BurmaNet News: July 2 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

July 2 2003 Issue #2275

INSIDE BURMA

DVB: NLD supporters
DVB: Bombs exploded in Toungoo, Pegu Division
NLM: Bombs exploded in Toungoo
AFP: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi transferred from Insein prison: source
Toronto Star: The Lady is still in jail in Burma

MONEY

AFX: BAT mulling withdrawal of investment from Burma on UK govt’s request
AFX: IHC Caland says presence in Burma to last until 2015 due to ongoing
contracts

ON THE BORDER

Bangkok Post: UN Agency denies acting on its own
AFP: Thai border camps to take in 1,500 Myanmar refugees

REGIONAL

Nation: PM shown photos of ‘healthy’ Suu Kyi
AFP: Indian court acquits Myanmar national in Thai Airways hijack case
Malaysiakini: Razali steps up pressure for Suu Kyi’s release
Japan Times: Myanmar envoy due for talks Friday
AFP: ASEAN urged to review Myanmar membership over Suu Kyi detention
Irrawaddy: Chinese troops on Burma’s border

INTERNATIONAL

Irrawaddy: Canadian activists meet Asian diplomats

MISCELLANEOUS

ALTSEAN: Announcement: Black Friday Briefing updated

INSIDE BURMA

Democratic Voice of Burma July 1 2003

NLD supporters tried

It is reported that some of the 8 NLD youth who were arrested on the 15th
of June are being tried at Botahtaung Court in Rangoon starting from
yesterday. Although it is not yet known what they are going to be charged
with and how they are going to be sentenced, at least three of the youth
members were seen at the court, said a NLD legal team member to the DVB.
They are Ko Maung Maung Lay of Kyimyintaing NLD-Youth, Ko Ne Win of
Lanmadaw NLD-Youth and Ko Myin Htay, Tamwe NLD-Youth. The names of the
other five and where about they are being detained are not known yet.
According to the latest report, there could be more than 10 and up to 12
MPs who were arrested after the Dipeyin incident. They include U Mtyint
Thein, the MP of No.1, Kyaikmayaw Constituency in Mon State who lived in
Rangoon and U Hla Minn, the MP of Kawthaung Constituency in Tenesserim
Division.
According the latest list, 12 MPs are being detained and 7 MPs are being
put under house arrest but it is still not clear how many NLD members are
being arrested.
According to the news statement of Thailand-based AAPP, 69 people are
being detained, 94 people are unaccounted for and 10 people were killed.
__________

Democratic Voice of Burma July 1 2003

Bombs exploded in Taungoo, Pegu Division

It is reported that some explosive devices were found at the same time in
three different places in Taungoo, Pegu Division recently and two exploded
but no one was hurt.
The devices were said to be found at the gate of Sasana Beikman Building
at No. 20 Ward near Rangoon-Mandalay Highway and at the entrance of USDA
office near Maina Stadium and inside a rubbish bin in front of the
station, according to the local people.
The ones in front of the Sasana Beikman Buidling and the USDA office
exploded and the one inside the bin was diffused 40 minutes before the
scheduled explosion. A local resident from Taungoo told the DVB about them
as follows:
A Taungoo resident : It was on the 27th of June. One exploded in front of
the Sasana Beikman. It was built by the government inside a stadium called
Maina. And adjacent to that, there is a USDA office. One exploded in front
of the office. But the bombs didn’t cause any death or damage to the
buildings. They were small bombs with loud sounds
most people think that.
They were not that severe.
During last month, there had been continuous explosions in Tachileik in
eastern Shan States, Myawaddy in Karen State and at a cinema in Phyoo near
Taungoo. One of the explosions this time occurred in front of the USDA
office. Are they connected to Dipeyin incident? At Dipeyin the NLD
supporters were attacked by the USDA members and is the SPDC staging a
plot to make the explosions look like the works of the NLD supporters? A
local resident of Taungoo gave his opinion as follows:
A Taungoo resident : People are quite doubtful. The explosions didn’t
cause much damage or loss of life. They occurred near Rangoon-Mandalay
Highway. People think that they want to show that there are explosions.
There are many kinds of people. I don’t know what they want. I don’t think
they are the works of ‘insurgents’ or ‘terrorists’ because they have been
tightening the security for awhile. There are many security checkpoints. I
have heard that they have built more police checkpoints. They have been
tightening security measures since the Dipeyin incident. They have been
searching people. For example, if you travel by car, they would search
your bags. Despite all these measures why could the bomb planters come to
the town? People are still wondering about it. It makes you think.
Whatever it is, it’s not good.
These are the comments of someone close to political circles. What do
ordinary people who are not close to political circles think of the
explosions?
Another Taungoo resident : We are market traders and we are busy with our
works. I didn’t go and see them myself when they occurred. They told me
that no one was hurt. So, I don’t feel anything, I think. I never think
that it is done by the NLD. [giggles] I trust the NLD. I love Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi, if I have to be frank [giggles]. They can’t be their works. I
don’t think that they would do that kind of thing. Most people think that
these are done by the people of other side. Every one knows what I mean by
‘people from the other side’.
Whenever there were bomb explosions inside Burma, the SPDC have been
accusing the people who are opposing it especially the KNU and the SSA
rebels.
________

New Light of Myanmar July 1 2003

Bombs exploded in Toungoo

YANGON, 1 July - With the intention of disturbing peace and tranquillity
of the State and community, KNU insurgents are committing such terrorist
acts as killing innocent people, looting public properties, and planting
mines.
A bomb went off at the block of concrete stone across the drain to the
entrance to Sasana Hitakaayi Dhamma Beikman beside Yangon-Mandalay Highway
in Ward-20, Toungoo, Bago Division, at about 3 pm on 27 June.
Ten minutes after the incident, another time bomb blast also occurred at a
signboard 50 yards from the compound of Sasana Hitakaayi Dhamma Beikman.
There were no casualties in the incidents except the damages to the stone
block and the signboard.
Those bomb explosions are under investigation by the authorities concerned.
________

Agence France Presse July 2 2003

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi transferred from Insein prison: source
By PASCALE TROUILLAUD

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred from the
notorious Insein prison following UN criticism that she was being held
under "absolutely deplorable" conditions, an informed source said
Wednesday.

The gesture was too minor to assuage the international community's outrage
over her detention and could signify that the ruling military government
intends to keep the leader detained for a long period, diplomats said.

Aung San Suu Kyi "was transferred, probably at the end of last week, and
is now being held at an undisclosed location," the source told AFP.

He said the junta had "many military camps and guesthouses where it can
detain its opponents incommunicado.

"One possible option is that Suu Kyi could have been brought to the
military camp of Yemon, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) outside Yangon,
where political prisoners have been held in the past," the source said.

The transfer "to a more adequate location follows remarks made by UN
special envoy Razali Ismail about the deplorable conditions" under which
Aung San Suu Kyi was being held, he added.

Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into "protective custody" after riots broke out
on May 30 when her convoy and supporters were attacked by a junta-backed
mob during a political tour of northern Myanmar.

The government says four people were killed in the clashes but dissident
groups say dozens died.

Despite an international furore over her detention, Myanmar's ruling junta
has given no sign of when it will release the 1991 Nobel Peace prize
winner.

The government has not revealed where she is being held but the British
government said last month that the National League for Democracy (NLD)
leader was being held in a two-room hut at Insein jail without even a
change of clothes.

Razali met with her on June 10 and is the only independent person to have
seen her since her isolation.

After his visit, Razali declined to confirm the reports that Aung San Suu
Kyi was being held at Insein, but acknowledged her detention conditions
were appalling.

"What I can say is that where I met her was absolutely deplorable. It was
not in keeping with the stature and the status of Aung San Suu Kyi as a
political leader or as a national leader," he said.

The notorious Insein prison, built on the outskirts of Yangon, has the
most sinister reputation of Myanmar's notorious jails and features torture
chambers used by the regime against political dissidents.

"If this means that she will get better detention conditions, good. But
the rest of her situation hasn't changed," the informed source said by
telephone from Yangon.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Wednesday that Myanmar's
Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win made a one-day visit to Bangkok
Tuesday and also told him that Aung San Suu Kyi was well and not in
prison.

"They showed me a picture of Aung San Suu Kyi, the place she currently
staying, and a photo of her talking to other people. She is not in prison
but in a safe house," Thaksin told reporters, declining to elaborate.

Yangon-based diplomats warned the transfer could mean the military
government was settling in for the "long term."

"It could be (in response to UN criticism)... but then again it could also
indicate things are happening for the long term rather than short term.
With Myanmar there's many ways you can read things," one western diplomat
told AFP.

Another said: "I have difficulties rejoicing. It seems to be postponing a
possible hypothetical liberation."

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has been denied
access to Aung San Suu Kyi, was expected to visit Insein as part of its
regular prisons-visit programme next week, the informed source said.

"The ICRC makes prisons open all their doors. It would be impossible to
hide anyone in Insein to them," he said.

An ICRC official declined comment on whether they would be able to confirm
that Aung San Suu Kyi was not at Insein after visiting.
________-

Toronto Star July 2 3004

The Lady is still in jail in Burma
By Gwynne Dyer

"The military regime is very worried that they are facing a Cory
Aquino-type of people-power movement, and basically, they've panicked,"
explained a foreign diplomat in Rangoon shortly after a mob of
government-sponsored thugs attacked Aung San Suu Kyi's motorcade at
Dipeyin, northeast of Mandalay, on May 30.

Around 70 of her supporters were killed, she was beaten up - and she and
19 members of the National League for Democracy who were travelling with
her were taken into temporary "protective custody."

A month later, the "Lady" - as everyone in Burma calls her - is still in
Insein prison in Rangoon.

She has been under some form of restraint, mostly house arrest, for almost
all of the past 13 years, as her children grew up without her and her
husband died without even being allowed a farewell visit to Burma. But it
has never been as bad as this.

The military regime has realized that all its wealth and power are on the
line right now, and the gloves have come off.

But alone in her cell, still wearing the same blouse and skirt she was
arrested in a month ago, she remains the most influential person in Burma.
The generals have the guns and the money, but she has the legitimacy.

She has earned it by her patience and self-sacrifice - but also through
the regime's blunder 13 years ago in allowing free elections in Burma. The
generals calculated that they could bribe or bully a majority of Burma's
45 million people into voting for their candidates.

But when the counting was over in 1990, Suu Kyi and the NLD had won by a
landslide: 82 per cent of the votes.

The army immediately "cancelled" the results and arrested all of the NLD's
leaders; it never got over the effects of that mistake. And now it has
made the same mistake again.

The confrontation between Suu Kyi and the generals began 15 years ago,
when the original tyrant, the half-crazed Ne Win, precipitated a crisis by
resigning after more than two decades in power.

His bizarre and isolationist version of socialism had reduced the
once-prosperous country to penury, and his aim was to transfer formal
power to a more respectable elected government while retaining real
control. But Aung San Suu Kyi happened to be in Burma in 1988, home from
her quiet life as an academic and mother in England to nurse her dying
mother.

She had lived most of her life abroad, the inevitable consequence of being
the only daughter of Burma's great independence hero Aung San, who was
assassinated when she was only 2.

But in 1988 South-East Asia was in political ferment. The example of the
non-violent democratic revolution led by Aquino in the Philippines in 1986
had already spread to Thailand and Bangladesh, toppling long-ruling
military regimes, and now threatened the control of the Burmese military
as well.

Suu Kyi's name made her invaluable to the pro-democracy campaigners and
she quickly became the symbol of the whole movement.

After three months the generals, realizing that events were spinning out
of control, took back power and authorized the massacre of thousands of
students and other citizens in the streets of Rangoon. Then in 1990 the
regime held a carefully stage-managed "election" to gain some
international respectability - but the NLD won by a landslide, the regime
refused to recognize its victory, and Burma has been in deadlock ever
since.

Last year a new generation of generals tried to square the circle again:
They released Suu Kyi from house arrest in the hope that they could end
all the foreign boycotts and rejoin the world without actually giving up
power.

The NLD tiptoed through the first months after her release, anxious not to
derail the process of democratization by too much open campaigning, but as
it became clear that the generals were just looking for political cover it
changed its style.

In the last six months Suu Kyi had been making open anti-regime speeches
up and down the country, and every month the crowds have grown bigger. The
regime had to stop her or it was toast, so a month ago the thugs were
unleashed to stage a massacre that would provide a pretext for the Lady's
arrest.

That has stopped the protests for the moment, but the regime is back where
it was, loathed by foreigners and Burmese alike.

How long can it hold out against the united disapproval of practically
everyone? Quite a long time, if the past is any guide - and one should not
expect a split between the top generals over this bungle.

They know that they must hang together or else they will hang separately
(probably literally, in some cases, for some of them have much Burmese
blood on their hands).

Aung San Suu Kyi will need all of her patience.

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based Canadian journalist whose articles are
published in 45 countries.

MONEY

AFX July 2 2003

BAT mulling withdrawal of investment from Burma on UK govt's request

  British American Tobacco PLC chairman Martin Broughton agreed to
consider the UK government's request to withdraw the company's
investment from Burma.
    A formal reply will be given soon, Broughton said in a meeting with
Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien's today, set up on BAT's request.
    The minister said UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has "made clear that we
do not believe that trade or investment in Burma is appropriate when
the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its
people."
    There have been newspapers reports claiming that the UK's biggest
tobacco manufacturer is facing direct pressure from the government to
review its commercial involvement in Burma, as ministers step up
efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's
pro-democracy opposition leader.
    BAT operates in Myanmar in partnership with the Burmese government and
has about 10 mln stg investment in Burma. It currently employs about
500 people there.
    The company's spokesman had said the Myanmar economy is in bad shape
and withdrawing its operations there will only make the situation
worse, particularly for its 500 employees.
    BAT is the second UK company to be asked to withdraw from Burma after
Premier Oil PLC, the UK's largest investor in the country.
_________

AFX July 2 2003

IHC Caland says presence in Burma to last until 2015 due to ongoing contracts

  IHC Caland NV said it cannot break its contract made with a Premier Oil
unit in Burma, to make an floating storage offloading system (FSO)
available until 2015.
    The Premier Oil unit has since been taken over by Malaysia's Petronas,
IHC Caland said.
    IHC Caland said it decided in 2002 to honour the Dutch government's
request to cut no further deals in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma,
and that it wants to try and help better the human rights situation in
Burma.
    In light of this continued presence in Burma until at least 2015, IHC
Caland visited the ambassador to Burma in the UK, to talk about the
company's concerns with the country's human rights situation in
general, and the use of forced labour in particular.
    IHC Caland said in February that it was facing growing pressure to
leave Myanmar after its banks in the Netherlands broke with protocol
and publicly disclosed they would not fund the company's projects in
the military-ruled country.

ON THE BORDER

Bangkok Post July 2 2003

UN agency denies acting on its own
PM's statements seen as `regrettable'
By Yuwadee Tunyasiri
The Bangkok office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
has rejected criticism by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that the
agency violated Thai sovereignty by unilaterally granting refugee status
to Burmese exiles.

The commission had ``always done this with the government's full
knowledge'', and regretted ``inaccurate criticism'', noting it had
repeatedly invited government participation in the determination of
refugee status.

The office shared pertinent information about refugees with the National
Security Council, the Interior Ministry and the Immigration Department
``on a monthly basis''. The latest list of refugee applicants had been
shared with the government as recently as June 13, 2003.

The agency recognised and appreciated the government's generosity in
hosting refugees and according them humanitarian treatment.

``Against the backdrop of cooperation and compassion, some recent
statements about refugees and UNHCR work are regrettable,'' the commission
said.

The government had previously said the UNHCR handed out refugee cards to
Burmese dissidents without adequate measures of controlling them, and
accused the commission of failing to consult the government or secure its
permission prior to issuing the cards.

The prime minister vowed to come down heavily on refugees found straying
outside their holding camps, and threatened to deport them if they did not
behave.

The commission said it recognised it was not a supranational organisation
and granting asylum remained within the sovereignty of the host country.

The commission welcomed government overtures for closer cooperation
including issuing joint documentation to refugees.

Governors of border provinces with holding centres for Burmese dissidents
have said they must keep records to be able to trace refugees.

When exiled Burmese students staged a rally outside the Burmese embassy in
Bangkok to demand the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from
detention, local authorities expressed the opinion that dissidents'
activities must be restricted for the sake of security.

The UNHCR noted that only a small percentage of Burmese nationals in
Bangkok had approached it for protection and assistance. An even smaller
number of those who did approach the agency ultimately qualified for
refugee status and had been issued with certificates.

Mr Thaksin said the government had nothing against the UNHCR but security
concerns had led to restrictions on some refugees.

Mr Thaksin said he had been alarmed by the discovery that some Burmese
students protesting in Bangkok were also selling drugs.

He said registration was at the government's discretion and not the
business of any organisation to handle unilaterally.

The UNHCR must listen to the government and understand that order had to
be maintained because the refugee population was growing and in some
districts exceeded the local population.

Mr Thaksin urged western countries to share the burden by accepting more
refugees for resettlement. ``We shouldn't be the one shouldering the
responsibility alone. We're not rich. It's not fair that we're picking up
the tab.''
________________

Agence France Presse July 2 2003

Thai border camps to take in 1,500 Myanmar refugees

Some 1,500 refugees from military-ruled Myanmar are to be transferred to
refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, the Thai government and UN
refugee agency said Wednesday after joint talks.

The meeting followed claims by the Thai government last week that the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had violated the
kingdom's sovereignty by granting refugee status to Myanmar exiles.

"All people of Myanmar nationality who have been granted 'person of
concern' (POC) status, some 1,500, will be transferred to camps along the
border," Thai foreign ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow said, using
Thailand's preferred term for those granted refugee status.

"If they refuse to move to the camps, they will be stripped of their POC
status," Sihasak said, adding that the UNHCR would finance the transfer.

The Thai government has said it wants to be involved in the process of
granting POC status to exiles because it currently had no details of the
identities and whereabouts of POCs. The UNHCR has said, however, that it
regularly shared details of applications with the government.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said last week he was also
particularly irked by refugees being permitted to travel at will.

UNHCR regional representative Jahanshah Assadi said the agency supported
the government's policy.

"The government's policy is to move them to camps unless there are some
exceptional cases. We support that and we will cooperate with the
government in the transfer of the 1,500 to the camps," he told reporters.

"We feel that the policy is one that can be implemented because the camps
are also beneficiaries of the international community itself and
international community support, and the camps are still in the sovereign
territory of Thailand."

The refugees, who currently reside in urban areas, will join the 125,000
other refugees from Myanmar currently living in border camps administered
by the Thai government, Assadi said.

The UNHCR is empowered to grant refugee status in Thailand because the
nation is not a signatory to the UN treaty on refugees and does not have
its own legislation governing the determination of refugee status.

The initial accusations were levelled against the UNHCR when 11 Myanmar
activists were arrested for illegal entry after they were found organising
a demonstration calling for the release of Myanmar's detained opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Thailand is on high alert over Myanmar dissidents after the ruling junta
said it had learned of a possible plan to take its diplomats hostage to
protest Suu Kyi's detention.

Thailand's deputy prime minister responsible for security said the
National Security Council would meet on Monday to further assess the
situation.

Debbie Stothard, coordinator of regional rights network ALTSEAN-Burma,
said the government and UNHCR action would not address the reason why
Myanmar refugees have long flooded into Thailand.

"It's not addressing the root cause about why they are here in the first
place, which is instability in Burma," she said, using Myanmar's former
name.

"Every time the Thai government empowers the Burmese junta there are going
to be more refugees coming to Thailand. Rounding up 1,500 is really not
going to solve the problem," she told AFP.

Although Thailand has called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, some of
its top leaders are known to have close personal relations with the junta
and business thrives between the two countries.

REGIONAL

Nation July 3 2003

PM shown photos of 'healthy' Suu Kyi

Burmese special envoy Khin Maung Win told Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra on Tuesday that Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was
not confined in "deplorable conditions" at the notorious Insein Prison as
reported - and brought photos to prove it.
"From the photos, Aung San Suu Kyi is in a safe house, and Khin Maung Win
reiterated that she is not in Insein Prison," Thaksin said yesterday.
"The house is in good condition, and the photos showed she was talking to
some officials. She looked healthy and had no signs of illness."
Khin Maung Win paid a one-day visit to Bangkok as the special
representative of Burma's military junta leader, General Than Shwe.
"The Burmese government sent the special envoy to explain to me what's
been going on in Burma. I cannot reveal more of the discussion," Thaksin
said, but added that Khin Maung Win told him "he will do his best as fast
as possible" about seeking Suu Kyi's release.
Thaksin did not say if Thailand had been asked to inform other countries
about Suu Kyi's situation, but said he conveyed to the envoy the concerns
of other countries.
"I told him that Thailand, Asean and the world are all quite worried."
Khin Maung Win would reportedly travel to Japan tomorrow to hold
discussions with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
_________

Agence France Presse July 2 2003

Indian court acquits Myanmar national in Thai Airways hijack case

An Indian court Wednesday acquitted Soe Myint, a Myanmar national, who had
been charged with hijacking a Thai Airways plane from Bangkok to Calcutta
in November 1990.

Judge C.K. Lahiri dropped the hijacking charges against the man for lack
of evidence, government counsel Prabodh Kumar Roy told AFP.

Myint and another Myanmar national Htin Kyaw hijacked the plane, using a
fake bomb made from soap and brown paper, using soap wrapped in brown
paper, to draw attention to their campaign against their country's
military regime .

They were arrested after the plane landed in Calcutta, but later released
on bail.

Some Indian politicians wanted the case dropped in recognition of their
cause but last year, federal detectives rearrested Myint after Indian
authorities revived the case.

By then Htin Kyaw had left India and could not be produced before the court.
___________

Malaysiakini.com July 2 2003

Razali steps up pressure for Suu Kyi’s release
By Yap Mun Ching

UN special envoy Razali Ismail has renewed his request to the Burmese
government to release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi after Rangoon
showed no signs of willingness to do so even in the face of international
condemnation.
Razali said he has written to Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister Maung Win
seeking an explanation as to why the government is still holding Suu Kyi a
month after her arrest by military intelligence officials.
"The international community is becoming increasingly alarmed every day
that her release is delayed. I am regularly in touch with the government
to inquire about their plans, so they are fully aware of my expectations
over her release," he told malaysiakini.
Razali said a resurgence of reports speculating that Suu Kyi’s health is
deteriorating is further intensifying concern over her well being.
"I don’t know (how long more they will hold her) but I am worried," he said.
The envoy is the only outsider to have seen Suu Kyi since her arrest on
May 30 following violent clashes between her supporters and
government-sponsored groups at a Burmese northern town.
On his return to Kuala Lumpur on June 10 after an urgent mission to
Rangoon, the envoy had said he expected the Burmese government to release
her within two weeks.
However, the one month anniversary of Suu Kyi’s arrest passed yesterday
with no sign of an imminent release.
No aid to Burma
On his recent trips to Japan and Indonesia, Razali said it was part of his
job as envoy to explain to any interested party the situation in Burma.
"I am happy that Japan has shown that they are equally sensitive to the
outcry (over Suu Kyi’s arrest) and indicated that they are going to hold
back any new aid programmes to Burma," he said.
The envoy said he understood from his meeting with Japanese Foreign
Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi that Japan would provide no new assistance to
Burma although existing programmes would go on for the meantime.
"If she continues to be incarcerated, I don’t see how (Japan) can continue
to give any assistance at all," he said.
Razali confirmed that he did indicate to Kawaguchi last week that Suu Kyi
is being held "in a house within a prison compound".
"There has already been speculation because of the statement by the
British Foreign Minister so I (cannot) just keep quiet," he said.
Suu Kyi’s whereabouts were revealed when the British Foreign Office issued
a statement on June 19 saying that the democracy activist was being held
at Rangoon’s Insein prison.
This has been denied by the Burmese junta which said she is being held
under "protective custody", ostensibly for her safety.
Follow-up steps
Razali also elaborated on his meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister
Hassan Wirajuda, saying that he had been assured by the new Asean chair
that the association would take follow-up steps to push for Suu Kyi’s
release.
"We also spoke about the possibility for an Asean Troika to address this
issue," he explained.
The Asean Troika initiative was first adopted in July 2000 to allow the
association to constitute an ad hoc committee to address urgent regional
political and security issues. The association has not utilised this
provision as yet for any regional issues.
The envoy said he also met with Asean secretary-general Ong Keng Yong in
Jakarta to request the latter to coordinate Asean initiatives in line with
the stand taken at the 36th Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh two
weeks ago.
"(Ong) is aware that he is expected to take steps according to what was
discussed in Phnom Penh. Asean has to ensure that the basic standards and
values applicable to the region are upheld," he said.
In an unusual departure from its non-interference policy, Asean had issued
a joint statement at the end of the two-day meeting saying that its
members "looked forward to the early lifting of restrictions placed on
Aung San Suu Kyi".
The association’s move is believed to be in response to strong
international pressure, particularly by the United States, to take a
position on Suu Kyi’s detention.
No response
In a related development, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said he had
still not received a response from the Burmese government on his request
to see Suu Kyi in Rangoon.
"I believe we are still communicating with Myanmar (Burma) on the matter,"
he said yesterday.
Syed Hamid was quoted in newspapers last week as saying that he had sought
permission from the Burmese government to visit Suu Kyi in Rangoon.
He also said her detention had damaged Asean’s reputation and that it was
a setback for the regional association, which has advocated a policy of
‘constructive engagement’ with Burma to deal with the long-running saga.
________________

Japan Times July 2 2003

Myanmar envoy due for talks Friday

A special envoy of the top leader of the Myanmar junta will visit Japan
for a meeting Friday with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on the
detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, government sources said
Wednesday.
Khin Maung Win, Myanmar's deputy foreign minister, will visit as a special
envoy of Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the chairman of the junta.
Senior Vice Foreign Minister Tetsuro Yano has personally delivered a
letter to the junta in Yangon from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
addressed to Than Shwe calling for Suu Kyi's early release.
The envoy is expected to bring a reply and to ask the Japan to continue
official development assistance to Myanmar. Japan has said it will freeze
any future ODA projects if Suu Kyi is not released.
Japan provided Myanmar with about 2 billion yen in grants in fiscal 2002,
which ended March 31, but has provided no assistance since.
Suu Kyi and some members of the National League for Democracy have been
detained since what the junta claims were violent clashes between NLD
supporters and projunta demonstrators May 30 in northern Myanmar.
__________

Agence France Presse July 2 2003

ASEAN urged to review Myanmar membership over Suu Kyi detention

Myanmar's membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
should be reviewed because of its detention of Nobel Peace laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi, a human rights monitor said Wednesday.

The Altsean-Burma, a regional network of rights organizations and
activists, said the 10-member ASEAN should "develop a time-frame" within
which the ruling junta should release Aung San Suu Kyi, detained for more
than a month following deadly clashes involving her supporters.

The grouping should "review the status of Burma's (Myanmar's) membership,"
as well as "redeem itself" by actively demanding Aung San Suu Kyi's
release, it said.

ASEAN should also immediately dispatch a high-level delegation to check on
the democracy leader's situation in Myanmar and "include Burma as a
priority agenda item at the ASEAN summit in October," Altsean-Burma said.

ASEAN members demanded the Nobel laureate's release during its annual
ministerial meeting in Cambodia last month. The group also announced plans
to send a delegation to Yangon.

The rights monitor meanwhile urged the ruling junta to declare a
nationwide ceasefire and stop its crackdown against democracy activists.

ASEAN has been criticized in the past for its policy of not interfering
with each member state's internal problems.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won 1990 elections by a
landslide, but has never been permitted to rule by the junta.

She was detained after riots broke out on May 30 when her convoy and
supporters were attacked by a junta-backed mob while she was on a
political tour of northern Myanmar.

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

Irrawaddy July 2 2003

Chinese Troops on Burma’s Border
By Naw Seng

China has deployed soldiers from its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along
the Burmese border, according to sources in the area. Members of Burmese
opposition groups speculate that Chinese officials may be concerned about
political instability in Burma, stemming from the May 30 clash which
resulted in the detention of National League for Democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.
Chinese soldiers have not appeared on the Burmese border since 1992. The
troops replaced Chinese border patrol agents who were ineffective in their
efforts to control drug trafficking and stop corruption, sources said.
Members of Burmese opposition parties and ethnic organizations based on
the border believe that the move is also related to the political
situation in Burma.
According to a Kachin Independent Organization (KIO) source, four Chinese
brigades were planning to deploy along the Burmese border. Their presence,
however, was not expected so soon. "We are curious about this move," he
said. "We knew China planned it, but not for now." The recent troop
build-up is the result of Chinese worries over political instability and
drug trafficking, he asserted.
A Burmese opposition party member from the border said he believes the
early arrival of the Chinese troops is not significant. He did say,
however: "We can’t say this is not related to Burma’s current situation."
China decided to slash its PLA membership by 500,000 troops last month, a
decrease of about 20 percent, according to a Washington Post report. The
article states that some of the demobilized soldiers would be transferred
to the People’s Armed Police, an internal security force numbering nearly
one million.
PLA troops are also stationed in Tibet and Xinjiang, which both share
borders with several former Soviet countries where US troops are deployed.

INTERNATIONAL

Irrawaddy July 2 2003

Canadian Activists Meet Asian Diplomats
By Tin Maung Htoo

 Burmese democracy activists in Canada met with Asian diplomats this week
to drum up support for increased pressure on Burma.
Activists urged Ottawa-based representatives of the Japanese, Thai and
Malaysian governments to press Rangoon for the release of opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the clash in Upper
Burma on May 30.
"We’ve stressed the need for Asean [Association of Southeast Asian
Nations] countries to speed up political reform and call for the release
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma," said Kyaw
Moe, a director of the Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB), after a meeting
at the Malaysian embassy on Monday.
Burmese democracy campaigners in Canada would like to see Asian countries
reverse their approaches of "quiet diplomacy" and "constructive
engagement" and take a harder line on military-ruled Burma.
"We asked them what their countries were doing to help ease the Burma
crisis," said Kyaw Moe. Shareef Korah, CFOB’s program director, described
the Malaysian High Commissioner in Canada, Dato Dennis J Ignatius, as a
strong supporter of Suu Kyi. "He said that he and his government were
working hard to bring about democracy in Burma," Korah recounted.
The High Commissioner told activists at the meeting that Malaysia’s
foreign minister made a personal request to see Suu Kyi during talks with
the Burmese Foreign Minster Win Aung at last month’s Asean summit in Phnom
Penh.
The CFOB described their meetings as fruitful, and said they hoped to meet
with embassy staff from China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam in coming
weeks.

MISCELLANEOUS

ALTSEAN July 2 2003

ANNOUNCEMENT

Altsean-Burma's Black Friday Briefing has been updated and reformatted to
make it easier to download.

FOR PDF VERSION: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/BlkFriupdatejun24.pdf

FOR WORD VERSION: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/BlkFriupdatejun24.doc