BurmaNet News, October 9 - 12, 2010

[Editor]

October 9 – 12, 2010 Issue #4060


INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Suu Kyi 'will refuse to vote in Myanmar election'
AP: Thai PM says Myanmar rejects help with election
NLM: Senior General Than Shwe receives Prime Minister of the Kingdom of
Thailand Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva
DVB: Rangoon mayor says USDP ‘definite’ winners
AFP: Myanmar opposition party says polls step towards democracy
AFP: Myanmar plans to free 11,000 prisoners for vote: officials
Irrawaddy: All stage performances banned

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan: Rain, storm pounds Rohingya refugee community

REGIONAL
Radio Australia News: South East Asian nations team up in tourism campaign

INTERNATIONAL
UPI: EU weighs in on vote in Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Tutu will not stop support for 'free Burma'
Khonumthung: St. Stephen’s human rights award for Chin activist

OPINION / OTHER
Washington Post: Chinese dissident's Peace Prize honors all such activists
– Editorial
FT: Thai-Burma port deal: great for trade, bad for reform – Tim Johnston
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand): Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
refutes speculation on repatriation of Myanmar displaced persons

INTERVIEW
Irrawaddy: The election held in secrecy – ANFREL with Ba Kaung



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 12, Agence France Presse
Suu Kyi 'will refuse to vote in Myanmar election'

Yangon — Detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will refuse to vote
in Myanmar's widely criticised election, the first in the military-ruled
country in 20 years, her lawyer said on Tuesday.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has been informed by the authorities that she
has the right to cast a ballot on November 7.

"If so, she said she will not vote," her attorney Nyan Win told AFP after
visiting Suu Kyi at her lakeside home, where she is under house arrest.

"It is not in accordance with the law," he quoted her as saying.

Serving prisoners have no right to vote under Myanmar's 2008 constitution.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won the country's last
election in 1990 but was never allowed to take power, and the democracy
icon has spent most of the past two decades in detention.

Her party has been dissolved by the authorities because it chose to
boycott next month's vote, saying the rules were unfair.

"The NLD will not compete so she (Suu Kyi) said she has no party to vote
for even if she is allowed to vote. As the NLD is not participating in the
election, she will not vote," said Nyan Win.

Suu Kyi's backing of a boycott has led to a split within the opposition
between those who support her defiant stance and others who see the vote
as the only hope for progress in the autocratic nation.

Officials had initially said that Suu Kyi's name did not appear on the
electoral register, but they later backtracked, saying she could vote
because she is under house arrest and not in prison.

Serving prisoners are also barred from standing as parliamentary candidates.

The opposition leader's current house arrest term is due to expire just
days after the November election, which has been widely condemned by
activists and the West as a charade aimed at legitimising military rule
with a civilian face.

Suu Kyi herself expects to be released on November 13 "according to the
law," Nyan Win said.

"If she is not released it is like a violation of the law," he said.

The lawyer said he expected Myanmar's Supreme Court to agree to hear Suu
Kyi's latest appeal against her detention. The court is due to consider
the application on October 18, just weeks before her term ends.

Suu Kyi lodged the last-ditch appeal in May. She has already had her
appeal rejected twice, most recently by the Supreme Court in February.
Court verdicts in the army-ruled country rarely favour opposition
activists.

Even if she is released, observers believe she is unlikely to be allowed
full freedom to conduct political activities.

____________________________________

October 12, Associated Press
Thai PM says Myanmar rejects help with election

Bangkok — Thailand's prime minister says Myanmar has rejected any help to
carry out its upcoming election.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday he offered Thailand's
assistance Monday during an official visit to Myanmar. He met his
counterpart Prime Minister Thein Sein and reclusive junta chief Senior
Gen. Than Shwe.

Myanmar's election on Nov. 7 will be its first in 20 years, after the
junta refused to recognize the results of the 1990 vote. Critics say the
new vote is being held under unfair and undemocratic conditions to cement
the junta's power.

Abhisit told reporters in Bangkok he conveyed the international
community's concerns. Myanmar's leaders replied they were "aware of the
concerns, but did not want any outside help."
____________________________________

October 11, New Light of Myanmar
Senior General Than Shwe receives Prime Minister of the Kingdom of
Thailand Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva

NAY PYI TAW, 11 Oct - Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
of the Union of Myanmar Senior General Than Shwe received goodwill
delegation led by Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Mr Abhisit
Vejjajiva at Zeyathiri Beikman here at 12.15 pm today.

Also present on the occasion together with Senior General Than Shwe were
SPDC Vice-Chairman Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, SPDC Member Thura U Shwe
Mann, Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein, SPDC Secretay-1
Thiha Thura U Tin Aung Myint Oo, SPDC Member U Tin Aye, Lt-Gen Min Aung
Hlaing of the Ministry of Defence, Minister for National Planning and
Economic Development U Soe Tha, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win,
Deputy Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Aye Myint Kyu and heads of
department.The goodwill delegation led by Thai Prime Minister Mr Abhisit
Vejjajiva was accompanied by Thai Ambassador to the Union of Myanmar Mr.
Apirath Vienravi and officials.

Matters relating to strengthen friendly ties and to promote cooperation
between the two nations were frankly discussed at the call.

____________________________________

October 12, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rangoon mayor says USDP ‘definite’ winners – Joseph Allchin

The party headed by Burma’s prime minister and comprised of senior junta
officials will “definitely” win the elections, the mayor of Rangoon has
said.

Aung Thein Linn is standing as a Union Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP) candidate in Rangoon’s South Okkalapa township, the Myanmar Times
said. The party is led by Prime Minister Thein Sein and includes powerful
former junta officials, including third-in-command Shwe Mann.

His proclamation will do little to allay fears that the results of Burma’s
first elections are a foregone conclusion. He added: “I expect that I will
definitely win my seat at this year’s election
If I win in South Okkalapa,
I will focus on speeding up development in my constituency. I believe that
other elected representatives will try to do the same.”

Aung Thein Linn has previously been vocal about denying the need for
outside election observers, a fact that has cast doubt over the junta’s
mantra of a “free and fair” vote. He will be competing for the Pyithu
Hluttaw, or the People’s Parliament – the lower house.

The USDP were formed out of the military’s so-called ’social
organisation’, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA),
which was an attempt at a civilian wing of the junta. Despite having some
24 million members, the USDA’s recruitment policy was regarded with
suspicion as allegations of coercion abounded, including the signing of
school children by default to help boost member numbers.

Similar allegations have dogged the USDP, which is reported to have built
its headquarters next to the sole entrance to the new parliament building
in Naypyidaw.

The South Okkalapa seat is, in theory at least, by no means a safe win for
the USDP. Its main pro-junta rival in the elections, the pro-military
rivals the National Unity Party (NUP), is contesting the seat, as well as
the National Democratic Front (NDF), which evolved out of the dissolved
National League for Democracy (NLD).

The NLD won the South Okkalapa seats for the upper and lower house in the
previous elections in 1990, when only one parliament was being contested.
Voters then roundly rejected the military, as they had done in the in
Burma.

The 7 November polls are only the second since 1962, and the fifth since
Burma won independence from Britain in 1948.

South Okkalapa was also witness to staunch anti-military protests in 1988.
How much has changed in the opinions of the populace will be somewhat in
contention, and whilst irregular polling is always a possibility, an
election boycott by factions within the pro-democracy movement could also
be telling.

Political analyst Aung Naing Oo believes that a boycott would “play into
the hands of the pro-military parties”, adding that the coming elections
were riddled with “uncertainties” and predictions about the results
therefore risky.

____________________________________

October 11, Agence France Presse
Myanmar opposition party says polls step towards democracy

Yangon — A political party formed by ex-colleagues of opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi said upcoming elections would be a "first step" towards
democracy in army-ruled Myanmar, state media reported Monday.

"Now our country is in (a) transitional period to democracy," National
Democratic Force (NDF) chairman Than Nyein said in a policy address
published in the English-language New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

"We assume that (the) forthcoming election is the first step of
democratisation the people aspire for," he added.

The NDF's decision to contest the November 7 election has put it at odds
with other former members of the National League for Democracy --
including its leader Suu Kyi -- who opted to boycott the poll because of
"unjust" rules.

The vote, the first in 20 years, has been criticised by activists and many
Western governments as a charade aimed at shoring up almost half a century
of military rule.

The NLD, which was founded in 1988 after a popular uprising against the
junta that left thousands dead, won a landslide victory in 1990 elections
but the ruling generals never allowed it to take office.

Suu Kyi has spent much of the past 20 years in detention and is barred as
a serving prisoner from standing in the upcoming vote, which falls about a
week before her current term of house arrest is due to end.

"We will try our best for human rights and democracy and to cope with
(the) economic crisis and social sufferings faced by the people," pursuing
a market economy, free middle school education and better healthcare, the
NDF said.

____________________________________

October 10, Agence France Presse
Myanmar plans to free 11,000 prisoners for vote: officials

Yangon — Myanmar's military regime plans to release about 11,000 prisoners
ahead of November elections, enabling them to vote in the rare polls,
officials said Sunday.

"We have plans to release some prisoners who are soon to complete their
sentence," an official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We will reduce
their sentence and release them in the coming days so that they can vote
on the election day."

It was not clear if Myanmar's political prisoners, numbering over 2,200,
would be included in the release, but a corrections department official
said about 11,000 prisoners could be freed.

These included detainees whose sentences would already be over by polling
day, as well as some early releases.

"The number could be more as we are still listing them," he added, without
saying when the releases would begin.

There are usually more than 50,000 convicted criminals in Myanmar's 43
prisons and 100 labour sites at any one time, as well as about 6,000
awaiting trial, according to the privately-owned but state-censored
Myanmar Times.

The detention of political dissidents, including democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, has sparked condemnation from the international community and
rights groups, who do not expect the upcoming election to be free or fair.

Suu Kyi, under house arrest in Yangon, won the country's last election 20
years ago but was not allowed to take office. She was barred from standing
in this year's polls because she is a serving prisoner.

Her National League for Democracy subsequently boycotted the ballot,
leading to the party being forcibly abolished.

The Nobel peace laureate's current term of detention is due to end on
November 13, just days after the national elections, which critics say are
aimed at simply entrenching the junta's power.

Raising confusion over her rights, Suu Kyi's name has been seen by AFP on
the electoral roll, despite earlier statements that she would be barred.
An official said she could vote but would not be allowed outside on
election day.

____________________________________

October 11, Irrawaddy
All stage performances banned – Lawi Weng

The Burmese authorities are to ban all public stage performances during
the social and religious celebrations associated held in October and
November because of the proximity of the Nov. 7 election date, local
sources said.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, Par Par Lay, a well-known comedian
from the Moustache Brothers in Mandalay, said, “I heard that they will not
allow anyone to perform on stage at festivals, but they have not said why
and have not yet officially announced the ban.”

He said the banning order had come from the Burmese military central
command in Mandalay.

The manager of another performing troupe in Mandalay said, “The
authorities have told organizers to put up guarantees of about 1 million
kyat [US $1,000] if they want to have stage perfomances. They are making
organizers responsible for security and will seize the deposit if there is
any trouble.

“People dare not to hire performing troupes because they are afraid they
might lose their deposit money,” he said.

October and November are a time of major public celebrations in Burma,
where most of the population  including Buddhist monks like to go to
festivals at the end of the Buddhist rains retreat [also referred to as
Buddhist lent], which ends on Oct 23. Troupes of performers who dance,
sing and improvise humorous sketches on temporary stages are a common
feature at such festivals.

This year, however, the military regime has banned all performing troupes
in order to strengthen security close to the election. The authorities are
not allowing performers to travel for the 20-day period prior to the
election, according to local sources.
“Banning is their job—dancing is mine,” said Par Par Lay, adding that the
authorities had banned him from performing at home.

“I have already told them that if they come for me, I will go with them
quietly. I am not afraid,” he said.

“We are performers, we need to dance. If we cannot perform, what can we
do—we don't know how to do anything else,” he said.

The ban on public performances at religious activities on full moon day
similarly extends to Mon and Shan states.

“We have had to suspend all stage productions this year despite their
purpose being to raise funds for donations to Buddhist monks, ” said Nai
Tin Aung from Panga village in Thanbyuzayat Township.

The ban has already taken effect in Nam Khan township in northern Shan
State, where local sources reported that stage and concert performances
have been banned at its annual festival. Only small rituals in which
people donate food to monks in the monasteries have been permitted.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

October 11, Kaladan Press
Rain, storm pounds Rohingya refugee community

Heavy rains in southern Bangladesh have left many in the Rohingya refugee
community without adequate shelter, said a refugee leader in Teknaf on
condition of anonymity.

Incessant rains have lashed the country since October 5, with local and
international media reporting that 17 people have been killed and 41
fishermen remain missing across the southern coast.

Rainfall and an accompanying storm surge in the lowlands of Cox’s Bazaar
district destroyed several small wooden homes, including bamboo structures
in Rohingya refugee camps.

Another Rohingya refugee leader said that wind and rain destroyed shelters
in the Leda (Tal) camp, which were built five years ago by Islamic relief
organizations but that have since not been well-maintained.

Tayaba Khatoon (40) lost her shelter in Block F of Leda camp, a refugee
leader there said, leaving her and her four children without shelter, food
or money as rain continues to pound the area.

The refugee leader said several other residents of Block F had also lost
their shelters and that local humanitarian groups such as Muslim Aid have
said they do not have the resources to rebuild or renovate camp housing.

About 12,000 Rohingya refugees live in the Leda camp, where they struggle
to secure employment and food to sustain their families, the refugee
leader said. Damage caused by recent storms has left them to fend for
themselves or to rely on the assistance of other camp residents to secure
food and water, as aid agencies have not been able to provide anything
except basic medicines.

Storms have also ravaged other parts of southern Bangladesh. A trader from
Zala Para, a fishing village in Shapuri Dip, said that strong winds and a
tidal surge had damaged 32 houses there, mostly among the Rohingya
community there.

Minister of Parliament Abdu Rahaman Bodi visited the area on October 9 and
distributed 500 Taka to a handful of families, the trader said, adding
that most families had received nothing.

Heavy rainfall has also left areas of southern Bangladesh completely
isolated. A village elder in Shapuri Dip said storm damage to the road
leading to Teknaf had blocked all traffic through the area and that flood
waters had destroyed local paddy fields.

A tidal surge in Cox’s Bazaar left nearly 52 villages inundated, a local
fisherman said, adding that about 10 fishing trawlers, 75 per cent of
which were manned by Rohingya fishermen, have not yet returned to shore.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

October 11, Radio Australia News
South East Asian nations team up in tourism campaign – Helene Hofman

Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma have decided to join together and
promote themselves as one tourist destination in an attempt to compete
with the region's more established destinations.

The countries have come up with the slogan: "Four Countries: One
Destination".

Promoters hope the campaign will help the South East Asian nations net
more visitors in a region where competition for tourists is tough.

China is the region's best performer and was placed 5th in world rankings
released by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation at the end of
last month.

Cheah Wai Hong, who helped organise the International Travel Expo in Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam, earlier this month, says it's hard for smaller
Asian destinations to compete.

"I mean China is the biggest one of course...so, if you are one country,
you can't compete with China."

"Similarly the big destinations in South-East Asia like Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore - I mean, those are established destinations."

"So the way I look at it, the only way to really tap on large tourist
groups I believe, when they group it together, they will be much more
attractive."

Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma and Laos are far behind the region's tourism
leaders.

Malaysia's tourism industry has exploded in recent years, and with 23
million arrivals in 2009 it crept into the world's top ten tourist
destinations at number 9.

Even neighbouring Thailand attracted close to 8 per cent, over 14 million
people, of the Asia-Pacific region's tourists last year.

There are also major disparities between the four countries involved in
the joint promotion.

While Vietnam has only 2 per cent of the market share, Ho Chi Minh City
has already established itself as a major transport hub for that corner of
the region.

Even Cambodia, with just over 1 percent of the world market share, had
almost twice as many visitors as Laos last year.

But that didn't stop the three nations agreeing on a three-way promotion
strategy back in 2007, and they have now welcomed Burma into their
partnership.

Somphong Mongkhonvilay, Laos' tourism minister and Chairman of the Lao
National Tourism Authority, says the partnership is already working for
his country but admits Laos can't match Cambodia and Vietnam's
contribution.

"For example last year we have an increase of 16 per cent as compared to
2008 and the nine months of 2010 we already recorded a 21 per cent
increase in foreign arrivals."

"The number of Vietnamese tourists has in increased in Laos, the Chinese
has increased in Laos and also the Japanese and Koreans."

"Basically, they know very well Vietnam and Cambodia better than they know
Laos."

"Myanmar's (Burma) tourism [industry] has I think grown and they seem much
more open and also they want to be part of our group."

Burma's tourism industry is not even two decades old, and a estimated
750,000 tourists visit annually.

Most of the tourism infrastructure is controlled by the military junta,
and parts of the country are completely off-limits to visitors.

Tin Tun Aung, from the Union of Myanmar Travel Association says the
agreement weighs in Burma's favour.

"We can use more air linkages. We have direct flights to Vietnam already
and then we are about to launch to Laos this November. We have to admit
that we are lagging but we are catching up."

"We lack infrastructure but we have a beautiful destination - more
variety, more diversity...that is our main strong point," he said.

Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Vietnam will continue to promote themselves
individually, outside of the "Four Countries - One Destination" campaign.

The initiative is still its early stages, but it is hoped it will result
in better transport links between the four countries' main attractions.

There are also plans to invite more tour operators to design cross-border
tours.

Suggestions that all four should consider issuing joint visas have, for
the time being, been rejected.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 11, United Press International
EU weighs in on vote in Myanmar

Brussels – The ruling military junta in Myanmar is gearing up for "fake
elections," a human rights group told members of the European Parliament
on Monday.

Myanmar has a general election next month that military authorities said
moves the country along the path toward civilian leadership. The military
junta was criticized, however, for a decision last month to disband 10
political parties, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy.

Zoya Phan, a member of the British advocacy group Burma Campaign, told
members of the European Parliament the military junta is seeking legal
cover through sham elections.

"The regime is now going ahead with its own fake elections that will bring
in a constitution that will legalize military rule," she said in a
statement.

European lawmaker Heidi Hautala, who leads a subcommittee on human rights,
said every dictatorship must eventually be held accountable to its people.

"It would be a mistake to put too much faith into the elections," she said.

Authorities in Myanmar said they would release Suu Kyi from custody before
the vote, though the international community raised doubts over the claim.

Critics complain the election is controlled by the military junta, which
gets a guaranteed a 20 percent of the seats in parliament.

____________________________________

October 12, Irrawaddy
Tutu will not stop support for 'free Burma' – Lee-Anne Sweeney

Cape Town — The former Archbishop of South Africa, Desmond Tutu, met with
a representative from the Free Burma Campaign  in South Africa last week
to discuss the  state of affairs of Burma.

She was accompanied by  Burmese citizens who live in Cape Town, who came
to show their appreciation for the support Tutu has  given in speaking out
against the ruling military junta in Burma.

Tutu said that although he has stepped down from public office, he will
still be a vocal supporter for a free and democratic Burma.

He said that it was only a matter of time until the Burmese military
regime is brought down and  democracy will prevail.

The former archbishop celebrated his 79th birthday last week and
officially retired from the public arena.

Tutu is a strong proponent for human rights and has spoken out against the
injustices and human rights violations of various peoples around the
world.

In 2007, Tutu said he was “deeply disappointed” at South Africa’s decision
to veto the UN Security Council resolution to demand an end to human
rights abuses in Burma.

Much like South Africa during its apartheid years, the people of Burma
today still face human rights violations, discrimination and live under a
rule of law where freedom of speech and freedom of press is non-existent.

Tutu has vigorously supported the release of  Aung San Suu Kyi who is
currently under house arrest.  A fellow Nobel Laureate, her   National
League for Democracy party (the main opposition) was forcibly disbanded by
the regime.

With the upcoming national elections about to be held in Burma, it is more
important now than ever to make the international public aware of the
plight of this often overlooked nation.

Lee-anne Sweeney is a pseudonym. She was born in Burma and was educated in
South Africa.

____________________________________

October 11, Khonumthung News
St. Stephen’s human rights award for Chin activist

A Chin human rights and democracy activist has been awarded the St.
Stephen’s human rights award by the Norwegian Mission to the East (NMTE),
a human rights group in Norway for "outstanding contribution to human
rights, reconciliation and religious freedom in Burma."

Chin human rights activist Mr. Victor Biak Lian (45) has been involved in
Burma's pro-democracy movement for 22 years. He actively took part in the
student-led nation-wide uprising in 1988, and subsequently fled to India
following the brutal crackdown that left over 3000 dead in Burma according
to Chinland Guardian news.

"My involvement in this struggle began from the streets of Adihpadih Road
of Rangoon University Main Campus in 1988. I later became a guerrilla
fighter in the jungles and then an advocate for human rights. But I regard
myself as an activist, who still fights against the military dictatorship
in Burma," Victor recalled his experience in a 2006 interview with
Chinland Guardian.

He lost his brother in the revolutionary movement of Chin people. Now
Victor is a member of the Board of Directors of Chin Human Rights
Organization (CHRO), a Canada-based advocacy group working to promote the
rights of one of Burma's most oppressed ethnic groups. His other
involvements include working with the Chin Forum, the National
Reconciliation Program (NRP) and the Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC).

“He is worthy of the award and we are very proud of him,” said a member of
Chin National Council.

On 9 November Victor Biak Lian will be given the St. Stephen award in
Oslo, Norway. Meanwhile, Chin people in Norway are gearing up for a
program when Victor arrives in Norway, it is learnt.

“God has never forsaken us, it is reflected in Victor Biak Lian’s award,”
said a Chin religious leader.

The Norwegian Mission to the East is a missionary human rights
organization that specializes in religious freedom. It is working to
provide support, care and help to people and churches around the world,
which are persecuted or oppressed because of their Christian faith.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 9, Washington Post
Chinese dissident's Peace Prize honors all such activists – Editorial

FOR LIU XIAOBO, the Nobel Peace Prize awarded Friday will not be a
get-out-of-jail-free card. Just ask Aung San Suu Kyi, the only other Nobel
Peace Prize laureate in confinement. She was under house arrest when she
won the prize in 1991 for her nonviolent leadership of Burma's democracy
movement, and she remains under house arrest today.

But the prize has enormous significance nonetheless. It should, first,
inspire Western democracies to stand up to Chinese bullying,
notwithstanding the growing economic power of the world's most populous
nation. Chinese officials warned Norway and the prize committee not to
give the award to Mr. Liu, but the committee didn't allow itself to be
intimidated.

The prize also reminds the world of the "close connection between human
rights and peace," as the Nobel Committee said in its statement. In the
past three decades, the communist rulers of China have relaxed their grip
on the personal and economic lives of their 1.3 billion citizens, and the
result has been explosive growth. More people have hauled themselves out
of poverty in China in that time span than ever before in history -- a
huge achievement.

But China remains fragile at home and potentially dangerous to its
neighbors because the communists have not simultaneously relaxed their
grip on power. Mr. Liu is serving an 11-year sentence far from his home
and his wife because he helped write Charter 08, a manifesto calling for
democratic change: for meaningful elections, an independent judiciary, the
rule of law. Even the peaceful advocacy of such change is, according to
China, "inciting subversion of state power." Because the rulers have
stifled patriotic dissidents such as Mr. Liu, they live in fear of more
violent uprisings from those who feel left out of China's march to
prosperity and who are permitted no legal way to express their view. The
regime spotlighted its fear when it pulled the plug on international
television broadcasts in China as soon as the prize was announced Friday.

The refusal of China's leaders to subject themselves to law at home
reinforces suspicions that it will not play by the rules abroad, either --
not in trade, or finance, or respect for other nations' sovereignty.
China's embrace of democracy wouldn't guarantee peace with democratic
neighbors such as South Korea and Japan, but it would make peaceful
settlement of disputes more likely. A democratic China would be less
likely to send North Korean refugees back to likely execution in their
homeland, in violation of international treaties. A regime confident in
its legitimacy would be less likely to whip up nationalist fervor against
Japan or the United States to distract from its own failings. And a
democracy could not turn such fervor on and off at will through total
control of its media.

Most of all, though, the award to Mr. Liu is a tribute to the courage of
people around the world who refuse to let dictatorships crush their spirit
-- not just Aung San Suu Kyi, but 2,000 other political prisoners in
Burma; not just Mr. Liu, but 8,000 brave Chinese who put their signatures
below his on Charter 08. Most of them will never become famous. Most will
never win an award. Yet they risk all because they want to live in freedom
or make it more likely that their children will do so. Mr. Liu's prize is
their prize, too.
____________________________________

October 12, Financial Times
Thai-Burma port deal: great for trade, bad for reform – Tim Johnston

Logistically, south-east Asia is a nightmare. Until last year, if you
wanted to get a container of goods from Bangkok to Hanoi you would have
had to use three different trucks go get it there, one for Thailand, one
for Cambodia and one for Vietnam.

But that is changing. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand’s prime minister, signed
a deal on Monday to build a port on the coast of neighbouring Burma, part
of a much larger region-wide infrastructure programme which includes
massive investments in the rail network, largely funded by China.

Ital-Thai, Thailand’s largest construction contractor, recently said that
it hoped to sign a Bt400bn ($13.3bn) deal to develop the new deep-water
port at Tavoy, with an industrial estate and ancilliary transport network,
including a 160km railway to Kanchanaburi in Thailand.

If the deal goes ahead, it will be the largest ever single investment in
Burma.

The port could revolutionise trade patterns in the region by giving
meaningful access to the Andaman Sea and the lucrative markets of India.
There is a deep water port at Phuket, but much of the region’s westward
bound cargo leaves from Thailand’s Map Ta Phut or Laem Chabang ports, both
on the Gulf of Thailand. Cargo currently has to dogleg through the crowded
Straits of Malacca before heading west.

The Association of South East Asian Nations, underwritten by China, has
embarked on an ambitious plan to create a region-wide rail network which
will eventually stretch from Beijing to Singapore. Some of the missing
links are already being filled in - the World Bank and Australia are
funding the rehabilitation of 600km of Cambodian railways; work is due to
begin next month on a 580km link between Yunnan province in China and
Laos; and negotiations have started on the key missing link, between Ho
Chi Minh city in Vietnam and Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

But the port deal will also underline just how ineffective international
sanctions against the Burmese regime are. Thailand is America’s oldest
ally in Asia, and if Washington cannot persuade the Thai government to
limit its involvement with the generals who run Burma, there is little
hope that the regime’s other major supporters - China and India - will
fall into line.

___________________________________

October 7, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Thailand)
Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesperson refutes speculation on repatriation of
Myanmar displaced persons

On 6 October 2010, when asked by reporters whether Thailand plans to
repatriate Myanmar displaced persons after the elections, Ms. Vimon
Kidchob, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign
Ministry Spokesperson said that there was a misinterpretation of Foreign
Minister Kasit Piromya’s remarks during his visit to New York, and that
there existed no such plan.  Rather, what the Minister referred to is
Thailand’s intention to launch a comprehensive programme to help better
prepare Myanmar people now residing in Thailand, including Myanmar
displaced persons in terms of training, education and capacity building. 
The objective is to ensure that these people can return home with dignity,
be self-reliant, and participate and contribute meaningfully to their
country’s development when the situation in their country becomes
conducive for their eventual return, whenever that may be.

The Foreign Ministry Spokesperson noted further that Thailand has
consistently been supportive of the democratization process in Myanmar,
and the upcoming general election in November 2010 is a crucial step,
which could lead to national reconciliation and unity there.  It is thus
important that, in looking ahead as the democratic transition in Myanmar
moves forward, the international community provide support and join
efforts to help train Myanmar people as ultimately this would contribute
to their better future.

____________________________________
INTERVIEW

October 12, Irrawaddy
The election held in secrecy – ANFREL with Ba Kaung

BD Prakash is a senior political analyst with The Asian Network for Free
Elections (ANFREL), a nongovernmental agency formed in 1997 as Asia’s
first regional network of civil society organizations. It strives to
promote and support democratization at national and regional levels in
Asia.

Question: Did ANFREL contact Burma's Union Election Commission (EC) to
offer its services as an observer during the Nov. 7 general election? If
so, what was the EC's response?

Answer: ANFREL has not contacted the UEC. In fact, ANFREL has already
stated that the prevailing conditions under which the elections are being
held need to be improved otherwise the elections would not be credible.
Factors like transparency, accountability, responsibility, fairness,
management and neutrality are essential for ensuring a free and fair
process.

Q: Has ANFREL made any recommendations or suggestions to the EC or the
Burma government?

A: Following the referendum, ANFREL made some recommendations. However,
this time there has been no direct recommendations, apart from the
position the organization has taken regarding the elections in Burma.

Q: What's your position on the junta not allowing poll observers in during
the Burmese election?

A: The restrictions are not surprising as it is clear that in a country
where democracy is suppressed by a military dictatorship, it would be
difficult for ANFREL to observe the election. But we will continue to
maintain a close watch from the outside on all the developments relating
to elections.

Q: Why did ANFREL urge Asean to review the credibility of Burma’s planned
election in a recent statement?

A: We urged Asean to review the credibility of Burma’s election because a
formal process can have more impact. Asean has shown great interest in
pressuring the Burmese government to make the process more credible. So
given this fact, we support any initiative that can allow for free and
fair elections.

Q: Can you name some factors that indicate the election will not be free
and fair?

A: In a recent statement we mentioned undue restrictions on campaigns by
certain political parties and alliances, which clearly violates the three
basic rights—freedom of expression, assembly and association. These are
the basic tenets of democracy and have to be upheld at any cost. In any
democratic process all parties and candidates should have the right to
comment or criticize other parties on their policies and their
performances in the past. Opposition party and new parties must be given
sufficient room to fully showcase and introduce themselves to people in
any public without threat, obstruction or violence. These are among the
many factors that are not conducive for a credible process to unfold.


>From the way things have shaped up during the run up to the election, it

undoubtedly indicates that the UEC is not able to work independently or
freely, which is a reflection of its composition of 18 commissioners
selected by the junta. Other factors include: The military is too involved
in the election; The media is not free and is under total control and
censorship. Also, there is a lack of transparency in absentee voting,
advance voting and ballot counting.

Q: What are the main differences between the preparations for the election
in Burma and other countries in the region?

A: It is less than 30 days to the polling day and the UEC is yet to
prepare a comprehensive voter education program, no outreach, no equal
access for political parties to media and no advance voting has been
announced. All political parties (except the USDP) have not received
electoral process or documents for them to train their party workers. Many
people still do not know which document they can use to show poll officers
before voting. They do not even know where the location of polling
stations and how to check their names. What can be done if their names are
not in the list? Many voters have some information about USDP candidates
but they have not seen much about new parties or the opposition. Many
illiterates do not know how to mark the ballots, because there are no
sample ballots to show them.

Q: Why is media freedom important for the Burmese election?

A: only a free media can ensure that a democracy is functioning properly.
Not only for Burma but for all democracies it is important that the media
is free from any sort of control, either by the state or other groups or
institutions. If media is gagged as is the case in Burma, then democracy,
even after several elections, would be impossible to sustain. Take the
case of some neighboring countries where media freedom is under control.
These countries are yet to be regarded as flourishing democracies.

Q: What is ANFREL’s opinion about the Union Solidarity and Development
Party led by Prime Minister Thein Sein?

A: The USDP appears to be clearly enjoying government support. It’s
formation and dependency on the government are enough indications to
suggest that this party gets undue preferences than other political
parties. There are lots of allegations against the USDP and so far the
government or the election commission has not shown any interest in
setting up an investigation, forget even questioning the USDP leadership.
If the USDP can have access to the media and voters, other parties deserve
the same treatment.