BurmaNet News, October 8, 2009

[Editor]

October 8, 2009 Issue #3815


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi, Than Shwe meeting rumors increase

ON THE BORDER
DVB: Thailand approves border economic zone
Narinjara News: Burma reinforces troops along border
All Headline News (USA): Bangladesh goes for U.N. tribunal to settle
maritime dispute with India, Myanmar

BUSINESS / TRADE
DVB: Rice and gold prices in Burma double

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Thailand’s proposal to register migrant children welcomed

INTERNATIONAL
CNN: Exiled Myanmar activist backs sanctions

OPINION / OTHER
The Financial Times: Talks with Burma are no laughing matter – David Pilling
The Nation (Thailand): US stance on Burma is confusing – Editorial
Jewish Tribune (Canada): Keeping the Jewish spirit alive in Burma
(Myanmar) – Sylvia Brooke

PRESS RELEASE
International Center for Transitional Justice: Burma: Government impunity
for sexual crimes, forced labor and child soldiering




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 8, Irrawaddy
Suu Kyi, Than Shwe meeting rumors increase

Rumors are swirling in Rangoon about a possible meeting between Aung San
Suu Kyi and Snr-Gen Than Shwe, one day after the junta’s liaison officer
met with the pro-democracy leader for the second time within a week.

Suu Kyi met twice this week with Aung Kyi, a retired major general who is
the regime’s labor    minister.

The meetings followed a letter Suu Kyi sent late last month to Snr-Gen
Than Shwe, offering to cooperate with the Burmese regime in an effort to
lift US sanctions and requesting to meet with Western diplomats to discuss
the sanctions.

Burma's official media confirmed that the two meetings were arranged
because of Suu Kyi’s letter to Than Shwe. The letter appeared to be a
confidence-building gesture to the junta, observers suggested.

Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, has welcomed the
meetings as "constructive" and suggested they might lead to higher level
talks.

"We strongly believe that the only way to solve the political and economic
crisis in Burma is to start the dialogue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
Snr-Gen Than Shwe," Khin Maung Swe, an NLD spokesperson, told The
Irrawaddy.

According to sources in Rangoon, many people, including government
officials, civil servants and businessmen, are interested in the current
political developments.

Some analysts maintain, however, that the likelihood of a top level
meeting is "nil."

A prominent politician in Rangoon, Aye Thar Aung, who is secretary of both
the Arakan League for Democracy and the Committee Representing People’s
Parliament, said that the recent meetings were a positive sign that regime
is willing to talk, but the nature of the discussions are unknown.

"The meetings could just be a follow-up to her letter," he said.

Suu Kyi's meeting with Aung Kyi on Wednesday was their seventh since he
was appointed "Relations Minister" in October 2007, after the junta came
under intense international condemnation for its brutal crackdown on mass
demonstrations.

Suu Kyi met Than Shwe, accompanied by former spy chief Gen Khin Nyunt, in
1994 and 2002, while she was under house arrest.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

October 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Thailand approves border economic zone – Matthew Cunningham

An announcement by the Thai government that is has approved the
development of a Special Economic Zone along its border with Burma has
received mixed reactions from a Burma economics expert.

The Thai cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal from the Ministry of
Commerce to develop the economic zone in Thailand’s border town of Mae
Sot, the Bangkok Post reported.

The town’s proximity to Burma and its abundance of low-cost migrant
Burmese labor makes the area a hub of economic activity for garment makers
and other multinational corporations.

Once in place, border trade between the two countries could double,
Thailand’s deputy commerce minister, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, said. Observers
worry however that development in the area is not necessarily a positive
step.

“If investment took place on the Thai side, there is the issue of
exploitation [of migrant workers], which is always there,” said Sean
Turnell, from the Australia-based Burma Economic Watch.

He warned that the problem is not simplistic, with high unemployment,
corruption and economic inefficiencies in Burma offering little hope of
economic gain for Burmese living in the country.

“The poverty is so desperate for some people this would put them in a net
better condition. Investment could be better for migrant workers,” he
said.

He added that the move to develop the zone could be beneficial to Burmese
migrant workers if labor protection standards were put in place by the
Thai authorities.

In addition, Burmese migrant workers could receive access to local
advocacy groups, healthcare and other organizations that they would not
otherwise have access to in Burma, he said.

The agreement between Burma and Thailand also includes plans to build a
second friendship bridge over the Moei River that would allow greater
transportation of goods.

Border trade between the two countries currently stands at around
$US600,000 per year, not including revenue earned from tourism and income
tax.

____________________________________

October 8, Narinjara News
Burma reinforces troops along border

Sittwe – The Burmese military junta has reinforced its troops along the
border with Bangladesh to inspect border pillars and build border fences,
said a military source.

Even though the source claims the deployed troops are for inspecting
pillars and fence construction, Bangladesh has concerns about the increase
of Burmese battalions along its border.

Because of these concerns, Bangladesh has also reinforced its paramilitary
troops along the border with Burma.

A Bangladesh Rifles official confirmed that BDR troops had been deployed
to sensitive areas along the border and other preparations had been
undertaken after an increase in border tension.

Burmese authorities have deployed at least nine battalions along the
border from Maungdaw to Paletwa near the Indo-Burma border since
construction on the border fence resumed last Friday.

The battalions stationed along the border from Maungdaw to Paletwa are
Light Battalions 55 and 20, and Light Infantry Battalions 234, 263, 344,
233, 289, and 538.

LIB 538 based in Rathidaung was shifted to the Paletwa border last week
and is currently stationed near the junction of the India, Bangladesh, and
Burmese borders.

According to a local source, Burmese authorities are constructing the
border fences within 70 yards of the border demarcation line between
Bangladesh and Burma, in violation of the distance set by international
law.

Burmese Nasaka authorities informed Bangladesh authorities that the fences
would be constructed 200 yards or more from the demarcation line, but
Burmese authorities failed to keep this promise and commenced construction
within 70 yards.

The Bangladesh border authority has officially opposed the construction of
the fence within 70 yards of the border but Burmese authorities have
ignored the complaint and continued with their construction work.

Burmese authorities are expected to finish construction of the border
fence in contravention of international law without taking and care
towards Bangladesh's objection, an analyst said.

____________________________________

October 8, All Headline News (USA)
Bangladesh goes for U.N. tribunal to settle maritime dispute with India,
Myanmar – Siddique Islam

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Bangladesh is going to a United Nations tribunal to
settle a dispute over sea territory with India and Myanmar, which has
threatened Bangladesh's rights to explore gas in the Bay of Bengal.

"We have decided to go for arbitration as the issue was not resolved
through bilateral discussion with the two neighboring countries in the
last 35 years," Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dipu Moni told a press
briefing at the ministry in the capital, Dhaka on Thursday.

The minister said the government has decided to take the maritime boundary
dispute to a compulsory arbitration under the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, for a peaceful settlement.

Her comments came hours after Foreign Secretary Mijarul Kayes handed over
copies of the notification Dhaka is making to the U.N. and a claim of its
sea territory to Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty and
Myanmar Ambassador U Phae Thoan Oo formally at the foreign ministry.

The foreign minister said the government would also keep the options for
dialogue open, as both countries are "Bangladesh's friends. We remain
committed to the on-going negotiations with our neighbors."

The move came as the government last week launched negotiations with two
international oil companies (IOCs) --- ConocoPhilips of the United States
and Tullow of Ireland --- to sign deals to explore oil and gas in three
offshore blocks.

Both India and Myanmar, which have made large gas discoveries in their
parts of the Bay, last week lodged protests over Dhaka's move to grant
exploration rights to the two companies, saying the three blocks
overlapped their sea-territories.

The foreign ministry reacted forcefully against the protests. "The claims
of our neighbors have unfairly cut off a significant portion of our
maritime area in the Bay of Bengal. And it prevented us from exploring and
exploiting oil and natural gas resources."

The government said it took the maritime dispute to the UNCLOS "with a
view to preserving our national wealth and sovereign rights in the Bay of
Bengal."

The foreign minister said the arbitration under the convention could end
the dispute with the neighbors "amicably in about five years time."

"Because all three countries are parties to this Convention, they are
under an obligation to accept the Final Award of this Tribunal, which we
anticipate will take approximately four to five years," the ministry said.

"This will allow us to once and for all settle this dispute with our
neighbors, to ensure that our natural resources in the sea are fully
respected, and to move forward to an era of prosperity as we exploit our
national wealth."

Last month, the Bangladesh government okayed an energy ministry decision
to lease out blocks Nos. 5, 10 and 11 to ConocoPhilips and Tullow Oil plc
in the Bay of Bengal for oil and gas exploration.

The ConocoPhillips, the third largest energy company in the U.S., will get
deep-sea blocks Nos. 10 and 11 while Irish company Tullow gets shallow-sea
block No. 5, according to the energy ministry

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rice and gold prices in Burma double – Aye Nai and Matthew Cunningham

The price of gold in Burma has more than doubled in the past four years,
while rice and fish prices have also seen a huge rise, government figures
for October report.

Figures released by the government’s Central Statistical Organisation
(CSO) follow in the wake of the introduction of Burma’s largest currency
denomination, the 5,000 kyat banknote, on 1 October.

The circulation of the new banknote has sparked fears that inflation rates
in Burma would soar, although so far there is no evidence directly linking
inflation to the new note.

Figures from CSO show that rice prices have more than doubled since 2005,
while gold has risen from 286,660 kyat ($US286.60) per kyatha (16.3 grams)
in 2005 to 596500 kyat ($US596.50) per kyatha as of October this year. The
average price of fish has also doubled in this period.

Burmese economist Khin Maung Nyo said that the reason for the rise in the
price of gold is due to people’s distrust of Burmese banks.

“Because there is no reliable banking system in Burma, people tend to
stock up gold to preserve their wealth,” he said.

“They prefer gold than other properties such as land or a car because gold
is easier to trade. It is also because people believe the value of gold is
invulnerable to inflation.”

His comments were echoed by Sean Turnell, from the Australia-based Burma
Economic Watch, who said that the move to gold and other currencies “shows
a broader fear, and a lack of financial institutions”.

A major worry, he said, is the total collapse of the purchasing power of
the kyat, “along the lines Zimbabwe situation”.

“Whenever the inflation rate just bubbles along at a rate of 20 percent,
which is bad, it is 10 times what it is in neighboring countries.”

Mineral and rice exports are a major source of income for the Burmese
economy, despite its agriculture sector being severely damaged by cyclone
Nargis last year.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned that it could take up to three
years before the economy recovers from the cyclone Official Burmese
government figures put Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth at around 10
percent, although ADB believes the real figure to be half of this.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

October 8, Mizzima News
Thailand’s proposal to register migrant children welcomed – Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai – The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has welcomed
Thailand’s proposal to register children of migrant workers from Burma,
Laos and Cambodia pointing out it is a positive sign in terms of rights of
children.

“The registration will provide opportunities for them [the children] to
access more public services such as medical service and education.
However, we have to wait for the details of the regulation,” Adisorn
Kerdmongkol, Advocacy and Research Officer of IRC said on Thursday.

Sompong Srakaew, Director of Labour Promotion Network, Samut Sakorn-based
organization, who works closely with migrant workers in the area, said
they have urged the government of Thailand to proceed with the plan for a
while and admitted that there has been some progress in management of
migrant workers.

The views came after a meeting of Foreign Workers Administration
Committee, led by the Ministry of Labour agreed to propose to the cabinet
to start migrant children’s registration.

Phaitoon Kaewthong, Thailand’s Minister of Labour, said the committee had
a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was chaired by Maj. Gen Sanan
Kajornprasat, Deputy Prime Minister.

The group agreed to start registration of children of migrant workers in
the country under the age of 15. However, it needs approval from the
Thailand government’s cabinet. The committee has decided to submit a
proposal in the weekly cabinet meeting in the coming week.

“However, the committee proposes that the registration should be completed
within a week to prevent the possibility of bringing children from outside
the country for registration,” Phaitoon was quoted as saying in a report
in the Thailand National News Bureau website on Wednesday.

He also added that registered children, living with their parents, will
have to leave Thailand when the working documents of the parents expire.

The minister said the policy is ‘according to humanitarian principle’ and
would allow registered migrant children to access basic education and
medical services, adding that the main responsibility of implementing the
plan will be taken up by the Minister of Interior.

In 2004, the Thai government had taken up registration for family members
of migrants, but later it withdrew the policy, causing about 200,000
migrant children to live in Thailand illegally. According to the
registration since 2004, it is believed that the number is on the rise.

Despite of the government’s earlier announcement to provide education to
all stateless and migrant children, so far the children are still unable
to access public services and continue to hide from officials because they
lack any kind of status to live in the country.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 8, CNN
Exiled Myanmar activist backs sanctions

New york -- An activist exiled from Myanmar called for the government to
release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the U.S. to
continue sanctions against it.

Thaung Htun, Myanmar's government-in-exile's unofficial representative to
the United Nations, on Wednesday told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that "it
is not the right time even to think about lifting sanctions." He wants the
United States to continue to pressure Myanmar's military regime with
economic sanctions as it pursues talks with the south Asian nation, also
known as Burma.

Sanctions will continue, according to the Obama administration, but it
noted that such a policy has not worked as a one-tiered strategy. Even as
the United States has settled on moving toward diplomacy, detained leader
Suu Kyi has called for lifting the sanctions.

Suu Kyi's detention has been a key component in the United States'
political tangle with Myanmar.

Critics of the country's ruling junta have accused the regime of
convicting Suu Kyi, 64, to keep her from participating in 2010 elections.

Sanctions coupled with diplomacy could be most effective in dealing with
Myanmar, Htun said on the CNN interview program "Amanpour."

In advocating tougher sanctions, Htun said economic restrictions target
the regime and do not affect the nation's people.

According to the CIA, more than 30 percent of Myanmar's population lives
in poverty.

"The Burmese people are poor, and economy is getting worse because of the
mismanagement of the regime," Htun said. "Actually, the regime is getting
more money, you know, in the last 20 years. Now they are having $2.6
billion ... just from the sale of gas to Thailand, but they don't use that
money for the people."

Others disagree on the effects of sanctions on the country's people.

"[Suu Kyi] does not want to hurt the people of Myanmar," Ibrahim Gambari,
the U.N. envoy to Myanmar, told Amanpour. "Some of the sanctions do hurt
the people."

Myanmar Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein has called the sanctions "a form of
violence" that do not "promote human rights and democracy."

Senator Jim Webb, the first congressman to visit Myanmar in a decade, said
the U.S. State Department "has been clear that they're not going to move
forward on issues like sanctions unless there are further reciprocal
gestures.

"But we have seen the beginning of a removal of the paralysis," the
Virginia Democrat said on "Amanpour" on Wednesday. "Aung San Suu Kyi has
been able to meet twice now over the past week with government leaders."

But she is still detained and last week she lost the appeal of the
18-month sentence recently added to time she was already serving. She was
sentenced in August for breaching the terms of her house arrest after an
incident in May in which an uninvited American, John Yettaw, stayed at her
home. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been confined in her
house for about 14 of the past 20 years.

Htun says it's too early to tell whether more talks with Myanmar will
affect Suu Kyi's detention or how the regime treats political adversaries.

"If we look at the reality on the ground, there is no improvement," he said.

"There is more violence in the last seven months, more political
prisoners, more arrests, and more military attacks in the ethnic minority
areas. That's why we need to be very cautious and we need to put pressure
on the regime until these benchmarks can be fulfilled by the regime."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 8, The Financial Times
Talks with Burma are no laughing matter – David Pilling

Before Burmese stand-up comedian Zarganar was thrown in jail, his stage
routine was peppered with references to motorcycles. Allusions to this
apparently innocuous mode of transport would have his audience tittering
nervously. Like Zarganar, they knew he was referring to a form of torture
favoured by Burma's generals. The "motorcycle" of Burma's infamous prisons
forces inmates to balance, for hours, on the balls of their feet - often
with nails placed beneath their soles - and to make a buzzing sound.
Burmese humour is no laughing matter.

Zarganar, a former dentist whose stage name means "tweezers", certainly
never succeeded in amusing the generals who prefer to call the country
they run so badly Myanmar. His criticism of the junta's tragically slow
response to last year's cyclone Nargis, which killed 140,000 people and
destroyed 800,000 homes, landed him a 59-year jail sentence, later
commuted to 35 years.

Like Burma's best-known political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi, Zarganar has
been in and out of detention since the Nobel laureate's National League
for Democracy thumped the regime into fourth place in 1990's annulled
elections. Ms Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 19 years under house
arrest. Last week, a court rejected her appeal against a further 18-month
sentence imposed because she allowed an eccentric American to stay the
night after he swam across the lake that backs on to her home. Thank God
she did not mention motorbikes. Laughably transparent, the extension keeps
the charismatic opposition leader out of the way throughout the highly
orchestrated elections the junta plans for next year.

It may seem an inauspicious moment for President Barack Obama's US
administration to open dialogue. Last week, Hillary Clinton told the UN
General Assembly that years of sanctions had not worked and that, from now
on, "we will be engaging directly with the Burmese authorities". She
stressed that, for the time being, sanctions would remain.

Reaching out to such an odious regime may seem pointless. Washington's
policy of engagement with other nasty regimes, such as the still-defiant
Iran, has so far borne little fruit. Yet distasteful as it is to sit down
with the generals, it is the right thing to do.

There are at least three good reasons why. First, the alternative -
isolation - has failed. Burma's generals seem immune to outside pressure.
Sanctions have never been effective: China has merely rushed into the
vacuum created by the US and European withdrawal. The single biggest
effect of isolating Burma has been to drive it into China's sphere of
influence.

Second, Burma is at a delicate juncture. Next year's elections will be
fought under a junta-friendly constitution, approved by a farcical
referendum in which 99 per cent of the electorate was said to have voted
in favour. (Presumably the other 1 per cent was in jail.) Those elections
have been condemned as a sham. But that is not to say they are irrelevant.
They mark the likely beginning of withdrawal from active politics of Than
Shwe, the 76-year-old former postman who now runs the country. They will
also change the political structure by appointing regional legislatures.

Such tweaks could be more than cosmetic. If nothing else, they are likely
to spark an intra-regime scramble for patronage. The generals' attempt to
co-opt tame civilian candidates could also produce elected representatives
more independent than presumed. There is even an active debate within Ms
Suu Kyi's NLD party about whether to participate.

Third, the junta's relations with Burma's ethnic minorities, many of which
have historically been supported by Beijing, are heading for crisis. In
August, the generals broke a 20-year ceasefire with the north-eastern
Kokang region, forcing 30,000 refugees across the border into China.
Beijing was not amused. Ceasefires with some of the other 16 ethnic groups
could now be in jeopardy.

Events are in flux. And that brings opportunity. Of course, the generals
are not fools. If they talk to Washington it will be with the hope of much
gain and few, if any, concessions. General Shwe would no doubt like the US
to lift sanctions and to provide legitimacy and a counterbalance to
Burma's dependence on China.

Yet the US has lots to discuss besides democracy, including Burma's
narcotics trade. The clincher for changing tack is a circular argument.
Burma has said it will consider releasing Ms Suu Kyi if she ends her
support for sanctions. The US has hinted it may relax its blockade if Ms
Suu Kyi is released. Ms Suu Kyi herself has recently shown signs of
wishing to square the circle. Last week, she sent a letter to Gen Shwe in
which she apparently sought a meeting to discuss sanctions. At the
weekend, she was summoned to meet a government representative. One report
suggests she was taken by motorbike. For once, there was no pun intended.

____________________________________

October 8, The Nation (Thailand)
US stance on Burma is confusing – Editorial

A recent seminar at Chulalongkorn University brought together academics,
diplomats and government officials to discuss Thailand's relations with
Burma in light of some interesting developments. Ideas were presented,
especially about the need for Thailand and Asean, as well as the United
Nations, to review their policies following the United States' decision to
ease its stance towards one of the world's most brutal regimes.

Of course, no one expected the seminar to come up with a conclusive set of
recommendations after just a few hours of discussion among people with
similar views and intentions, but who differ as to how their objectives
should be reached.

Some argued that the crisis inside Burma is an internal problem and that
we need to respect the Asean principle of non-interference. Others rightly
pointed out that just about everything that takes place inside Burma -
drug production, insurgency and refugees, human rights violations, migrant
workers fleeing poverty and persecution (and the list goes on) - affects
Thailand.

But the problem with Thailand is that administration after administration
cannot seem to prioritise what is important in our relations with Burma.
The current administration placed Burmese democratisation and human rights
high on its agenda, while the governments of Thaksin Shinawatra and his
proxies paid lip service to issues like narcotics and refused to hold the
Burmese junta accountable for the activities of drug armies operating
freely inside Burma and on the Thai border. Instead, those Thai
governments chose to gun down nearly 3,000 Thai citizens in the name of a
"drug war" while negotiating lucrative business deals with the junta.

No wonder the Burmese generals never take Thailand seriously.

Thais don't seem to see that our demand for cheap gems and labour, not to
mention lucrative logging and fishery concessions, paves the way for gross
human rights violations. It was pointed out that the natural resources we
want are located in areas where some of the worst atrocities are
committed, be it forcible eviction of ethnic minorities or the use of rape
as a war weapon. The Burmese army is the guilty party.

These atrocities inside Burma continue as the United States is changing
its tune on the issue of isolating the regime, although in real terms no
one knows what this means. We see pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
talking to government representatives. But can this be billed as a step in
the right direction? Let's not count our chickens before the eggs have
hatched.

Yes, dialogue with the junta should be welcome. But it should not be an
open-ended invitation to the generals. If it is to be a carrot-stick
approach, Washington is going to have to spell out exactly what it expects
of the junta - like a free and fair election and/or the release of all
political prisoners - and state clearly what the generals will get in
return.

A stable Burma is good for Thailand. But Thailand has for too long been at
the receiving end of Burma's internal problems: the suppression of the
Burmese people, clashes with rebel groups, the lack of good governance and
the influx of illegal workers and refugees.

____________________________________

October 8, Jewish Tribune (Canada)
Keeping the Jewish spirit alive in Burma (Myanmar) – Sylvia Brooke

Toronto – The Jewish community of Myanmar is small in numbers but large in
spirit. Formerly known as Burma, Myanmar was once home to a thriving
community of predominantly Sephardic Jews, largely from Iraq, Iran and
India.

Before World War II there were more than 3,000 Jews in Burma. They held
their heads high when the Burmese prime minister paid a visit to the newly
formed state of Israel in 1948. He was the first such dignitary to do so.

Israeli dignitaries in turn visited Burma. They included Golda Meir, Moshe
Dayan and Ben Gurion. The Jewish school once had 200 students and several
street names were named for prominent members of the Jewish  community. In
the early 1900s, the mayor of Yangon, formerly Rangoon, was Jewish.
However, with the nationalization of businesses in 1962 many of the
country’s Jews left for Australia, Israel, India and the United States.

Currently there are only eight families remaining, in a country of 15
million.

Moses Samuels is the trustee of the synagogue in Yangon and head of the
community. Together with his son Sammy, they established Myanmar Shalom
Travels and Tour in the hopes of sharing the beauty of their community
with the international Jewish community. Tours are kosher and highlight
the Jewish sites and history of the region.

Sammy, 28, is the North American contact for the agency. Currently working
in New York City, he is a graduate of Yeshiva University. Many of the
young Jewish Burmese travel abroad for Jewish education and experience,
and his two sisters travel often to Israel.

He speaks of the jewel of the Jewish community there: “It’s a beautiful
synagogue, right in the city centre. Some Israeli visitors, they may not
have been to synagogue in Israel, but when they come they love to see the
synagogue and stay for Shabbat.”

With help from the Israeli embassy, Jewish tourists and Chabad of Bangkok
(the nearest Chabad), the community does not lack for religious materials.
They always have a good supply of kosher wine, candles or matzot as the
season dictates.

The Israeli embassy also arranges an Israel Independence Day celebration
in Burma.

“We try to get along with all the other communities because it’s such a
small community,” adds Sammy. At Chanukah, they invite their Buddhist,
Muslim, Christian and Baha’i neighbours to join in the festivities.

Sammy recalls many Shabbatot, when he was still living in Burma, waiting
outside the synagogue with his father in the hopes that someone would come
by and they would open up for prayers. When no one would show, they would
still light candles in the synagogue.

The Samuels’ conviction and dedication to their history is clear. As Sammy
simply states, “we want to keep the Jewish spirit alive in Burma.”

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

October 8, International Center for Transitional Justice
Burma: Government impunity for sexual crimes, forced labor and child
soldiering

New York – The international community should withhold support for Burma's
2010 elections and not accept the results of the vote unless the
government amends the country's constitution to end impunity for human
rights violations, the International Center for Transitional Justice says
in a new report.

Civil society and international organizations should meanwhile develop a
coordinated approach for gathering information about human rights
violations in Burma, to help prepare for eventual prosecutions and other
measures dealing with the military government's long legacy of impunity.

Those are among the key conclusions of Impunity Prolonged, a 40-page
report analyzing Burma's 2008 constitution as well as patterns of abuse.
It focuses on three broad categories of human rights violations for which
the regime has granted itself impunity: sexual violence, forced labor and
the recruitment of child soldiers.

"Burma presents one of the most difficult challenges in the world in
relation to making progress toward combating impunity," the report says.
It outlines how the international community could help Burmese civil
society systematically collect information about human rights abuses, as
an aid to "courts, truth commissions, reparation schemes and vetting
programs that may exist in the future."
The report finds evidence that the Burmese regime responds to threats from
the international community, even if the steps have been small: "Many
transitions move in fits and starts... . But experience shows that
progress in transition often happens through such slow cultural,
structural, and institutional changes."

The report cautions that change "is not inevitable but must be achieved
through the proactive defense of human rights and concerted advocacy for
measures to combat impunity."

Download the full report at
http://www.ictj.org/static/Asia/Burma/ICTJ_MMR_Impunity2008Constitution_pb2009.pdf

About ICTJ
The International Center for Transitional Justice assists countries
pursuing accountability for past mass atrocity or human rights abuse. The
Center works in societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict,
as well as in established democracies where historical injustices or
systemic abuse remain unresolved. For more information, visit www.ictj.org

Contact
Robert Ruby (New York)
Director of Communications
+1.646.919.6599 and +1.410.807.2728 (mobile)
rruby at ictj.org and burmainfo at ictj.org