BurmaNet News: June 4 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

June 4 2003 Issue #2251

INSIDE BURMA

Australian: Suu Kyi ‘injured’ before arrest
DVB: U Tin Oo, the Deputy Chairman of the NLD-missing
IPS: Generals on the offensive, but also at odds over Suu Kyi
FT: Rangoon rejects calls to free Suu Kyi
AP: Myanmar’s generals revert to tough style

MONEY

Xinhua: Indian firm to hold industrial exhibition in Myanmar

REGIONAL

Bangkok Post: Govt urged to review ties with Burma
Reuters: Myanmar exiles rally for Suu Kyi in Thailand
VOA: Asian leaders reconsider Burma policy following arrest of
pro-democracy leader
Japan Times: Suu Kyi dialogue urged by Japan
AFP: Opposition leader slams Aung San Suu Kyi arrest, government silence

INTERNATIONAL

BBC: UN seeks access to Suu Kyi
Reuters: U.S. lawmakers urge ban on imports from Myanmar
Chosun Ilbo: Locals show support for Burmese democracy figure

STATEMENTS/EDITORIALS

New Light of Myanmar: Do not nip fruits of democracy in the bud
Boston Globe: Atrocity in Burma
National Justice Party, Malaysian Peoples Party: Media statement
Washington Daybook: [Rally in DC]

INSIDE BURMA

The Australian June 4 2003

Suu Kyi 'injured' before arrest
By Kimina Lyall

AUNG San Suu Kyi suffered head and shoulder injuries in the violence that
resulted in her detention by military authorities last weekend, according
to reports from witnesses.

The reports, which have consistently appeared despite the junta
categorically denying she was hurt, range from suggestions that her face
and shoulder were cut by shards of glass, through to that she had a broken
arm from being beaten with bamboo sticks. One source in Rangoon close to
the negotiations for Ms Suu Kyi's release told The Australian: "She has
definitely been injured. I think she cannot be okay because she is
incommunicado."

Burmese activists are growing increasingly concerned by the lack of proof
that Ms Suu Kyi and her party's vice-secretary, the elderly U Tin Oo, are
unhurt.

"Last time when she had bruises (from a confrontation) they refused to let
anyone see her," said Debbie Stothard of human rights group ALTSEAN-Burma.

"They don't want an Anwar situation," referring to the televised images of
Malaysia's former deputy prime minister after his prison beating.

The injury accounts, all of which are unverified, began on Monday when the
self-called government-in-exile, the National Coalition Government of the
Union of Burma, said she had a head injury and up to 70 people were
missing feared dead after the violence in the northern town of Ye-U.

An injured Ms Suu Kyi could explain why the military rulers appear to have
denied requests from diplomats to see her. They have also said they would
not guarantee that the UN special envoy, Razali Ismail, would be allowed
to see her on his scheduled visit this weekend.

Mr Razali, a Malaysian diplomat who has endeavoured to broker dialogue
between the NLD and the ruling State Peace and Development Council on
behalf of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is expected to continue his
plans for the trip but would not make a final decision until the last
moment, sources said. Mr Annan, returning to New York from the G8 summit,
said it was important Mr Razali meet with Ms Suu Kyi.

At a Foreign Ministry briefing earlier this week, the junta denied that
she had been hurt.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday called
upon his neighbours to treat Ms Suu Kyi with "honour".

"Even though the arrest and detention is the internal affair of Myanmar,
the human rights and dignity of Aung San Suu Kyi must be upheld," Mr
Chavalit, a former prime minister with strong links to Burma's ruling
generals, said.
_____________

Democratic Voice of Burma June 3 2003

U Tin Oo, the Deputy Chairman of the NLD - missing

The SPDC still hasn’t said anything about the condition of U Tin Oo, the
Deputy Chairman of the NLD.
According to the unconfirmed news, U Tin Oo was shot in the assault on
Friday and his scull was cracked from the beating.
At the same time, it is reported that U Tin Oo is being detained in the
infamous Insein Prison. The son of U Tin Oo, Ko Thant Zin Oo who is in
Japan at the moment told the DVB that he is very concerned by the news as
follows:
Ko Thant Zin Oo : My father is more than 75 years old and he is suffering
from heart diseases. But he is able to move due to his spirit. When he
travels, my mother who is a doctor always provided medicines for him each
week and month. I think that he would be facing many problems including
the medical ones now.
DVB : Have you been contacted directly about the condition of your father
by the embassy and the like?
Ko Thant Zin Oo : No, there is no direct contact with the Embassy. What I
want to say personally is – there are many types of news. As they are
unable to say where they are and what is happening and many kinds
confusing news came out.
DVB : Some news we received which could not be confirmed said that he was
beaten up and his scull cracked and the like. Other news says that he was
hit by bullets. What did you hear about him?
Ko Thant Zin Oo : I heard what you have just said. The news is nothing
new. The SDPC should be saying very honestly and openly how many people
were injured and the like to make things better.
DVB : What do you have to say about the incident?
Ko Thant Zin Oo : If I have to say from what I have understood, my father
is quite old. Others are around 80 years and over. I believe that they
have been working selflessly for their country. There are bound to be
differences of opinions and ideas. It would be better if they leave the
differences aside and work for the country, or there is no hope for the
country.
________________

BBC June 4 2003 Suu Kyi 'was hurt during clash' Burma's opposition leader,
Aung San Suu Kyi, was cut on the face and shoulder during a violent clash
between her supporters and pro-government demonstrators last week.

The BBC's Burma analyst, Larry Jagan, says that the democracy leader
received cuts to the face and shoulder when the window of her car was
shattered by a brick before she was taken into "protective custody" by the
junta at the weekend.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win assured diplomats on Tuesday that
Aung San Suu Kyi had not been injured and was in good health.
Our correspondent says that she is now being held at a military camp just
outside Rangoon. It is thought that the injuries are not serious.
Diplomats and UN officials have been repeatedly denied access to her.
The military government said that four people were killed in the clashes
on Friday in the north of the country, in which Aung San Suu Kyi was
injured.
But eyewitnesses estimated that more than 60 people died in the incident
and, according to our correspondent, diplomats in the capital now fear for
the safety of these sources, as the government tries to cover up the
incident.
Our correspondent says that BBC News Online has been blocked inside Burma,
among the government's measures to stop news of the incident spreading.
The military authorities have rounded up hundreds of people in the area
and many more are in hiding.
Foreign human rights advocates have said they suspect the clash was
provoked by the authorities to justify a crackdown.
"The government needs to stop persecuting its critics and start serious
talks about making the transition to a rights-respecting member of the
international community," said Brad Adams of the New York-based Human
Rights Watch.
But in closed-door briefings to foreign diplomats on Tuesday, Khin Maung
Win blamed supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi for the violence, Reuters news
agency reported.
He added that the government remained committed to political reconciliation.
The UN envoy, Razali Ismail, who brokered talks between the military
regime and Aung San Suu Kyi more than two years ago, is due to arrive in
Rangoon in two days time to try to mediate between the two sides.
Mr Razali is thought to be keen to visit even if the military continues to
stress it cannot guarantee him access to Aung San Suu Kyi.
Diplomats in Rangoon now fear that the future of the talks process could
hinge on the visit.
___________

International Press Service June 4 2003

Generals on the Offensive, But Also at Odds over Suu Kyi
 By Larry Jagan

Burma's military rulers have gone on the offensive again, virtually
declaring war on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party.
   They have turned back the clock to the old days of confrontation by
arresting her, placing the other key leaders under house arrest,
closing most of the offices of her National League for Democracy (NLD)
and rounding up hundreds of pro-democracy activists.

BANGKOK, Jun 4 (IPS) - Burma's military rulers have gone on the offensive
again, virtually declaring war on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
her party.

They have turned back the clock to the old days of confrontation by
arresting her, placing the other key leaders under house arrest, closing
most of the offices of her National League for Democracy (NLD) and
rounding up hundreds of pro-democracy activists.

"A climate of fear has now descended on Rangoon," said a senior Asian
diplomat. "It is reminiscent of the period before the crisis of 1988 - an
economic crisis, political uncertainty and a military crackdown. An
all-pervasive atmosphere of uncertainty has now descended over the whole
country."

The authorities placed Aung San Suu Kyi in protective custody after a
violent clash last week between her party supporters and pro-government
vigilantes during her tour of the north of Burma (Myanmar).

Eyewitnesses say the opposition leader was injured during an attack on her
car. The window was broken and the shattered glass cut and grazed her face
and shoulder. Since then, she has been taken to Rangoon, where she is
being held incommunicado in a military camp some 40 kilometers outside the
capital.

But the military regime has dismissed these reports. "She is totally
unharmed and in no need of medical treatment," Burma's deputy foreign
minister Khin Maung Win told diplomats in Rangoon.

But no one is convinced by this, as diplomats and U.N. officials have
tried repeatedly to see her over the past week but without success.

The government has repeatedly claimed that only four people were killed in
the Friday clash. But reliable eyewitnesses in Burma say more than 60
people actually died. The figure could be higher than that - 70 or even 80
- according to the opposition movement across the border in Thailand.

Hundreds of people in the area where the incident took place have been
rounded up and are in detention, many others are in hiding, the
eyewitnesses say.

"We have grave concerns for the safety of all the people who witnessed the
events of Friday night and especially those already in custody, including
Aung San Suu Kyi herself," said a senior U.N. official on condition of
anonymity. "We fear their lives are at risk as the government is desperate
to cover up the incident."

But this latest crackdown by the Burmese authorities also reflects a
broader division within the ruling military over what do with Aung San Suu
Kyi.

The hardliners, like the country's top leader, Gen Than Shwe, are
convinced that there is no need to talk to the opposition leader. Other
military leaders though have begun to realise that time is finally running
out.

"Many key generals -- like the military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt -
know the current political deadlock cannot continue much longer without
dire consequences for them," said a diplomat in Rangoon.

Many of these military leaders saw the start of the dialogue process more
than two years ago as something which could guarantee the army a long-term
role in the country's political future. They know that the only way out of
this impasse is to talk to Aung San Suu Kyi.

While Gen Than Shwe has no intentions of starting concrete talks with the
opposition leader, many others are desperate for cooperation and dialogue
to start. For Gen Than Shwe, releasing Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2002 was an
end in itself, not a step toward direct negotiations with her.

It is also becoming clear that Than Shwe's assumption of total political
and military power, and the corresponding political stalemate, has created
substantial unease among other top generals. They have begun to see that
the lack of political progress may endanger their long-term survival.

In the meantime, the "pragmatists" in the military -- those who accept
that the situation in Burma cannot continue and change is essential - are
grouped around the intelligence chief Gen Khin Nyunt and the foreign
ministry.

They are telling their Asian counterparts and diplomats in Rangoon that
Burma is facing a major crisis in the coming months if there is no
political progress in the dialogue process soon.

Aung San Suu Kyi's detention and the crackdown on the opposition seems to
be an orchestrated campaign by the hardliners in the army, sources in
Rangoon say. "The army has been on alert for more than a week leading up
to the violent clash in northern Burma," said a military source in
Rangoon.

The hardliners seem to have been looking for an excuse to delay talking to
Aung San Suu Kyi and to provide concrete reasons for ignoring the
opposition.

This contrasts with recent efforts by military intelligence to restart
dialogue with the opposition leader - at least at a level within the army
lower than the top three generals. "The two sides were going to meet after
her return from Kachin state," said the NLD spokesman U Lwin.

Burma's junta is now at a crossroads. Aung San Suu Kyi's detention and the
crackdown on the National league for Democracy could spell the end of the
dialogue process.

"The international community certainly sees this as a sign that the regime
is not prepared to bite the bullet and start real political negotiations,"
a senior diplomat, who has dealt with Burma for many years, said in an
interview. "If they don't recant soon, the international community will
have no option but to adopt tough economic sanctions."

The rift between the hardliners and pragmatists is growing - and the
current situation has exposed this even further.

The U.N. envoy Razali Ismail is still going to Burma on Friday. He
believes he must go - even if he does not get access to Suu Kyi. "There
should be no reason why I shouldn't," he said on Wednesday, "even when she
was under house arrest, I was able to see her twice a trip."

Razali's trip is going to be the litmus test of the regime's commitment to
reconciliation and political dialogue. If Razali finds his task on this
trip impossible, it may not only be the United States, Europe and the west
that take action against Rangoon.

Its neighbours - especially those in the Association of South-east Asian
Nations (ASEAN) that have stuck to 'constructive engagement' with Burma
all these years - are likely to finally run out of patience with Burma's
generals as well.
___________

Financial Times June 4 2003

Rangoon rejects calls to free Suu Kyi BURMESE JUNTA:
By AMY KAZMIN

Burma's military junta yesterday rebuffed international calls for the
immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's pro-democracy leader,
though they insisted that her detention - and a crackdown on the democracy
movement - would be only "temporary".

Burma's deputy foreign minister, Khin Maung Win, also told diplomats in
Rangoon that Razali Ismail, a United Nations mediator due to arrive on
Friday, was still free to come to Burma, but the regime would "not give
any assurances" that he could see Ms Suu Kyi.

During the closed door briefing with the diplomatic corps, the deputy
foreign minister also denied dissident groups' reports that Ms Suu Kyi was
injured in the violence that preceded her detention five days ago.

However, he also refused to disclose where Ms Suu Kyi was being held - or
to allow diplomats to see her - citing "reasons of security", said a
diplomat who attended the session.

Ms Suu Kyi and 19 members of her National League for Democracy were taken
into custody as the junta moved decisively to silence the opposition,
closing all their offices around the country and holding senior party
leaders incommunicado.

The unexpected crackdown came as Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace prize winner,
neared the end of a month-long tour of northern Burma - where she had been
greeted by huge crowds of enthusiastic supporters - and just a week before
the UN envoy was to arrive for talks aimed at kick-starting a national
reconciliation process.

The detentions marked the end of a year when the NLD was allowed limited
political space to operate after Ms Suu Kyi was released in May last year
from 19 months under house arrest.

Burma's military rulers say they are holding Ms Suu Kyi for her own
protection, after fighting between NLD supporters and junta loyalists near
her motorcade in a small town near Mandalay on Friday night left four dead
and 50 injured.

But in the absence of any independent accounts of the clash, rumours are
quickly spreading, with exiled opposition groups claiming Ms Suu Kyi's
convoy was attacked causing the deaths of up to 70 people.
_________

Associated Press June 4 2003

Myanmar's Generals Revert to Tough Style
By GRANT PECK

 Myanmar's ruling generals hired a high-priced Washington public relations
firm a few years ago, but when trouble brews, they turn to the style of
crisis management they know best: rounding up the usual suspects.
Their crackdown this past weekend on the country's pro-democracy movement,
including the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other
leaders of her National League for Democracy, has once again earned them
the disapproval of much of the world.
But it also caused some surprise, because in recent years the junta has
been taking steps to gain some respect from the international community,
which has shunned it for its poor human rights record and refusal to allow
democracy.
These steps included opening a dialogue with Suu Kyi, allowing U.N.
investigators to probe human rights and labor conditions, holding
Australian-sponsored human rights classes for civil servants and hosting
researchers from Amnesty International for the first time ever.
With an economy in tatters - its currency's official exchange rate is
about 150 times what it actually trades for on the black market - Myanmar
needs all the friends it can get.
Even countries sympathetic to the junta were dumbfounded by the recent
turn of events
"Things looked good for a while," Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz
told reporters Tuesday in Thailand. "I really don't know what happened
there, but now maybe it is moving some steps backward."
Malaysia has been a leading proponent of the concept of "constructive
engagement," using the lure of rewards, rather then the threat of
punishment, to encourage political reform in Myanmar.
World leaders, including President Bush, have urged Myanmar to release Suu
Kyi. The generals, however, have only said that the Nobel Peace Prize
winner is unhurt, not when she will be released.
The junta values stability above all else. There is some historical basis
for this position - the country has been riven by political and ethnic
conflict since independence in 1948.
But the current regime came to power after violently suppressing
spontaneous, pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988. Hundreds of unarmed
civilians were killed when soldiers turned their guns on their own
countrymen.
Since then, a pattern has emerged. Every initiative holding out the hope
of political reform peters out or is quashed, as often as not with arrests
of members of Suu Kyi's party.
Suu Kyi's release in 1995 from her original six years of house arrest was
the best example of a false dawn for Myanmar's people, but there are other
cases.
The establishment of a constitutional convention in 1993, Myanmar's
admission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, the
U.N.-brokered initiation of a closed-door dialogue between the junta and
Suu Kyi in 2000, and just over a year ago, Suu Kyi's release from another
19 months of detention - all were opportunities for change squandered.
Whether the current crackdown reflects strength or weakness on the part of
the junta is a matter for debate.
Some observers believe Suu Kyi has the military running scared.
Her political meetings of the past few months have attracted large crowds,
showing how popular she is and that her party organization is at least as
adept as the military in uniting the country.
"Because the economy in Myanmar is pretty bad, if they allow Suu Kyi to
continue, it could lead to an uprising, so the junta decided to stop her,"
said Somchai Homla-or, an executive of the Bangkok-based human rights
group Forum-Asia.
One Western diplomat in Yangon, speaking on condition of anonymity,
suggested the action have been meant to scuttle the political
reconciliation efforts of U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail, due to visit
Myanmar on Friday.
Josef Silverstein, a longtime scholar of Myanmar based in New Jersey, said
the intensity of the crackdown, along with publicity trying to discredit
Suu Kyi's party, shows "the government has made a decision that this is
the time to squelch Suu Kyi and the NLD."
"Than Shwe has seemingly made up his mind that this is the time to get rid
of them," said Silverstein, referring to the senior general heading the
junta.
Other analysts say the action against Suu Kyi may reflect divisions within
the military.
Chaiyachoke Chulasiriwong, a politics professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn
University, said he believes Maung Aye, the second-ranking member of the
junta, is responsible for the crackdown.
Maung Aye's hardline tendencies, he said, are countered by the relative
liberalism of a faction associated with Gen. Khin Nyunt, the junta's third
ranking leader. That group is inclined to "allow Suu Kyi some room to
breathe," he said.
He warned, though, that whatever disunity there may be within the junta,
no faction will ever hand over power to Suu Kyi.
MONEY

Xinhua News Agency June 4 2003

Indian firm to hold industrial exhibition in Myanmar

A leading business group of India, the Confederation of Indian Industry,
is planning to hold an industrial exhibition in Yangon by early 2004, the
local Myanmar Times reported in its latest issue.

Quoting an official of the group, the report said, the exhibition will
feature agricultural and industrial machinery, textile and information
technology (IT) products.

The Indian business group will also take the opportunities to build
partnership with Myanmar on IT development, the report added.

During the past five years, economic and technological cooperative ties
between Myanmar and India have grown with two contracts signed between the
two countries on extending credit lines of a total of 25 million US
dollars to Myanmar for setting up industrial plants and supplying railway
rolling stocks to Myanmar, and importing industrial and electrical
equipment from India.

In February 2001, India built a Myanmar-India Friendship Center for Remote
Sensing and Data Processing in Myanmar, the first center of its kind in
the country, to help develop its processing and dissemination of data from
satellite.

According to Myanmar official statistics, Myanmar-India bilateral trade
amounted to 440.13 million dollars in 2002 with India standing as
Myanmar's fourth largest trading partner after Thailand, China and
Singapore.

REGIONAL

Bangkok Post June 4 2003

GOVT URGED TO REVIEW TIES WITH BURMA
By Apiradee Treerutkuarkul

The Senate foreign affairs panel has called on the government to review
its relationship with Burma's ruling military junta.

Panel chairman Kraisak Choonhavan made the call yesterday in the wake of
the junta's detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and 19 members of her National
League for Democracy party. The government should adopt a standpoint and
review its relationship with Burma where human rights are still being
violated,'' the senator said.

He called on the government to keep a distance from the Rangoon junta and
stop giving Burma an opportunity to take part in any international forum.

Also, the government should take a key role in raising the troubled
situation in Burma for discussion at an Asean forum.

Mrs Suu Kyi is no longer an internal matter of the Burmese government. The
prime minister should not say the government would maintain its long-held
stance of not interfering in internal affairs of neighbouring states,''
said Mr Kraisak.

He also demanded the junta release Mrs Suu Kyi and her party members
unconditionally.

The senator called on the United Nations to review its study on the peace
process in Burma, adding he did not believe a report by UN special envoy
Razali Ismail that Burma's human rights situation had improved.

The government should not maintain business dealings with the Burmese
junta and should not continue paying 36 billion baht a year to buy gas
from Burma while the political conflict in that country remained
unresolved, Mr Kraisak said.

His panel would hand an official letter expressing its concern over the
Burmese situation to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as soon as it
completed its study on human rights violations in Burma, he said.
____________

Reuters Alertnet June 4 2003

Myanmar exiles rally for Suu Kyi in Thailand

BANGKOK, June 4 (Reuters) - About 30 protesters rallied in front of the
Myanmar embassy in Thai capital on Wednesday calling for the immediate
release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the ruling military.
Suu Kyi has been held by Myanmar authorities at undisclosed locations
since her detention on Friday, following what the junta described as
clashes between her supporters and pro-government groups in the north of
the country.
After 10 minutes of chanting outside the embassy, Thai police moved in,
ordering protesters to leave or face possible arrest. Thailand is host to
hundreds of Myanmar dissidents who fled a brutal crackdown on a 1988
pro-democracy uprising.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won 1990 elections in
Myanmar by a landslide, but has never been allowed to govern.
The Nobel peace laureate has spent much of the last 14 years under house
arrest. She ended her last stint in detention a year ago and has since
angered the military by drawing large crowds during a series of visits to
supporters around the country.

___________

Voice of America June 4 2003
Asian Leaders Reconsider Burma Policy Following Arrest of Pro-Democracy
Leader
By Scott Bobb

 International concern is mounting over Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and dozens of senior opposition party leaders who were
detained five days ago in a government crackdown. Some Asian leaders are
calling for governments to review their policy of engaging Burma in order
to encourage political reform.
The Chairman of Thailand's Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Kraisak
Choonavan says the crackdown in Burma shows that Asia's policies toward
the Burmese military government have not worked. Senator Kraisak says
Asian governments should review their relations with Burma and ASEAN, the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, should reconsider its decision to
admit Burma six years ago.
"How can ASEAN even exist, in fact, when the year 2006 comes around and
it's Burma's turn to become chairman of ASEAN?" he asked.
Concern is growing about the condition of pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi and senior leaders of her opposition National League for Democracy
party. They were detained Friday after a clash in northern Burma.
The military government says four people were killed and more than 50
wounded. However, human rights groups and exiled dissidents quote
eyewitnesses as saying government sympathizers instigated the clash and
the casualty figures are much higher.
A senior Burmese official has told diplomats in Rangoon that Aung San Suu
Kyi was not harmed, in response to reports that she was wounded in the
incident.
United Nations special envoy, Razali Ismail, is due to travel to Rangoon
Friday to try to revive stalled talks between the government and the NLD
on a possible political transition to democracy. He has indicated he wants
to proceed with the visit but wants assurances he will be allowed to see
Aung San Suu Kyi.
The United Nations has expressed concern over the crackdown and Western
governments have sharply criticized the move.
In Asia, however, criticism has come mainly from Japan and Thailand. The
secretary-general of ASEAN says his organization will ask Burma about the
situation.
A spokesman for the Forum-Asia human rights group, Sunai Phasuk, says
ASEAN needs to reform its policies.
"Until today ASEAN has taken a no-action policy on Burma, saying that
what's happening in Burma is only domestic affairs, which is wrong," he
noted. " Political turbulence in Burma can cause turbulence in the region,
especially in Thailand, which of course involves border unrest and the
influx of refugees."
Observers note that Asian governments have fostered friendly relations
with Burma in order to promote trade ties. But they also note that any
change in Asian policy toward Burma will need support from China.
China is keen to open up a trade route from its southwestern Yunnan
Province to the Indian Ocean. It backs the Burmese government and is
involved in major road and river development projects.
ASEAN governments, which are already concerned about the flight of foreign
investors from their countries to China, are reluctant to downgrade their
ties with Burma. They say the military government in Rangoon has shown it
is willing to weather international condemnation in order to control
domestic political activities that it considers to be a threat to
stability.
__________

Japan Times June 4 2003

Suu Kyi dialogue urged by Japan

The Myanmar junta should hold a dialogue with democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, whom it detained last week, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda
said Tuesday.
"The situation does not look good. We hope to call on the government to
hold talks," Fukuda said.
Myanmar's military government said Saturday that Suu Kyi and members of
the National League for Democracy have been placed in "protective
custody."
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Japan's measures to help Myanmar's
"democratization" and to promote a market economy will remain unchanged
for now.
"More political prisoners are being released, and progress is being seen
in democratization," Kawaguchi told a news conference. "At this moment in
time, we are not thinking of changing Japan's policies."
________________

Agence France Presse June 4 2003

Opposition leader slams Aung San Suu Kyi arrest, government silence

A Singapore opposition leader on Wednesday protested the detention of Aung
San Suu Kyi in Myanmar and criticised the Singapore government's silence
on the matter.

Chee Soon Juan released a statement that his Singapore Democratic Party
"registers its protest against the arrest and continuing detention" of the
Nobel laureate who leads opposition to the ruling junta in Myanmar.

He also urged the Singapore government to "unequivocally denounce" the
arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi at the weekend during a tour of a northern
region.

The government's "silence on the matter is not only deafening but also
unhealthy for the future of ASEAN," he said, referring to the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations.

"The continued violence and repression against democracy forces in Burma
(Myanmar) can only lead to greater instability and turmoil not only for
Burma but also for her neighbours," Chee said, using the country's former
name outlawed by the junta.

ASEAN has a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of its
members, a stance which has come under fire from analysts and western
nations as a "see no evil, hear no evil" approach.

Both Singapore and Myanmar are members of ASEAN, which also groups Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and
Vietnam.

Sources in Myanmar told AFP Wednesday that Aung San Suu Kyi was injured in
the head and shoulder by a military-backed mob in clashes last week that
are believed to have left dozens dead.

ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong said in Malaysia on Tuesday the
regional grouping had no right to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs.

"We should let the Myanmar authorities come and use ASEAN channels to tell
us what is happening. Bear in mind Myanmar is one of our members. You
cannot go in and tell your family member you cannot do this, you cannot do
that," he said.


INTERNATIONAL

BBC June 4 2003

UN seeks access to Suu Kyi

Razali Ismail told the BBC he had always been given access to Aung San Suu
Kyi when she was under house arrest, and saw no reason why this should
have changed.
The envoy helped broker peace talks between the two sides more than two
years ago.
The military junta took the opposition leader into "protective custody"
last week following clashes between her followers and government
supporters.
Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest last May and has attracted
large crowds during visits to her supporters around the country.
Her location is unknown, and the military says it cannot guarantee Mr
Razali access to her during his four-day visit, due to start on Friday.
Other diplomats and UN officials have been repeatedly denied access to her.
Eyewitnesses say Aung San Suu Kyi received cuts to her face and shoulder
during the clashes on Friday in the north of the country, but her injuries
are not thought to be serious.
The military government said four people were killed in last week's
clashes, but eyewitnesses estimated that more than 60 people died in the
incident.
The BBC's Burma analyst, Larry Jagan, says diplomats in the capital now
fear for the safety of these sources, as the government tries to cover up
the incident.
Asian nations criticised
The military regime has put other opposition leaders under house arrest
and shut National League for Democracy offices around the country.
The NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide but the junta refused to give up
power.
Mr Razali told the BBC that Burma's neighbours, especially its fellow
countries in the South-East Asian grouping, Asean, needed to take a
tougher stand.
"This is something that I have noticed for some time - the inabilities of
the region to be able to deal with issues that are important to the region
and this is one of them," he said.
He said Asean nations - which include Japan, Malaysia and Singapore - must
try to influence Burma to introduce real political and economic change.
Access to BBC News Online was blocked inside Burma on Wednesday.
__________________

Reuters June 4 2003

U.S. Lawmakers Urge Ban on Imports from Myanmar
By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday called for a ban on all
imports from Myanmar as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained in
custody following a recent clash between supporters and a pro-government
group.
"The tough sanctions legislation I am introducing ... sends a clear signal
that Burma's human rights violators will be punished severely," said Rep.
Tom Lantos, a California Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Human
Rights Caucus. "The brutal treatment and arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi cannot
stand."
Lantos was joined by chairman of the House International Relations
Committee Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, and more than 20 other
lawmakers. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, and Sen. Diane
Feinstein, a California Democrat, plan a similar bill in the Senate.
The military said Suu Kyi was taken into "protective custody" on Friday
after four people died in clashes between supporters and pro-government
groups in northern Myanmar.
President Bush has urged Myanmar's military to release Suu Kyi, a Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, and condemned the southeast Asian country's
crackdown on dissent.
U.S. imports from Myanmar totaled about $356 million in 2002, compared to
U.S. exports to the country of $10 million.
More than 85 percent of Myanmar's exports to the United States are
textiles, clothing and footwear.
The Lantos bill would ban imports of anything mined, made, grown or
assembled in the country, freeze any assets of Myanmar held in the U.S.
and bar former and present leaders from traveling to the United States.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a landslide election in 1990
but has never been allowed to govern. She has spent much of the last 14
years under house arrest.
Hopes for moves toward democracy in Myanmar were raised last year when the
military released Suu Kyi from detention. But by April the State
Department was saying "efforts to foster peaceful democratic change in
Burma essentially ground to a halt over the past six months."
That report also blasted Myanmar for severe human rights abuses and
failure to curb its huge illegal drug industry.
Military leaders renamed the southeast Asian country Myanmar in 1989, but
the United States still calls it Burma.
__________

Chosun Ilbo June 4 2003

Locals Show Support for Burmese Democracy Figure
by Jung Kwon-hyun (peace at chosun.com)

The arrest in Myanmar of Aung San Suu Kyi, the head of the country's
National League of Democracy, brought a local response, as members of the
league's local branch and civic groups supporting it condemned the arrest.
At a press conference Wednesday, the groups spoke about the incident in
which Aung and several other members of the league were arrested last
Friday. The local groups called on the Korean government to express its
concern for the democratic movement in Myanmar and reconsider its
relations with the country's military government.
The press conference followed a related incident Tuesday in which 20
Burmese who had been protesting in front of the Myanmar Embassy for Aung's
release were taken into custody by police for questioning and then
released.


STATEMENTS/EDITORIALS

New Light of Myanmar June 3 2003
Do not nip fruits of democracy in the bud
 By Tekkatho Myatthu

Over 50 million people throughout the Union of Myanmar wish to live in a
peaceful society with the promise of economic development and high living
standard. Myanmar was under servitude of the colonialists for 123 years
and during this period, she lost her wealth and natural resources. She had
been exploited and had to suffer much. Therefore, Myanmar national
patriots, sacrificing their lives and limbs, fought for regaining
independence. The territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence,
land and water resources must be always kept in the hands of Myanmars.
This is called the fruits of independence, in other words, it is the
fruits of democracy.
With the aim of enjoying the fruits of independence and land and water
resources that are in abundance in the country, Myanmars, at the risk of
their life, fought against the colonialists to regain independence. But,
due to driving a wedge among national brethren by the colonialists and
differences in imported ideology, there broke out multi-coloured
insurgencies.
Nowadays, national unity has been rebuilt in the Union of Myanmar. As 17
armed groups have returned to the legal fold, peace now prevailing across
the country. It is only more than a dozen years that peace and security
(internal peace as the politicians say) the people have desired for many
years, has been restored. It can be said the reconciliation has been
brought about between armed groups and national races and between the
groups and the Government dispelling suspicions of the past.
People cannot bear losing the fruitful results of all-round development
and peace in the country which they are now enjoying. The four-point
People's Desire featured in the media reflects the wish of the people and
their vow to crush all internal and external destructive elements as the
common enemy. The mass rallies held in 1998 throughout the country passed
resolutions to keep existing peace, prosperity and economic development
intact.
Therefore, every person residing in Myanmar has to pay attention to the
four-point People's Desire and the six resolutions of Bagan Mass Meeting.
It is sure that those who oppose the People's Desire will become the
common enemy of the people. Everybody who has sympathy for the people who
had to experience hardships for 123 years under the servitude of the
colonialists and 40 years of multi-coloured insurgents should not commit
destructive acts. They should not even think of committing such acts. Let
alone committing destructive acts physically, by words and mentally, one
should not think of doing so.
The voices that want to disturb peace and development of Myanmar can be
heard from the western media. Recently, such voices can be heard from home
and abroad. It was news about the confrontation between NLD members led by
Daw Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo and local people as they committed undesirable
acts during their tour. All may have read the news in the dailies
published on 31 May and 1 June 2003. The news was also broadcast on TV. I
am not the kind of person to prevent others to do politics just because I
keep away from politics. Everybody has the right to walk his or her own
way. No objection. It is all right if they cannot take part in the
endeavours for perpetuation of independence and the Union and
nation-building tasks, but they should not disturb. I do not want to
criticise the existing political parties. But I feel dissatisfied with the
conflict that occurred near Dapayin on 30 May 2003 for it was harmful to
the peaceful life of the people.
As said in the news, NLD members led by Daw Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo made a
tour of townships in some states and divisions to put up party signboards.
Starting from May 2002, the Government has allowed them to make tours
enabling them to put up signboards and meet party members. They toured 95
townships-16 townships in Mon State (Thamanya) and Magway Division, 14
townships in Mon and Kayin States, 14 townships in Bago Division, 17
townships in Shan State, 15 townships in Rakhine State and Magway and
Ayeyawady Divisions and 21 townships in Magway Division and Chin State.
Starting from 6 May, they made a tour of Mandalay and Sagaing Divisions
and Kachin and Shan States. The Government made arrangements to enable
them to visit the State projects during their tour and they were treated
as VIPs. The tour that started from 6 May, included Mogok, Mandalay,
Sagaing and Monywa. The trouble broke out at that time.
Nowadays, there are altogether ten parties existing with the permission of
Multi-Party Democracy Election Commission within the frame of law. We can
see the other parties are conducting their work in accord with the rules
and regulations and democratic practices. I feel sorry there broke out the
conflicts although leaders of NLD were present.
To the best of my knowledge, appropriate measures had to be taken for
security of Daw Suu Kyi, stability of the State, practising of democracy
correctly, and carrying out of organizational work properly. If they went
straight to party branch offices, met township party members at different
levels and put up party signboards there would be no problem. If someone
disturbed them although they conducted their work properly, action would
be taken against the offender. In putting up the party signboards, it is
required to consult the Township Multi-Party Election Commission. The
commission would make arrangements to ensure that the building at which
the signboard would be put up was not a religious building nor a
government-owned one nor the one under litigation.
The problem started on 8 May when they left Mandalay for Sagaing. On
arriving at the Sagaing Bridge, the NLD members flanked their convoy with
about 20 motorcycles each flying NLD flags, switching on the headlights
although it was daytime, and blowing horns all along the way. They
violated traffic rules by wearing no helmets as they were riding
motorcycles all along the way. The NLD started violating traffic rules
during the journey although they reached the agreement-not to cause
traffic congestion, not to disturb the people, not to take the course of
confrontation and not to make scenes by making political speeches outside
the NLD offices-with the government. But they violated all terms of the
agreement.
When they left Momeik for Mogok, about 40 motorcyclists were riding in
pairs in front of the convoy causing traffic jams all along the way.
During the journey from Mogok to Mandalay, the NLDs also rode their
motorcycles recklessly. Because of violating traffic rules, a motorcycle
hit and ran over Ma Myat Thin Thu aged 21 of Patheinlay Village,
Patheingyi Township, causing injuries to her.
The VOA always made announcements on the trip of Daw Suu Kyi. The
broadcasting station announced the number of supporters who were welcoming
the NLD with pleasure. If the respective regional authorities warned the
NLDs for ensuring systematic trip, the VOA accused the government of
disturbing the trip of NLDs. Naturally, there were those who supported the
NLDs and there were those who opposed them among the people. If Daw Suu
Kyi had gone to the township NLD's office directly, composedly, there
would not have been any problem. Now the NLDs behaved like those who were
enjoying Thingyan (Water Festival) and those who were at Taungpyon
Festival.
The VOA, BBC and the spokemen of NLD Headquarters always accused those who
opposed the NLDs of being the government supporters and members of the
Union Solidarity and Development Association. Under the practice of
democracy, those who accept the NLDs have the right to do so and those who
can't accept the NLD have the right not to do so. During the trip, the NLD
youths hurled abusive words and threw stones at the local people who
staged peaceful demonstration at the roadside. The demonstrators were
injured. The NLDs started the journey from Yangon with only three vehicles
and 18 persons. When they arrived Monywa, their manpower had risen to over
300 riding 16 cars and 150 motorbikes. When they entered Monywa, peace and
tranquillity in the town was destroyed, causing disorder and public
apprehension. The NLD youths attacked Photographer Maung Myo Myint who was
documenting the incident. He suffered head injuries and was admitted to
the hospital. His video camera was also seized and destroyed. At 7.30 pm
on 30 May, the NLDs left Monywa for Budalin. A large group of people
numbering about 5,000 were waiting for Daw Suu Kyi to stage a protest
against her at a place two miles away from the entrance to Budalin. As the
convoy of NLDs drove out of the mob, clashes broke out between the two
opposing groups. Disorder and brawl occurred from about 8 pm to 11 pm.
Four people died in the car crash and the clashes left 50 people wounded.
The injured were admitted to the hospitals. The security personnel and
responsible officials of Sagaing Division rushed to the scene and tried to
keep the situation under control. The situation was put under total
control at about midnight.
A political party needs to understand those who opposed it according to
the practice of democracy. It is a law of nature that there were those who
opposed it. There were many events in the world that people dare to
express their desires although there was the danger of the use of force.
They need to review and amend their weak points that there were people who
opposed them. If they did not do so, they will be very far away from the
people. They need to review that they cannot control party members
numbering only 300.
The place where the incident occurred was outside the town. The time was
midnight and there was no electricity. There were a number of people who
opposed Daw Suu Kyi. In this situation, it was a great mistake to create
the problem by driving the cars out of the mob. Thus, the security
personnel had to give proper care and protection to Daw Suu Kyi and U Tin
Oo and NLD members from Yangon.
I wrote an article titled "Democracy also has rules and regulations" the
other day. There are rules, regulations, ethics, practices and laws in the
community of different countries. A democratic country does not accept the
lawless acts. As far as I know, the Western powers protect their own
countries from disintegration with the use of nuclear weapons but they are
eager to break up the other countries. They are sensitive to breaching
their laws but they instigate law breakers to breach the laws of other
countries.
I am not an adherent to a particular party and I have no dogmatism. I pay
serious attention to development of my own nation and own races. I review
the present conflict with this concept. Whether it is in the interest of
the democracy or the independence, everybody who does an act that creates
the ill effects on the State and the people practically will be the common
enemy. I have read the news that some NLD members destroyed the signboards
bearing People's Desire in Monywa. The People's Desire is something to do
with peace and tranquillity that was a stranger to the people for over 160
years. It was about a dozen years that peace and development could be
rebuilt in accord with the desire. The destroying of the signboards in
Monywa was a declaration of war on the mass of people. This is the breach
of rules as well as ethics. Here, I would like to put a question "Is it
right or wrong to have the desire to live in peace, and to enable the
nation to possess land and water resources in abundance?. There's no need
to think about it twice. They should realize that if they have pessimistic
view on the people's desire, they will suffer the adverse effects.
I would like to reiterate that democracy also has discipline. There can be
no democracy without discipline. There will be only anarchy. Democracy is
not a licence for disturbances. Everyone who really loves democracy
realizes that democracy is independence, peace and development. Therefore,
I would like to urge the NLD not to destroy sprouts of democracy being
nurtured in Myanmar.

___________

Boston Globe June 4 2003

Atrocity in Burma

THE VILE military junta that rules Burma against the expressed will of its
citizens staged a violent assault Friday against Nobel Peace Prize
laureate and democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her
National League for Democracy who were traveling with her in northern
Burma. The junta says four people were killed and 50 wounded. Unverified
accounts from eyewitnesses tell of the regime's paramilitary thugs
murdering scores and injuring hundreds. The junta's pretense that it has
taken Suu Kyi into ''protective custody,'' concealing her from her people
and from foreign diplomats, seems to confirm her followers' fear that Suu
Kyi, a Buddhist advocate of nonviolence, was badly hurt in the attack.
It would be hard to imagine a regime more deserving of condemnation than
the Burmese junta. Its obscene violations of human rights, its complicity
in narcotics trafficking, and its refusal to honor the overwhelming 1990
electoral victory of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy ought to make
the junta an international pariah. To their credit, President Bush, the
State Department, and leading members of Congress have denounced the
junta's latest display of despotism.
''The military authorities should release Aung San Suu Kyi and her
supporters immediately and permit her party headquarters to reopen,'' said
a statement from Bush released by the White House Monday. ''We have urged
Burmese officials to release all political prisoners and to offer their
people a better way of life, a life offering freedom and economic
progress.''
This was the right thing to say. Bush should now back up these strong
words with actions.
Another Nobel Peace Prize laureate, South Africa's Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, proposed appropriate actions in his own ringing denunciation of Suu
Kyi's tormentors. ''We urge freedom-loving governments everywhere to
impose sanctions on this illegitimate regime,'' Tutu said. ''They worked
for us in South Africa. If applied conscientiously, they will work in
Burma too. Freeze the assets of the regime and impose stringent travel
restrictions on them and their supporters. We need a regime change
there.''
As it happens, Democratic Representative Tom Lantos of California will
introduce a bill to impose sanctions this week in the House, and
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will introduce a similar
bill in the Senate. Bush could and should issue an executive order that
would swiftly accomplish the same thing. This is not a partisan matter.
The great lesson that ought to have been learned in the last century is
that free democrats betray their unfree brothers and sisters when they
seek to appease dictatorships.
___________

National Justice Party, Malaysian Peoples Party
Media statement
June 3 2003

The world must strive to free Aung San Suu Kyi and improve conditions in
Burma

The National Justice Party (keADILan) and the Malaysian Peoples Party (PRM)
are very worried  and  concerned  about  recent  developments  in  Burma.
Actions  taken  by  the military  junta  to  detain  Aung  San  Suu  Kyi
and  leaders  of t he  National  League for Democracy (NLD), and to close
down NLD offices all over the country are retrogressive steps that undermine
efforts towards restoration of democracy in that country.

The action against her and the NLD, taken after clashes between supporters
of NLD and USDA ( a government sponsored organization )  that caused four
deaths, is most unjust. The military regime appears to have
opportunistically taken advantage of this incident in order to suppress and
cripple the NLD.

The clashes should have been investigated and all those responsile for them
should have been arrested and tried. Suu Kyi should not have been detained
because she is the actual victim. It was reported that the vehicle that
carried her was shot at.

The excuse given for her detention was to protect her, and this is most
unreasonable in view of the fact that at the same time all officers of NLD
have been locked up by the military regime. Besides, colleges and
universities have also been closed.

keADILan and  PRM urge  the  world  community to be more active to  ensure
Suu  Kyi safety and secure freedom for her and the other NLD leaders,
besides  helping  to restore activities of the party.

Malaysia,  in particular,  should  take  advantage  of the good relationship
between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the military junta leaders to
improve conditions and to encourage dialogue between the NLD and the
government.

We  hope that  the  UN  special  envoy  to Burma,  Tan  Sri  Razali  Ismail
will  be able to achieve  a more  meaningful  outcome from his  efforts. We
hope that he  will  not  be diverted from the efforts to restore democracy
in Burma by other interests.

Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail                        Dr Syed Husin Ali
President                                                    President
National Justice Party                               Malaysian People's Party
___________

Washington Daybook June 4 2003

Free Burma Coalition, the National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma and the Committee for the Restoration of Democracy in Burma hold a
rally to call for a swift and strong U.S. response to the crackdown on
democracy in Burma.

AGENDA: Location changed to the Embassy of Burma from 17th Street NW,
between Pennsylvania Avenue and F Streets

TIME: 12:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Burmese Embassy, 2300 S Street NW, Washington, D.C.

CONTACT: Dan Beeton, 202-547-5985; http://www.freeburma.org