BurmaNet News: April 4 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

April 4 2003 Issue #2209

INSIDE BURMA
BBC: Burma breaks up protest
Xinhua: Myanmar leader complains of pressures from internal, external forces
DVB: Surprise - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi harassed
SHAN:  Junta staves off axis of evil
DVB: Troubles in Moulmein

MONEY
AP: ASEAN, EU agree on steps toward free trade pact
The Guardian (UK): City diary

DRUGS
Irrawaddy: War On Drugs: Battle for Young Lives

REGIONAL
Statesman: Hijack accused in court, hearing adjourned

INTERNATIONAL
College of William and Mary Student Newspaper: Student Senate Calls on BOV
to Divest from Burma

STATEMENTS
US Dept. of State: Kirkpatrick Says Rights Commission Must Help Ameliorate
Abuses

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Refugees International Releases Report Documenting Rape by Burma's Army
Against Ethnic Women


INSIDE BURMA

BBC News   April 4 2002
Burma breaks up protest
By Larry Jagan

A small and peaceful anti-government demonstration has taken place in the
Burmese capital Rangoon, near the British embassy.

The protest was immediately broken up by the security police who were on
guard at the embassy as part of the increased security measures because of
the war in Iraq.

According to an eye-witness, the authorities detained one demonstrator,
but the rest escaped.

Two Buddhist monks were among the protestors as well as a student, who
waved the flag of the pro-democracy party, the National League for
Democracy.

A spokesperson for the British embassy told the BBC that the visa section
had been closed for the rest of the day as a result of the protest.

Public protests in Burma are very rare, and are always sharply dealt with
by the authorities.

Earlier this year, two nuns were detained while staging a protest against
the country's deepening economic crisis in the centre of Rangoon.

Last year, several students staged lightning demonstrations in Rangoon.
They were also speedily arrested, and the two leading student activists
sentenced to 14 years in jail.

The government fears a repeat of the massive pro-democracy demonstrations
of 1988 which brought the country to a standstill for months before the
generals seized power in a bloody coup.
__________

Xinhua News Agency  April 4, 2003
Myanmar leader complains of pressures from internal, external forces

YANGON:  Myanmar leader General Khin Nyunt has complained that his country
is facing political, economic and social pressures resulting from the
instigations made by internal and external "destructionists."

Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the State Peace and Development Council,
made the complaint here on Thursday when meeting with members of the
Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs, official newspaper The New
Light of Myanmar reported Friday.

These pressures and various kinds of disturbances have exceeded the
country's capacity of endurance on all fronts, the Myanmar leader said.

He stressed the need to be aware of "the conspiracies of the internal and
external destructive elements to cause disturbances hindering the
development drive, to keep the nation under economic sanctions, and to
halt the inflow of foreign investments and arrival of tourists into
Myanmar."

Khin Nyunt charged these elements with making slanderous accusations
including sexual violence against ethnic women, human rights abuses, use
of child soldiers and forced labor, noting if there are no internal and
external disturbances under the influences of politics, the nation will
achieve more progress.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma   April 3 2003
Surprise - Daw Aung San Suu Kyi harassed

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and group have set off today to Chin State to rally
people. They left Rangoon early this morning and the vice-chairman of NLD,
U Tin Oo and about 20 youth members of the NLD joined her.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and group are now in Pwintphyu, Magwe Division and
they are expected to stay the night there. From the first day of the trip,
they are being harassed and hampered by local authorities, said U Lwin,
the spokesman of the NLD as follows:

U Lwin : At 5.30am, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s car left. At 4.30am, U Tin Oo’s
car left. U Tin Oo’s car is now in Pwintphyu. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s car
is still heading there. There is the difference of one hour between the
two cars. U Tin Oo’s car is in Pwintphyu. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s car will
be there at 4pm, I suppose. In Pwintphyu, Magwe Division party organising
members will welcome them. Tomorrow, they will be at Gangaw in Magwe
Division. Members there are also preparing to welcome them. Whatever it
is, the people of Pwintphyu and Gangaw are having special chances more
than other people to not only to meet with her but also to discuss with
her. I have to say they are very lucky.

DVB : After Gangaw, are they continuing to Chin State?

U Lwin : After Gangaw, they will start enter Haka, the capital of Chin
State. You have to travel hard to Haka from Gangaw. It is easy to say.
They have to climb up and down the hills. Originally, they had no roads.
They only started to build them recently. They are quite high. It is worse
than the roads in Shan State. It is a slow process. They will get there
when it is dark. There are no big villages on the way.

On the way from Rangoon to Pwintphyu, local authorities have been
harassing and hampering them. Just before we went on air, U Lwin told us
as follows:

U Lwin : When they entered Aunglan (Allen), the local fire brigade blared
out loud music to drown out her speeches and the same thing happened when
they entered Taungdwingyi. They entered Magwe and when they were at Minbu,
the same thing happened. They might have arrived at Pwintbyu at 4pm and
about 2000 people welcomed them. The local fire brigade blared out loud
music and prayer chants. They invited people to come and say prayer.

DVB : During previous trips, they did the same things. Didn’t you
co-ordinate (consult) with authorities concerned before you started this
trip?

U Lwin : Yes. The journey is far and we co-ordinated with local
authorities three days in advance. We told them where we would go and
where we would rest. We also requested them to inform local authorities
concerned not to harass or hamper us like the previous trips before they
set out the journey. They promised us that these kinds of things would not
happen and the like.

DVB : Despite the promise, they are being harassed at the beginning of the
trip. What do you think?

U Lwin : They have to report the discussions to the higher authorities.
The higher authorities say that these kinds of things should not happen.
When it did happen, it could be that people responsible are not doing
their jobs. Or maybe they are not able to communicate with their followers
within three days. There must be some defects. I still don’t know. I have
reported it to people and departments concerned about what had happened.

DVB : Do they reply (react) to your reports immediately?

U Lwin : They haven’t done it yet because they have to go from one tier to
another, step by step.

Although, the authorities did their best to harass and obstruct them,
local people welcomed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and group warmly. They will go
on to Gangaw tomorrow and continue the journey to Haka, Chin State. U Cin
Shin Htan, the chairman of Zomi National Congress (ZNC) welcomed her trip
to Chin State and expressed his support and the support of Chin people as
a whole.
__________

SHAN Herald Agency for News   April 4 2003
Junta staves off axis of evil

Authorities in Shan State had recently issued orders to the populace to
make symbolic objects as deterrents against possible disasters "only they
have foreseen", according to reports from people coming to Thailand.

"They didn't explain to us why each household had to make one slingshot
and 200 clay pellets," said a resident from Mongton. "But all of us are
already used to carrying out their orders without asking for the reason
anyway."

People coming from other townships reported they also received similar
instructions from their local Burmese commanders. For instance, in
Kengtawng, locals were required to fashion bows and arrows; in Mongpan,
lances and in Mongnai, swords.

Khru Muangdee, a Shan astrologist in Chiangmai, explains: "Burmese
officials, as you know, have an obsession with numbers. In this case, I
believe it is because the coming year, 2546, has the numeral 6 in it: 6 in
Burmese is chauk, that can mean either dry or abyss, thus making
slinghshots and so on is, astrologically speaking, a way to frighten off
the disasters, both natural and manmade."

The first day after the period of Songkran that falls on 13 April is
traditionally marked as the Burmese new year.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma  April 2 2003
Troubles in Moulmein

It is reported that there have been problems between university students
and traffic police in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, southern Burma.

The problems started when Ma Moe Moe Aye, a fresher law student was
stopped and fined by traffic police for not wearing helmet while she was
riding a moped.

The normal fine is 10,000 kyats but she was fined 20,000 kyats and dispute
arose and the police beat the girl up. She lost consciousness and was sent
to Moulmein Hospital. Then. about twenty students went on the rampage and
destroyed signboards in front of police station and traffic rules
instructions, said a local resident.

The students were forced to sign promises in the university’s
administrative office by the order of the local authorities.

The same resident said that because of the excessive late rains, rice
harvests were destroyed and farmers in Moulmein are facing many
difficulties. The farmers are unable to sell rice quotas to the government
and they have to buy rice from black market to fulfil their duties.

According to the statement of a Thailand-based Burmese workers’ union,
there have been some distributions of anti-government leaflets in
connection with farmers in Moulmein on the 27th of March.


MONEY

Associated Press Worldstream   April 4, 2003
ASEAN, EU agree on steps toward free trade pact

LUANG PRABANG, Laos:  Southeast Asian trade ministers agreed Friday to a
set of joint measures with the European Union to boost trade between the
two groups, possibly paving the way to a free trade pact in the future.

Proposed by EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy at a two-day meeting of
ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in
Laos, Friday's agreement is aimed at coordinating regulations, quality
standards and other non-tariff issues.

Brunei's Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Abdul Rahman Taib said
the agreement was expected to be launched in 2004, after further
discussions on technical matters.

"The (pact) could pave the way for a future preferential trading
agreement," he said.

The agreement would address such issues as food sanitary regulations and
technical barriers.

In recent years, the EU has imposed strict controls on poultry and shrimp
imports from the region because they contain banned antibiotics, hurting
ASEAN exports to Europe.

In 2001, trade between the two regions declined by 3.4 percent from the
previous year to US$96.36 billion.

However, Lamy said the EU was not ready to enter formal negotiations on
free trade with ASEAN until the current round of World Trade Organization
talks is completed.

ASEAN, established in 1967, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The two-day meeting ended Friday.
__________

The Guardian (UK)   April 4 2004
City diary
By Richard Adams

Trading in Burma remains tricky for British-American Tobacco, purveyor of
cigarettes to the world's most brutal regime. Burma is suffering from a
banking crisis, among other things, and as a result BAT has trouble paying
its bills. According to Burma's Federation of Trade Unions, to solve its
cashflow problems the BAT factory is using the income from its cigarette
sales to buy local fish, which it then exports to Hong Kong for hard
currency. As a result, protesters at BAT's annual meeting will be
proposing the company change its name - to British American Tobacco &
Fish.


DRUGS

Irrawaddy April 4 2003
War On Drugs: Battle for Young Lives
By Chayanit Poonyarat/Kanchanaburi

So far the big story from Thailand’s "war on drugs" has been the many
seizures, arrests and drug-related killing, with little attention to the
drug users—the ones who are supposed to be helped most by this campaign.
Finding a solution to the very real social problems and looking at ways to
treat and care for drug users, have largely fallen by the wayside.

Take Saowalak Changpan, who said her 14-year-old son has tried all sorts
of drugs in the past two years. "He is my only child and I don't know what
to do," said the worried mother, having seen her son through several
rehabilitation centers.

Run by the New Light Project, the 24-hectare rehabilitation center is home
to over 80 young men at a time. They are removed from a risk-ridden urban
environment like that of Bangkok’s Klong Toey slum community—where 40
percent of residents are said to be involved in the drug trade—and given
the chance to appreciate nature, group work and improve their
self-confidence.

"To deal with the drug problem, the government must also work closely with
activists and communities," Prakong Ungsongtham, director of the New Life
Project, said in an interview in Kanchanaburi, 130 km northwest of
Bangkok, where the project’s center for women and young boys is located.
"Most of all, it is not only how to take young people away from drugs but
how to bring them back to their families and society," she explained.

The Duang Prateep Foundation, based in Klong Toey, began the New Life
Project in 1988 to care for children at risk from drugs, exploitation,
abuse and crime.

To wean them away from the habit, Prakong said the project employs what
she calls "natural therapy", which is effective because of the open, green
environment at the two centers, one for men and another for women.

"We believe that after being addicted to drugs, the person has already
been mentally captured. What we do is bring them back to nature and normal
life," said Prakong.

This approach worked for 18-year-old Taeng Kwa, who is from the northern
province of Phayao. "At other rehabilitation centers, I was told only how
to quit drugs physically but never learned how to forget them," she said.

Having used and sold drugs since she was 13, Taeng Kwa was in and out of
rehabilitation centers before joining the New Life Project at its
Kanchanaburi campus.

Here, close to 50 young women are learning that there is a world and
future beyond the drugs that clouded their young lives. Like Taeng Kwa,
Saowalak’s son picked up the habit from friends. The youngster had been
living with his grandparents in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south, while
his mother worked in the capital. What Saowalak hopes for is that one day
her son can be where Taeng Kwa is now.

Two years after stepping into the Kanchanaburi center, Taeng Kwa was ready
to leave. In her time at the center, she studied and finished a high
school diploma. She received vocational training, like farming and
handicrafts, and on weekends she studied the Buddha's teachings.

"Besides earning money through their activities and being proud of
themselves, young people learn never want to waste their time and money on
drugs again," said Prakong.

Taeng Kwa plans to return to the center to work as a volunteer when she
can. But she faces a tricky situation right now. Prakong says that both
former drug addicts and their families have difficulty re-adjusting.

Sometimes the families and communities to which they return reject them.
The consequences can be disastrous, with many then turning back to drugs.
This is why the New Life Project began a short course that prepares
parents and families for the return of their children who have recovered.

Prakong explained that a key reason for the drug problem among Thai
youngsters is the absence of concerned and caring parenting. Often, she
said, parents are forced to spend long hours away from their children.

But it is not only the poor who are hit by grim social conditions and
cheap drugs that are easily available. Children from well-off families
have been joining the rehabilitation centers too.

Some of the very worse stories involve young children who were coerced
into trafficking. Nine-year-old Ball was one such child. "They tried to
make me sell drugs but I didn't want to, so I ran away from home," he
said, adding that all of his family, including two younger brothers, is
involved with drugs in one way or another.

Ball lived in Klong Toey and knew of the Duang Prateep Foundation. There
he sought out Prakong, who took Ball back to Kanchanaburi, as that center
also takes in young boys under 15. Ball explained that he is happy at the
center but would like his brothers with him, away from the influence of
his family and drugs. Ball dreams of becoming a policeman one day.

The government’s "war on drugs" from February to April does enjoy public
support—as illustrated by polls that show 75 percent of people back the
anti-drug campaign. But for those like Saowalak who have seen the scourge
up close—reading about the high-profile campaign in media and reports of
mistaken killings and suspicions of extrajudicial killings—creates a
dilemma.

"Like every other parent I want my son to be away from drugs," she said.
"I support the ‘war on drugs’, hoping Thailand will be drug-free one day,
but I am most worried about my son’s safety."

Inter Press Service (IPS)


REGIONAL

Statesman News Service, Kolkata   April 3, 2003
Hijack accused in court, hearing adjourned

BARASAT, (North 24-Parganas), April 2 – The hearing of Mr. Soe Myint, a
pro-democracy Myanmarese student charged under the Anti-Hijacking Act, has
been adjourned till 23 June 2003 at Barasat Sessions Court today.

The case has been adjourned today because the police did not take the
summons from the Court to serve to the witnesses in the case. As a result,
witnesses did not turn up for the hearing today. Mr Asit Ganguly, the
defence lawyer of the accused said.

Mr Ganguly said, “the accused is not a criminal. He landed the plane at
Calcutta Airport to draw global attention to the plight of Myanmarese
people in the hand of military junta. He, along with his friend,
distributed leaflets highlighting the cause establishing democracy in his
motherland. The cause is patriotic.”

 Mr. Probodh Chandra Roy, public prosecutor of the case said, “the case
should be withdrawn because after a decade there are so many problems in
proceeding with the case.”

 Asked about today’s case proceeding, Mr.Roy said, “no departmental
official has contacted me or given me any information regarding services
of the summons to the witness. I have not received any instruction either
from the state government or from the central government regarding the
fate of the case.”

 He said that there was no other alternative but for praying for the
adjournment and seeking a fresh date for hearing before the additional
district session judge. Mr CK Lahiri because no witness have turned up.
The next day of hearing is fixed on 23 June this year.”

 This Myanmarese student was produced at the Court amid tight security
around 9.00 am this morning. Several onlookers assembled at the Court
complex to have a glance of the pro-democrat leader.

 Mr.Myint along with the along with the another  Myanmarese student
diverted the route of a Thai Airways Plane on its way from Bangkok to
Yangon. These students forced the pilot to land plane at NSC Bose Airport
(then it was known as Kolkata Airport) in November 1990.

 Their purpose of hijacking was to draw international attention to the
plight of Myanmarese people living under military repression. They
distributed leaflets describing atrocities of military junta on Myanmaese
people.

 The military crackdown on students and protestors against the military
regime in Myanmar forced many Myanmarese leaders to flee the country.
Mr.Myint was one of the students who crossed the Thailand-Myanmar border.
He is now a refugee under the mandate of United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees.

 Afterwards, the two Myanmarese students surrendered to the government.
They were released from jail in February 1991. After a gap ot 12 years,
the Myanmarese student was arrested in April 2002 by CID police in West
Bengal. If he is forced to guilty, the pro-democrat student will face
life imprisonment, the public prosecutor said.

 On being asked about his reaction to hijacking the plane, Mr. Myint said,
“I did not commit any crime. I did not violate any Indian law either. If
was a political cause and I did it for the cause of democracy in Myanmar.
I have got the support of thousands of people in Myanmar and other
countries including India.



INTERNATIONAL

College of William and Mary Student Newspaper   April 4 2003
Student Senate Calls on BOV to Divest from Burma
by Nicole Schroeder, DSJ Staff Reporter

The outgoing Student Senate passed a resolution, unanimously with three
abstentions, calling on the College to divest from corporations that do
business with Burma, also known as Myanmar, a country ruled by a military
junta that is known for its human rights abuses, at its last meeting
Wednesday, 3 April.

The resolution specifically calls on the College to divest from and
refrain from investing its funds in “stocks, bonds, securities or other
obligation of any company, bank or financial institution which does
business in Burma, including General Motors/Suzuki and Caterpillar.”
Furthermore, it calls on the administration to make faculty and staff
aware of the fact that the TIAA-CREF pension fund offered by the College
invests in UNOCAL, a corporation that is known to have used forced labor
in Burma.

These investments comprise less than one-half of a percent of the
College’s endowment fund, and the hope of those attending the Senate
meeting is that this relatively small amount of money will be easy to
reinvest.

“If we can divest from Burma and not hurt William and Mary I think it’s a
no-brainer,” Student Assembly President Brian Cannon said of his support
for the resolution.

Part of what makes the situation in Burma unique, and a candidate for
divestment, is that the money invested in corporations like Caterpillar go
directly to the government and never reach the people of Burma.
Caterpillar doesn’t have a production facility in Burma, according to its
records, but it does business supplying the Burmese government with
equipment. The College has $1.65 million worth of funds invested in
Caterpillar.

Suzuki does have a production facility in Burma, which, according to the
Free Burma Coalition, is under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry
(2), the head of which is in charge of producing arms as well as the head
of the joint partnership between Suzuki and the state owned enterprise
Automobile and Diesel Engine Corporation. The College has about $112,000
worth of funds in General Motors/Suzuki.

“For the government that’s money they can use to suppress [
] people,”
said Senate Chairman Dheeraj Jagadev, senior and sponsor of the
resolution.

The junta’s control over market forces in Burma is what has prompted
Burma’s democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi to call for
sanctions against her own country, which have been and continue to be
enforced by the United States Government (Caterpillar is still in Burma
because it was doing business there before the sanctions were
implemented). It has also prompted many companies like PepsiCo to pull out
of Burma, and has set a precedent for other universities to divest from
Burma, including the University of Wisconsin, American University and the
University of Virginia among others. These divestments began with student
government resolutions as well.

On the senate floor, the original resolution was amended to remove the
clause calling on the Board of Visitors to divest from Caterpillar and
General Motors/Suzuki within one year, and to remove the creation of a
Burma Committee by the senate.

Two issues presided over this discussion. First, Lisa Keller, senator for
the Class of 2003, suggested that the committee be enlarged to include
other countries with similar human rights records.

“If we’re going to do something, we can’t just pick on one and not the
rest,” she said at the meeting.

Second, the committee would no longer be in effect once the new senate
takes over. Since this was the last meeting of the 2002-2003 Student
Assembly Senate, Cannon offered to create the committee through his
office, which would attach it to the Student Assembly, making it a more
powerful watchdog than a student organization would be able to be.

Jon Heifetz, Co-Director of the College’s Amnesty International branch who
presented a powerpoint presentation on Burma, was pleased with the
amendments.

“I couldn’t have been happier. It went a lot better than I expected,” he
said.

Jamie Reynolds, MBA graduate student, agreed with the spirit of the
resolution, but abstained from the vote.

“We could have used just a little bit more [
] details on it,” she said.

Andrew Casteel, senator for the Class of 2003, echoed a similar sentiment.
He voted for the resolution after it was amended at his suggestion to take
out the clause calling for the BOV to divest in no more than one year.

“I just felt uncomfortable without knowing all the specific details,” he
said. Overall, however, he hopes that the resolution will reverberate on
campus.

“The beauty, I thought, of the resolution is to create awareness,” he said.

According to Heifetz, the awareness has already begun. Other student
organizations including the College Republicans, Wesley Foundation and
Catholic Campus Ministries are voting on whether to support the
resolution. Heifetz said that he wants other organizations and professors
to join in, and is willing to speak with them about Burma.


STATEMENTS

US Department of State International Information Programs  April 3 2003
Kirkpatrick Says Rights Commission Must Help Ameliorate Abuses
(Item 9 statement to U.N. Commission on Human Rights) (4270)

The most essential task of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights is
exposing and helping to ameliorate egregious abuses committed by
governments against their own citizens, says Ambassador Jeane
Kirkpatrick, head of the U.S. delegation to the commission's 59th
annual session in Geneva.

"When we survey the globe, we see that the worst situations are also,
in almost every case, the most long-standing ones," Kirkpatrick said
April 1 in a statement relating to Item 9 on the session's agenda:
Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
any part of the world.

Discussing the situation in Iraq, she said Saddam Hussein's "absolute
personal power has been characterized from the beginning by extreme
brutality. His one-man, one-party police state is a model of arbitrary
government."

The appalling human rights situation in Iraq, Kirkpatrick said, "is
not the cause of the current military operations by the U.S.-led
coalition inside Iraq. But the effect of the outcome will most
certainly be to improve that situation and to restore to the
long-suffering Iraqi people their personal freedoms and dignity."

Kirkpatrick also discussed the human rights situation in other
countries around the world, including Cuba, Burma, China, Togo,
Turkmenistan, Iran, North Korea and Belarus.

Calling on the commission to face the task confronting it, Kirkpatrick
said the victims of abuses in these countries "cry out for meaningful
action."

The 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights runs March 17 to
April 25.

Following is the text of Kirkpatrick's prepared statement on Item 9:

(begin text)

Statement by Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick
Head of the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights
Item 9: Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in any part of the world

April 1, 2003

This Commission's most essential task is exposing and helping to
ameliorate egregious abuses committed by governments against their own
citizens. Year in and year out, the United States monitors the human
rights situation around the world and reports the findings in our
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

Recently some changes for the better which have occurred, give hope
and demonstrate the efficacy of efforts to improve respect for human
rights around the world. In Bahrain, for instance, the first
constitution was adopted; in May, free and fair Municipal Council
elections were held; and in October, men and women went to the polls
for the first time in nearly 30 years to elect a national parliament.
Morocco held free and fair elections in September, and in Qatar, a new
constitution has been adopted and municipal elections will be held in
April [2003]. We applaud their commitment to democracy.

Democratic political institutions and practices continued to develop
in East Timor, with the ratification of a constitution, the election
of a president, and efforts to increase respect for the rule of law
and human rights protections. We also wish to draw attention to the
notable strides taken in Taiwan, particularly the consolidation and
improvement of civil liberties in a manner consistent with reforms to
make its electoral system free and open.

Sri Lanka made progress in implementing a cease-fire agreement between
the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil-Eelam [LTTE]. The
overall level of violence and abuses has declined sharply.
Nevertheless, the situation in Sri Lanka bears continued monitoring as
there have been unconfirmed reports that the LTTE continued to commit
extra-judicial killings and to conscript children.

In Afghanistan, I am pleased to note, systemic human rights violations
have gone the way of the Taliban, and the number of individual cases
of abuse has declined considerably. Serious problems remain in some
outlying areas where the authority of President Karzai and his
government has yet to reach, but the new government is firmly
committed to democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms. The U.S. and many other nations are
working closely with the Karzai government to help Afghanistan
complete its transition to democratic and pluralist political and
social structures.

When we survey the globe, we see that the worst situations are also,
in almost every case, the most long-standing ones. These are the ones
that present a direct challenge to the effectiveness of this body, and
to its member governments. As political scientist B.J. Rummel has
demonstrated, over the past century far more men, women and children
have been killed by their own governments than in war. Other scholars
have corroborated these findings, and have also observed that
governments who do not respect the rights of their own citizens are
those least likely to respect the rights of their neighbors. This
Commission should ponder and confront as a first priority this
phenomenon of "Death By Government."

Saddam Hussein's control over Iraq has been officially exercised since
1979 - almost one quarter of a century. His effective control over
Iraq has lasted longer. Saddam Hussein's absolute personal power has
been characterized from the beginning by extreme brutality. His
one-man, one-party police state is a model of arbitrary government.
Allow me to elaborate.

There is no question who is in control and therefore who is
responsible for the conduct of the Iraqi regime. Saddam Hussein is
President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council of the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party, which under Iraq's
provisional 1968 Constitution governs Iraq, and Secretary General of
the Regional Command of the Ba'ath party. The most recent
justification of the regime's "right" to continue to govern was a
"referendum" in which Saddam received 100 percent of the votes. Of
course this alleged "referendum" included neither secret ballots, nor
opposing candidates, nor free speech, nor assembly. Most voters were
reported to fear reprisal if they did not vote for the sole option on
the ballot.

Civil and political rights exist under Iraq's Constitution "in
compliance with the revolutionary, national, and progressive trend."
The Special Rapporteur on this Commission observed in October 1999
that citizens lived "in a climate of fear," and noted, "The mere
suggestion that someone is not a supporter of the President carries
the prospect of the death penalty." The government, the Ba'ath Party,
or persons personally loyal to Saddam Hussein control all print and
broadcast media in Iraq. The 1968 Press Act prohibits the writing of
articles on 12 specific subjects including those detrimental to the
President, the Revolutionary Command Council and the Ba'ath Party.
Foreign broadcasts are routinely jammed. Books may be published only
with the authorization of the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The government of Iraq has for decades conducted a brutal campaign of
murder, summary execution, and protracted arbitrary arrest against the
religious leaders and followers of the majority Shi'a Muslim
population. Shi'a organizations, as well as those of other religious
minorities, are not recognized by the government. Those Shi'a who
continue to endeavor to exercise their religious beliefs face ongoing
repression and harassment by the secret police, Saddam's Fedayeen
death squads and other security forces. The government consistently
politicizes and interferes with religious pilgrimages, both of Iraqi
Muslims who wish to make the Haj to Mecca and non-Iraqi Muslims who
travel to holy cites within the country.

The Kurdish community of northern Iraq has fared no better. Kurdish
areas have been the object of forced movement and population
transfers. A huge number of secret police and other elements of Iraq's
security apparatus are present in northern Iraq to monitor and repress
Kurdish life. The infamous Halabja incident of 1988 marked the first
time in history that a government utilized chemical weapons against
its own citizens. The brutality of the suppression of the Kurdish
uprising following Iraq's defeat in 1991 was televised throughout the
world and led the Security Council to adopt resolution 688 which, for
the first time, declared massive violations of human rights to be a
threat to international peace and security.

Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that
everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Although this is the shortest, clearest and most direct article of the
Universal Declaration, it is the one which is most often violated by
the Iraqi regime. Arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings,
disappearance, denial of due process and vile forms of torture are all
instruments present in Saddam's toolbox of repression.

There is no discrimination against women in Iraq, but they are
subjected to the same harsh laws and brutal treatment as men, adapted
to take account of physiological differences. Under the pretext of
fighting prostitution, units of Saddam's Fedayeen death squads, led by
Uday Hussein, publicly beheaded more than two hundred women throughout
the country, dumping the severed heads at the doorsteps of the
victims' families. The Iraqi government uses rape and sexual assault
of women to extract information and forced confessions from their
family members, to intimidate members of the opposition by sending
them videotapes of the rapes of their female relatives, and to
blackmail Iraqi men into future cooperation with the regime. Safiyah
Hassan, the mother of two Iraqi defectors was killed after she
protested their murder after they returned to Iraq.

Saddam Hussein reinforces his system of fear, intimidation, and
repression, with an iron grip on the political process within Iraq.
Candidates for the National Assembly must be over 25 years old and
"believe in God, the principles of the July 17-30 revolution and
socialism." In the National Assembly "elections" of March 2000, out of
250 seats the Ba'ath party won a large majority, and Saddam simply
appointed 30 members to represent the Kurdish north. "Independents"
won 55 seats, but according to the UN Special Rapporteur, that was
because the Ba'ath Party had some of its members run as independents.
Uday Hussein received 99.9 percent of the vote for his election.

Virtually all-important national offices are held by members of the
Hussein family or by allies of his family from his hometown of Tikrit.
Opposition parties are illegal; membership in some is punishable by
death. The government does not recognize any of the political groups
or parties formed by Shi'a, Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmen or others. To
engage in political dissent runs the risk of death, torture,
imprisonment or simple disappearance for one's self or family members.

The appalling human rights situation in Iraq, which I have only barely
described, is not the cause of the current military operations by the
U.S.-led coalition inside Iraq. But the effect of the outcome will
most certainly be to improve that situation and to restore to the
long-suffering Iraqi people their personal freedoms and dignity.

I would like to quote from a statement by the trustees, including
myself, of Freedom House:

"The post-war effort to bring democracy to Iraq will not be easy.
There are many at home and abroad who are skeptical of even making an
attempt to establish democratic governance in an ethnically and
religiously complex country ruled for decades by a brutal tyranny.
Such concerns cannot be lightly dismissed. But, we are confident of
one thing: that the Iraqi people -- like the peoples of post-war
Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe --
desire peace, seek the protections of human rights rooted in the rule
of law, and want democracy.

"Democracy is not a Western concept, it is a universally desired goal.
It has been defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
Warsaw Declaration of the Community of Democracies and the OSCE
Copenhagen Document among others. [We] urge a commitment to free
elections, multiple political parties, freedom of association,
independent trade unions, women's equality and rights, an independent
judiciary, separation of religion from the state, an independent
press, and religious tolerance in Iraq and throughout the region."

President Bush has said to the Iraqi people, "As our coalition takes
away their power, we will deliver the food and medicine you need. We
will tear down the apparatus of terror and we will help you build a
new Iraq that is prosperous and free. In a free Iraq there will be no
more wars of aggression against .... neighbors, no more poison
factories, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will be
gone.... Unlike Saddam Hussein we believe the Iraqi people are
deserving and capable of human liberty."

It is harder and harder for countries to escape the harsh light of
international scrutiny of human rights practices. Developments in
Central Asia and South Asia, and other regions -- along with the
Middle East examples already cited -- are much more closely monitored
and tied to the international human rights agenda. This is why it is
vitally important that this Commission and its independent members
play their role to monitor and scrutinize the situation in whatever
countries require such observation. Such activities by our membership
and the mechanisms utilized by the Commission can encourage and
support indigenous forces of reform within affected countries.

Governments can violate rights and punish people for exercising
freedoms, but they cannot extinguish the free will and the liberty of
spirit inherent in all human beings, despite the most brutal attempts
at intimidation and repression. We commend the examples of brave
people committed to freedom and acting to advance it in oppressive
regimes that so many live under.

In Cuba, a one-party state where human rights and fundamental freedoms
are routinely violated, the Varela Project, organized by Oswaldo Paya,
has proven a powerful tool for the Cuban people to express their
yearning for an elected and representative government. For a period,
Marta Beatriz's Assemblea provided another venue for Cubans to express
their desire for change. The arrest last week of some 75 Castro
opponents including independent journalists, librarians and Marta
Beatriz herself, is both a glaring challenge to the Commission, and an
indication of the increasing repression by Castro and his regime.

This brazen attempt to intimidate the growing number of Cuban citizens
who dare assert their desire for more freedom, shows the regime's
continuing determination not to loosen its grasp on power. Fidel
Castro cannot afford to let the contagion of freedom spread. We renew
our call to the Cuban authorities to respect the Cuban people's desire
for change -- for change that will end arbitrary imprisonment, permit
a decent standard of living, and free Cubans from the grasp of the
repressive state that permeates every aspect of their lives.

Repression in Burma is marked by a range of human rights abuses covering
every conceivable category: extra-judicial killings, torture, arbitrary
arrest, disappearances, rapes, forced labor, and conscription of child
soldiers. In this brutal atmosphere, even after years of on-and-off
political arrest, harassment and constant surveillance, Aung San Suu Kyi
is still wholly committed to bringing democracy and a humanitarian rule of
law to the Burmese people. The regime in Burma needs to respect the will
of the Burmese people expressed through free and fair elections and return
the government to their lawfully elected officials.

The government of the People's Republic of China continues to commit
numerous and serious human rights abuses. Despite a promising start in
2002 suggesting China's willingness to pursue meaningful progress in
human rights, recent events have raised the question of a serious
deterioration in the human rights situation in China. Of special
concern are the detentions of more than a dozen democracy activists,
the execution of Tibetan Lobsang Dhondup without due process, the lack
of religious freedom, and the continued detentions of Rebiya Kadeer,
Jiang Weiping, Phuntsog Nyidrol, and others held for their political
or religious beliefs. We urge the Chinese authorities to take steps to
demonstrate their commitment to cooperating on human rights. In
addition, we urge China to act to protect the human rights and the
culture of the long-suffering people of Tibet.

Turning to Africa, in Togo, Marc Palanga, a leader of a local
opposition movement, has been repeatedly arrested and tortured. In
Côte d'Ivoire, civil unrest has given rise to violations on the part
of both the government and rebel forces. In the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, major abuses continue, but Rwanda withdrew its troops by
October, and Uganda currently has only around 2,000 troops left in the
country.

We are particularly pleased that Kenyans exercised their right to
elect a new government in a process that was free and fair. In Sierra
Leone, the civil war was officially declared over in January, the
Revolutionary United Front was disarmed, and presidential elections
were held that were relatively free of violence. War also ended in
Angola with a consequent decline in the number of human rights
violations, but with a worrisome increase of abuses in Cabinda
Province.

Turkmenistan's already poor human rights record worsened dramatically
following an attack on President Niyazov's motorcade in November. The
accused have been convicted in summary trials, there are credible
reports of the torture of suspects, and many family members of the
accused have been subjected to government harassment.

In Kyrgyzstan regional by-elections for seats in the Legislative
Assembly held in Osh in October 2002 were marred by serious
irregularities. Since Spring 2002, the few remaining independent
newspapers have been unable to publish without interference, and the
leading independent newspaper "Moya Stolitsa" was besieged with
lawsuits in December 2002 which threaten its existence. Nevertheless
human rights and political activists continue a lively debate in
Kyrgyzstan, and the Commission and its members should support their
activities. We commend the government for registering the U.S.-funded
Media Support Center Foundation, which will provide a non-government
printing facility and training for journalists.

In Kazakhstan, harassment of journalists continued, the government
selectively prosecuted opposition figures, and a new registration law
had the effect of reducing the number of political parties
participating in the political process.

The United States believes it important that the Commission address
the serious human rights abuses that have occurred in Chechnya. We
recognize Russia's right to defend its territorial integrity and
itself against terrorism. The broader conflict in Chechnya cannot be
resolved militarily and requires a political solution. Human rights
violations by Russian forces in Chechnya need to be curtailed, and
abusers held accountable.

We believe that most Chechens desire peace and an enduring political
settlement to the current conflict. The aim of any political process
must be to convince the Chechen people that it is a sincere and
legitimate effort to end the violence, end human rights abuses,
reconstruct the region and address legitimate grievances. The holding
of last week's referendum has begun the search for a broad political
process. We are encouraged by the proposals on the elements of a
political settlement made by President Putin and other senior Russian
officials. We urge these officials and others to make every effort to
create a positive environment in which a political process can
continue.

We note with great sadness that young children were pulled into many
conflicts, including those in Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In Colombia
as well, both paramilitaries and guerrillas have unlawfully recruited
children, and there is evidence that guerrillas forcibly pressed
children into their forces. In Cote d'Ivoire, the unlawful recruitment
of child soldiers in the armed civil conflict, particularly by rebel
groups, remains an issue of concern.

In Burundi, the government stated that it would not recruit child
soldiers in its war against rebel forces, however, there are
unconfirmed reports that children under the age of 15 continue to
serve in armed forces performing tasks such as carrying weapons and
supplies.

In Iran the government's already poor human rights record has
substantially deteriorated. Citizens continue to lack the right to
change their government, and the government actively represses
organized forms of political opposition. There are numerous reports of
extra-judicial killings, torture, stoning, flogging, harsh prison
conditions, as well as arbitrary arrest and detention. The judiciary
remains subject to government and religious influence. Despite the
initiation of some judicial proceedings against government officials,
many officials continue to engage in corruption and other unlawful
activities with impunity.

The Iranian government infringes on citizens' rights, restricting
freedom of speech, press and assembly. Women and religious and ethnic
minorities face violence and discrimination. The status of Bahais, and
other religious minorities, has deteriorated. Property has been
confiscated, harassment at schools continues, and short-term
detentions have increased. At least four Bahais were among those
imprisoned last year for reasons related to their faith. The
government fueled anti-Bahai (and anti-Jewish) sentiment for political
purposes; Bahais, Jews, Christians, Mandeans, and Sufi Muslims
reported imprisonment, harassment, or intimidation based on their
religious beliefs. Discrimination continues in areas of employment,
education, and housing.

North Korea deserves special consideration under this agenda item. It
is hard to imagine the possibility of a country whose citizens endure
a worse or more pervasive abuse of every human right. This aspect
coupled with the dire famine conditions afflicting North Korea, makes
it truly a Hell on earth.

North Koreans have been subjected to totalitarian oppression for
nearly sixty years. In a society with the most rigid controls on
earth, it is difficult to obtain information, but over the years,
defectors and the few international observers who have gained access
have consistently spoken of the nightmarish conditions in this
country. Generations of children have been completely indoctrinated to
swear their allegiance to a regime which has not had to answer to
popular sentiment for so long that it has lost grasp of reality.
Indeed, political indoctrination takes up more than half of the total
educational curriculum. Even with this kind of thought control the
regime must utilize the most thoroughly brutal repression to maintain
control as its inability to meet even the most basic requirements of
life for its citizens threatens to undermine its grasp on power. This
Commission must confront North Korea on its abominable human rights
record and demand accountability by its leaders.

In Belarus, the Lukashenko regime's human rights record worsened in
several areas. The regime continues to take severe measures to
neutralize political opponents. Security forces beat and/or harass
political opponents, trade unionists, and detainees. Agents closely
monitor human rights organizations and hinder their efforts. The
regime did not undertake serious efforts to account for the
disappearances of well-known opposition political figures in previous
years and discounts credible reports regarding the regime's role in
those disappearances.

The government of Belarus further restricted freedom of speech, the
press, peaceful assembly, association, worker's rights, and religion.
It intensified its assault on the independent media, with journalists
jailed on libel charges and several newspapers closed down. It
prevented the state union federation from becoming independent. It
enacted a new law that severely restricts freedom of religion.

Belarus enjoys the dubious distinction of being the only country in
Europe that has not abandoned the disastrous legacy of the
totalitarian system that held sway for so long in many parts of
Central and Eastern Europe. It is an affront to all the nations who
have broken with their unfortunate past, and committed to the path of
democracy and representative government. This affront must be
recognized by this Commission, and the Lukashenko government must be
called to account at this session. We must support the brave
Belarussian people who continue to struggle against this monstrous
regime.

Zimbabwe represents another situation where a brave and persistent
opposition requires our outspoken support. The government of Zimbabwe
has conducted a concerted campaign of violence, repression, and
intimidation aimed at its opponents. This campaign has been marked by
blatant disregard for human rights, the rule of law, and the welfare
of Zimbabwe's citizens. Torture by various methods is used against
political opponents and human rights advocates. War veterans, youth
brigades, and police officers act in support of the Mugabe government
with sustained brutality.

In the March 2002 presidential election, violence against the
opposition escalated. Irregularities in the election were widespread.
The process was declared "fundamentally flawed and illegitimate" by
international observers as well as the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum. Local elections held over the
past weekend suffered from the same problems.

The Mugabe regime has also targeted other institutions of government,
including the judiciary and police. Judges have been harassed into
submission or resignation. The news media have been restricted and
suppressed, with offending journalists arrested and beaten. Nearly 7.2
million people face food shortages and the possibility of starvation.

In Sudan, twenty years of civil war and unending strife have reduced
the population in both the northern and southern regions of the
country to a desperate state. The United States welcomes the progress
being achieved in the Machakos peace talks. We judge that resolution
of the conflict, when it occurs, will have an enormously positive
impact on the human rights situation in this long troubled land.
Irrespective of that, however, the current status of respect for human
rights in Sudan merits the continued scrutiny of this Commission. The
newly renewed state of emergency permits citizens to be arbitrarily
detained and mistreated for airing political views. Traditional
slavery by means of the abduction of women and children by
government-sponsored militias continues unabated and the religious
freedom promised in law is not respected in practice. We judge that
the Special Rapporteur for Sudan plays an important role -- and one
that must be continued -- in encouraging greater respect for human
rights in Sudan.

This Commission should make its work relevant, and face the most
essential task confronting it. The victims of these abuses cry out for
meaningful action.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)


ANNOUNCEMENTS

April 4, 2003
Refugees International Releases Report Documenting Rape by Burma's Army
Against Ethnic Women

(Washington DC, April 4, 2003)- Burma's army is using rape as a weapon of
war against women from Burma's numerous ethnic groups.  Recent
international attention on rape by the army has focused on abuses against
Shan women.  But following a research mission by Refugees International
(RI) to the Thai-Burmese border, RI was able to confirm that rape is
widespread, affecting women from numerous ethnic groups.  In its report
titled No Safe Place: Burma's Army and the Rape of Ethnic Women, RI
documented 43 rapes among women from the Karen, Karenni, Mon, Tavoyan and
Shan ethnicities.  Seventy-five percent of women interviewed in RI focus
groups reported knowing someone who had been raped. In nearly one third of
the cases, rapes were committed by higher-ranking officers, and in only
two cases were any punishments given, these extremely weak. These
statistics indicate that there is a permissive attitude towards rape by
those overseeing lower ranking soldiers.

Although Burma's State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has denied
allegations that its military uses rape as a weapon of war, any admissions
of rape have been attributed to rogue elements or the occasional unruly
soldier. RI's report disputes this. "Rape is widespread and committed with
impunity, both by officers and lower ranking soldiers. The culture of
impunity contributes to an atmosphere in which rape is permissible," said
Veronika Martin, advocate for RI.  The report goes on to suggest that rape
is not only widespread, but also systematic in nature. "Due to the lack of
punishment to perpetrators, it leads to the conclusion that the system for
protecting civilians is faulty, which in turn suggests the rape is
systematic," explained Betsy Apple, a human rights lawyer who worked as a
consultant for RI.

This report is the first to look at the issue of rape across ethnic
boundaries.  It examines the SPDC's responsibility under international law
and whether rape by Burma's army constitutes War Crimes or other gross
violations. The report further emphasizes that rapes are not a deviation,
committed by rebel soldiers; they are a pattern of brutal abuse designed
to control, terrorize and harm ethnic nationality populations though their
women.

The 80-page report, which includes photos and powerful quotes from victims
and witnesses to rape, was co-authored by Betsy Apple and Veronika Martin,
both of whom have extensive backgrounds working with Burmese women in
Thailand.   Ms. Apple has conducted previous research on rape by Burma's
military as the director of the Women's Rights Project for EarthRights
International. Ms. Martin has spent six years working with Burmese
refugees in a humanitarian and human rights capacity prior to joining RI.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Refugees International generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and
protection for displaced people around the world, and works to end the
conditions that create displacement. RI does not accept any government or
UN funding.

The hard copy can be ordered online or by contacting the RI office at the
information given below. The cost is US$8.00, but it can be downloaded for
free at
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/files/newsletters/no_safe_place.pdf.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for RI's work on Burma
issues.

Refugees International
1705 N Street NW
Washington, DC, 20036
(202) 828-0110 (Phone)
(202) 828-0819 (Fax)
ri at refugeesinternational.org (email)