From editor at burmanet.org Mon Oct 26 15:11:51 2009 From: editor at burmanet.org (Editor) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:11:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: BurmaNet News, October 24 - 26, 2009 Message-ID: <40288.63.173.78.131.1256584311.squirrel@webmail7.pair.com> October 24 ? 26, 2009 Issue #3826 INSIDE BURMA Irrawaddy: Will the junta and Wa compromise? Mizzima News: Constitution must be revised before election: opposition leaders DVB: US citizen begins trial in Burma ON THE BORDER The New Nation (Bangladesh): Steps taken to stop influx of Rohingyas DVB: Ten explosions hit Kokang capital BUSINESS / TRADE Xinhua: Myanmar puts off opening of biggest business organization office in China ASEAN AFP: Asia lets Myanmar off hook over Suu Kyi again: analysts BBC News: Burma: Suu Kyi 'can play a role' DPA: ASEAN welcomes US engagement with Myanmar OPINION / OTHER PoliticsDaily.com (USA): The arrest and torture of an American in Burma (and why you never heard of him) ? Alex Wagner Wall Street Journal: Asean's 'Human-Rights' Council ? Not off to a great start ? Editorial Times of India: US 'softens' Myanmar stance, thanks to India ? Indrani Bagchi New Light of Myanmar: Senior General Than Shwe sends UN Day message ____________________________________ INSIDE BURMA October 26, Irrawaddy Will the junta and Wa compromise? ? Saw Yan Naing The Burmese military government has reportedly reached a provisional agreement with the United Wa State Army (UWSA) over the ethnic cease-fire militia?s role as a border guard force, according to several sources. However, the sources said that while negotiations were ongoing, so were preparations for a military conflict between the two armies. The junta has reportedly beefed up its forces in the area to a strength of 50 battalions while the UWSA, which has an estimated 25,000 fighters, is digging trenches and preparing defenses. According to the sources, the Wa leaders would like to buy time to delay the decision on border guard forces. Some reports indicate that the Wa leadership has responded to the Burmese commanders that their troops are not yet ready to serve as border guards as they require additional training. Some Burma analysts have predicted an all-out war between Burma?s two largest armies sooner or later. Some said the Wa will ?fight to the death? while others are confident that a compromise will be reached. It is widely acknowledged that China has been holding talks with both Burmese officials in Naypyidaw and Wa leaders in Panghsang, the Wa capital, in efforts to ease the crisis after the recent conflict with the Kokang army in northeastern Shan State. Beijing may also have weighed in on the issue of the Wa transforming its units to border guard forces under Burmese army command. The Burmese military authorities had earlier set October as a deadline for the UWSA leadership to accept the regime?s ?offer? of joining the regime?s border guard force plan. On Saturday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed the issue of stability and peace along the Sino-Burmese border with his Burmese counterpart Gen Thein Sein during the 15th Asean Summit in Cha-am, central Thailand. Wen told Thein Sein that Beijing ?hopes that the Burmese regime will achieve stability, national reconciliation and development? in Burma, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Web site. On October 19, the Burmese regime?s Secretary 1, Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo, flew to China on an official visit with a delegation. According to Xinhua news agency, China?s Vice-Premier Li Keqiang told Tin Aung Myint Oo: ?China and Myanmar [Burma] should make efforts together to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, as well as safeguard stability on the border areas for the sake of the fundamental interests of the two peoples.? China would like to see a compromise between the junta and the Wa, said Khuensai Jaiyen, the chief editor of the Chiang Mai-based Shan Herald Agency for News. The UWSA and its military allies?the Mongla group, the Kokang militia and the New Democratic Army-Kachin?have also been in talks in Panghsang almost every day since Oct. 20 and plan to respond to Naypyidaw on the subject of border guard forces by the end of October, said Jaiyen. Some observers said the UWSA and its allies might seek to compromise along the lines of the Kachin Independent Organization, which proposed transforming its battalions into units of an autonomous ?Kachin Regional Guard Force? as opposed to a Burmese army-controlled border guard force. According to the Burmese military authorities? demands, each border guard force will be made up of 326 soldiers, of which some 30 Burmese staff officers with significant roles in the command structure will be posted to each battalion. David Mathieson, a Burma analyst for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said, ?If they [the junta and the UWSA] can resolve the issue peacefully and don?t return to conflict, that will be good for the civilians in this area. ?If there is fighting in Wa areas, the impact on civilians will be much greater,? he said. The Thai National Security Council recently stated that the outbreak of hostilities between the Wa and Burmese government forces could force more than 200,000 refugees into northern Thailand?s Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. Some 37,000 Kokang refugees fled into China after fighting broke out in and around the Kokang capital, Laogai, near the Sino-Burmese border in late August. Larry Jagan, a British journalist who follows Burmese issues, said that Than Shwe and his deputy, Maung Aye, are supreme nationalists who will find it very hard to allow an independent army on Burmese territory. ?There is a very strong potential for the Burmese army to launch an offensive against the Wa,? said Jagan. The pretense for an attack on the Wa is likely to be based on the UWSA?s involvement in the drugs trade and illegal weapons factories, as well to counter the Wa?s perceived notions of building an independent state, according to Burma observers. The Wa have become synonymous with drug trafficking in recent years and stand accused by many sources of relying on the drugs trade to buy weapons. Four years ago, the US indicted eight Wa leaders after a US court described the UWSA as ?a criminal narcotics trafficking organization.? The UWSA?s financial officer, Wei Hsueh-Kang, is wanted in Thailand and the US. According to Thailand?s Office of Narcotics Control, heroin seizures by police in northern Thailand have increased more than 2,100 percent from last year: in the 10 months to August, the authorities seized 1,268 kilograms, or 2,795 pounds, of heroin, up from 57 kilograms a year earlier. At the 20th anniversary of the UWSA in Panghsang on April 17, Bao You-Xiang, the UWSA leader, reportedly stated that he will build ?a more solid and united Wa State,? prompting fears among Burmese nationalists that he aimed to establish an autonomous Wa state. A UWSA officer in Panghsang, who requested anonymity, told The Irrawaddy on Monday that Wa commanders are currently discussing with their lower-ranking troops the issue of the border guard force order and will likely hold a meeting with junta officials the end of October. ?We also want to solve the issue peacefully. But, it very much depends on the Burmese regime,? he said. ____________________________________ October 26, Mizzima News Constitution must be revised before election: opposition leaders ? Salai Pi Pi New Delhi ? Prominent Burmese opposition leaders say the junta?s planned 2010 elections cannot be inclusive and broad-based unless the 2008 Constitution is first revised. Win Tin, a veteran politician and senior member of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party, said in order to make the 2010 election inclusive the 2008 Constitution must be amended, as the document, which he asserts enshrines military-rule, will essentially bar all dissidents including Aung San Suu Kyi from participating in the poll. ?The constitution does not allow any political prisoners their electoral rights, and this will also include Aung San Suu Kyi,? Win Tin clarified. ?Therefore, it is necessary that the constitution is revised before the election.? Win Tin?s comments came in response to a statement from the Burmese Prime Minister at the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, concluded on Sunday. The Burmese Premier, Thein Sein, reportedly ensured leaders of the 10-member ASEAN bloc meeting in Thailand that the 2010 elections would be free, fair and inclusive of all stakeholders. Thein Sein also commented that Aung San Suu Kyi could be allowed to play a role in national reconciliation, further hinting that the regime may relax restrictions on the detained opposition leader if she maintains a ?good attitude.? ?He briefed us on some of the dialogue that is taking place and he feels optimistic that she can contribute to the process of national reconciliation,? Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters. ?We welcomed the affirmation by the Prime Minister of Myanmar [Burma] that the general elections to be held in 2010 would be conducted in a free, fair and inclusive manner,? Abhisit continued in his statement. While cautiously welcoming Thein Sein?s comments, Win Tin noted the Nobel Peace Laureate has been maintaining a soft stance towards the regime and urging national reconciliation for the last twenty years. Meanwhile, Aye Thar Aung, Secretary of the Committee Representing Peoples? Parliament (CRPP), a coalition of political parties that won the 1990 election, on Monday echoed similar views to those of Win Tin, primarily that the junta?s planned election next year cannot be inclusive unless the constitution, which he called ?forcibly endorsed in 2008?, is revised. ?Without revising the 2008 Constitution, the election will not be able to yield anything good for the people of Burma,? Aye Thar Aung told Mizzima. Aye Thar Aung added that Burma?s generals only want Aung San Suu Kyi to contribute for their national reconciliation plan but are reluctant to change their overall stance in fear of losing power. ?Changes have to come from both sides. They [the junta] also must change their stance towards her,? he elaborated. He said the only way to build a genuine national reconciliation is to hold a tripartite dialogue between the Burmese generals, Aung San Suu Kyi and leaders of the ethnic groups. Following the U.S. announcement of its new policy on Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi last month offered junta leader Senior General Than Shwe her willingness to cooperate in the easing of sanctions. In response, Than Shwe allowed her and her party meetings with western diplomats. Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 19 years in detention, was sentenced to another 18 months of house arrest in August after an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside home, spending two nights on the premises. The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 election, but the regime refused to honor the result and instead drew up a seven-step roadmap to democracy. According to the roadmap, the proposed 2010 election is the fifth step. In a statement at the end of the ASEAN summit in Thailand, leaders of the 16 countries encouraged Burma to ensure the implementation of their seven-step roadmap and to restore democracy in the country. However, Win Tin emphasized the ?NLD will not contest the upcoming election if the regime does not revise the constitution.? The NLD has also consistently called on the junta to release all political prisoners, in addition to mandating free and fair elections, before they consider participating in any poll. ____________________________________ October 26, Democratic Voice of Burma US citizen begins trial in Burma ? Khin Hnin Htet The Burmese-born US citizen currently detained in a Rangoon prison has appeared in court on charges of fraud after allegedly using false identification to enter the country. Lawyers for Kyaw Zaw Lwin, also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, said that the courtroom on Thursday heard accounts from two witnesses in the prosecution team, a police officer and an immigration official. They claim that Kyaw Zaw Lwin intended to use a Burmese national?s identification card with his photo pasted onto it. ?He entered the country using his American passport, not by using the ID the officials had mentioned,? said lawyer Kyi Win. ?They only found the ID in his possession after they searched him.? Kyaw Zaw Lwin was arrested upon arrival at Rangoon airport on 3 September, and has since been held at Rangoon?s Insein prison. Shortly after his arrest, state-run media in Burma appeared to link him to a series of bombings that hit Rangoon in mid-September, a fortnight after he was detained. An article in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said that he ?had contact with? members of the All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) and Thailand-based Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), who in turn were allegedly close to ?sabbateurs? involved in the bombing. The leader of the ABSDF, Than Khe, told DVB however that the allegations were political smearing by the government. Kyi Win also complained that his client had been held in handcuffs throughout the hearing, in violation of Burmese law. ?According to the police code of conduct, a defendant appearing before the court?s judge should be freed from handcuffs,? he said, adding that police cited security concerns as a reason to keep them on. ?This clearly violates Article 477 of the court manual and shows that no rule of law exists.? His next court hearing is scheduled for 30 October. Su Su Kyi, the aunt of Kyaw Zaw Lwin, said that his family had received no response following requests to visit him in prison. ?A letter seeking permission to meet with Ko Nyi Nyi Aung has been sent to the authorities via the embassy but no response has been made yet. We will send another letter on Monday,? she said. Su Su Kyi said that US embassy staff who visited Kyaw Zaw Lwin in prison in September said that he had shown signs of torture. ____________________________________ ON THE BORDER October 26, The New Nation (Bangladesh) Steps taken to stop influx of Rohingyas Dhaka ? The government yesterday has taken a number of steps to stop influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar into Bangladesh. The National Committee on Prevention of Smuggling at a meeting with Home Minister Sahara Khatun in the chair has instructed the law enforcing agencies, including Coast Guards, to take measures so Rohingyas cannot trespass into Bangladesh. Briefing reporters, the Home Minister said if any Rohingya could manage to sneak into the country and was caught, he must be immediately handed over to the BDR. Measures will also be taken so Rohingyas cannot obtain Bangladeshi passport or national ID card, she said, adding that the meeting decided to take action against those who helped issuing documents to Rohingyas as Bangladesh nationals. The Home Minister said that from now on no passport will be issued without police verification by regional passport office, especially for the people from the areas where Rohingya people are living. She said in case of any emergency like medical treatment the passport could be issued from Dhaka passport office. On cross-border smuggling, Sahara Khatun said the meeting emphasized arresting the godfathers of smuggling to effectively deal with the clandestine trade, as in most cases only the carriers of smuggled goods were arrested. The Home Minister said those providing information to help catch the kingpins of smuggling will be given incentives. State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Huq Tuku, Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikdar and senior officials concerned were present in the meeting. ____________________________________ October 26, Democratic Voice of Burma Ten explosions hit Kokang capital ? AKT and Thurein Soe More than 10 simultaneous blasts hit Burma?s northeastern Shan state last week, the site of heavy fighting earlier this year between government troops and an ethnic army. The explosions happened in Laogai, the capital of the Kokang special region in Shan state, sources located near to Burma?s border with China said. Five government army battalions had been deployed there following heavy fighting in August that pushed some 37,000 civilians across the border into China. The number of casualties from the blasts is so far unknown. One device exploded on Saturday close to a gold shop owned by the current leader of the ethnic Kokang army, Bai Xuoquan. Government troops launched an offensive against the Kokang group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), in August this year, breaking a 20-year ceasefire agreement. The MNDAA had been resisting pressure from Burma?s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to transform into a border guard force prior to the 2010 elections. The fighting sparked tension between Burma and China, with Beijing warning the Burmese junta to ensure peace along its shared border. Chinese premier, Win Jiabao, said on Sunday that he felt confident that Burma ?could properly handle? problems with stability in the region. Meanwhile, one man was killed and two women were injured last week when a hand-grenade accidentally exploded in Burma?s border town of Myawaddy, according to the Karen Information Centre (KIC). The owner of the grenade was a member of the pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who was visiting a friend?s house at the time. He is now in hiding, while the two women are being treated in hospital. The identity of the victim is unknown. ____________________________________ BUSINESS / TRADE October 26, Xinhua Myanmar puts off opening of biggest business organization office in China Yangon -- Myanmar has put off the opening of the resident office of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) in China's Nanning, which was originally scheduled for this month on the occasion of the 6th China-ASEAN expo, sources with the UMFCCI said on Monday. It still needs some time to complete the preparatory work including decoration of the office in Myanmar traditional style, the sources said. There were 242 entrepreneurs of 83 companies taking part in the five-day China-ASEAN expo last week held in the capital of Southwest China' Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. These entrepreneurs were from such sectors as agriculture, fishery, industry, manufacturing, gems, traditional handicrafts, forestry and hotel and tourism. Myanmar booth on display at the expo highlighted the Muse border town as a town of facilitating trade and cooperation in levying tariff. Since joining the China-ASEAN trade fair in 2004, Myanmar booth featured the commercial hub of Mandalay in the second trade fair, tourism site of ancient city of Bagan in the third fair, port city of the former capital Yangon in 4th fair and cyber city of Yadanarpon in the 5th fair, the sources said, adding the country won the best booth, best design and best creativity awards in the 4th China-ASEAN trade fair in 2007. In the last 5th China-ASEAN trade fair, Myanmar won the best booth award again. China's Nanning and Myanmar's Yangon established friendship city relationship in July this year. According to Chinese official statistics, China-Myanmar bilateral trade amounted to 2.626 billion dollars in 2008, up 26.4 percent. Of the total, China's export to Myanmar took 1.978 billion dollars. ____________________________________ ASEAN October 25, Agence France Presse Asia lets Myanmar off hook over Suu Kyi again: analysts ? Rachel O'Brien HUA HIN, Thailand ? Asian leaders barely mentioned Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi at a weekend summit, making a mockery of the region's grand claims for its new rights body, analysts said. Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Myanmar, devoted just three lines to the military-ruled nation's political situation in the nine pages of their final declaration. While the statement called for elections promised by the junta in 2010 to be "fair, free, inclusive and transparent", it made no mention of the opposition leader, who has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. The summit at the Thai resort of Hua Hin opened with the inauguration of ASEAN's first human rights body, hailed by members as "historic" but widely derided by activists, given the lack of action on Myanmar. "The whole thing is a bit of a farce," David Mathieson, a Myanmar expert at Human Rights Watch, told AFP. "There were pretty low expectations for the human rights commission and ASEAN has probably fulfilled these expectations. There's no way ASEAN can maintain any credibility while kowtowing to the Burmese leaders," he added. Burma is Myanmar's former name. Suu Kyi had her house arrest extended in August for 18 months after she was convicted over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her home. It effectively keeps her out of the way for next year's elections. A senior Southeast Asian diplomat confirmed to AFP that Myanmar and Suu Kyi were not discussed at the ASEAN leaders' retreat, although they did come up when the bloc met with leaders from China, Japan and South Korea on Saturday. Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein told his counterparts that the junta could relax the conditions of Suu Kyi's detention, a Japanese official said -- but this possibility was earlier raised by the junta at her conviction. The rights commission's launch was also marred by a row over the barring of rights activists from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Singapore, who were meant to meet ASEAN leaders at Hua Hin to discuss the new watchdog. The Myanmar representative, Khin Ohmar, said their exclusion was an "extreme disappointment", but not a surprise. "Now the trial is done and Aung San Suu Kyi is back in house arrest, ASEAN is coming back to avoiding the whole Burma issue again," she added. Khin Ohmar said ASEAN was prevented from applying any real pressure on the military regime because of its long-standing policy of non-interference in members' internal affairs. "As long as they have that they will not be able to solve the Burma problem", she added. Myanmar's ruling generals did allow Suu Kyi two meetings with a minister this month after she wrote a letter to junta chief Than Shwe offering suggestions for getting Western sanctions against Myanmar lifted. The move coincided with a recent shift in US policy to re-engage the isolated regime, after decades of hostility. "These are positive developments and I think Myanmar authorities have promised their commitment to the... roadmap (to democracy)", Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told reporters in Hua Hin. The positions of ASEAN and the international community "remain firm", he said, reiterating the call for free and fair elections and the release of all political prisoners. But ASEAN nations have been reluctant to admonish Myanmar when they face their own rights issues, especially in communist Vietnam and Laos but also in Thailand, which has been under fire for its treatment of ethnic minorities. "The change in the US approach reduces the pressure on ASEAN to push for reform in Myanmar," said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at the Singapore Management University. "ASEAN has usually had limited impact on reforms in Myanmar, and this pattern is likely to continue," she added. ____________________________________ October 26, BBC News Burma: Suu Kyi 'can play a role' Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein has told Asian leaders the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi can contribute to national reconciliation. It was not clear if that meant Burma's military would allow her to take part in next year's elections. The Burmese PM was speaking at the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) regional summit in Thailand. The leaders were strongly criticised by activists for their failure to demand more of Burma on ending military rule. "He [the Burmese premier] briefed us on some of the dialogue that is taking place and he feels optimistic that she can contribute also to the process of national reconciliation," said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. He "recognises full well that the rest of the world expects to see elections as inclusive as possible," Mr Abhisit said. It is not clear if the reported comments mean Burma's military would allow Aung San Suu Kyi any role in next year's elections. On Saturday, Japan's prime minister Yukio Hatoyama reported that the Burmese had said the conditions of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest could be relaxed if she showed what they called a good attitude. This month, Burma allowed her to meet Western diplomats, after extending her detention by 18 months - a move which could ensure her absence from elections planned by the junta for next year. Indian premier Manmohan Singh said there was an "atmosphere of hope" about improving relations between Burma and the United States, which recently began to re-engage the junta after years of hostility. The summit leaders, from the 10-member Asean and partners China, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, had all welcomed the US engagement, Mr Abhisit added. Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi in Seoul, South Korea However, just three lines in a nine-page closing document were devoted to Burma, where summit leaders hoped the 2010 elections would be "fair, free, inclusive and transparent". It made no mention of Suu Kyi, who has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years. "The whole thing is a bit of a farce," David Mathieson, a Burma expert at Human Rights Watch, told AFP. Asian leaders spent more time discussing plans to "lead the world" by forming an EU-style community by 2015. There was debate at the summit over whether the community should also include the United States. The junta has kept Ms Suu Kyi under house arrest for most of the past two decades after her National League for Democracy swept elections in 1990 but was barred from taking power. ____________________________________ October 26, Deutsche Presse-Agentur ASEAN welcomes US engagement with Myanmar Cha-am, Thailand - The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Sunday welcomed a new US policy of engagement with Myanmar, saying it was the right approach to dealing with a member of its club considered a pariah by many Western nations. 'The one thing we are completely agreed upon is that we welcome signs of further engagement on the part of various regions in response to some of the developments in Myanmar,' Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said after the conclusion of the three-days ASEAN summit and related events in Cha-am, 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. US President Barack Obama has encouraged a policy of engagement with Myanmar since coming to power, although the US has not dropped economic sanctions on the pariah state. ASEAN has long advocated engagement with Myanmar, a member of the regional grouping since 1997, as the best tactic for encouraging the military-run country to implement political reforms. To date, ASEAN engagement has failed to pressure Myanmar to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest. She was recently sentenced to another 18 months of detention. There are another 2,300 other political prisoners in Myanmar, some of them serving 100-year-long sentences. Myanmar's Prime Minister Thein Sein reiterated his regime's intention to hold a general election next year, for which the junta will promulgate a new election law soon. The election is part of its seven-step road map to democracy. 'ASEAN has always argued that engagement is the right approach and we feel that if everyone takes this engagement approach we would be encouraging Myanmar in the successful implementation of her road map,' Abhisit said. Myanmar's junta recently allowed Suu Kyi to hold talks with foreign diplomats in Yangon about raising economic sanctions on the country, raising hopes that she and other political prisoners will be freed before the election is held. 'They recognize full well that the rest of the world expects to see an election that is as inclusive as possible,' Abhisit said of the junta. Myanmar has been ruled by military regimes since 1962. ____________________________________ OPINION / OTHER October 26, PoliticsDaily.com (USA) The arrest and torture of an American in Burma (and why you never heard of him) ? Alex Wagner While I was sitting in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Burma on a beautiful fall day last week, a Burmese-born American citizen who happens to live 30 minutes from Capitol Hill was languishing in Rangoon's notorious Insein prison. The Burmese courts have charged this American, Kyaw Zaw Lwin, with fraud and forgery, though the ruling regime's official mouthpiece, the New Light of Myanmar, has also accused him of terrorist activities. Kyaw Zaw Lwin's defense counsel has said that his client was physically tortured during his detention and denied any allegations that he was plotting to incite unrest. Last week, his trial began. So where is his rescue from Bill Clinton, who so thrillingly swooped in to extricate two Americans being held in North Korea? Given the announcement of the new U.S. policy of engagement with Burma just four weeks ago, Kyaw Zaw Lwin could be waiting quite a while. With all the media attention paid to the North Korean detention (and subsequent release) of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the lack of coverage of an American citizen being held and allegedly tortured by a rogue regime is shocking. Equally so is the administration's apparent lack of focus on the matter. On Sept. 12, State Department spokesperson Ian Kelly reported, "We have reached out to [the Burmese] government to get additional information [on Kyaw Zaw Lwin]," adding that no further details were available. Nearly six weeks later, during the Congressional hearing on Burma, Kurt Campbell, the Obama administration's newly appointed assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, was asked what developments had occurred in the case of Kyaw Zaw Lwin. He responded that there weren't any updates. Is this just part of the cost of engagement? In exchange for Chinese financing of American debt, the U.S. has taken an increasingly soft position on China's human rights record, and on Oct. 5, the president declined to meet with the Dalai Lama, the perpetual thorn in Beijing's side. Last week, the administration was mum on the abduction and suspected execution of Uighur dissidents in China's Xinjiang Province. And in the case of Kyaw Zaw Lwin, the State Department's actions -- or, perhaps, inactions -- thus far might suggest the sort of concessions the U.S. is prepared to make as engagement with Burma begins. A leader of what came to be known as the 88 Students Generation -- a pro-democracy movement inside Burma that held massive, student-led demonstrations in 1988, and ended with the killing of over 3,000 protesters at the hands of the military -- Kyaw Zaw Lwin was granted asylum in the U.S. in the wake of the uprising. He moved here in 1993 and became a citizen, relocating as other Burmese exiles have to the Washington, D.C.. area, where he became friends with my grandmother. Some 30 years earlier, this is where she and my mother, also seeking refuge from the repressive Burmese military government, settled upon arrival in the States. As anyone in D.C. can tell you, Washington is a small town, and it is especially so if you are part of the community of Burmese exiles clustered around the Beltway. There is the local monastery where everyone pays his or her respects to the monks; there is the Asian grocery store where you can buy imported pickled tea leaves and smelly durian fruit; and the Burmese restaurant downtown that makes a decent noodle soup. There is also an activist exile network, populated by Burmese who have watched, helplessly for the most part, as their country and its people have been stomped into the ground by a regime intent on maintaining control of the country's rich natural resources at all costs. >From time to time, you see them at rallies in front of the Burmese Embassy or the United Nations, armed with homemade signs and bullhorns, hoping to get arrested or to make it onto the local evening news. This isn't to disparage these protests, it is simply to say that -- as any Burmese will tell you -- the country's decades-long struggle for freedom almost never makes headlines. For U.S. officials, identifying the strategic imperative of addressing the situation in Burma is challenging. To them, it appears merely that a once-prosperous Southeast Asian country has fallen into the hands of a particularly despicable group of armed military men, known as the State Peace and Development Committee (SPDC). The SPDC's actions have been morally reprehensible, but for an American audience facing multiple wars, terrorist attacks and economic freefall, well, there have been other things to worry about. Kyaw Zaw Lwin's participation in the human rights movement continued after his escape from Burma: He co-founded the Burmese Students Committee for Social Affairs, began working as a research assistant for Refugees International, and became a leading member of the Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now Campaign. He moved into a townhouse in suburban Maryland, bought a car and became engaged to a fellow exile and activist, a registered nurse named Wa Wa Kyaw. My grandmother, a fiery advocate for Burmese democracy even well into her 80s, often needed rides to the monthly activist meetings and plenary sessions ? and when she requested transportation, it was Kyaw Zaw Lwin, a soft spoken, dutiful emissary, who would pick her up. In late spring of this year, Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now spearheaded a campaign with several advocacy organizations to gather 888,888 signatures (the number 8 is particularly auspicious in Burmese culture, as well as a reference to the uprisings of 1988) to protest the incarceration of nearly 2,100 political prisoners in Burmese jails. Though the campaign did not meet its goal, nearly 680,000 signatures were collected. The organizers of the campaign hoped to deliver the signatures to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has repeatedly called on the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners. One of the emissaries chosen to deliver these signatures was Kyaw Zaw Lwin -- because he had been incarcerated for political activities following the 1988 protests, because his mother is serving a five-year jail term for political activities inside Burma, and because his sister has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in the 2007 pro-democracy protests inside the country. Secretary Ban's office declined to receive Kyaw Zaw Lwin and his petition, and the signatures were instead handed off to Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari's office without much fanfare, although Kyaw Zaw Lwin did make a statement at a small press conference that day: "My message to Mr. Ban Ki-moon is simple," he said. "Your words show you take this issue seriously. But now I want to see what action you will take to secure the release of my family and all Burma's political prisoners." Eight weeks later, the Burmese courts extended the house arrest of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's most famous political prisoner. And several weeks after that, Kyaw Zaw Lwin himself was thrown into jail. He had been back to the country several times before and had entered with little problem, but on Sept. 3, upon arrival at Rangoon's airport, he was seized. Little has been heard of him since. On Sept. 24, the New Light of Myanmar reported, "Steps are being taken . . . against Kyaw Zaw Lwin, a citizen of a foreign country who, out of disloyalty to his motherland and people, planned to instigate unrest and launch terrorist attacks." His family has had no contact with him since his arrest. "There's lots of red tape," said Wa Wa Kyaw. "His aunts, who live in Rangoon, tried to meet with him, but the Burmese authorities told him that since he's an American citizen, the visit has to go though the U.S. Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They have put in a request, but it hasn't been granted." For decades, Burma's government has been maligned for widespread corruption, repression of basic freedoms, state-sponsored violence targeting ethnic tribes, and torture of civilians. Because of this, the SPDC is seen as one of the most brutal regimes in the world. It is also -- so far -- one of the most intractable. For decades, U.S. dialogue with the SPDC has been nonexistent. Given the myriad abuses perpetrated by the Burmese regime on its people, the U.S. has enjoyed the moral high ground in refusing to engage with the brutal junta, but its approach has yielded few, if any, results in the intervening years. President Obama's new Burma strategy is part of a broader policy of Speaking With Friends and Enemies of Freedom alike: it treads a careful line between "constructive engagement" with the regime and maintaining broad economic sanctions. It's unclear whether this will yield any more tangible results than non-engagement has, and this hasn't been lost on the Obama administration. "We expect engagement with Burma to be a long, slow, painful and step-by-step process," Campbell said during his House testimony. Critics say that engagement may, in fact, damage the U.S.'s broader foreign policy objectives. During the hearings last week, Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from California and a longtime advocate of the Bush-era policy of diplomatic freeze-out, was unrelenting: "With all due respect, we know all about Burma. It's not an unknown quantity. It has a vicious gangster regime, one of the most despicable regimes in this planet. We are saying that they are a legitimate government to sit down with. They are not." Campbell was quick to emphasize that the U.S. government deplores actions taken by the SPDC and that relaxing of sanctions is off the table until concrete and substantive reform is in place. Dialogue, though, is a two-way street: for partners from whom we are seeking to gain something, concessions must be made. Meanwhile, coverage from inside Kyaw Zaw Lwin's trial reported that the prosecution has called two witnesses who were "not convincing and vague." Thirteen more witnesses for the prosecution have yet to testify. As in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Burmese courts will reach a guilty verdict and that the punishment will far outweigh the trumped-up crime. Given the new U.S. strategy of high-level diplomatic dialogue with the regime, one could speculate that perhaps the U.S. is negotiating on the sidelines for Kyaw Zaw Lwin's release, much as they did with John William Yettaw, the American arrested and sentenced by Burmese courts to four years of hard labor for an unsanctioned visit to Aung San Suu Kyi. But unlike Yettaw -- a mentally-ill man from Missouri with no connection to the Burmese opposition movement -- the SPDC has significant grievances with Kyaw Zaw Lwin. For those Burmese who have left the country and emigrated overseas, working with exile opposition groups to unseat the generals from their perches of power, the regime reserves a specific brand of vitriol. They -- Kyaw Zaw Lwin, and my grandmother, too -- are seen as traitors, pawns of the West. In the eyes of the regime, they are enemies of the state. The prisoner's fianc?e, Wa Wa Kyaw, says advocacy efforts have been difficult: "I am working full time, and I can't quit my job," she says. "I have to stay supporting the family -- Kyaw Zaw Lwin has five family members in prison in five different locations in Burma. His aunts need financial support to travel and visit everyone, and my nephew is also in prison for activities during the 2007 protests." The innocents in Burma, hostage to a brutal junta for nearly five decades, seem to be locked in a tragic cycle of repression, uprise, protest and defeat. Could renewed U.S. engagement with the SPDC win freedom for Kyaw Zaw Lwin, an American citizen wrongly imprisoned in a foreign country? Of course, but whether our government will choose to secure it is anyone's guess. ------------- Alex Wagner is the executive director of Not on Our Watch, a global advocacy and aid organization founded by Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon and Jerry Weintraub and dedicated to stopping and preventing mass atrocities and gross violations of human rights. She lives in New York City. ____________________________________ October 25, Wall Street Journal Asean's 'Human-Rights' Council ? Not off to a great start ? Editorial The Association of Southeast Asian Nations inaugurated its human-rights commission Friday. Like its United Nations equivalent, it's a toothless body, but it can still do damage to the cause it's supposed to serve. Asean members aspire for the council to be "a vehicle for progressive social development and justice, the full realization of human dignity and the attainment of a higher quality life for Asean peoples," according to their inaugural declaration. These are worthy goals. But Asean is a broad church that includes countries like Burma and Laos that want to rubber-stamp their authoritarian regimes, not submit to real scrutiny. All 10 commissioners who will serve on the council for three year terms were chosen by their respective Asean member nations, in most cases through opaque selection processes that involved little or no public consultation. Commissioners include Kyaw Tint Swe, the Burmese ambassador to the U.N. who has long defended the junta's rights record there, and Brunei's Abdul Hamid Bakal, a Shariah court judge. The commission operates by consensus and its mandate focuses on promoting human rights, not protecting them. The initial signals aren't encouraging. At the weekend Asean summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, delegates discussed regional integration, climate change and removing trade barriers. No less than five Asean nations?Burma, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Singapore?refused to meet with civil society representatives during a scheduled "interface meeting" Friday meant to act as a forum for discussion between heads of state and civil society representatives. This was nothing if not predictable, given the composition of the council. It's also a shame, given the need for an effective human-rights watchdog in the region. Burma, for instance, will be holding elections next year. If the human-rights council meant what it said about upholding "human dignity," it could mention the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, the jailed opposition leader who is still under house arrest. Or it could examine the status of the Rohingya refugees who routinely wash up on the shores of Thailand and Malaysia as they flee from Burma. Asean aspires to be a regional organization with bigger global clout. Embracing a human-rights council like this is detrimental to that goal. ____________________________________ October 26, Times of India US 'softens' Myanmar stance, thanks to India ? Indrani Bagchi New Delhi ? In the past couple of years, India has taken a lot of international heat for its close engagement with Myanmar???s ruling junta when the US and EU were slamming on sanctions, essentially driving Myanmar into even greater isolation. But the US policy was singularly unsuccessful, as many Indian officials said it was bound to be. It took US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to signal a change, when she announced the review saying the sanctions weren???t working. This week, when US assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell stops by New Delhi on his way to Yangon, India aims to keep ???engagement??? on top of the agenda. India, like China, had two mantras for the West ??? engage with Myanmar and take the sanctions pressure off. Most in the west thought this was India???s way of keeping up with the Joneses, in this case China, particularly as China made further inroads into Myanmar. In fact, one of the key issues India will discuss with the US will be to delink the fledgling engagement process from next year???s elections in Myanmar. That, India feels, would put almost unbearable pressure. India looks upon the softening by US and Myanmar as significant, said sources. In a clear sign of reciprocity to the US signals, Myanmar???s prime minister Thein Sein reportedly indicated to his Asean colleagues on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit this weekend that the junta government might soften the terms of Aung San Suu Kyi???s house arrest. Earlier, the 15th Asean Summit issued a statement saying the Asean leaders discussed the Myanmar situation and underscored ???that the general elections to be held in Myanmar in 2010 must be conducted in a fair, free, inclusive and transparent manner in order to be credible to the international community???. Fresh from the failure of the isolation policy in both North Korea and Myanmar, the Obama administration, after an eight-month-long review, has decided to engage with Myanmar???s generals. On September 29, Campbell held his first meeting with Myanmar???s science minister U Thaung in New York. Though it did not yield much, it certainly paved the way for the first official visit from Washington to Yangon in decades. The basic idea here is not to repeat the mistakes of North Korea, that could push isolationist regimes like Myanmar closer to countries like North Korea. Campbell announced this week that the US would closely work with India and China regarding Myanmar. In India, former foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon as well as his successor Nirupama Rao have used the foreign office consultations with the US to push for engagement with Myanmar and a sensitisation of the US to Myanmarese concerns. India is a reluctant mediator, but at Myanmar???s request, India has even passed on messages from the junta to the US at a reasonably high level. This was one of many signals that Myanmar sent to the US indicating it was ready to open up. India sees an unprecedented desire for openness with the Myanmarese generals. This has been helped by an important development ??? a letter by jailed leader Suu Kyi to Than Shwe declaring she would work to reduce international sanctions on Myanmar. She also asked in the letter to meet representatives of the US, EU and Australia, which was allowed. That started an internal thaw, which contributed to the new western approach. India, said sources, has conducted an equal number of confidential conversations with the Myanmarese as well. ____________________________________ October 25, New Light of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe sends UN Day message Myanmar has great faith in important role played by United Nations in promoting social justice, economic progress and better standards of living of citizens of the world Myanmar will work towards vision of the United Nations NAY PYI TAW, 24 Oct ? The following is the full text of the message sent by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe on the occasion of the 64th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Today is the 64th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. On this special occasion, we join the Member States of the World Organization in commemorating and celebrating this very significant and auspicious day for the international community. Sixty-four years ago, the United Nations was established to bring peace and stability to the chaotic world devastated by scourge of two World Wars. Overriding concerns of the United Nations in its early part of history had been its peace agenda. In the height of cold war with an impending threat of nuclear war and seemingly endless regional conflicts across the globe, it became imperative that peace and stability must prevail if development and progress are to be achieved. Over the decades, the United Nations has successfully maintained international ace and security. Moreover, the United Nations also made advances in the field of development, protection of the environment and promotion of international law, etc. These advances are made possible by the commitments of the Member States to work collectively and cooperatively within the United Nations. The world again faces complex crises threatening development and security. At this juncture, we need to look to the founding principles of the United Nations to address the challenges. The world today is undergoing profound changes. We are living in a global and interdependent world. Never before in time of peace, have the members of the United Nations been presented with so many new challenges and opportunities. These have far reaching impacts on the entire international community. The imbalances in global economic, financial, and trade environment remain a major impediment for many developing countries. The emerging global issues of climate change, financial and economic crises, and food and energy crises threaten to undermine socio-economic progress gained, including the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals. The United Nations is the best forum to tackle global challenges, as well as for guaranteeing international peace and security. The challenges that we are facing today can best be addressed by an integrated approach. The United Nations, the most universal institution has also on its agenda, vast array of works that touch every aspect of the lives of people around the world. Therefore, full potential of the United Nations must be galvanized. It is clear that no country can deal with the multitude of global problems alone. They can be effectively resolved only through collective efforts within the most representative international mechanism. Myanmar has great faith in the important role played by the United Nations in promoting social justice, economic progress and better standards of living of the citizens of the world. Our hope for a better, more prosperous and peaceful world remains with the World Organization. On this 64th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, let us reaffirm our support and commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations which have proved timeless and universal. Together with the international community, Myanmar will work towards the vision of the United Nations that is a center of harmonizing the actions of nations for attainment of peace, security and prosperity for all. - MNA