BurmaNet News: June 20 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

June 20 2003 Issue #2265

INSIDE BURMA

CNN: Suu Kyi held in notorious jail
BBC: Inside Burma’s Insein jail
FT: Burma tries to deflect criticism on detention of Suu Kyi
DVB: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 58th birthday celebrated around the world

MONEY

Xinhua: Myanmar to take part in Thai travel mart

REGIONAL

SCMP: China, India hold key to Myanmar rivalry
AP: Philippine minister says ASEAN can push Myanmar forward on political
reforms
AFP: ASEAN to step up pressure on Myanmar; mission being prepared to Yangon
Xinhua: Myanmar, Japanese NGO to cooperate in health activities
Chinland Guardian: Launching new wave of eviction against Burmese people
in Mizoram State
Economist: A slap on the wrist
Narinjara: Leading human right forum calls for stopping the repatriation
of the Rohingyas from Bangladesh

INTERNATIONAL

AFP: Britain’s claims on Suu Kyi’s dire conditions in Myanmar spark outrage
DPA: Nine protesters arrested outside Burmese embassy
AFP: Canada may ban Myanmar’s military leaders from its territory

STATEMENTS/EDITORIALS/MISCELLANEOUS

MOFA, Japan: Tetsuro Yano, Senior Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Japan, to
visit Myanmar (unofficial trans.)
Canberra Times: Pressure mounts on Burmese junta
ALTSEAN: [excerpt from Aung San Suu Kyi’s foreword to ‘Burma-Women’s
Voices Together’]
US State Department: Press statement: Burma birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi
ALTSEAN: Postcards & photos of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on tour available

CNN June 20 2003

Suu Kyi held in notorious jail
From CNN Bangkok Bureau Chief Tom Mintier

Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being held in one of the
country's most notorious prisons, CNN has confirmed through the U.S.
Embassy in the country.

Sources have told the embassy that the Nobel Prize-winning opposition
leader is being held at the Insein prison, known for its deplorable
conditions, near the capital Yangon (formerly Rangoon).

She is being held in a specially constructed hut in the prison grounds,
rather than in the main cells where former inmates have described poor
conditions, mistreatment, and the torture of political prisoners.

Little has been known about Aung San Suu Kyi's whereabouts since she was
detained on May 30 after supporters of her party, the National League for
Democracy, clashed with a pro-government group in the north of the
country.

On Thursday the British Foreign Office said it had been informed that Aung
San Suu Kyi was being held at Insein, apparently still wearing the clothes
she wore when she was taken into custody.

Officials said she was being detained under the "most draconian" of the
country's military laws.

There has been no confirmation or denial of Aung San Suu Kyi's whereabouts
by Myanmar government officials.

The government has allowed representatives of the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit other NLD detainees but not Aung San Suu
Kyi herself.
_________

BBC June 20 2003

Inside Burma’s Insein jail

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is believed to be detained in
the country's notorious Insein jail.
Former prisoners at the jail have told the BBC's East Asia Today programme
what conditions are like:
The UK foreign office has said that Aung San Suu Kyi is being held in a
two-room hut in the prison, following her detention on 30 May.
The block is believed to have been especially constructed for the
opposition leader.
Bo Kyi, a former political detainee at Insein, said that he watched the
block being built, and that it had a bedroom, a visiting room and a
toilet.
Diplomats in Rangoon say that although the conditions in which Aung San
Suu Kyi is being held are probably not as bad as in the rest of the
prison, they are still extremely worried about her.
Ko Aung, who was held at the British-built jail as a political prisoner
for more than six years, said Insein was known as the "darkest hell-hole
in Burma".
"When I was taken there, I had a hood over my head and tape on my eyes. I
heard the guards shouting abuse at me and the sound of the prisoners in
shackles.
"When I realised that I was at Insein, I cried underneath my hood, because
it had such a horrendous reputation," he said.
The guards took Mr Aung to his cell - a concrete cubicle - about six feet
by eight feet (2 metres by 2.5) where they removed his hood for the first
time.
"I was immediately struck by the horrible stench. There was no toilet,
just a slop bucket filled with human waste and crawling with maggots," he
said.
"It was totally disgusting, the food was disgusting. Most of the prisoners
have dysentery because of the conditions they are kept in. Many of them
also have HIV."
Mr Aung was held in solitary confinement for three years because he
complained about the conditions.
Torture
During this time he was only allowed out of his cell for 10 minutes a day.
He was also tortured and beaten by the guards.
"They beat me in the frog position, spread-eagled on the floor," he said.
The UK Foreign Minister Mike O'Brien has said that he understood Aung San
Suu Kyi was still in the same clothes she was wearing when she was
arrested.
Mr Ko Aung said that a lack of clean clothes was part of the harsh
treatment he endured.
"When I was in solitary confinement, I was not allowed to have a shower or
wash. They refused to allow me to change my clothes, even though it was so
hot. My whole body was covered in skin diseases," he said.
Intimidation tactic
Debbie Stothard, from the pressure group Altsean-Burma said that holding
Ms Suu Kyi at Insein was a deliberate move to frighten Burmese activists.
"To put her in jail, even though it is not a conventional jail cell, would
be designed to increase the anxiety and panic among the pro-democracy
movement and also in the international community," she told the Agence
France Presse news agency.
Ms Stothard also said that the decision to imprison her was part of an
orchestrated move to deflect international attention from democratic
reform in Burma, forcing them instead to focus on freeing Aung San Suu
Kyi.
The Burmese Government has refused to set a date for her release.
_________

Financial Times June 20 2003

Burma tries to deflect criticism on detention of Suu Kyi
By AMY KAZMIN

Burma's military rulers, under fire for a renewed crackdown on the
democracy movement, sought to counter Washington's description of their
regime as "brutal thugs" by making an unlikely assertion of their softer,
human face.

After days of harsh criticism for detaining democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi - even from loyal south-east Asian friends - Burma's foreign minister
said the authorities feared a repeat of the unrest of 1988, when millions
of people joined protests against military rule. Soldiers were eventually
ordered to fire into the crowds, causing heavy loss of life.

"We are like patients coming out of (an) intensive care unit," Win Aung,
the minister, said during an unexpected press conference in a hotel in
Phnom Penh, where he was attending a regional security meeting. "Once you
have been there, you don't want to go back."

With camera lights shining on him, the minister insisted that military
custody of Ms Suu Kyi - a Nobel peace prize winner who had her 58th
birthday yesterday - would be temporary. "I would like to assure you, we
don't have any animosity towards Aung San Suu Kyi," he said. "We don't
have any intention to harm her, or to prolong our security arrangements.

"We are not brutal people," he said. "We have loving kindness to everybody
- everybody means even creatures, animals, we have equal loving kindness
to them. ... You can see whether we are the people of principles, or the
people with heart. We are not a heartless people".

Mr Win Aung said he felt like "the board where all the darts are coming"
as Asian leaders repeatedly criticised his government's recent actions.
But he said he "listened to them very, very carefully", and would relay
their concerns to Rangoon, where the generals make the real decisions.

Burma's attempted charm offensive comes amid hardening international
sentiment against it.

The US has threatened tough new sanctions, including an import ban, and US
Senator Mitch McConnell has demanded Burma's ambassador to Washington be
sent home.

Even Japan, Burma's largest aid donor, has warned it could cut off
millions of dollars of assistance if the generals did not make progress
towards democratisation.

The minister insisted he too was "pro-democracy" and wanted to see a
constitutional, civilian government established one day.

But he said that as long as it remained in control of the country, the
military junta would work to bring "peace and stability".

"We are working for the sake of the people, not for the sake of power," he
said. "Power is nothing to enjoy. . . .

"You can ask me whether I am enjoying my life as a minister. Let me
frankly answer this question. I never enjoy this."
_____________

Democratic Voice of Burma June 19 2003

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s 58th Birthday celebrated around the world

Burmese activists throughout the world have been celebrating the 58th
birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today as a form of international activity
by staging protests for the releases of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners.

First, DVB’s Aung Lwin Oo reports from Bangkok:

Aung Lwin Oo : While Burmese activists throughout the world today are
celebrating the birthday of Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
activists in Bangkok have staged protests in front of the Burmese, Chinese
and Indian embassies. The protests were staged by not only Burmese
activists but also those who have been helping Burmese democracy
activities. More than 200 protesters started the protest in front of the
Burmese embassy at 9am and during the protest, the protesters lit candles
and prayed for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her birthday. They shouted slogans
demanding the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and national reconciliation
and denouncing the military government.

Similarly, the 58 hour hunger strike which started on Tuesday was
continued in front of the UN building.

Meanwhile, 30 supporters for Burmese democracy staged protests in front of
the Chinese and Indian embassies.

An Indian official received the protesters and accepted the open letter of
the protesters to the Indian government.

At Chiangmai, in northern Thailand, a prayer meeting will hold in honour
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday. DVB’s Naw Nandar Chan
reports:

Naw Nanda Chan : A celebrant who attended the ceremony told the DVB as
follows: ‘we organised it with the purposes of making the Thai people
aware of Burmese affairs and for their support for democracy of Burma and
freedom of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.’ The celebrants will light candles and
pray for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and remain silence for 20
minutes. They will also shout slogans and sing a freedom song for Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.

Moreover, at Htam Hin refugee camp, near the Thai-Burma border, the
refugees celebrated the 58th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. At a
location on the Sino-Burmese border a Buddhist memorial service was held
for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Similar ceremonies, protests and celebrations were held in India,
Bangladesh, South Korea, Malaysia, Jamaica, Japan, Australia, France, UK &
USA.

MONEY

Xinhua News Agency June 20 2003

Myanmar to take part in Thai travel mart

Myanmar is planning to take part in Thailand Travel Mart-2003 scheduled
for Sept. 16-18 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center,
according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism Friday.

The Thai travel mart will be held in conjunction with a travel exhibition
of the countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the sources said.

The Myanmar ministry is coordinating with local hoteliers, tour operators
and airlines to make marketing arrangements for the participation, it
added.

In recent years, in addition to taking part in tourism fairs held in
Thailand, Myanmar also joined such events taking place in Singapore,
China's Hong Kong, South Korea and Germany with the aim of drawing more
tourist arrivals to the country for the development of its tourism
industry.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is also cooperating with tourism authorities of member
countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in regional
activities, including cooperation programs for tourist destinations in the
ASEAN region and market promotion activities of nations in the GMS as well
as Ganges-Mekong cooperation program.

To develop its tourism, Myanmar has signed bilateral agreements with
Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia and Singapore.

According to official statistics, tourist arrivals in Myanmar increased by
11.47 percent in 2002 from 2001, reaching 310,971, the highest since 1996,
and contracted foreign investment in the sector of hotels and tourism
amounted to 1,059.25 million US dollars in 43 projects as of the end of
2002 since late 1988 when the country started to open to such investment.

Myanmar has set a short-term target to draw 500,000 foreign tourists
annually.

REGIONAL

South China Morning Post June 20 2003

China, India hold key to Myanmar Rivalry and strategic location will
ensure that the two Asian superpowers remain involved with the military
regime
By Peter Kammerer

China and India could well determine the pace of democratic change in
Myanmar far more than Southeast Asian or western nations.

Myanmar's strategic location to both has meant their continued wooing of
the military regime even as other nations are economically and politically
disengaging.

On Tuesday, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations broke with a tradition of not interfering in the affairs of member
states by calling for the release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
democratisation.

Their decision, under pressure from the United States and the European
Union, appeared yesterday to have been taken to heart by Myanmese Foreign
Minister Win Aung. He assured the ministers on the sidelines of the Asean
Regional Forum in Phnom Penh that he would convey their feelings to the
ruling State Peace and Development Council. US Secretary of State Colin
Powell, attending the meeting, said on Wednesday that Asean had to apply
pressure to the junta because it had failed to implement promised
political dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and democratic reforms. Economic and
diplomatic sanctions imposed by the US and EU are likely to be toughened.

Until this week, Asean, which admitted Myanmar as a member in 1997, had
issued no critical statements.

But decades-long rivalry between Asia's superpowers, China and India, has
drawn them to increased involvement in Myanmar in the past decade.

China opened trade relations in 1988 and India dropped its policy of
disengagement in 1992. Economic and humanitarian aid from both has
steadily risen, along with weapons sales and increasingly top-level
diplomatic visits.

Radio Free Asia reported in 2000 that China was involved in the
construction of two naval bases in Myanmar. In December 2001,
then-president Jiang Zemin visited Yangon and the following month, the
junta's leader, Than Shwe, went to Beijing.

The author of the acclaimed Living Silence: Burma Under Military Rule,
Christina Fink, said China's primary interest was to monitor India's
military activities, in particular nuclear weapons tests and shipping in
the Indian Ocean and through the Straits of Malacca.

"In return, they've got as much as US$ 3 billion of military equipment in
the 1990s, investment in the infrastructure, especially roads, and trade,"
Dr Fink said.

But she said many of the weapons had been of poor quality and Myanmar had
turned to India and Russia for military equipment.

Zhai Kun, Southeast Asia researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary
International Relations in Beijing, said yesterday that his country had
good relations politically, economically and diplomatically with Myanmar.

"China respects Myanmar's military regime because of its principle of non
-interference," Dr Zhai said. "If there is stability and peace in Myanmar
that is good. China believes that there is stability."

He said Myanmar was treated the same as other Southeast Asian countries
under China's uniform policy towards the region of "good neighbourliness,
trust and partnership".

But there was also a special strategic relationship with Myanmar, because
it lay between China and India - although he was unable to confirm whether
his country was maintaining military bases there.

Myanmar, in turn, had a strategic policy under which it needed China and
India. But its introduction in the past year of capital control measures
on foreign investment had applied equally to Chinese companies as those
from elsewhere in the world.

Dr Zhai believed this showed the relationship between the two, while good,
was not extraordinary. It was possible that China had asked the military
rulers to soften their policy towards Ms Suu Kyi, but there was no
certainty of change. "The international community over-evaluates China's
influence on Myanmar," he said.

"The relationship is good, but the influence is not that great. The
comparison can also be made with Laos, where China has a good
relationship, but little influence on internal policies."

India, which until 1992 had shown interest in imposing sanctions and had
even worked covertly with the pro-democracy movement, is also working on
infrastructure projects in Myanmar and cross-border trade is steadily
increasing. It is helping build a road linking South and Southeast Asia
and assisting in the exploitation of Myanmar's oil and gas reserves.

The junta's deputy, Maung Aye, opened diplomatic exchanges by visiting New
Delhi in October 2000 and three months later, India's then foreign
minister, Jaswant Singh, went to Yangon.

An analyst at New Delhi's Centre for Policy Research, B.G. Verghese, said
India hoped that through quiet diplomacy and constructive engagement, it
could influence Myanmar's regime. Because of problems with insurgencies,
drug smuggling and gun-running on their shared border, co-operation
between the governments had become a necessity.

"India believes in democracy and is anxious that the democratic processes
and regimes be restored and that Aung San Suu Kyi be released," Mr
Verghese said.

Given China's and India's good relations with Myanmar, Dr Fink said she
believed efforts by Asean and the west would be insufficient to force
change.
_________

Associated Press June 20 2003

Philippine minister says ASEAN can push Myanmar forward on political reforms
by DIRK BEVERIDGE

After urging Myanmar to free democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from
custody, Southeast Asian nations were disappointed to get no assurances
about the timing, and pressure for her release will keep building, the
Philippine foreign minister said Friday.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung told his counterparts this week that
police were still conducting an investigation after Suu Kyi was taken into
custody during a deadly encounter between her backers and government
supporters on May 30, and she likely won't be freed until that probe is
complete.

"That was just half an answer and we were disappointed he could not be
more forthcoming," said Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople, following
four days of talks among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations and other dialogue partners including the United States,
China, Japan and the Koreas.

After Suu Kyi is freed, Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, will be
pushed to speed up the pace of political reforms that will bring it out
from under military rule, Ople said, adding that Win Aung could provide no
timetable for this either.

"The goal is not merely the release of Madame Suu Kyi, but the release of
the entire people of Burma from a regime of oppression and repression,"
Ople said.

Ople recalled that during the ASEAN discussions, Win Aung acknowledged
"that one of the great misfortunes is that the government of Myanmar wears
a uniform."

"Well, they can always shed the uniform and that is precisely what the
political reforms mean under a new constitution in Burma," Ople said.

Ople and other ASEAN members plan a high-level visit to Myanmar so they
can meet with Suu Kyi and the ruling junta, but they want to wait until
Suu Kyi is released. Ople believes that will happen before ASEAN
government leaders hold a summit in October.

"We don't want to visit her as a prisoner of the Burmese government, but
as a free person," Ople said.

Myanmar insists Suu Kyi is in "protective custody" and that it is working
on political reforms, but Ople said others in ASEAN believe Myanmar's
actions have tainted the whole region in the world's eyes, and they want
faster progress.

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

Agence France Presse June 20 2003

ASEAN to step up pressure on Myanmar; mission being prepared to Yangon
by P. Parameswaran

The ASEAN grouping is to step up pressure on member Myanmar to pursue
democratic reforms, pushing for a mission to the military-ruled country to
meet with democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, a minister said Friday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said ASEAN foreign ministers, who
ended their week-long meetings here Friday, were disappointed that their
Myanmar counterpart could not give a "timeline" for the release of Aung
San Suu Kyi from detention or implementing promised constitutional
reforms.

Minister Win Aung, gave "half answers" and "was not forthcoming", Ople
complained.

"We were disappointed," he told reporters.

He said Myanmar should heed a call by the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) for an early release of its opposition leader because of
pressure from across the globe, especially with the United States and
European Union stepping up sanctions.

"We are actually trying to avoid a situation where Myanmar will be
completely isolated from the international community and before they are
economically crippled by these sanctions," Ople said.

He said ASEAN would send a ministerial mission to Myanmar to meet with Aung
San Suu Kyi at an indefinite date.

"But certainly, the mission will be taking off and going to Myanmar before
the October ASEAN leaders summit in Bali," he said. "We are accountable to
our leaders."

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, the new chairman of the
policy-making ASEAN standing committee, is to lead and prepare the
composition of the mission, Ople said.

The mission may be comprised of his counterparts from the Philippines,
Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, he added.

The 10-member grouping also includes Brunei, Laos, and Singapore.

Preferably, the mission would like to meet with the opposition leader "as
a free person so that she can talk to us without any restrictions," Ople
said.

Ople said the visit would aim to speed up the tempo of constitutional
reforms promised by Myanmar, "using the experience of the other ASEAN
countries which have gone through a similar struggle" in their history.

Asked whether Myanmar would be expelled from ASEAN if it disregarded its
call for Aung San Suu Kyi's early release, Ople said "that will be too
drastic."

But he said the Myanmar issue could prod ASEAN to adopt a human rights
code binding all governments.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar had suggested at the meetings
here that ASEAN adopt a declaration on human rights, which would bind all
member states, including their legislature and their courts.

"I think if we are governed by a declaration on human rights, then we can
properly sanction violations of such a government," he said.

Asked what kind of sanctions he was referring to, he said: "In the extreme
form of sanctions, it can mean expulsion from an organisation."

Ople said Myanmar's Win Aung had told his fellow ASEAN ministers that Aung
San Suu Kyi was being held in a "government guesthouse with all the
amenities."

The popular leader has been held incommunicado since being detained after
a junta-backed mob attacked her supporters on May 30, in violence feared
to have left dozens dead.

But Britain said Thursday that Aung San Suu Kyi was being held in a
two-room hut in the grounds of notorious Insein prison.

"A government guesthouse can be a jail of course," Ople said, responding
to the revelation.

Win Aung told his ASEAN counterparts that "one of the greatest misfortunes
is that the government rulers of Myanmar always wear a uniform," he said.

"Well, they can always shed the uniform and this is precisely what the
political reforms mean under the new constitution of Myanmar," the
Philippines minister told reporters.

He added that Win Aung asked them not to pressure him too much as he might
lose his job.

"But I told him that if you handle the job properly, you can in fact be
promoted."
_____

Xinhua News Agency June 20 2003-06-20

Myanmar, Japanese NGO to cooperate in health activities

The Myanmar Ministry of Health and a Japanese non-governmental
organization (NGO), the Asian Maternal and Child Welfare Association
(AMCWA), will cooperate in health and welfare activities in Myanmar, the
local Myanmar Times reported in its latest issue.

Under a cooperation agreement signed recently between the two parties, the
AMCWA will fund the ministry annually with nearly 200, 000 US dollars by
providing medical and educational equipment and involvement in the foster
parents program of the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association
(MMCWA), a NGO in the country, the ministry was quoted as saying.

The MMCWA, under the care of the ministry, was established in 1991, having
three million volunteers to operate from 13,000 branches across the
country. Training courses provided by the association has so far brought
about 70,000 women literates from illiterates.

Besides, nearly 43,000 children aged between three and five have attended
care centers set up throughout the country to assist in the development of
children, according to the MMCWA.

Japanese official statistics show that the Japanese government 's grass
root grant assistance to Myanmar amounted to 761,400 dollars during the
eight-month period from July 2002 to March 2003.
__________

Chinland Guardian June 20 2003-06-20

Launching new wave of eviction against Burmese people in Mizoram State
By Salai Za Ceu lian

The total of more than 50 externally displaced people from Burma mostly
the ethnic Chins, living in the two villages of Phuncong and Rangvamual
closed to the capital , Aizawl, Mizoram State of India, were forcedly
evicted from their home in the last three days back, according to the
reliable source and information given to the Chinland Guardian News from
Aizawl.
The international community especially India, Thailand, Malaysia and
Bangladesh are well informed and aware that the influx of refugees from
Burma are due to the severe escalation of repeatedly perpetual human right
violations and persecution taken place in the conflict-ridden Country,
Burma under the ruling military Junta known as State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC).
Now this awful eviction which is underway was carried out by the local
committee called the Join Action Committee. The eviction of all Burmese
people in these two villages would be continuously taken place.
“The local people in Phuncawng village are said to have hatreds and
bitterness against the externally displaced Burmese who are taking
shelters there in the village,” revealed correspondent in Aizawl.
Phuncawng villagers have a records of this sort of dislikes against the
Burmese people not only this year but also in the past several years, he
added.
CG news had learned that Burmese people currently facing this crisis of
forced eviction from their homes by the Join Action Committee are in the
extreme state of troubles and desperate anxieties.
 _____________

The Economist June 19 2003

A slap on the wrist

AT THE end of their two-day meeting in Phnom Penh this week foreign
ministers from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said
they “looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on Aung
San Suu Kyi.” It seemed an extraordinarily feeble protest about the
detention of Myanmar's democracy leader. Yet by ASEAN's standards it was a
tough one. It was the first time ASEAN had rebuked a member state,
departing from its policy of not interfering in members' internal affairs.
Myanmar's foreign minister, Win Aung, tried in vain to sell the notion
that Miss Suu Kyi had been detained only “for her own protection”. Such
talk confirmed to the other nine foreign ministers that Myanmar is a
worrisome partner, and an embarrassing one. ASEAN has been trying quietly
to persuade Myanmar's military government to move towards “dialogue and
reconciliation” with the pro-democracy movement.
There is no sign of that. Miss Suu Kyi seems to have been detained because
she is too popular. She was held after a convoy of her supporters was
attacked by a pro-government gang in northern Myanmar at the end of May.
ASEAN is now anxiously looking towards 2006, when the rotating
chairmanship is due to pass to Myanmar. Unless some kind of democracy is
established there by then, the regional grouping will be presided over by
what much of the world regards as a pariah state. ASEAN will continue to
hope. An Indonesian-led delegation is expected to visit Myanmar soon to
push for the speedy release of Miss Suu Kyi and ask the generals to start
“dialogue” with the opposition.
The United States and the European Union are tightening sanctions on
Myanmar following Miss Suu Kyi's detention. But Malaysia, Thailand and
Singapore, among ASEAN's most influential members, continue to woo the
generals by encouraging trade and investment projects.
This week's meeting has at least made it clear that the ASEAN principle of
non-interference in each state's domestic affairs is outdated. The Myanmar
problem apart, countries of South-East Asia have become increasingly aware
that they cannot shut their eyes to terrorist activity, which ignores
borders. If a neighbour is weak on security, it has to be told.
On June 18th in Phnom Penh the political stage widened with the arrival of
other Asian and western foreign ministers to form, with ASEAN members, the
23-member Asian Regional Forum. The star of this event was the American
secretary of state, Colin Powell, who was on a quick tour of the region.
His chief concerns were North Korea and terrorism. But everyone wanted to
know his view on Myanmar. He did not repeat an earlier reported remark
that it was ruled by thugs. But he did say it was necessary to take a
“harder line” towards Myanmar if Miss Suu Kyi was not released “and
allowed to participate in a political process” in the country “in a
democratic way”. This won the approval from everyone except the usually
talkative Mr Win Aung. He listened in stony-faced silence.
_____________

Narinjara News June 20 2003

Leading Human Rights Forum calls for stopping the repatriation of the
Rohingyas from Bangladesh

Forum-Asia, a leading human rights organization has today called upon the
UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh to immediately stop the forced
repatriation of about 21,000 Rohingya refugees who are sheltered in the
southern part of Bangladesh into Burma.

Citing the deteriorating political and human rights situation resulting
from the arrest on 30th May (and now imprisonment) of Aung San Suu Kyi by
the military regime of Burma Forum-Asia demanded, “it will be
irresponsible for the UNHCR to abandon the Rohingya refugees.”

The present forced repatriation plan has been taken up claiming financial
constraints and donor fatigue, and with a proposal to shift
responsibilities and assistance to the Bangladesh government unlike to the
UNHCR.  Already 5,000 Rohingya refugees have been repatriated without
their consent and without any monitoring, while 30 June 03 has been
earmarked for the disengagement of the UN body from the entire process,
the statement said.

In recent inquiries Narinjara has come to know that a census of what the
ruling Burmese junta calls as the Bengali population in Sittwe Township,
the capital of the western Rakhine State in Burma has been undertaken
beginning 12th June.  The ruling State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) junta has always termed the Rohingyas as Bengali infiltrators from
a neighbouring country and denied any citizenship to them, imposing travel
restrictions upon them even within the country.

Forced repatriation from the soil of Bangladesh and fresh “census of
Bengalis” to check “future infiltration” may have some secret message of
“international conspiracy against the Rohingyas of Burma”, said a
businessman in Chittagong who carries out a significant trade with Burma.

Many Burmese believe that unless a democratic, legitimate and stable
government is in power there will be no end to the countless problems
nagging the country including the refugee exodus to neighbouring countries
including Bangladesh and Thailand.  Without a legitimate government the
problem of the Rohingyas and other minority nationalities will never be
solved, a Burmese political analyst in Dhaka said.

INTERNATIONAL

Agence France Presse June 20 2003

Britain's claims on Suu Kyi's dire conditions in Myanmar sparks outrage

Revelations that Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being held
at Yangon's notorious Insein jail without even a change of clothes since
she was detained three weeks ago sparked outrage Friday among diplomats
and activists.

Britain's junior foreign minister for Asia Mike O'Brien said in London
Thursday that he was "appalled to learn" that the Nobel peace laureate was
being held "in a two-room hut" at Insein on the outskirts of Yangon.

"I understand that she continues to wear the clothes in which she was
arrested," he said in a statement released on her 58th birthday.

Myanmar's ruling generals said Aung San Suu Kyi was put under temporary
"protective custody" at an undisclosed location after May 30 clashes which
broke out during a political tour of northern Myanmar.

Dissidents said her supporters were attacked by hundreds of members of a
pro-junta organisation, in brutal clashes that left dozens dead.

But O'Brien said he was disturbed to learn that she was in fact being held
under a draconian internal security law which allows for her detention
without access to family or lawyers for 180 days.

"This completely discredits the regime's claim that she is being held in
'protective custody'," he said.

The military government's decision to put Aung San Suu Kyi in jail for the
first time since her pro-democracy struggle began in 1988 represented a
major escalation in Myanmar's political tensions, analysts said.

Diplomats in Yangon said the generals were forcing Aung San Suu Kyi to
endure extremely harsh conditions, particularly in light of hot weather in
Myanmar where the rainy season is beginning.

"It's very hard to know what's going on in their heads. From what we know
the conditions of detention are very harsh. Insein is not a comfortable
place anyway," said one diplomat.

"There is no air-conditioning and it's very hot now in Yangon. As far as
we know she is not receiving any special treatment."

Observers of the military-run country said the British allegations
indicated Aung San Suu Kyi was being held at a separate "guesthouse" which
was constructed at Insein several years ago especially to detain her.

Debbie Stothard from pressure group Altsean-Burma said she and other
activists were shocked to hear that the opposition leader, who has already
endured two long stretches under house arrest, had finally been jailed.

"To put her in jail, even though it is not a conventional jail cell, would
be designed to increase the anxiety and panic among the pro-democracy
movement and also in the international community," she said.

Stothard said the junta had orchestrated the latest crisis in order to
deflect the international community away from its efforts to push for
democratic reforms in Myanmar, instead forcing it to focus on her release.

"The main goal of the international community will now be securing Aung
San Suu Kyi's release, rather than political and economic reforms," she
said. "We're back at square one".

"At this stage she is a very valuable hostage to the regime and they are
upping the ante to increase the potential ransom."

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung, who was put under intense pressure
over the situation at a meeting of Southeast Asian ministers in Cambodia
this week, could give no timeline for Aung San Suu Kyi's release.

But observers in Yangon said that widespread expectations she would be
freed in the next few weeks had now been cast into doubt.

The United States has hardened sanctions against Myanmar in the wake of
the arrest, while the European Union widened a visa ban to include the
extended families of junta and military figures.

The sanctions were originally put in place after 1990 elections which were
won by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy in a result never
recognised by the junta.
_________

Deutsche Presse-Agentur June 19 2003

Nine protesters arrested outside Burmese embassy

Nine pro-democracy protesters were arrested early Thursday outside the
Myanmar (Burmese) embassy in the
U.S. capital on the birthday of the country's detained opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.

Those arrested for blocking the embassy entrance were exchange students
and members of the Burmese Students' Association, joined by about 30 more
human rights activists, a U.S. Secret Service spokeswoman said. They were
not immediately charged. The protesters held banners that called Burmese
regime leader General Than Shwe a "war criminal" and demanded "regime
change" in the Southeast Asian country, where the ruling military junta's
human rights record has drawn widespread international condemnation.

The non-violent protest was one of several held worldwide to mark the 58th
birthday of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, who has been under
detention since a bloody, regime-backed attack on her motorcade on May 30.

"Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday celebration should be a joyous occasion,"
said Aung Din of the Free Burma Coalition. "Today it is not. The regime
continues to imprison her along with hundreds of others, and we must
protest and call for regime change in Burma."

The U.S. government, which has demanded the immediate release of Suu Kyi,
is considering more sanctions against the Myanmar regime, and Secretary of
State Colin Powell, in Cambodia for a gathering of Southeast Asian
nations, on Wednesday urged Myanmar's neighbours to take a tougher stand.

Powell sent a birthday greeting to Suu Kyi, but the U.S. embassy was
unable to deliver it "because, sadly, this is the seventh birthday since
1989 that she has spent under detention by her country's military rulers",
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said.

"The continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, members of her political
party and others who have peacefully expressed their political views, is
without cause and unacceptable," Reeker said in a statement.
___________-

Agence France Presse June 20 2003

Canada may ban Myanmar's military leaders from its territory

Canada on Thursday threatened to ban Myanmar's military leaders from its
territory and adopt other punitive measures unless they steer their
country toward democracy.

There are "serious problems" in Myanmar and "we will be looking at all the
possible alternatives," Foreign Minister Bill Graham said after a meeting
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its main foreign
partners, held in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. First, Graham said in
a telephone press conference from Phnom Penh, Yangon must "immediately
release" opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
detained with many of her followers May 30 after her motorcade was
ambushed in northern Myanmar.

Next, he said, the ruling junta "needs to restore" the process of
democratization and national reconciliation.

That process was begun when Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy won a landslide election victory in 1990 in Myanmar's first
multi-party parliamentary elections in 30 years.

The ruling military junta has steadfastly refused to yield power or
recognize those election results.

"I'll be writing to the (Canadian) minister of citizenship and immigration
to recommend that we consider putting certain members of (Yangon's)
leadership on an interdict list for visa applications," Graham said.

"This is a clear indication to them that they don't have complete impunity
as to what they do.

He also suggested the United Nations call for a freeze on Myanmar's assets
abroad.

MISCELLANEOUS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan June 20 2003

(unofficial translation by Burma Information Network - Japan (Tetz Hakoda
and Yuki Akimoto))

Tetsuro Yano, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, to attend
the Asian Coordination Discussion (ACD) and visit Myanmar

20 June 2003

1. Tetsuro Yano, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, will
visit Thailand from 21st to 23rd June to attend the Asian Coordination
Discussion (ACD). After the conclusion of the ACD, he will visit Myanmar
until the 24th, before leaving for Japan.

2. The Senior Vice-Minister will attend the ACD in Chaing Mai, Thailand,
where he will exchange views about regional cooperation in Asia includingn
East Asia and the Middle East, with foreign ministers from 18 countries:
ASEAN 10, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain,
and Qatar.

3. In addition, regarding the situation in Myanmar including the detention
of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy
(NLD), Mr. Yano will,  on behalf of the Japanese Government,  urge the
Government of Myanmar to resolve the situation as soon as possible, and
furthermore to make efforts towards national reconciliation in the
country.

Itinerary of the Deputy Minister

Sat, 21 June: leave Narita (Japan)
              arrive in Chaing Mai
              talks with VIPs participating in ACD
Sun, 22 June: attend the ACD
Mon, 23 June: leave Thailand
              arrive in Myanmar
              talks with VIPs from Government of Myanmar
              leave Myanmar
Tue, 24 June: return to Narita
_______

Canberra Times June 20 2003

Pressure mounts on Burmese junta;
Jack Straw calls on countries around the world to redouble their efforts
to help free Aung San Suu Kyi.
By Jack Straw

YESTERDAY was Aung San Suu Kyi's 58th birthday. What should be a day of
quiet celebration with family and friends for the Nobel Peace Prize winner
was instead spent in detention in a military barracks somewhere in Burma.

The Burmese regime says she is in "protective custody" after her
supporters clashed with opponents on May 30. But we know from eyewitness
accounts that the regime's version of events that day totally lacks any
credibility. Armed thugs attacked Suu Kyi and her supporters in a
premeditated attack planned by elements of the regime itself.

Tens of people were killed and injured, scores arrested and many more are
in hiding. The regime has closed the offices of Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy and detained party leaders and workers in Rangoon and
elsewhere. Her crime? None that any of us would recognise as a crime. To
the fury of the Burmese military junta, Suu Kyi commands the support and
respect of the Burmese people. Ever since her party won an election in
1990, the regime has harassed and intimidated Suu Kyi and her supporters
endlessly.

She has already suffered long spells of house arrest and imprisonment;
hundreds of her supporters are in prison, many without trial. Others have
been blackmailed or intimidated into giving up politics. The
government-controlled media denies her a voice and publishes malicious
propaganda about her. But whenever and wherever she travels, ordinary
people still turn out in their thousands to see and hear her. For them she
is a beacon of hope for a better future. The military regime, which
attempts to run Burma through fear and intimidation, is not only brutal
but also corrupt and incompetent. A once-prosperous country is being run
into the ground. Poverty is rife and diseases such as malaria,
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are spreading. For the Burmese regime, Suu Kyi's
vision of peace, stability and freedom is a threat.

But for the rest of the world, the Burmese junta and its cronies is a
cancer gnawing at the heart of South-East Asia. There can be no possible
excuses for the continued misrule and intransigence of the regime. Suu Kyi
must be released immediately. So must all the other leaders of the
National League for Democracy currently detained.

The league must be allowed to reopen its offices. And the regime must
enter into meaningful dialogue with the National League for Democracy and
other groups as a first step towards bringing democracy to Burma. Burma's
neighbours, especially its fellow members of ASEAN, have been dismayed by
the detention of Suu Kyi, and have called publicly for her release. We
hope that they will continue, publicly and privately, to make clear to the
regime the impact its behaviour is having on ASEAN's standing and the need
for it to change its ways.

The meeting this week of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Cambodia offers a
timely opportunity for them to do so. Britain, together with our partners
in the European Union, and with Australia, the United States and other
countries, stands ready to help Burma move towards national reconciliation
and democracy. We are committed to supporting the UN Secretary-General's
Special Representative on Burma, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, in his efforts to
broker a dialogue between the regime and opposition groups. We hope the
Secretary-General himself will consider what more the UN might do.

We call on friends of Burma in Asia and around the world to redouble their
efforts to help Suu Kyi and the people of Burma rapidly achieve the
national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy they so
richly deserve. On her birthday we pay tribute to Suu Kyi, an inspiration
to us all.

Jack Straw is Britain's Foreign Secretary.
__________

ALTSEAN-Burma June 19 2003

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has written the following foreword for the book
titled "Burma ~ Women's Voices Together", a collection of 39 short stories
and articles from women of diverse backgrounds in Burma.

Her foreword is a strong reminder of the aspirations of the peoples of
Burma for genuine peace and reconciliation. Altsean-Burma, the publishers
of the English language edition, received her article before the violent
attack on Black Friday. It is being released in time for Women of Burma
Day which falls on Daw Suu's birthday, June 19.

The English language edition of "Burma ~ Women's Voices Together" is due
out soon. Women's organisations will be completing translations into the
Burmese, Shan, Kachin, Karen and Mon languages later in the year.

A FOUNDATION OF ENDURING STRENGTH
A foreword by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

The dream of Burma as a strong, prosperous Union where all her people are
ensured freedom and security is an endeavour that must be approached with
unified efforts by all our people. Only a nation built on understanding
and trust will endure, and provide its people with a haven where their
creativity will be nourished and their humble dreams made possible. The
necessary prelude to the building of such a Union is national
reconciliation.

Reconciliation does not mean surrendering our unique cultures, abandoning
our traditions, or relinquishing our customs. Rather it means creating a
way by which different ideas and practices can exist together without
being unfriendly to each other. More positively, it means being
complemented and empowered by diversity.

We should therefore value our differences as they make us unique in
today's world. Understanding each other will help us create a strong,
lasting foundation on which we can build a nation that truly represents us
and of which we can be proud. The adversities that we have had to face
together have taught us that there are no barriers that cannot be
overcome.
Intolerance and misconceptions are the greatest threats to harmony and
reconciliation. It is not enough simply to "live and let live" - genuine
tolerance requires an active effort to try to understand the point of view
of others; it implies broad-mindedness and vision, as well as confidence
in one's own ability to meet new challenges. If our country is to progress
into a strong, prosperous Union that guarantees the freedom and security
of all its citizens, we each must be aware of our own potential and work
to realize this vision.

Women have traditionally played the role of unifier and peacemaker within
the family. They instil a nurturing sense of togetherness and mutual
caring. They balance love and tenderness with discipline while nurturing
growth and understanding. Women have the capacity for the compassion,
self-sacrifice, courage and perseverance necessary to dissipate the
darkness of intolerance and hate, suffering and despair. Women have an
innate talent for resolving differences and creating warmth and
understanding within a framework of mutual respect and consideration. This
talent should be used to address not only our individual, family and
community needs, but also to contribute towards the process of
reconciliation, which will make our country a democratic society that
guarantees the basic rights of the people.

Burma has been an independent nation for more than half a century but we
have still not been able to make it a true refuge for our people. Too many
have been forced to try to find refuge elsewhere. There is much that still
needs to be done before our country can become the place that best offers
us heart's ease and happiness, the home where we can enjoy the
tranquillity of assured justice and the warmth of a caring society. Such a
time can and will come only when unity and peace come to Burma.

The women inside and outside Burma who are working for ethnic
reconciliation in Burma are laying a sound foundation on which the Union
of our dreams can be established. Their work will be honoured by all who
truly love our country and who would like to see our peoples realize their
potential, secure within the rule of just laws and good governance.

I hope this book will help build greater understanding of the ideas,
dreams and experiences of many different types of women from Burma. These
women are not speaking merely for themselves; they are also voicing our
cares and aspirations. They are teaching us that while our differences
define us, it is ultimately our similarities that form a foundation of
enduring strength.

Burma, 2003
_______

US STATE DEPARTMENT June 20 2003

Press Statement - Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman - Washington, DC -
Burma Birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi

Today is the birthday of the leader of the democratic opposition in Burma,
Aung San Suu Kyi. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has sent his personal
greetings, but our embassy has been unable to deliver them to her this
year because, sadly, this is the seventh birthday since 1989 that she has
spent under detention by her country's military rulers. A Nobel Peace
Prize laureate who stands for nonviolent change to improve the lives of
the people of her nation, Aung San Suu Kyi is a symbol for those who
support democracy and freedom around the world. Her struggle on behalf of
the people of Burma is now in its 15th year.

Last year at this time Aung San Suu Kyi had recently been released from
house arrest and was working toward a political dialogue which would lead
to national reconciliation. The ruling military junta, the "State Peace
and Development Council," has now dashed these hopes and dreams of the
Burmese people.

The continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, members of her political
party and others who have peacefully expressed their political views, is
without cause and unacceptable. They should be released immediately and
the offices of the National League for Democracy should be reopened
without delay. We call on Burma's military rulers to begin work
immediately with the National League of Democracy to formulate a concrete
plan to restore democracy in Burma.

We also call on the junta for a full accounting of the dead, injured, and
missing from the attack of May 30, now known to Burmese as "Black Friday."

The situation in Burma is of grave concern not just for the United States.
Secretary Powell met with Burma's neighbors this week to emphasize that
the international community must work together for reform. We welcome the
statement of the ASEAN member states on Burma and support ASEAN's plans to
send a troika delegation to Rangoon.

We salute Aung San Suu Kyi and hope that future birthdays find her living
free in a free Burma.
____________

POSTCARDS & PHOTOS OF DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI ON TOUR AVAILABLE.

Altsean-Burma has produced a set of 4 extra-large (B5-size) postcards
featuring photos taken between June 2002 and April 2003 of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi’s tours to Mandalay and Magwe Divisions, and Arakan and Chin states.

For details on costs and how to order, please email orders at altsean.org

Jpegs of the photos featured on the postcards can now be viewed at

http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/Photos_of_Daw_Aung_San_Suu_Kyi_on_tour.htm

ROADSIDE REST BREAK, CHIN STATE.
"... we have got to see what the government is going to do, how much
goodwill they are going to demonstrate towards the people ... After all
they have always claimed that they want to democratize Burma." ~ Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi.

AT A RALLY IN ARAKAN STATE.
"There is a climate of fear but within this climate of fear I’m very proud
to say there are many, many brave people ... they’re committed enough to
carry on with their work, in spite of their fear. Those are the really
courageous ones and I’m very proud of them." ~ Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

WITH SCHOOLCHILDREN IN MAGWE DIVISION.
"People are increasingly unhappy about the whole situation, not just about
the economy but about the state of education, about the state of health
care, about many things ... That is why I think there is a need for speedy
change. It’s not enough just talking about change, there has to be
change." ~ Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

CROWDS WELCOME DAW AUNG SAN SUU KYI IN MANDALAY.
"We treasure your support very much. But I don’t want you to hurt anyone,
especially don’t do anything that is ugly and cumbersome to the people." ~
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.