BurmaNet News, February 27 - March 1, 2010

[Editor]

February 27 – March 1, 2010, Issue #3906


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Suu Kyi to seek special appeal
AP: Cameroon man faces life imprisonment in Myanmar
New Light of Myanmar: Supreme Court confirms judgement and decree of
Yangon Division Court, rejects appeals of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Daw Khin
Khin Win, Ma Win Ma Ma (a) Ange Lay

ON THE BORDER
Wall Street Journal: Bangkok under fire on immigration policy
Bangkok Post: Troops face probe after three Burmese killed, including two
children

BUSINESS / TRADE
DVB: 70 percent of Burma property goes to junta cronies

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: US lawmaker seeks to punish Myanmar on Suu Kyi
AFP: Canada condemns rejection of Suu Kyi freedom bid

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Privatization? What privatization? – Yeni
Huffington Post (US): Oscar Watch: Documentaries – Regina Weinreich
Council of the European Union: Statement by the spokesperson of HR
Catherine Ashton, on the rejection of Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal by the
Supreme Court of Burma/Myanmar

PRESS RELEASE
FIDH and Altsean-Burma: Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi must be released
immediately; Supreme Court's decision on her house arrest another travesty
of justice
Nobel Women’s Initiative: Nobel laureates to host international tribunal
on crimes against women of Burma




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 1, Democratic Voice of Burma
Suu Kyi to seek special appeal – Ahunt Phone Myat

Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to take a special appeal over
her house arrest to Burma’s supreme court after it was last week rejected.

Her lawyers said that the new appeal would go through two stages:
acceptance by the court, and then a final presentation by lawyers at the
court.

Analysts have said the appeal will effectively be made to junta chief Than
Shwe, who is seen as the main architect behind her sentencing. Courts in
Burma have been criticised as puppets of the government.

“There will be two judges deciding on [he acceptance] and we [lawyers] are
to make an argument statement before them,” said lawyer Nyan Win.

“If they accept it, the appeal will be heard before three judges in [the
capital] Naypyidaw. This is the current [legal] system procedure.”

Nyan Win said that judges last Friday only read out the ruling that
rejected the previous appeal, but did not give any reasons for why it was
rejected.

Suu Kyi has said that last year’s 18-month extension of her house arrest,
and the new conditions placed on her house arrest, is unjust. Critics of
the ruling junta have said the detention is a ploy to keep her locked up
during elections, scheduled for later this year.

International leaders, including UK prime minister Gordon Brown and UN
chief Ban Ki-moon, have condemned the rejection last week.

“I welcome the denouncing, because Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not guilty in
this case,” Nyan Win said.

He added that lawyers will meet with Suu Kyi to discuss the special
appeal, and are looking to get a copy of the verdict to see why it was
rejected.

____________________________________

March 1, Associated Press
Cameroon man faces life imprisonment in Myanmar

Yangon, Myanmar — A Cameroon football player who sought refuge at the
French Embassy in Myanmar's main city could face life imprisonment on
charges of forging currency notes, a newspaper said Monday.

The man, who was not named, fled temporarily to the embassy in Yangon last
Tuesday as he was being taken to court by police. He surrendered to police
a short time later.

The man and a friend had been charged with counterfeiting currency notes,
which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the local Weekly
News journal said.

The two men had come to Myanmar to play with local football clubs. After
failing to secure contracts, the two lived in a downtown hotel where they
were allegedly counterfeiting U.S. currency, the report said.

They were arrested after the hotel manager informed local authorities.


____________________________________

February 28, New Light of Myanmar
Supreme Court confirms judgement and decree of Yangon Division Court,
rejects appeals of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Daw Khin Khin Win, Ma Win Ma Ma
(a) Ange Lay

Yangon – Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Daw Khin Khin Win and Ma Win Ma Ma (a) Ange
Lay filed appeals at the Supreme Court (Yangon) against the judgements of
Yangon Division Court as they were dissatisfied with the judgments of the
criminal appeal cases No. 173/2009 and No. 174/ 2009 from Yangon Division
Court which passed the judgement and decree of the Criminal Regular Trial
47/2009 from Yangon North District Court. These were the criminal appeal
case No. 600(b)/2009 for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 601(b)2009 for Daw Khin
Khin Win and Ma Win Ma Ma (a) Ange Lay.

The Attorney-General’s Office also lodged appeals with the Supreme Court
against the criminal appeal case No. 173/2009 and 174/2009 from Yangon
Division Court. in accordance with Section 435 of Code of Criminal
Procedure as the office was dissatisfied with the judgements. This was the
criminal appeal case 619 (b)/2009.

On 18 February, the Supreme Court heard the final arguments of advocates
from both sides over criminal appeal case 619(b)/2009 lodged by the
Attorney-General Office and the criminal appeal cases No. 600(b)/2009 and
601(b)2009 filed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Daw Khin Khin Win and Ma Win Ma
Ma (a) Ange Lay.

The Supreme Court confirmed the judgements and decree of Yangon Division
Court and rejected the criminal appeal cases today. Daw Khin Cho Ohn,
Director of the Attorney-General’s Office, the defence Supreme Court
Advocates U Kyi Win, U Nyan Win, Daw Khin Htay Kywe and U Hla Myo Myint
and ambassadors of embassies in Yangon were also present at the court
today. – MNA

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

March 1, Wall Street Journal
Bangkok under fire on immigration policy – Patrick Barta

Pressure is mounting on Thai authorities to rescind or delay new
immigration rules that could cause hundreds of thousands of migrant
workers to face deportation and drive up business costs in one of
Southeast Asia's most important economies, human-rights workers say.

The rules, which demand compliance by Tuesday and which require some 1.5
million migrants to register with Thai authorities and prove their
nationalities, or be kicked out, are adding to recent concerns about
overreliance on imported labor in Asia's wealthier countries.

Other countries in the region, including Malaysia, Singapore and Korea,
have increasingly drawn on low-cost foreign workers to help them stay
competitive with China and India. Malaysian palm-oil plantation owners
count heavily on labor from Bangladesh or Nepal to keep wages low.

In Thailand, textile manufacturers and fishing fleets—two industries that
heavily rely on foreign labor—use workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and
elsewhere.

Although precise data on such undocumented workers are unavailable,
human-rights groups say they now account for roughly 5% to 10% of
Thailand's work force.

As the number of migrants has grown, though, host countries have become
more worried about backlash from local residents, who fear foreign labor
is keeping local wages down. Officials say they also are concerned
foreigners could pose security threats or health risks, since some come
from countries with high rates of HIV or other diseases.

Thailand is emerging as the latest battleground. The country has long
required migrant workers to register with the government. But now,
authorities are asking them to undergo a considerably more onerous and
time-consuming registration that involves verifying the migrants'
identities with their home governments—something many workers are afraid
to do because they fear it could subject them to punishments or penalties
back home.

The goal of Thai authorities is to get a more reliable record of who is in
the country at any given time, expand worker protections and tighten
supervision, including ensuring workers have vaccinations.

The deadline for compliance, initially Feb. 28, was extended to March 2
after several hundred thousand migrants failed to appear. Workers who
don't comply are subject to arrest and deportation, though it remains
unclear when that process will start. In one concession, officials have
said that workers who start the process now can finish the paperwork
later, though they have also insisted they will take a hard line against
anyone found to be intentionally avoiding the process.

Human-rights groups say as many as 700,000 of the 1.5 million or so
migrants covered by the rule will refuse to comply, based on conversations
they've had with Thai officials about current participation rates. A Thai
government spokesman says he doubts the number is that high, but
acknowledges at least several hundred thousand likely still haven't taken
part.

Even a small reduction in the number of migrant workers could affect
Thailand's competitiveness, analysts say, at a time when it is just
beginning to recover from the world-wide economic crisis. Employers say
they already are experiencing labor shortages, and will need more migrants
to keep textile mills and other low-wage businesses, such as farm work or
seafood processing, humming.

"Thai people don't want these jobs," says Amnart Nantaharn, deputy
secretary general of the Federation of Thai Industries. Every sector of
the Thai economy needs more migrant workers, he says.

Human-rights groups, meanwhile, say migrants have plenty of reasons to
fear declaring themselves, including a history of past mistreatment by
Thai authorities. Cases of arbitrary arrest and rape are detailed in a
report released last week by New York-based Human Rights Watch. In some
cases, activists allege, Thai authorities force migrants to pay bribes to
avoid deportation.

On Thursday, police said Thai troops fire on a pickup truck carrying
Myanmar migrants, killing three passengers, Reuters reported. The police
said the driver was heading toward authorities near a border with Myanmar
and refused to halt.

Other migrant workers worry that information about their activities will
be shared with their governments in Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia, subjecting
them to possible problems if they return home or their families to
harassment.

"We recognize the right of the government to monitor immigration," says
Phil Robertson, a deputy director of Human Rights Watch. "We just want
them to do it in a way that prevents human-rights abuses against
migrants."

Thai authorities say they are investigating the reports of abuse. They say
the new registration process will ultimately help reduce such problems by
formalizing workers' status and rights under Thai law.

"That is exactly why we need them to come forward and be protected, so
they're not underground," says Panitan Wattanayagorn, a Thai government
spokesman. He says he doesn't think higher costs for businesses "is much
of an issue" but added the government will consider possible economic
downsides as it considers how aggressively to enforce the rule.

Thailand isn't the only country in the region grappling with how to
tighten rules on foreign workers without driving too many of them away.
Last month, after complaints from local residents, Singapore said it would
raise fees on employers who use overseas labor. Malaysia has cracked down
on the movement of some migrants after a U.S. State Department report last
year accused the country of allowing human trafficking, often for the
purpose of bringing overseas workers in for forced labor. Malaysian
authorities have said they don't condone trafficking and are dealing with
the problem.Tighter controls could help Thailand and the foreign workers
in the long run, says Christopher Bruton, an analyst at Dataconsult Ltd.,
a Bangkok advisory firm. Wages will likely have to rise and some
businesses will "probably close or go over the border" to remain
competitive if many migrant workers return home, he says. But relying on
cheap labor tends to promote inefficiencies in businesses, he says, and
forcing companies to accept somewhat higher wages could ultimately make
them run better and be more competitive.

____________________________________

February 28, Bangkok Post
Troops face probe after three Burmese killed, including two children –
Erika Fry

Prosecutors are investigating the deaths of three Burmese - including two
young children - who were killed when a pick-up truck they were being
smuggled in was sprayed with bullets by Thai soldiers in Ranong on
Thursday.

Gruesome photos of the three dead bodies seen by the Bangkok Post Sunday
show a young man lying in the tray of the pick-up, with a bullet wound in
the top of his head. Beside him are two small children, one lying on a
banana leaf with a gaping wound in the top right of his or her skull.

Thirteen Burmese were in the pick-up when soldiers from a task force
company of the 25th Infantry Regiment opened fire after the vehicle failed
to stop at about 5am.

Seventeen bullet holes were found in the body of the truck, and three of
the truck's tyres had been shot out. Five of the Burmese were taken to
hospital with gunshot wounds. Three were in serious condition at Ranong
Hospital on Friday, while the two others were discharged. The soldiers
opened fire from another vehicle after the smuggler's truck failed to stop
when it approached them. Later reports on the incident said the driver had
rammed the truck through checkpoint gates and the soldiers had given
chase.

It's understood the tray of the pick-up was covered, and the soldiers may
have not known there were people lying in the back when they opened fire.

Supot Mongkoltangsirikul, 35, the driver of the pick-up who was uninjured,
said he had been paid 500 baht to take the workers to Ranong Thani Housing
Estate.

The migrants had been smuggled from Kawthaung in Burma by longtail boat,
according to police. They were loaded in the truck from the bank of the
Kraburi River, about 400m from the main road. Pol Col Veerasin Kwanseng,
chief of the Pak Nam police station, said Mr Supot would likely be charged
with attempted murder for his failure to stop, and with smuggling alien
workers.

The soldiers were initially charged over the three deaths, but as they
were performing their duty, provincial prosecutors would further
investigate and decide how to proceed with the case, he said.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

March 1, Democratic Voice of Burma
70 percent of Burma property goes to junta cronies – Ahunt Phone Myat

Around 70 percent of property in Burma auctioned off to private enterprise
in recent months has ended up in the hands of cronies of the ruling junta.

The Burmese government recently announced the sale of 115 national
properties, including major shipping ports and airports. The majority of
the remaining 30 percent of property has gone to foreign companies.

Rumours are circulating that the Rangoon Ministers’ Office, where
independence hero Aung San was assassinated in 1947, has been sold to a
foreign company, although it is not known whom.

A businessman in Rangoon said that local companies not close to the
government can only bid for small properties which are unlikely to
generate much revenue.

“[The junta] took the [promising properties] off the bidding list. Those
are only opened for the big guys and foreign companies but it is
impossible for an ordinary business owner to enter the bid,” he said.

“The big companies are not only close [to the ruling generals]; in fact
[the generals] also owned shares in these companies. So there is nothing
we can do.”

He added that authorities are selling bidding forms for 25,000 kyat
($US25) for each property. Among those being auctioned off are formerly
private-owned properties nationalised by the Ne Win government in 1964.

An economist said that the current government was privatizing industry to
show that Burma is heading towards a market economy. In reality, however,
this will leave nothing for the country when a next [elected] civilian
government comes to power.

“The international community and those who don’t have the technical
knowledge may think the government is now carrying out the privatisation
process in favour of private businesses,” he said.

“At least those properties that were nationalised could be regarded as
belonging to the public, but now they are completely in the hands of the
companies close to the government.”

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

February 27, Agence France Presse
US lawmaker seeks to punish Myanmar on Suu Kyi

Washington — The United States on Friday criticized Myanmar's Supreme
Court for not releasing Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, with one lawmaker
saying the time had come to tighten sanctions.

The military-ruled nation's highest court rejected an appeal by the
democracy champion to be freed from house arrest. The verdict comes ahead
of elections which have raised deep suspicions among the opposition and
overseas.

"We condemn the Supreme Court's decision," a State Department official
said, saying that Aung San Suu Kyi was being held under house arrest "for
purely political reasons."

The official, who by protocol could not be named, said that the United
States "strongly" urged Myanmar to free other political prisoners and
allow them to participate fully in the political process.

Representative Joe Crowley, a Democrat who has long championed Aung San
Suu Kyi, said the time had come for the United States to implement tighter
sanctions that target military leader Than Shwe's regime.

"Aung San Suu Kyi's 14-year imprisonment has been a sham from day one,"
Crowley said.

"The cruel military junta must face consequences for violating the human
rights of the Burmese people," he said, using Myanmar's former name of
Burma.

The United States last year opened dialogue with Myanmar as part of the
Obama administration's policy of reaching out to adversarial regimes.

The Obama administration argued that the previous tactic of isolating
Myanmar had failed, although it said it would only ease sanctions in
return for progress on democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for most of the past two
decades since her National League for Democracy swept 1990 elections. The
junta plans to hold fresh elections later this year.

The opposition leader had her incarceration lengthened by 18 months in
August after being convicted over a bizarre incident in which a US man
swam to her lakeside home.
____________________________________

February 27, Agence France Presse
Canada condemns rejection of Suu Kyi freedom bid

MONTREAL — The Canadian government said Friday it was "deeply
disappointed" that Myanmar's Supreme Court had rejected an appeal by
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest.

"Neither her original trial nor the appeal process has met international
standards of due process, demonstrating a complete disregard for the rule
of law," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a statement.

"Canada maintains its position that her continued detention is
unwarranted, unjustified and politically motivated."

The 64-year-old Suu Kyi, locked up by the regime for most of the past two
decades, had her incarceration lengthened by 18 months in August after
being convicted over a bizarre incident in which a US man swam to her
lakeside home.

"The Burmese regime has missed yet another opportunity to prove its
commitment to hold inclusive, free and fair elections," Cannon added,
referring to the Southeast Asian nation by its former name.

"The elections planned for 2010 will only be credible if the Burmese
regime allows all citizens, including opposition groups, to participate
freely in a transparent electoral process."

In 2007, the Canadian parliament gave Suu Kyi an honorary Canadian
citizenship "for her tireless work for democracy in Burma," Cannon added.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

March 1, Irrawaddy
Privatization? What privatization? – Yeni

Residents of Mogok, the center of Burma's gems industry, have been in a
panic recently. Since last week, earth-movers and other heavy equipment
have begun appearing in the town's residential neighborhoods.

This follows an earlier survey of the area carried out by local officials,
the Ministry of Mines and two private companies—Htoo Trading Co, Ltd,
owned by junta crony Tay Za, and Ruby Dragon Jade & Gems Co, Ltd, which
counts a number of high-ranking generals among its shareholders.

“We are very worried now that our houses and land will be confiscated,”
said one man living in Mogok, located some 200 km northeast of Mandalay in
the “Valley of Rubies”—a land famous since ancient times for its
gemstones, especially its rare pigeon's blood rubies and blue sapphires.

This is “privatization,” Burmese-stye, in action. And it is going on all
over the country these days, as the ruling junta counts down to the
election that will, at least nominally, end their total control of one of
the world's most resource-rich yet woefully underdeveloped economies.

What is happening in Mogok—where the generals and their close associates
are laying claim to anything worth owning—is also taking place everywhere
else. From gas stations to hydropower plants, cinemas to
telecommunications companies, factories and warehouses to
airlines—everything is up for grabs.

This would be welcome news if it were a sign that the regime is finally
getting around to the economic reforms it has been promising for the past
two decades. Unfortunately, however, that isn't the case. What we are
actually witnessing is the formal transfer of the nation's wealth into the
hands of an entrenched elite who, until now, have been able to simply take
whatever they want without having to worry about rival claims.

After the election, things won't be quite that simple. Although the ruling
generals and their “business partners” will continue to hold a commanding
position in the economy, when the new Constitution comes into effect, it
will mean that, at least in theory, others will also have the right to
possess property.  That is why they are preemptively buying up everything
in sight, before they find themselves actually having to pay a fair price
for properties and concessions that they can now get virtually for
nothing.

In its recent round of sell-offs, the regime has not invited public
tendering or released information about the proceeds from the sales or how
non-state ownership will work. Whereas privatization that takes place
under more transparent circumstances usually benefits the public,
resulting in lower prices, improved quality, more choices, less
corruption, less red tape and quicker delivery, in the case of Burma, the
country's people will once again be the biggest losers.

Since 1989, the ruling junta has periodically sold off state-owned
properties as part of its so-called “open-door” economic policy. But
instead of undoing the damage done by former dictator Ne Win's “Burmese
way of socialism,” the regime has merely replaced it with crony
capitalism.

Of course, Burma is not alone in practicing this particularly pernicious
approach to economic development; nor are well-connected Burmese tycoons
the only ones bargain hunting in the country.

While Surin Pitsuwan, the secretary-general of the the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations and former foreign minister of Thailand, was
defending the 10-member regional bloc's position on Burma's upcoming
election  on BBC's Hardtalk recently, a group of Thailand-based investors
were visiting the country. A few weeks earlier, a similar delegation from
Vietnam was also looking at investment opportunities in Burma.

But even if the Burmese regime's disregard for economic transparency and
accountability is hardly unique, there's no denying that the country's
standards are among the worst in the world.

According to the “2010 Index of Economic Freedom,” a report prepared by
the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, Burma ranks 174th out
of 179 countries in the world in terms of economic freedom.

The report identifies a number of factors contributing to Burma's low
ranking, including government interference in economic activities;
structural problems such as fiscal deficits; continuing losses by
state-owned enterprises; and underdeveloped legal and regulatory
frameworks and poor government service. On property rights in Burma, the
report states succinctly: “Private real property and intellectual property
are not protected.”

What Burma needs now is not self-serving “reforms” by the country's
current rulers, but a return to the rule of law under a democratically
elected government. But since the coming election is not likely to deliver
real change, the people of Mogok—like the rest of the country's
population—can do no more than stand back and watch as the generals take
away what little they have left.

Yeni is news editor of the Irrawaddy magazine. He can be reached at
yeni at irrawaddy.org.

____________________________________

March 1, Huffington Post (US)
Oscar Watch: Documentaries – Regina Weinreich

Non-fiction features, however entertaining, are traditionally not high on
viewers' radar, certainly not the most controversially debated at Oscar
time as say "Avatar" vs. "The Hurt Locker," even though what makes them
strong may be controversial. This year "Food, Inc." and "The Cove," both
Academy Award nominated, drove a heated debate on the ethics of what we
eat. As one observer put it, sex used to fuel that kind of moral fervor.
Today it is food.

But are we still talking about movies? Or good movie-making? So often
documentaries are considered for the issues they raise, even by Oscar
committees, rather than their art.

This year for non-fiction film honors, these fine works are joined by
"Which Way Home," a heart-wrenching view of Latin American boys hopping
freight trains through Mexico to make it to the United States, "The Most
Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," on a
politically volatile piece of US history, and "Burma VJ: Reporting from a
Closed Country," a Danish film by Anders Ostergaard about the 2007
uprising in Myanmar.

What makes this last unusual in a field that can be a frontier for
innovation is that it is shot through the cameras of the independent
journalist group, Democratic Voice of Burma. In fact, the very act of
documenting the oppression of citizens and Buddhist monks protesting the
country's oppressive regime that had held them hostage for 40 years,
suppressing foreign news crews and even the internet, was a subversive
act. The act of smuggling the devastating footage of 30 anonymous and
underground video journalists risked torture and life imprisonment. The
art of putting all this material together involved not only assembling the
footage, but showing how the footage was acquired.

An audience including documentarians Albert Maysles and Robert Richter,
and Julie Taymor, Jane Alexander, and Gay Talese joined director Anders
Osteergaard for a special screening hosted by HBO Documentary Films and
Oscilloscope at MoMA recently. At dinner at Osteria del Circo, many
marveled at the ingenuity of the filmmaking. When asked whether he thought
he would win the Oscar, Anders Ostergaard smiled and said, "Dead monks vs.
dead dolphins," referring to the subject of The Cove. "No, I don't think
so."

____________________________________

March 1, Council of the European Union
Statement by the spokesperson of HR Catherine Ashton, on the rejection of
Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal by the Supreme Court of Burma/Myanmar

Brussels – The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of
the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of
the Commission, issued the following statement today

"The High representative deplores the decision of the Supreme Court to
reject the appeal of Aung San Suu Kyi against the unjust sentence imposed
last year.

This damages prospects for an inclusive political dialogue between the
Government and opposition parties that is urgently needed to achieve
progress in national reconciliation and secure long-term stability. In the
perspective of the planned elections later this year, the High
Representative calls on the authorities to heed the appeals of the
International Community to allow her and all other prisoners of conscience
to participate in the political process.

The authorities still have a chance to change course through the legal
possibility of a final appeal.
The High Representative now makes a strong plea to them to grasp that
opportunity in the interest of the future of their country and its
people."

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

March 1, International Federation for Human Rights and Altsean-Burma
Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi must be released immediately; Supreme Court's
decision on her house arrest another travesty of justice

Paris-Bangkok, March 1, 2010. The International Federation for Human
Rights (FIDH) and the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma)
strongly condemn the decision by Burma to reject Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's
appeal against the extension of her house arrest. FIDH and Altsean-Burma
consider this latest development as another proof of the regime's
disinterest in engaging in true democratic reform.

According to information received, on Friday, February 26, 2010, the
Supreme Court of Burma in Rangoon rejected Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's appeal
against her house arrest without offering any legal reasoning. Reporters
were not allowed in the courtroom. Mr. Nyan Win, Daw Suu Kyi's lawyer,
said he planned to obtain explanation for the verdict and then lodge a
special appeal against the decision before Burma's chief justice. The
pro-democracy leader's appeal has already been rejected once by a lower
court in October 2009.

FIDH and Altsean recall that Suu Kyi's house arrest was lengthened for
another 18 months in August 2009 when she was arbitrarily convicted with
breaching the terms of her house arrest after an uninvited American man
swam across a lake to her house and stayed for two nights. The initial
ruling has been widely denounced as illegitimate and the trial was
considered a sham. Daw Suu Kyi's conviction effectively denies her
participation in the general election planned for the fall of this year.

FIDH and Altsean also recall that Friday's verdict comes a week after the
visit to the country of Prof. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, who said upon his
departure that he “deeply regretted” being refused access to Daw Suu Kyi.
The regime imprisoned five more dissidents during the visit by the UN
special rapporteur.

FIDH and Altsean emphasize that key benchmarks must be met by the Burmese
regime in order for the elections to be free, fair, inclusive and, above
all, credible. The benchmarks include the release of all political
prisoners and prisoners of conscience, including Daw Suu Kyi and members
of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other opposition parties.
The regime must also initiate inclusive dialogue with key stakeholders
from democracy groups and ethnic nationalities, including a comprehensive
review of the 2008 Constitution, and immediately cease systematic human
rights abuses and criminal hostilities against ethnic minority groups,
some of which may amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.(1)

“For a long time now, the international community has been unable to deal
with the Burmese junta in a coordinated manner. With this decision, some
months before the planned elections, the regime, one of the most
repressive in the world, shows again that it can take full advantage of
the cacophony of the international community. This must stop.” said
Souhayr Belhassen, President of FIDH.

Contacts presse : + 33-1 43 55 90 19

____________________________________

March 1, Nobel Women’s Initiative
Nobel laureates to host international tribunal on crimes against women of
Burma

On March 2, 2010, Nobel Peace Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams
will host the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma in
New York City. This quasi-legal event will feature the compelling
testimony—for the first time ever—of 12 women from Burma who have suffered
rape, torture and other crimes at the hands of the military junta. A few
of these women are colleagues of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the
opposition, still under house arrest.

Below is an excerpt from one of the women, who sent us in advance some of
her testimony:
They raped us all without a second thought, until we finally escaped their
drunken grasps. News spread quickly throughout my village
 The shame I
brought to my family, my school, my village was so difficult to bear. I
was caned by my teacher in front of the entire school and expelled from my
school and community for bringing shame upon it. Left without a home, a
school, friends or a family, I was arrested by the police for “defaming”
the same soldiers that raped me.

The day after the Tribunal, on March 3, 2010, the ‘judges’ will present
their findings and recommendations to the international community—in
advance of the Burmese elections this year. The event will also be
broadcast live on the internet. See http://www.nobelwomensinitiative.org/
for details.

The International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma:
March 2, 2010: 9 am – 6 pm
Proshansky Auditorium, The Graduate Center
City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue (at 34th Street)

PRESS CONFERENCE:
March 3, 2010: 10 am – 11 am
The Church Center (across from the United Nations)
777 United Nations Plaza, Drew Room (lower level)
New York NY 10017

For more information, please contact us:
• Rachel Vincent: Mobile: + 1-613-276-9030,
rvincent at nobelwomensinitiative.org
• Kimberley MacKenzie: +1-908-342-0160, kmackenzie at nobelwomensinitiative.org
• Kieran Bergmann: +1-613-569-8400 ext. 115,
kbergmann at nobelwomensinitiative.org