BurmaNet News: May 23 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

May 23 2003 Issue #2243

INSIDE BURMA

DVB: “Whole town” welcomes touring Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi
AFP: In remotest Myanmar, reconciliation yields results

DRUGS

SCMP: HK man is among 28 arrested in Sino-US investigation
Mizzima: Burmese and Chinese drug traffickers arrested in India

ON THE BORDER

Nation: Gunmen ambush convoy in Burma
DVB: Thais to close down refugee camp

REGIONAL

IPS: Thaksin’s visit to measure ties with US
Narinjara: Dhaka, Rangoon talks conclude
AFP: Bangladesh, Myanmar to meet every six months on border problems

STATEMENTS

FBC: US Congress slams attacks on Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi [includes statements made by Congressman Peter King and Congressman
Michael E. Capuano]

INSIDE BURMA

Democratic Voice of Burma May 22 2003

"Whole town" welcomes touring Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her entourage have arrived in Mogok today.
National League for Democracy [NLD] spokesperson U Lwin said Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi and her entourage were received by a large number of enthusiastic
crowds.

There were so many people that it took the NLD entourage about two hours
to enter the city and reach the place they were staying. Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi was reported to have delivered a speech in front of the NLD Mogok
Office to the people who were there to greet her.

NLD spokesperson U Lwin told this to DVB:

U Lwn : What I understand is that although they entered Mogok around 1600
[all times local] but they could reach the NLD Office only at 1810 because
there were many people welcoming them. The whole town, almost every home,
was out to welcome them and some waited for them at the town entrance.
There were a lot of people but it would be difficult to estimate the exact
number. Another point mentioned was that there were a lot of cars and
motorcycles and it was quite an astonishing sight, they said. They were
delayed for more than two hours because Aunty [Aung San Suu Kyi] had to
greet all the well wishers around. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi started speaking
to the people while they were sending this report to me and I could only
faintly hear.

That was NLD spokesperson U Lwin. DVB also contacted a resident of Mogok
and was told that there were lots of people out to welcome the leader and
she recounted some of the points mentioned in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's
speech in front of the NLD office.

A Mogok resident : When they arrived, an unbelievable number of people
were out to show their support, everybody was out to welcome her. They
chanted, Long life and prosperity to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi! Their car
cruised very slowly along the way so as to enable Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to
greet the people back. Some people went to the town entrance to welcome
her. She spoke about two hours in the centre of the town.

Although there had been serious interferences from members of the Kyant
Phut [Union Solidarity Development Association] in Bhamo and Myitkyina, no
interferences were reported in Mogok today. It is said that local
authorities had ordered Kyant Phut members not to even wear their
uniforms. U Lwin said it was something exceptional. Local authorities of
Mabein, however, resorted to alternative means to disrupt Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi's visit yesterday. Police Commander Win Htay of Mabein Police Station
and local authority U Sai Myint Thein, using powers of the local
authority, was reported to have ordered all boats at Shweli-Mabein jetty
to dismantle the engines to prevent the use of boats to travel to Mabein.
U Lwin said the story was possible.

U Lwn : The story is possible because we had informed our Shan party to
welcome Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The Shan state-and township-level executives
were there already. They wanted to use the boats to go to Mabein and were
told that it would be possible to go to the other side if they wanted to
but the problem was that they would not be ferried back to this side
because routine maintenance had to be carried out for the boat engines and
that it would take two days to complete it. In other words, they intended
to stop the ferry services for two days. That was the situation and that
was how it was found out.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party will rest for two days in Mogok before
heading for Mandalay.
__________

Agence France Presse May 23 2003

In remotest Myanmar, reconciliation yields results

National reconciliation for Myanmar's military junta remains fraught with
difficulties, but in the heart of the country's notorious Golden Triangle
region, peace is yielding dividends, those involved say.

In 1989, the rebel Kokang and Wa ethnic groups living here were the first
to strike peace deals with the current military junta, giving them
wide-ranging autonomy in return for ending decades of rebellion against
central rule.

The Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand collide, were once
awash with the red bloom of poppies that made Myanmar the world's largest
opium producer.

Today the bloom is receding: under the deal, the Wa and Kokang pledged to
give up their traditional production of opium, the raw source of heroin,
to make the region drug-free by 2005.

Progress has been gradual -- Myanmar is still the world's number two
producer -- but according to US figures, production has already fallen
from around 2,000 tonnes in 1997 to just over 600 tonnes in 2002.

"Throughout our history until recently, these areas remained strife-torn
and under-developed, with the people here depending totally on poppy
cultivation as a traditional cash-crop," Colonel San Pwint, who is tasked
by the junta to maintain peace through liaising with former drug lords,
told AFP.

He was speaking during a junta-sponsored trip to this region for
Yangon-based journalists, during which new dams forming part of the
anti-drugs drive were eagerly showcased.

In Mong Pauk, a small weir was opened as part of a UN Office on Drug and
Crime (UNODC) alternative development programme, in place since 1998 and
the first of its kind here.

The dam has been built to ensure food security for farmers in the southern
Wa region, in conjunction with a Japanese-funded hospital and a drug
detoxification unit.

UNODC project coordinator Xavier Bouan warned, however, that the future
would still be difficult for those who have given up opium.

"The going is likely to be extremely tough for the rural poor, especially
without increased international assistance, in the aftermath of 2005, as
half of the region's income is derived from poppy cultivation," he said.

"Viable markets as well as more international inputs are essential to
ensure food security in the future."

A day later, military intelligence chief and junta number three General
Khin Nyunt presided over the opening of a 1.6 million dollar dam, funded
by Japan and constructed with UN expertise.

The openings come shortly after the conclusion of neighbouring Thailand's
three-month war on drugs, which wrapped up in April and focused on another
of Myanmar's drugs problems: methamphetamines, which flood into Thailand
from mobile factories on the Myanmar side of the border.

"I would like to point out Myanmar has also made a pledge to root out the
problem of stimulant tablets in a similar way (to opium)," the general
said.

"The cooperation of the international community, especially that of
neighbouring countries is of essence in preventing the inflow of chemical
precursors (required for their production) into the country."

Through its Ministry for Development of Border Regions, set up in 1992,
the military government says it has channelled an estimated 40 billion
kyat (40 million dollars at typically used blackmarket rates), in addition
to 500 million dollars on opium elimination, drug abuse control, law
enforcement and infrastructure.

More is needed, the UN says, beyond the small amount of humanitarian
funding now flowing into the country.

Aid is scarce due to international condemnation of the junta, widely
criticised for human rights abuses and for preventing Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD), who won 1990 elections, from forming
government.

The country has also come under harsh criticism for its alleged
involvement in the drugs trade -- which some say bankrolls the junta --
and for its failure to properly clamp down on illegal drug producers. The
regime denies the charges.

"The Wa and the border areas will continue to have problems in the coming
years," Myanmar's resident UNODC representative Jean-Luc Lemahieu told
AFP.

"It's a Catch-22 situation here ... The military government has the
political will but does not have the means for such sustained
development."

Divested of their poppy income, the rural poor face a "very difficult
transition period", he warned.

Further involvement of the international community and financial
institutions -- "not yet forthcoming" -- is needed, he said.

"We are determined to make the Wa region free of opium by 2005," said Pauk
Yu Kyar, one of four brothers heading the former rebel United Wa State
Army, a 20,000-strong band of feared fighters.

DRUGS

South China Morning Post May 23 2003

HK man is among 28 arrested in Sino-US drug investigation; Police from
both countries praise co-operation that broke up the heroin syndicate
By Josephine Ma

A Hong Kong man was among those held after a Sino-US police investigation
broke up what officers say was an international drug syndicate.

The 56-year-old man, surnamed Wong, was arrested last week. Police seized
36kg of heroin and US$ 60,000, said Chen Cunyi, deputy director-general of
the Bureau of Narcotics Control.

The syndicate was allegedly involved in heroin trading and methamphetamine
processing on the mainland, in Hong Kong, the US, India and Myanmar.

Mr Chen said the operation --dubbed "125" because one of the key players
once weighed 125kg - was difficult to investigate because the kingpins
were professionals.

Twenty-eight suspects have been arrested on the mainland, in the US, India
and Hong Kong. Ten were arrested by the mainland police and two by Hong
Kong customs officers on May 16.

Eleven suspects were arrested in New York on the same day. The mainland
police have arrested all suspects on their wanted list except one
associate, who is still at large.

Both the mainland police and officers in the United States described the
operation as their first experience of such a high level of close co
-operation.

A command office was set up in the Fujian Public Security Bureau, with Mr
Chen and representatives from the US jointly in command.

James Tse, attache in the Beijing Country Office of the US Drug
Enforcement Administration, said that the day of the operation was the
first time that both sides had worked in the same office. In joint
operations in the past, discussions were only held before or after
arrests.

"This is by far one of the most important cases we have conducted," Mr Tse
said.

Mr Chen said the investigation had set an example for co-operation in the
future.

But the Director-General of the Bureau of Narcotics Control, Yang
Fengshui, said mainland police were hesitant about allowing suspects
arrested on the mainland to be material witnesses in US courts.

"Testifying in a US court is a sensitive issue. There was an unpleasant
experience in 1998," Mr Yang said, referring to the controversy that
erupted after a drug trafficker arrested in Shanghai in a Sino-US joint
operation was given political asylum after he left China and testified in
a US court.

"The problem has not been solved for years. We heard that he was killed by
his fellow members in a drug syndicate in New York over territory. That
was how the issue was closed."
___________

Mizzima News May 23 2003

Burmese and Chinese drug traffickers arrested in India

With the arrest of three Burmese and two Chinese nationals, India's
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has stepped up operations in several Indian
states.
The five who are suspected to have been running drug trafficking
operations between the East and North East of India and Burma were
arrested in a rented house in Kolkata last week.
Baiktha Kima (42), Lal Thanputa (30), and Lal Sanga (42) from Burma and
Chen Fulun and Wen Delong from China had been supplying narcotics to
various states of India. 24 Kg of Ephedrine Hydrochloride, sophisticated
laboratory equipment and false passports were seized from them at arrest.
NCB sources reveal that, acting on a tip-off from US Drug Enforcement
Agency, they had carried out an operation in the Salt Lake City area of
Kolkata and arrested the five.
Reportedly, the alleged traffickers had converted the Ephedrine they
procured into Amphetamine and BTS. NCB sources also hinted that the NCB is
set to carry out similar operations in various states in order to combat
the prevalence of Ephedrine smuggling, which is on the increase despite
official attention to the problem.
The Burmese Junta recently claimed that drug trafficking had been strongly
reduced in the wake of stepped-up operations by the government. The arrest
of the Burmese nationals indicates, however, that drug traffickers
continue to operate in India. In view of the increase in drug trafficking
in the northeastern states, which border on Burma, the U.S. and the NCB
decided to carry out joint operations to contain the menace. The U.S.
recently provided vehicles and sophisticated equipment for the fight
against narco-terrorism.
According to the NCB sources, Ephedrine is also smuggled from India to
Burma where it is converted into Amphetamine and BTS, which subsequently
return to India via the porous Indo-Burma border.
"Amphetamine is in strong demand on the market, as a result of which
trafficking occurs. During the last several years, Indian enforcement
agencies made several seizures along the Indo-Burma border".
Kolkata is reportedly fast emerging as a new center for this drug peddling.

ON THE BORDER

Nation May 23 2003

Gunmen ambush convoy in Burma
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

Unidentified gunmen yesterday attacked a caravan of eight Thai-owned
trucks loaded with asphalt and building materials after it left Tachilek
for a construction site near Kengtung, Thai border officials said.

The convoy was ambushed at an Akha village some 30 kilometres north of the
Burmese border town of Tachilek, which was rocked by a series of bomb
explosions just the day before.

Two trucks were damaged and two Burmese soldiers escorting the trucks were
injured in what was likely a business dispute, border sources said.

A time bomb set to explode at 10am on Wednesday under the bridge
connecting Tachilek and Mae Sai was found and defused by Burmese
officials, Thai intelligence officials told the House foreign affairs
committee yesterday, the committee's vice chairman Kobsak Chutikul said.

Two TNT sticks were likely placed under the bridge to cause maximum damage
to the border towns on both sides during working hours, Kobsak said,
adding that some 850 Thais visit Tachilek daily.

The intelligence officials informed the committee meeting - attended by
officials from the Interior Ministry, National Intelligence Agency and
National Security Council - that altogether the town was hit by seven
explosions on Wednesday, leaving at least 10 victims dead. Rangoon had
earlier reported four bombs killing four Burmese, he said.

Thai agencies should investigate whether the violence was likely to
continue in the Burmese town so Thai travellers could be aware of any
potential threat, he said.

Lawmakers yesterday suggested the government issue a warning for Thais to
exercise caution when travelling to Tachilek.

Officials remain unclear as to who is responsible for the bombings and
their motive, but they could be Shan rebels or Wa insurgents with a
business conflict, Kobsak said.

Rangoon has blamed the town attack on the Shan State Army, but its
commander Yawd Serk said they were celebrating on Wednesday. In related
news, Burmese authorities in Tachilek yesterday imposed a 10pm curfew in
response to Wednesday's bombings and the caravan ambush, sources said.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma May 22 2003

Thais to close down refugee camp

The Thai authorities said yesterday that the Burmese students refugee
camp, Htam Hin in Ratchaburi Province is to be closed down soon. The
comment came after a meeting between the Thai authorities and the Burmese
student association, BSA.

DVB’s Maung Too reports, beginning with the comments of a student
leader:

Ko Tin Hla : ‘They came to tell us that the camp is to be closed down. We
had a meeting yesterday. The camp is to be closed down soon. They told us
to expel all people from now starting with rejected people and the like.’

Maung Too : That was the comment of Ko Tin Hla, member of the central
committee of BSA from Htam Hin Camp. Htam Hin camp came into existence on
27th of December 2001 when Maneeloy Burmese students refugee camp near
Bangkok was forced to close down and the students were relocated by the
Thai authorities to the current location. There are 191 students in the
camp but all will not be allowed to leave [go to a third country].
‘Everyone is worried and the UN officials said that all will not be
allowed to leave
 It all depends on the individual case and they can’t
promise that all will be allowed to leave. Some people will be left behind
and the like. When people heard this kind of words, they are very
worried.’ Tomorrow, nine students will start to leave for the USA.

Meanwhile, more Mon refuges are arriving at Khalokhani Refugee Camp in
Kanchanaburi District controlled by the New Mon State Party [NMSP].

DVB’s Maung Too reports starting with the comments of a spokesman from
Free Mon News Agency:

Naing Taramon : The numbers of refugees are increasing from last month.
About 30 families have arrived at the refugee camp. Most of them are from
southern part of Ye Township in Burma. Some fled from the fighting and
some fled into Thailand illegally and came to the refugee camp. They don’t
need identity cards in that area. They have to always carry the cards
issued by the army. If they ventured outside the village without the
cards, they are killed.

Maung Too : Is the NMSP not doing anything about it? Isn’t there any
discussion with the SPDC on this matter?

Naing Taramon : They won’t be saying that to them. If they do, the SPDC
won’t be obliging their request.

Similarly, 67 Mon refugees arrived at Khalokhani Camp in April. The
refugees who arrived at the camp near the Three Pagodas Pass area, are
given only one thirds of the individual needs and the organisations
providing helps are also reducing aid every year. Even with the reductions
of aid to refugees, Mon people are still fleeing to refugee camps and
inner Thailand to avoid forced labour and portering imposed on them by the
Burmese army.

REGIONAL

Inter Press Service May 23 2003

Thaksin’s Visit to Measure Ties with US
By Marwaan Macan-Markar

The visit by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the United States
in mid-June will come under careful scrutiny here for indicators—even
symbolic ones—to see if all is well between the two countries.
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai feels there is little to worry
about, saying that the relationship between Washington and Bangkok is as
cordial as ever. "There is no truth at all that there has been a sense of
dissatisfaction of the United States towards Thailand."
That will be reflected when Thaksin meets US President George W Bush on
June 10, he said.
Thaksin’s visit to the US on June 10 and 11 will also include a lecture he
is expected to deliver to a business council to promote ties between the
US and the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean).
The scrutiny of Thaksin’s forthcoming visit to the US stems from the
debate that has surfaced here in the wake of the government’s stance
during the US-led invasion of Iraq. Rather than join the ranks of fellow
Asean members like Singapore and the Philippines, who lined up with the US
and Britain in their invasion of Iraq, Thaksin’s government did not
publicly support the war.
The message that the government conveyed was a "marked departure from
[Thai governments of] the past," says Panitan Wattanayagorn, an
international relations specialist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
"It presented new complications to the relationship between the two
countries," Panitan said.
For Asda Jayanama, a former Thai diplomat, Bangkok’s interpretation of its
actions of the Iraqi invasion—that it was inoffensive because it was
non-committal—was wrong. "We were not neutral on that issue, because our
position went against US policy. It is nonsense to say otherwise," he
argues. "The foreign minister is wrong in his interpretation."
What is more, some observers point out that Thaksin’s visit to Washington
may be judged by another yardstick—how he will rank against the praises
the Bush administration reserved for the leaders of Singapore and the
Philippines during their first visits to the US after Iraq was conquered.
This week, for instance, in a show of gratitude for the pro-US line that
Manila displayed, the US government pledged arms to the Philippines and
announced that it was now ranked as a full military ally of the US.
In fact, the current doubts being raised through newspaper articles about
where Thailand stands in relation to the US is a shift from the picture
that prevailed before.
Governments that preceded the Thaksin administration had, in the main,
stuck to a very pro-Washington line, in keeping with the close ties the
two countries had developed since Thailand and the US signed a treaty in
the 1800s.
"The Thai-US relationship was very intimate due to the long tradition of
friendship. Thailand was one of the five countries in a military alliance
the US has in the Asian region," says Kavi Chongkittavorn, an editor and
columnist on regional affairs at The Nation, one of Bangkok’s
English-language dailies.
The extensive power wielded by the Thai military in the country's politics
prior to Thailand’s adoption of its new constitution in 1997 also ensured
that the bonds between Bangkok and Washington were strong.
"In the past, the military had a bigger voice in US policy," says Pantian,
"but not now, after the Thaksin government was elected."
Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party was elected to power in January 2001 by a
thumping majority. This ensured that for the first time since the country
embarked on the road towards democracy in 1932, the parliament would have
the largest voice in shaping national policy.
"When Thaksin came to power, he started using a different approach. One of
them is standing up to the US," says Kavi. "He is the first prime minister
to have such a relationship with the US."
At the same time, Thaksin has tried to cultivate new "strategic partners"
rather than being completely dependent on Washington’s whims.
China has figured prominently in the premier’s vision, which aims to be
more Asian-oriented. "Thailand's foreign policy is going through a period
of change; from relying on one strategic partner to having more strategic
partners," says Panitan. "The government is also sensitive to the mood of
the public, for Thailand not to get too close to the US during the Iraq
war."
Nevertheless, an annual military exercise launched here last week
involving troops from the US, Singapore and Thailand reflects the bonds
that still unite Washington and Bangkok.
Under the "Cobra Gold" exercise, which runs from May 16-29, more than
14,600 troops will train to counter terrorism and man peacekeeping
operations. According to Kavi, "Cobra Gold", which has been conducted by
Thai and U.S. forces since 1982, serves as "the template for the military
alliance between the two countries."
_________

Narinjara News May 23 2003

Dhaka Rangoon Talks conclude: meeting to solve border problems

During the three-day long high-level border conference between Dhaka and
Rangoon that concluded yesterday in Dhaka, a Joint Record of Discussion
(JRD) was signed between the officials of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and
Immigration Headquarters of Burma, according to UNB.

The JRD, signed at the close of the meet, would pave the way for holding
of meetings every six months to sort out border-related problems and
issues.  The two sides discussed cross-border smuggling, fishing in the
Bay of Bengal, cross-border human traffic, and also holding of
commander-level flag meetings and DG-level conference every six months. 
The discussion also included issues like innocent trespassing by citizens
of both the countries, exchange of lists of detained persons on both the
sides, and a host of bilateral issues.

According to today the Ittefaq, the discussion yesterday also included
issues of quicker repatriation of fishermen caught fishing on both sides
of the international boundary in the Bay of Bengal and quicker
repatriation of the prisoners whose sentences have long been over.

At present there are about one thousand Burmese prisoners in Bangladesh
jails, many of whose prison terms have expired for as mush as five years
and who cannot be repatriated due to the denial by the Burmese junta as
their own citizens.  Many of the Burmese prisoners told our correspondent
that due to forced relocation of many of the families of the prisoners,
they themselves could not trace the whereabouts of their near and dear
ones.  In recent months there has been a number of unrest in the prisons
where these Burmese prisoners have been kept including the prisons in
Bandarban, Comilla and Cox’s Bazaar.

The Bangladesh side was led by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) director
general Major General M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury while the Burmese side was
headed by the Director General of Immigration Headquarters, U Maung Htay. 
According to a BDR press release, deputy director general, director and
sector commanders of BDR, representatives from the ministries, departments
and Joint River commission were on the Bangladesh delegation.  The Burmese
delegation included senior deputy director and director of the Immigration
Headquarters, and reperesentatives from immigration, social welfare, and
relief ministries.
__________

Agence France Presse May 23 2003

Bangladesh, Myanmar to meet every six months on border problems

Senior frontier officials from Bangladesh and Myanmar ended three days of
talks by agreeing to meet every six months to resolve border-related
problems, officials said Friday.

The high-level regular meetings would work to solve problems such as the
smuggling of drugs and arms, Bangladesh's official BSS news agency said.

The talks ended here Thursday between delegations headed by Major General
Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, chief of the Bangladesh Rifles border
force, and Maung Htay, director general of Myanmar's immigration
department.

It was the first meeting of the countries' border officials in 10 years.

Bangladesh and Myanmar share about 300 kilometers (186 miles) of border,
including around 100 kilometers (62 miles) in the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia paid her first official visit to
Myanmar in March following a landmark trip here last year by Myanmar's
leader Senior General Than Shwe.

Than Shwe was the first leader of Myanmar's junta to visit Bangladesh
since the 1988 coup in Yangon.

The two countries engaged in border standoffs in 1991 and 2001 and
relations were strained in the early 1990s when around 250,000 ethnic
Rohingya Muslims flooded into Bangladesh from Myanmar, claiming atrocities
by the Yangon junta.

Ties have improved since then, with the repatriation of most of the
refugees under a United Nations agreement, but more than 20,000 still live
in camps in Bangladesh.

STATEMENTS

Free Burma Coalition May 23 2003

U.S. Congress Slams Attacks on Burma's Democracy Leader Aung San Suu Kyi

Regime's Goons Threaten Nobel Peace Prize Recipient With Machetes
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-547-5985

WASHINGTON - Leading members of the United States Congress Peter King
(R-NY) and Michael Capuano (D-MA) this week condemned attacks and
harassment by Burma's military regime on Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung
San Suu Kyi and her supporters in recent weeks. In the most serious
incident, members of the regime's political arm, the Union Solidarity and
Development Association  (USDA) stopped Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade and
beat on the doors and windows, wielding machetes and sticks. The attack
came
as the democracy leader traveled with members of her political party the
National League for Democracy (NLD) to open an office in Bhamaw Township,
Kachin State.

"This is yet another example of how Than Shwe's regime continues to employ
terror and brutality as a means of retaining power over the Burmese
people," said Rep. King, a Republican member of the influential
International Relations Committee and Chairman of the Financial Services
subcommittee that overseas the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"I find it appalling that Than Shwe's soldiers would threaten one of the
world's great freedom fighters," added Rep. Capuano, also a member of the
Financial Services Committee. "Than Shwe continues to terrorize the
population of Burma."

The statements by leading members of both parties reflect increasing
Congressional frustration with Than Shwe's regime. Powerful Republican
Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, the Chairman of the Foreign
Operations Subcommittee, and Representative Tom Lantos, the top Democrat
on the International Relations Committee, both recently stated that they
plan to introduce legislation increasing sanctions on Than Shwe's regime.
McConnell and Lantos cited ongoing human rights abuses by the regime as
well as Than Shwe's refusal to fulfill his promise to participate in talks
facilitated by United Nations special envoy to Burma Razali Ismail.

"It is clear that additional sanctions against the junta in Rangoon are
warranted, and I intend to introduce legislation to this effect in the very
near future," Senator McConnell told Secretary of State Colin Powell in a
Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee hearing April 30th.

Both King and Capuano emphasized that the harassment of Suu Kyi and her
supporters has been ongoing. "This is only one of many recent occasions in
which the USDA has harassed and intimidated Aung San Suu Kyi... and her
supporters," said Capuano.  According to NLD party spokesperson U Lwin, on
May 16th, a similar crowd surrounded the NLD convoy on a bridge outside
Myitkyina, also in Kachin State, brandishing swords and catapults and
attempting to throw punches through car windows. The regime also prevented
the NLD from opening a party office in the town of Shwebo. In Chin,
Arakan, and Karenni States, hundreds of USDA members have publicly
protested Aung
San Suu Kyi's appearances, and soldiers have threatened to arrest
villagers attempting to see her speak.
##

********************************
EXTENSION OF REMARKS
CONGRESSMAN PETER KING (R-NY)
MAY 22, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn the recent harassment and
intimidation of Burmese citizens carried out by General Than Shwe and his
military regime.  Various attacks have been committed under his command
against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for
Democracy (NLD).
This is yet another example of how Than Shwe's regime continues to employ
terror and brutality as a means of retaining power over the Burmese
people.

While traveling outside of Rangoon recently, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy
was attacked by members of the Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA), the political arm of Than Shwe's military regime. 
Yielding machetes, hundreds of USDA members forcibly stopped the convoy,
surrounded it, and beat on the doors with their fists and other objects.

Mr. Speaker, in Burma's most recent election, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the
NLD were elected to represent the people of Burma winning 82% of the seats
in parliament.  But Than Shwe has refused to honor their will and let
those who have been legitimately elected govern.   His military regime
continues to systematically abuse the human rights of the Burmese people
through its campaign of torture, imprisonment, forced child labor, and
murder.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the democracy movement have never resorted to the
use of violence despite the savage treatment it receives.   In fact, for
her peaceful efforts to bring about change, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has won
the Nobel Peace Prize, the Sakharov Prize, and the Presidential Medal of
Freedom.

Mr. Speaker, we must continue to support Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD
while at the same time increasing political pressure upon Burma's military
regime.  Democracy must be restored to this country.  I would like to
thank President Bush for his strong statement to this effect last April
and I urge my colleagues to join in this effort.

*****************************

SPEECH OF
HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO
OF MASSACHUSETTS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues of the
despicable attack on a key democratic figure in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi,
by Than Shwe and his brutal military regime.

A few days ago, the political arm of Than Shwe's regime, the Union
Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), launched an attack against
Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade as she was traveling to give a speech about
freedom in Burma. After stopping the motorcade and wielding machetes and
sticks, USDA members beat on the doors of the motorcade and attempted to
steal cameras and other items.

This is only one of many recent occasions in which the USDA has harassed
and intimidated Aung San Suu Kyi, her political opposition group called
the National League for Democracy (NLD), and their supporters. In order to
interfere with her efforts to speak about democratization in Burma, the
regime has threatened her supporters with water hoses on fire trucks and
blared loud music so that others cannot hear her speeches. Authorities
have repeatedly deterred and prevented her supporters from attending her
speeches by threatening them with arrest, and have turned back several
busloads full of people.

I find it appalling that Than Shwe's soldiers would threaten one of the
world's great freedom fighters with blunt weapons. Aung San Suu Kyi and
the NLD are the legitimately elected leaders of their country-they won 82
percent of the seats in parliament in an internationally recognized
election, even though the regime refuses to recognize the results. As an
elected Representative of the citizens of Massachusetts, I simply cannot
stand by while men like Than Shwe so grossly violate the very principles
upon which this House was built.

Than Shwe continues to terrorize the population of Burma. He and his
regime have forced much of the population into modern-day slave labor,
locked up about 1,400 political prisoners including students, monks, nuns,
and 18 members of parliament, and recruited an astounding 70,000 child
soldiers--far more than any other country in the world. Perhaps most
disturbing, our own State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Rights, and
Labor conducted an impressive investigation into rapes in Burma that
confirmed the regime is using rape as a weapon of war. As we learned from
Bosnia, using rape as a weapon is a war crime, and Than Shwe and his
cronies should be brought to justice.

Most importantly, Burma's regime has proven that its words cannot be taken
seriously. It has denied the use of rape as a weapon, stated that is has
no child soldiers, and refuses to acknowledge the detention and torture of
political prisoners. For this reason, it should not be surprising that
Than Shwe has ignored the promise he made over a year ago to enter into a
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, facilitated by the United Nations, aimed
at a transition to freedom and democracy. Instead, he has flaunted the
good-faith efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Razali
Ismail, and by extension, the entire United Nations General Assembly.

I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning these recent attacks and
urge the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Rights, and Labor to
register our condemnation of the regime at the highest levels.