy.

As for the rest of the centres, the ministry is drafting a Prime
Minister's Office regulation to control and assist learning centres to
enable them to deliver a national-standard curriculum. It is likely to be
presented to the Cabinet for consideration soon, according to Mr
Chai-wuti.

The regulation will enable the establishment of provincial committees that
can supervise and control the centres.

The long-term challenges, as far as providing a national-standard
education to all stateless children is concerned, says the minister, is
solving the problem of student turnover and the issuance of professional
licences to volunteer teachers who enter the country illegally. This is
not permitted under prevailing laws. It is also important to put in place
a national standard curriculum for use in learning centres attended by
stateless children, he adds.

'School within a School'

An example of successful delivery of education to stateless children, an
approach that deserves to be applied at other learning centres, can be
seen at Ban Tha Ard School, located a few kilometres north of Mae Sot, a
large district along the Thai-Burmese border, which is 80km west of the
provincial city. The school is just a few steps away from the border,
represented by the Moei River.

The school is under the jurisdiction of Obec (Office of the Basic
Education Commission) and hosts 426 students and 18 teachers. Only 50 of
the students are Thai. The rest are Burmese, Mon, Karen and other ethnic
minorities.

This year, Ban Tha Ard School started its "School within a School"
project, under which the school invites teachers and students from other
learning centres to teach and study in Ban Tha Ard School. The school has
signed a memorandum of understanding with five learning centres in nearby
areas.

"We want to provide learning opportunities, not only for Thai students, to
be educated in a school. More importantly, with this system, we can
exercise close supervision and instil gratitude towards Thailand, the
monarchy, and Thai norms," says Sutep Thamajak, the school's director.

According to Mr Sutep, the contracted learning centres bring an additional
351 rotating students to be taught in the school. Ban Tha Ard School
delivers the Thai and mathematics lessons, while the other subjects are
delivered by teachers from the associate education facilities.

Two other schools under the jurisdiction of Tak ESAO 2 have adopted the
"School within a School" concept. They are Ban Mae Pa Nua School and Ban
Mae Tao School.

Education sans borders

One interesting fact about Ban Tha Ard School is that 40 students cross
the Moei River from Burma each day to study at the school.

The free-education policy of the MOE appears to be luring students from
the neighbouring country to flock into Thai schools. However, Mr Chaiwuti
argues that this school is an unusual case as it is very close to the
border and that when one looks at the history of the area, the people of
the two countries have always been living as sisters and brothers.

"Previously, the parents of the 40 students worked in Thailand. They are
so impressed by our education system and the Thai people that they have
decided to send their children to this Thai school even though they have
returned to their home country," explains Mr Sutep.

"I don't have to pay any tuition fees. Besides, I get a free lunch every
school day," says Wallapa Norcheu, a Prathom 5 (Grade 5) student who
travels back and forth between Burma and the school.

NGO support

Namtok School is one of 37 registered learning centres run by the Burmese
Migrant Workers Education Committee (BMWEC). The organisation provides
education opportunities to nearly 8,000 stateless children through its
learning centres.

Paw Ray Rattanachairuedi, chair-person of the BMWEC, agrees to have her
centres regulated by the Thai government.

She accepts the notion that quality learning centres should be promoted to
private schools, while allowing the rest of the learning centres to
continue to exist under the joint supervision of the government and her
organisation.

"My preference is for 60 percent of the centres managing their own
teaching and learning matters and the remaining 40 percent to be under the
responsibility of Obec," comments Ms Paw Ray.

Her learning centres hosts approximately 463 teachers, of which
approximately 50 are Thai. She disclosed that there is still a shortage of
Thai teachers.

To improve the situation, she would like the government to provide more
Thai teachers, arrange teacher-training programmes and grant financial
assistance once her centres are regulated.

Currently, her teachers are paid 3,000 to 5,000 baht each month according
to their seniority.

She says that the BMWEC receives support from organisations in the US and
UK, but due to the economic downturn, some of the organisations have had
to reduce their donations.

"Last year, the grant for students was 1,000 baht per head per year, but
this year the amount has been reduced to 600 baht," the chairperson
bemoans. Some parents contribute a 50-to-100-baht fee per student per year
in the smaller centres, and up to 500 baht per student per year in the
larger centres.

Ultimately, whether or not stateless children will receive a standard
education depends on whether the so-far unauthorised learning centres are
upgraded and recognised by the MOE as proper schools so as to receive the
benefits of the collaboration between the government, the private sector
and related entities.

____________________________________


September 15, Democratic Voice of Burma
Karen troops ambush Burmese army – Naw Noreen

Four government soldiers were killed and eight were injured after an
ambush by ethnic Karen troops on Sunday near to the Thai-Burma border,
according to Karen officials.

The attack occurred on a highway about 15 miles outside of Payathonsu
(Three Pagodas Pass) border crossing point in southern Karen state.

Troops from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of
the Karen National Union (KNU), carried out ambush against government
troops allegedly mobilized in the area for an offensive against the KNLA.

“This was a well planned battle and it didn’t take that long before
ending,” said a KNLA official.

“[The government army] suffered four deaths and eight injuries
 we only
target military personals so we avoided fighting in areas with civilian
presence.”

He added that the injured government soldiers are now being treated at a
hospital in Three Pagodas Pass.

Meanwhile, a resident in Payathonsu said that another ambush by the KNLA
that took place on the same day near the town has left at least three
government soldiers injured.

“About seven Karen fighters ambushed the government troops patrolling in
the area,” said the resident.

“Three [government] soldiers were hit, including a sergeant, and now they
are at the Payathonsu hospital.” The Payathonsu town hospital was
unavailable for comments.

On 9 September, two bombs exploded at a militia checkpoint about half a
kilometer outside of Payathonsu.

No casualties were reported and the government troops, backed by the proxy
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in the region, are said to be
investigating.

And another bomb exploded yesterday evening close to government buildings
in Payathonsu, injuring one child. A KNU official denied involvement.

Reporting by Naw Noreen


____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 15, Voice of America
UN: Millions Denied Human Rights Because of Discrimination  - Lisa Schlein

Geneva - The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, says
millions of people around the world are denied their human rights because
of, what she calls, the "scourge of discrimination". Pillay told the
47-member U.N. Human Rights Council, that women and ethnic minorities are
among those who are most victimized by human-rights abuses.

U.N. Commissioner Navi Pillay says human-rights abuses are increasing in
many parts of the world. She says women's human rights continue to be
denied or curtailed in too many countries.

She notes there have been recent positive developments in some Persian
Gulf states. Yet, Pillay says, the overall situation of women in the
region falls well short of international standards.

She notes that indigenous people and ethnic minorities, such as Tibetans
or the Roma in Hungary suffer from discrimination and often are subjected
to abuse.

She adds that all too often, discrimination and harmful prejudice sow the
seeds of war. Pillay says civilians continue to be targets of attacks
motivated by ethnic or religious hatred in conflicts in Afghanistan,
Colombia, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the
Palestinian territory.

"In some of these conflicts, ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples bear
the brunt of hostilities. In virtually all of them, women and children
suffer disproportionately. Let me reiterate that sexual violence is almost
invariably a foreseeable consequence in situations of armed conflict and
in a climate that fosters mass atrocities," she said.

Pillay describes what she calls another alarming global trend - attacks
against peaceful opponents and critics of people in power. She says human
rights advocates face arrest, abduction, torture and even death.

"We should all be dismayed by the recent sentencing of political
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a further period of house arrest by
the Myanmar [Burma] authorities. Her unfair and arbitrary detention, along
with that of more than 2,000 other political prisoners, makes a mockery of
Myanmar's commitment to democratic transition. And I call for their
immediate and unconditional release," she said.

Pillay says governments have to do more to protect human rights defenders.
She notes that the issues of political participation, and free and fair
elections have a direct impact on the realization of human rights. She
urges the U.N. Human Rights Council to be vigilant, and to scrutinize and
condemn abuses wherever they are found.

____________________________________


September 15, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Myanmar prime minister to attend UN General Assembly

Myanmar Diplomacy UN Myanmar prime minister to attend UN General Assembly

Yangon  - Myanmar's prime minister, General Thein Sein, plans
to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York during the
last week of September, a government official said Tuesday.

The prime minister would be the highest ranking official to attend
a UN General Assembly since General Maung Aye, currently vice senior
general, attended the 50th Anniversary Special Commemorative Session
of the United Nations General Assembly in October 1995.

Political sources in Yangon said Thein Sein was likely to outline
the ruling junta's plan to introduce limited political reform in his
speech to the assembly.

In recent years Myanmar has sent its foreign minister to attend
the gathering.

An official from the United States embassy in Yangon said he did
not know about the prime minister's decision. It was uncertain
whether Thein Sein would meet with US officials during his stay in
New York.

The decision to send Thein Sein follows a visit to Yangon last
month by US Senator Jim Webb, Democrat from Virginia, in what some
analysts have seen as a slight thaw in the frosty diplomatic
relations between Washington and Yangon.

"It may be a significant trip," an observer in Yangon commented on
the prime minister's planned visit to New York.