BurmaNet News: July 29 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

July 29 2003 Issue #2294

INSIDE BURMA

The Economist: A showdown over Aung San Suu Kyi
Kyodo: Suu Kyi detained at Yangon gov’t guesthouse: minister
DVB: SPDC continues detention of opposition members in Mandalay Division
AP: Early release of Suu Kyi could trigger upheaval, Myanmar envoy says
Reuters: Red Cross meets Suu Kyi; Myanmar slams sanctions
Reuters: Burmese officers arrest 12 in bomb plots
Narinjara: Millionaire Military Intelligence agent arrested

MONEY

Narinjara: New artillery installation to guard Rakhine Gas Fields
Guardian: Activists claim victory over travel links
Vancouver Sun: Firefighters to shed Burma jackets
Xinhua: Myanmar adjusts paddy purchase policy in 40 years

INTERNATIONAL

Fortune: The UN’s man in Myanmar has business interests there, too
Nation: Razali throws support behind Thai road map
AFP: Aung San suu Kyi’s detention ‘simply not acceptable’: Britain

ON THE BORDER

Irrawaddy: Dissidents targeted in Mae Saraiang

REGIONAL

Xinhua: Thaksin: Thailand to seek international help for Myanmar

STATEMENTS/ANALYSIS

Office of the Press Secretary: Executive Order
Statements by the President: Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act and
Executive Order
FCO: ‘Two months on: Burma’s international isolation growing’
Nation: Wind of change may be stirring

INSIDE BURMA

The Economist July 29 2003

A showdown over Aung San Suu Kyi

To Myanmar's military leaders she is a danger to stability; to the outside
world Aung San Suu Kyi is a heroine. Is the rest of Asia turning against
the junta’s treatment of her?

THE pressure on the military junta that runs Myanmar to release Aung San
Suu Kyi—the country's opposition leader and probably the world's
best-known political prisoner—was stepped up on Monday July 28th when
President George Bush signed into law an embargo on all imports from the
country. Japan, which is one of Myanmar's largest donors, has cut off new
aid. Several of Myanmar's South-East Asian neighbours have overcome their
customary reluctance to comment on each other's internal affairs and have
publicly criticised the junta. The generals have been reacting
hysterically, as ever, to all this pressure: last week, they accused Miss
Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) of “trying to push
Myanmar towards total destruction”. Over the weekend, the junta arrested
12 people linked to opposition groups, claiming to have discovered plots
to plant bombs and assassinate junta members.

On Tuesday, officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross
were allowed to see Miss Suu Kyi for the first time since she was detained
in May after a violent clash between her supporters and a pro-junta group.
They said she was in good health and high spirits, and being held under
“decent” conditions. Myanmar's foreign minister, Win Aung, repeated the
junta's line that it did not plan to detain her indefinitely, but he would
not say when she might be released. The situation, he insisted, had to
“cool down” first.

Besides the trade ban imposed by America, Myanmar may soon face sanctions
by the European Union. Its external-affairs commissioner, Chris Patten, a
keen Asia-watcher since his tenure as the last British governor of Hong
Kong, said that Myanmar’s “behaviour has been appalling”. But the worst
blow for the junta has been the attitude of the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member. At its meeting in
Phnom Penh in June, ASEAN called on Myanmar to free Miss Suu Kyi.

It was the first time that the association had rebuked a member state.
Concern about Miss Suu Kyi, for all her status as a winner of a Nobel
peace prize, is only a part of a much wider concern about Myanmar
generally. It is one of the few countries in Asia that do not make at
least a nod towards electoral choice. Even China, though firmly in the
grip of the Communist Party at national level, allows fair elections
locally. Myanmar’s regime is a classic military dictatorship, and has been
so in various forms since a coup in 1962. In 1990, the generals allowed a
free election, foolishly believing that they were popular and that a
government sympathetic to them would be elected. Instead, there was an
overwhelming win for the NLD. Even much of the army voted for it. The
election result, of course, has never been honoured.

Malaysia’s prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, who strongly supported
Myanmar’s admission to ASEAN, has suggested that it might have to be
expelled. That is unlikely to happen, although Myanmar is unlikely to be
invited to join the more important Asia-Europe Meeting. Vietnam, for one,
would oppose Myanmar's ejection from ASEAN and other members worry that
such a move would cause the association to lose face.

Moreover, Myanmar is potentially a valuable asset to ASEAN, which
constantly talks of a common market among its members. Within the largely
rural, densely forested country there are riches. It is the world’s
largest exporter of teak, and, illegally, a major source of heroin. Its
soil is very fertile. It has important offshore oil and gas deposits. It
knows that, whatever the rest of the world may do, China will continue to
provide a market for its products.

ASEAN will continue to press for Miss Suu Kyi’s release, hoping that she
will then be forgotten. Myanmar would like to forget her too. But the last
time she was allowed her freedom, earlier this year, she drew such crowds
at her meetings that the junta began to fear for its future.

To the outside world Miss Suu Kyi is seen as a diminutive figure, however
brave. To the junta she is the most dangerous person in the country. The
generals are stuck with a heroine, and not only because of her calls for
democracy: her father fought for the country’s independence from Britain.
This is one of the reasons why the junta has mostly treated her with
respect, confining her to house arrest over much of the past 15 years,
rather than putting her in prison, where she is now. A United Nations
envoy, Razali Ismail, the only outsider apart from the Red Cross allowed
to visit her, said he believed she would soon be freed. As things stand
that is an optimistic forecast.
_________

Kyodo News July 29 2003

Suu Kyi detained at Yangon gov't guesthouse: minister
By Christine T. Tjandraningsih

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being detained at a
government guesthouse in Yangon, Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung said
Tuesday.

'She is very well...We are looking after her,' Win Aung told Kyodo News in
an interview on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa conference in the West
Java provincial capital of Bandung.

'She is exercising every morning,' he added.

Asked whether she is being detained in Yangon, the Myanmar envoy answered,
'Yes, in Yangon' and in a government 'guesthouse.'

Prior to Win Aung's remarks, the junta had not commented on where Suu Kyi
is being detained.

Earlier Tuesday, Win Aung told reporters that he does not think Suu Kyi
will be held in detention for 'months.'

'We don't have any intention to prolong the arrangement,' he said, adding
that she will be released 'as soon as the situation returns to normal.'

'We are working day-by-day, night-by-night and you know, we are not doing
nothing.'

Members of an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team who met
with her Monday said Tuesday they were allowed to do so only on condition
that they did not reveal her place of detention.

The team found the Nobel Peace Prize laureate to be in 'very good health'
and in 'good spirits,' according to an ICRC official in Yangon.

Myanmar's ruling generals have been detaining Suu Kyi and several members
of her National League for Democracy (NLD) since May 30, following what
the junta claimed were violent clashes between NLD supporters and
pro-junta demonstrators in northern Myanmar.

Win Aung did not give any time frame for Suu Kyi's release despite
international pressure, including from the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Myanmar is a member, seeking her
immediate release.

He also took the opportunity to slam as 'one-sided' Monday's decision by
U.S. President George W. Bush to sign a bill that closes U.S. market to
imports from Myanmar in protest at Suu Kyi's detention.

'That's (a) unilateral action taken by some without any (regard) for the
benefit of the (Myanmar) people.'

'Aung San Suu Kyi, she is only one individual,' he added.

Win Aung, speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of the Asia-Africa
Subregional Organizations Conference, being held here to prepare for the
50th commemoration of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference that gave birth to
the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War era, said his government does
not view the sanctions as obstacles to nation-building.

'We feel some difficulties in our exports, but our country's main economy
is agriculture...With hard work, with taking (care of) our fields, we
(will be able) to build our country further,' he said. 'Without help, we
have to do ourselves.'

The foreign minister likened Myanmar to a 'sailboat,' saying, 'Without
wind from behind, we have to paddle...(and to) reach our goals, it will be
a longer process.'

Myanmar's problems, he said, can only be solved by 'cooperation' and 'by
talking to each other.'

'If we step into every country's affairs and start criticizing and saying
like that, the problems will never end.'

Most ASEAN members held a meeting last week on the sidelines of the fifth
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers on the Indonesian resort
island Bali, where they reached a common position on the Myanmar issue.

The ASEM meeting yielded a statement that called on the generals to
immediately release Suu Kyi and other NLD members and ensure their freedom
to engage in political activities.

It also called the junta to resume its efforts toward national
reconciliation and democracy.
_______

Democratic Voice of Burma July 29 2003

SPDC continues detention of opposition members in Mandalay Division

It is reported that at least 10 NLD members in Mandalay Division were
arrested by the military intelligence (MI) and some of them had been
imprisoned and some are being tried in courts. The imprisoned are U Sein
Tun, the chairman of Singu Township NLD and four other NLD members and
they were each given 2 years in prison by Singu Township court.

Similarly, a NLD member of Madaya Township and other six were arrested and
they were each sentenced to three years and three months in prison.

U Saw Htay, the vice-chairman of Mandalay Division NLD and also a NLD MP
and the secretary U Kan Tun and the treasurer U Ko Gyi were arrested and
they are being tried at Chan Aye Tharzan Township in Mandalay. U Ko Gyi
was arrested on the 24th of July after he went to see his son, Ko Kyaw Soe
Linn at Khamti Prison.

A NLD leader from Mandalay Division told the DVB about the detained and
imprisoned people as follows:

A NLD leader from Mandalay Division : On the 19th of July, the
vice-chairman U Saw Htay and the secretary U Hla Tun were arrested. On the
24th of July, U Ko Gyi was arrested. U Ko Gyi went to see his son Kyaw Soe
Linn at Khamti. He was arrested on his way home at the airport just when
he landed. Six people from Madaya including U Nyo were arrested for giving
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi protection during her Mogok to Mandalay journey. U
Nyo was a NLD vice-chairman before and became a monk from that position.
He provided protection for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and team at Madaya during
her trip and he was arrested with the charges of throwing stones, shooting
catapult and beating people with sticks. I am told that he is in Mandalay
Prison. The six are each given three-year-and-three-month in prison. Three
from Mogok and four from Singu are detained with the charge of throwing
stones. The four from Singu are each given two years and the six from
Madaya are given three years and three months.

DVB : Are the people who were imprisoned all NLD members?

A NLD leader from Mandalay Division : U Nyo from Madaya was a NLD member
but as he became a monk, we can’t say that he is an NLD member. Before, he
was the vice-chairman. The remaining five are all civilians. They are not
NLD members.
_________

Associated Press July 29 2003

Early release of Suu Kyi could trigger upheaval, Myanmar envoy says
By CHRIS BRUMMITT

Myanmar's foreign minister said Tuesday that if his country releases
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi too soon it could trigger unrest.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar warned that a
prolonged detention of Suu Kyi would be a "setback" for the 10-member
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is under pressure to help
broker a solution to the crisis.

"The sooner the release is done, the better for all sides," he told
reporters on the sidelines of an Asian and African ministerial meeting in
the city of Bandung in West Java province.

Indonesia currently chairs ASEAN, which also includes Myanmar and Malaysia
as members.

Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung is also attending the Bandung meeting.
On Monday he met Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to discuss the
fate of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The military junta detained Suu Kyi after a deadly May 30 clash between
her supporters and junta backers. The government said the violence was
sparked when Suu Kyi's motorcade tried to push through a crowd of
government supporters, and that she was detained for her protection.

But exiled opposition groups say pro-government thugs ambushed the
motorcade, leaving dozens dead, in a pretext for a crackdown on her
pro-democracy party.

The arrest halted a reconciliation process that started in October 2000
with talks between Suu Kyi and the government.

Asked Tuesday when Suu Kyi would be released, Win Aung said: "As soon as
the situation returns to normal. We don't have any intention to prolong
that arrangement."

"What we are aiming for is not to have any upheaval in the country," said
Win Aung, who is also the special envoy of Myanmar's military junta leader
Gen. Than Swee.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has sent envoys to several Asian countries,
including Thailand and Japan, to explain Suu Kyi's detention.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won general elections in
Myanmar in 1990, but was barred by the military from taking power.
_______

Reuters July 29 2003

Red Cross Meets Suu Kyi; Myanmar Slams Sanctions
By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON, Myanmar (Reuters) - Red Cross officials, allowed to meet Myanmar
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since her
detention two months ago, said Tuesday she was in good health and high
spirits.

The visit came as the United States slapped tough new sanctions on the
impoverished Southeast Asian country, a move military-ruled Myanmar and
some of its neighbors said would only hurt the country's poor.

International concern has been mounting over Suu Kyi's health and
whereabouts, and Myanmar's ruling generals have come under intense
diplomatic and economic pressure to free her.

"Sanctions are one-sided, unilateral actions taken by some without any
regard for the people," Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung told reporters
on the sidelines of a meeting of Asian and African officials in Bandung in
Indonesia's West Java province.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officials had been trying
to meet the 58-year-old Nobel Peace laureate since she was detained on May
30 after a bloody clash between her supporters and a pro-junta group.

"I and one of my colleagues met her at where she was kept yesterday
morning," the ICRC's representative in Myanmar, Michel Ducreaux, told
Reuters Tuesday.

"The meeting lasted for about half an hour and we were alone. It was a
very decent place and the conditions were also very decent," he said,
without saying where Suu Kyi was detained.

"She was in very good health and she wasn't hurt at all. She was in high
spirits." Only a U.N. special envoy had previously been allowed to see Suu
Kyi in early June.


INDONESIA OFFERS MEDIATION

International pressure is mounting on Myanmar's military, which has ruled
the country since a 1962 coup and ignored a 1990 election victory by Suu
Kyi's National League for Democracy.

President Bush signed a bill Monday closing the U.S. market to imports
from Myanmar. Key donor Japan has cut off new aid and Myanmar's Southeast
Asian neighbors have taken the unprecedented step of publicly criticising
the junta.

Thailand said Tuesday that Indonesia, current chair of the Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), wanted to take a leading role in
brokering fresh talks between the junta and Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy.

In an interview with Reuters Tuesday, Win Aung said he was lukewarm to the
idea of Indonesia as a mediator and insisted the junta did not hate Suu
Kyi, although it blames her for the May 30 clash by whipping up unrest.

"In internal matters which are very complicated the homegrown process is
best...I think it's better not to complicate matters," said Win Aung, who
travels to Bangkok on Thursday for talks with his Thai counterpart.

Win Aung said Suu Kyi was a product of the West and accused the outside
world of being fixated with her.

"We are taking a calculated risk in this present situation, not because we
have hatred against Aung San Suu Kyi. We don't have any hatred to her, no
animosity," he said in Bandung.

Thailand, fearing an influx of economic migrants from its western
neighbor, is against sanctions and has proposed that key Western and Asian
countries meet the Myanmar junta to hammer out a "road map" for democratic
transition in the country.

"The new U.S. sanctions are a wake-up call for ASEAN to accelerate its
attempt to solve the problem in Myanmar, otherwise there will be more
sanctions from more countries in the future," Thai Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters.

Malaysia, which helped bring Myanmar into ASEAN in 1997, said Tuesday that
isolating the country was a mistake.

"We can't simply follow the American thinking. We have to look at in our
context and the interest of the people in Myanmar. Sanctions will force
hardship on the people and that's not our intention," Malaysian Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

Some Yangon-based diplomats and Myanmar exile groups say the military
orchestrated the May 30 violence. They say hundreds of pro-government
youths set upon Suu Kyi's convoy with clubs while she was touring central
Myanmar, killing dozens.

The government denies this and says four people died.
_________

Reuters July 26 2003

Burmese Officers Arrest 12 in Bomb Plots

The military government said today that it had arrested 12 people with
links to opposition parties and charged them with planting bombs and
plotting to assassinate members of the junta.

The generals, who say strong rule is needed to keep the ethnically diverse
country together, have come under international pressure over their
detention of the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Senior officers said at a news conference that the 12 people were planning
bomb attacks on key members of the junta on July 19, the day Myanmar
honors Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's father, Aung San, who helped lead the
Burmese to independence.

The group had already planted several time bombs in and around Yangon,
they said. Four were detonated, killing two people and injuring dozens.

A senior military intelligence officer, Col. San Pwint, said the suspects
also had links with pro-democracy exile groups like the All Burma Students
Democratic Front, and would face trial to answer the accusations.
_____

Narinjara News July 29 2003

Millionaire Military Intelligence agent arrested

A Burmese Military Intelligence officer in western Burma has been arrested
on corruption charges in the first week of July, sources in the police
department said.

The officer-in-charge of Kyauktaw Township Burmese Military Intelligence,
Battalion  10, Sergeant Myo Khin was arrested for ‘possessing
unexplainable quantity of properties’ including one thousand acres of
agricultural land, twelve cars and buses, and forced money-lending to
farmers in the area, estimated value kyat fifteen million.

He was arrested after a local retired army sergeant, Kyaw Shwe Aung,
brought a corruption charge against the accused last month.    Since the
arrest an investigation has begun to assess the true value of the wealth
he has illegally amassed through threat, extortion and misuse of power.

Residents in the township said that the man has been involved in the
illegal trade of hard drugs including heroin, Phensedyl (an expectorant
made in India but widely misused as sedative and drug), and illegal
logging.

“Each of the seventeen township Military Intelligence units in Rakhine
State has one sergeant as officer-in-charge who wield indefinite power
over all sectors and commercial activities, etc.  This has rendered them
rich and above suspicion.  An example: fearing legal actions an MI
sergeant, Myint Aung, who was posted at Mrauk-U Township, has recently
retired from his job and is setting up a bus terminal, Shwe Pyi Thaik, in
Sittwe” a local businessman said.

MONEY

Narinjara News July 29 2003

New Artillery Installation to guard Rakhine Gas Fields

The Burma Army has begun construction of artillery base on an island close
to Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, in western Burma.  The base is
being installed at the southern tip of West Farunga Island, about fifty
kilometres south to Sittwe.

Sources in the administration preferring to be anonymous said that the
artillery base is aimed at safeguarding the construction of facilities in
an offshore gas field, from which the gas would ultimately be piped to
neighbouring countries.

The Chin minority villagers in the nearby areas including Soemegyi Village
have been engaged in forced labour in the construction of the artillery
base.  The source also said that a total of five such artillery bases in
the nearby islands of Kyun-thaya of Mrebon Township, Man-aung,
Thabru-chaing in Thandway Township, and Oyster lighthouse beside the one
at Farunga would be constructed for offering protection to the offshore
gas interest.

Meanwhile ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of India’s Oil and Natural Gas
Corp. (ONGC), has singled out Burma as one of its investment target for
2004, according to a World Markets Analysis report on 21 July 03.  The
company is said to have contacted the Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise
(MOGE) to express an interest in blocks A-2 and A-3 in Rakhine State. 
ONGC currently holds a stake in block A-1 in partnership with the Gas
Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and South Korea’s Daewoo Corp., said the
report.

ONGC Videsh has budgeted almost US$1.3 billion for overseas projects in
the coming year.  Though it could not be confirmed whether the Burmese
military regime has been utilizing the money from ONGC Videsh for the
construction of the five artillery bases in the Rakhine islands.

A political watcher said that in the Yetagun and Yadana gas pipelines
built for transmission of natural gas to Thailand in the southern part of
Burma by the Tootal and Unocal, wide scale use of forced labour and forced
relocation of dozens of villages raised concern among the international
human rights bodies and the ILO besides the Unocal having been sued in a
US court for a few years now.
________

Guardian July 29 2003

Burma boycott: Activists claim victory over travel links
By Terry Macalister

Human rights activists yesterday claimed Abercrombie & Kent, the upmarket
travel group, as the latest scalp in the campaign to terminate links with
Burma's military dictatorship.

Attention now switches to tobacco group British American Tobacco, which is
under pressure from the UK government to announce its withdrawal alongside
its financial results today.

P&O, the cruise liner operator, and law firm Freshfields will also be
targeted over links with Burma. The country has been plunged into turmoil
by the re-arrest of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Abercrombie & Kent
said it had stopped "actively promoting" Burma and would not be
advertising it in its 2004 brochure.

"The nature of Burma as an off-the-beaten-track destination means those
clients enquiring are experienced travellers. They will be aware of the
political situation and the controversy surrounding tourism in the
region," said Stuart Douglass-Lee, planning director of Abercrombie &
Kent.

"Our sales team will, of course, outline A&K's position and will suggest
suit able alternative itineraries in the south-east Asia region. However,
should a client still insist on visiting Burma, A&K will organise the
travel arrangements."

The Burma Campaign UK made the point that other companies which had
withdrawn - such as Premier Oil - always dressed up their decisions as
purely commercial ones. But they were clear victories for human rights, it
claimed.

"This is excellent news," said Anna Roberts, campaigns officer at Burma
Campaign UK. "Abercrombie & Kent were one of the last significant tour
operators left in Burma. It further isolates Orient Express, Carnival
Cruises and Noble Caledonia. We will be stepping up pressure on them to
withdraw as well," she added.

Earlier this year Kuoni announced it was ceasing to offer travel
connections with Burma. The British government has recently called on all
firms to cut their links. Tourists continue to be drawn to sites such as
the Mingun Pagoda outside Mandalay (above).

BAT promised to reconsider its decision to keep a factory near Rangoon
after a personal request from the foreign minister, Mike O'Brien.
________

Vancouver Sun July 29 2003

Firefighters to shed Burma jackets
By Matthew Ramsey

The president of Vancouver's firefighters' union says he and most
unionized firefighters will no longer wear the department's winter jacket
should allegations the jacket supplier ordered the coats from a
manufacturer in a rogue nation be true.

The B.C. Ethical Purchasing Group says the jackets the city of Vancouver
ordered from Evin Industries Ltd. were made in Burma, a country under
military dictatorship and notorious for human rights abuses and shoddy
labour practices.

Firefighter union president Rod McDonald supplied jacket labels to the
Ethical Purchasing Group indicating the garments were made in Myanmar, the
name given to Burma by its ruling military junta.

McDonald said Burma's reputation for using sweatshop labour and the
political situation in that country make the $180 coat seem too ethically
and morally expensive.

"[If true,] we would not want to wear these jackets. I've made up my mind
I won't wear the jacket," McDonald said. "Getting a deal on a coat --
that's pretty much a total abandonment of any morals and ethics Canadians
stand for."

Vancouver fire department deputy chief Bob Smith, who is in charge of
clothing for the department, said the department's winter jackets come
from Evin and another Vancouver-based supplier and that roughly half of
the city's 815 firefighters have opted for the Evin jacket.

Smith said the department has a standing order with Evin to keep about 200
of the jackets in stock and has used the company's jackets for about six
years. Reached late Monday, Smith was not able to provide the exact amount
spent on Evin jackets or the precise number worn by city firefighters.

But Smith said Vancouver is pursuing another contract with a different
company for jackets.

Bill Saunders, president of the Vancouver and District Labour Council
(which is part of the recently-formed B.C. Ethical Purchasing Group), said
the city of Vancouver should follow the lead of Toronto, Windsor and
Halifax and enact a "No Sweat" policy. Such a policy would require
companies supplying products to the city at taxpayer expense to ensure
those products are ethically produced and meet minimum standards
established by the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO).

"This public tax money is being used to purchase an unethical product,"
Saunders said, adding that because the jacket is part of the Vancouver
fire department uniform, firefighters don't really have much of a choice
but to buy and wear it.
______

Xinhua News Agency July 29 2003

Myanmar adjusts paddy purchase policy in 40 years By Duan Tingchang

The Myanmar government has introduced recently a new  paddy purchase
policy, aimed at protecting the interests of farmers, raising their
enthusiasm for production, bringing down the sale prices and increasing
rice export earning.

It was the first time in 40 years for the government to adjust its paddy
purchase policy, which prescribes that beginning next year, the government
would no longer purchase paddy directly from the farmers. All Myanmar
citizens, excluding the government organizations, will be permitted to
carry out free trade of paddy and rice at the market prices.

Monopoly on the rice trade by any individual or organization will not be
allowed. Merchants shall sell to the government 10 percent of their paddy
at the same market prices as bought from the farmers to solve the state's
fixed income earners' food problem.

The new policy also designates that to ensure domestic food security and
social stability, export of rice will be allowed only when there is
surplus and rice exporters shall pay 10 percent in export tax. The
remaining 90 percent of the export earning be shared 50 percent each
between the exporters and the government.

To implement the policy, the government will form a Rice Trading Leading
Committee, led by Lieutenant-General Soe Win, Second Secretary of the
State Peace and Development Council, with four government ministers.

There exists three major differences between the new policy and the
traditional practices. They are firstly, the way of purchase. In the past,
the government bought paddy directly from the farmers, while at present,
the merchants do so from the farmers.

Secondly, the price of purchase. In the past, the government purchased
paddy from the farmers at a price lower than the market one, while at
present, the merchants purchase the crops from the farmers at the market
price.

Thirdly, the form of repayment of loan. In the past, the farmers had to
repay their loans with paddy harvested, while at present, it is done with
cash.

Myanmar is an agricultural country with a population reaching 52 million,
of whom 65 percent of the labor force are engaged in agricultural
production.

Agriculture is the mainstay of the country's economy with its output value
accounting for 42 percent of its gross domestic product and its export
value representing 28.3 percent of the total.

Myanmar has a cultivable land stretching 18.225 million hectares and the
lands utilized or cultivated are 10.12 million hectares, of which over 6
million hectares or 65 percent are covered by paddy.

The major readjustment of the paddy purchase policy is bound to generate a
positive impact on the country's agricultural development.

According to official statistics, in 2001, Myanmar's paddy cultivated area
was 16 million acres (6.47 million hectares) with a production of 22.3
million tons. The rice export stood at 692, 700 tons with a foreign
exchange earning of 80 million US dollars.

Meanwhile, in 2002, the paddy cultivated area was 16.4 million acres (6.63
million hectares) with a production of 22.78 million tons. The rice export
during the year stood at 919,700 tons with an earning of 110 million
dollars.

Myanmar was once a main rice exporting country in the world with an annual
figures of over 3 million tons. With a 2-percent annual progressive
increase of its population, the country has dropped out from the major
international rice market to ensure domestic food supply.

To promote agricultural development, the Myanmar government has, in recent
years, adopted many measures such as building and renovation of irrigation
facilities, introducing improved variety, expanding cultivated area,
leasing vacant land for private operation and exempting import duties
levied on agricultural machinery, pesticide and fertilizers.

According to the statistics, during the past 14 years since 1988, the
Myanmar government injected 62.6 billion Kyats (about 178 million dollars)
into the irrigation facilities construction, building 148 dams, adding
nearly 3 million acres (1.21 million hectares) to the irrigated areas.

Despite achievements made in agriculture, Myanmar still faces difficulties.

Firstly, shortage of fund. In 2002, the Myanmar Agriculture Bank extended
loan of 10.5 billion kyats (about 10.5 million dollars) to the whole
country with an annual interest of 15 percent, which is 5 percent higher
than the bank's annual deposit interest rate. The limited loan could by no
means meet the need of the farmers to operate.

Secondly, content of science and technology with respect to agriculture is
not high and the degree of agricultural mechanization is low. Up to now,
Myanmar still mainly uses traditional way of cultivation.

According to official statistics, the country's irrigated area is just
2.34 million hectares, accounting for only 23 percent of its total
cultivated area and its mechanized farming area is just 2.835 million
hectares, taking up a little over 20 percent of the total cultivated area.

Thirdly, shortage of fertilizers. Fertilizer is an important means for
boosting agricultural production. Official figures show that there are
only three fertilizer plants in Myanmar, yielding not enough fertilizers
for use.

Myanmar, with rich land and sufficient rain water resources, is richly
endowed by nature to develop agriculture. With the introduction and
implementation of new policies and measures, Myanmar's agriculture is
bound to make greater progress.

INTERNATIONAL

Fortune August 11 2003

Diplomatic Score;The UN's man in Myanmar has business interests there too.
By Eric Ellis

As United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy to Myanmar
for the past three years, Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail has found a way
to mix business and politics.

Razali's UN mission is to nudge Myanmar's military rulers toward a
transition to democracy. It's a tough job, since the junta doesn't appear
to be interested. And things have gotten even worse since May 30, when
pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ambushed and
detained.

But at least the 62-year-old Razali, who has twice served as president of
the UN Security Council, can keep an eye on his business interests in
Myanmar. Razali is chairman of Iris Technologies, a Malaysian company that
is introducing electronic-passport technology at Yangon's government-run
airport. He is also a director of Wah Seong, a Malaysian engineering group
that owns a trading company with property-development interests in Yangon,
and of Leader Universal Holdings, a cable, fiber-optics, and
telecom-equipment firm that is seeking business in Myanmar. A Leader
spokesman confirms that senior executives have met with government
officials there. And Razali is chairman of a Malaysian water-treatment
group, Salcon Engineering, which has exhibited at a trade show in Yangon.

Razali did not respond to FORTUNE's requests for an interview. But in
November he told the Malaysiakini News Service, "I have never once spoken
to the leaders in Myanmar about Iris    There is not an iota of conflict
involved." The UN, he noted, could always terminate his contract if it
felt there was a conflict of interest.
______

Nation July 29 2003

Razali throws support behind Thai road map

UN envoy encourages PM to press ahead despite Rangoon's cold shoulder

Thailand is continuing to galvanise support from the international
community on its road-map plan for national reconciliation in Burma,
although Rangoon has given it the cold shoulder and made no moves to
release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday spoke to UN special envoy to
Burma Razali Ismail about the Thai-proposed road map over breakfast on
Malaysia's Langakawi iland.

Thaksin said the UN envoy had encouraged him to go ahead with the initiative.

Thailand will seek cooperation from many countries including India and
China to break the Burmese political deadlock, he said.

"We understand that Rangoon has tried to solve the problem on its own but
the situation is too complicated to do [it] alone. Everything we have done
is to help them, otherwise the situation would get worse," Thaksin told
reporters after returning from Langkawi.

Thailand is at the forefront of the matter, seeking an "exit" to break the
political deadlock in Rangoon which has come under strong international
pressure after a bloody incident on May 30 led to the arrest of opposition
leaders.

Last week during the Asia-Europe Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, Thailand
raised the idea of organising a Burma Forum to discuss a road map to
achieve national reconciliation. China, the United Kingdom and Austria
have agreed to participate in the forum which is scheduled to be held here
before the end of the year pending Burma's approval, said Foreign Minister
Surakiart Sathirathai. Malaysia is the latest country to express an
interest in joining, he added.

Meanwhile, junta head Than Shwe dispatched envoys to explain its story to
several countries in a bid to reduce pressure.

Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung was in Jakarta yesterday to discuss an
Asean proposal to send a mission to Rangoon to secure the release of Suu
Kyi.

But the Burmese minister gave no positive indications about her release to
Indonesia, which currently chairs Asean.

"It's not a delay . . . We are working for everything to become normal,"
Win Aung said after meeting Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
"Maybe the time will come after the cooling down."

Win Aung is due to arrive here on Thursday to discuss with Surakiart the
Burma Forum and road-map ideas while attending a two-day meeting on
economic cooperation with Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
__________

Agence France Presse July 29 2003

Aung San Suu Kyi's detention "simply not acceptable": Britain

Britain on Tuesday condemned the continued detention of democracy leader
Aung Sang Suu Kyi by Myanmar's military junta as "simply not acceptable".

Michael O'Brien, a junior foreign minister who represented London at the
Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers meeting in Bali last week, said he has tried
to contact Suu Kyi several times but his attempts to reach her were
"frustrated by the Burmese authorities".

Suu Kyi was arrested on May 30 and has been held in solitary confinement
since.

"The fact remains that Aung Sang Suu Kyi should not be in detention at
all: she remains cut off from her friends and supporters ... by a
draconian law which allows her to be held, without charge or access to
lawyers, for up to five years," O'Brien said.

"This is simply not acceptable," he added.

Eyewitnesses said the democracy leader and her supporters had been making
a political tour of northern Myanmar when they were ambushed by a
pro-government mob in an incident feared to have left dozens dead.

Myanmar's foreign minister Win Aung, on a visit to Jakarta Monday, claimed
that Suu Kyi would not remain in detention for "a long period".

An official from the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) was
finally allowed access to Syu Kyi Monday, in response to mounting
international pressure. He reported that she was in good health.

Myanmar, formally known as Burma, was a British colony until its
independence in 1948, and the British government has been at the forefront
of diplomatic efforts to isolate its military regime led by General Than
Shwe.

ON THE BORDER

Irrawaddy July 29 2003

Dissidents Targeted in Mae Sariang
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Local authorities in Thailand launched a crackdown on Burmese dissidents
in the northern province of Mae Hong Son two days earlier than the
original deadline, sources in the area said.

Border police went to the offices of the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO)
in the town of Mae Sariang early this morning and arrested six members of
organization, but released them later in the afternoon.

 Opposition sources said the order to close their operations in Mae
Sariang was part of a bigger plan from Bangkok and that local officials
had said other parts of Thailand would be next.

On July 18, Thai officials ordered all members of Burmese opposition
organizations, including ethnic groups, to abandon their offices in Mae
Sariang by the end of July.

A witness said that the six Karen women arrested this morning were
Christer Bell, Naw Myaing Po, Naw Shwe Paw, Htoo Wah Paw, Paw Hset Hser
and Naw Hser Nay Moo. Christer Bell is the KWO’s joint secretary.

Naw Myaing Po said they were held for eight hours and were told to meet
with Thai officials again tomorrow to talk about their future plans. She
said that the KWO does have plans to move out of Mae Sariang, but didn’t
reveal where they plan to relocate.

Panic after the arrests have forced other dissidents in the area to close
their offices and leave the area ahead of the Thursday deadline. Around 50
dissidents belonging to opposition groups are based in the town, including
the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), the Karen National Union
(KNU) and the Network for Democracy and Development.

A member of the ABSDF based in Mae Sariang said earlier today: "In an
hour, we are going to go to an area inside Burma. Yesterday, other members
left Mae Sariang. We will not leave anyone behind at our offices here."

A KNU official also said members were preparing to leave the town by
tomorrow, and were shutting down their offices.

The ABSDF member said that as the crackdown has forced groups to move to
areas across the border, it will be harder for dissidents to keep in touch
with each other and attract support from the international community.

Opposition sources said the order to close their operations in Mae Sariang
was part of a bigger plan from the central Thai government, and that local
officials had warned other parts of Thailand would be targeted next.

REGIONAL

Xinhua News Agency July 29 2003

Thaksin: Thailand to seek international help for Myanmar

Thailand would continue to seek for more international support to help
Myanmar solve its political deadlock, local press on Tuesday quoted
Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as saying.

"We understand that Yangon has tried to solve the problem on its own but
the situation is too complicated to do (it) alone," the prime minister was
quoted by newspaper The Nation as saying.

"Everything we have done is to help them, otherwise the situation would
get worse," Thaksin told reporters after his return from Malaysia's
Langkawi, where he had met the United Nations special envoy to Myanmar 
Razali Ismail.

Thaksin said he had talked with Ismail about the road map proposed by the
Thai government on the Myanmar situation and the UN envoy had encouraged
him to go ahead with the initiative.

The so-called road map was proposed by the Thai government in late June
for the Myanmar government to put an end to the negotiation stalemate
between the government and the opposition.

As to the Myanmar situation, Thaksin was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying
that "democracy comes first," noting that the release of the opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi was secondary in the road map.

The plan was conceived as a way to help achieve positive political
development in Myanmar, including no ultimatums nor pressure to the
Myanmar government, according to the Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai.

He also told reporters that the national reconciliation process for
Myanmar should start from political dialogue to be followed by other
details.

However, Thaksin noted that the road map would not be proposed in the name
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) until other
countries that border Myanmar had common understanding with Thailand on
this issue.

Thailand, borders Myanmar to the north and west, is at the forefront of
the matter.

Thailand in last week raised the idea of holding a Myanmar Forum to
discuss a way out for Mynamar's national reconciliation.

Surakiat and his Myanmar counterpart Win Aung were scheduled to meet on
Thursday.

STATEMENTS/ANALYSIS

Office of the Press Secretary July 28 2003

Executive Order
Blocking Property of the Government of Burma and Prohibiting Certain
Transactions

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, including the International
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the
National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003 (July 28, 2003), and section 301 of title 3, United
States Code, and in order to take additional steps with respect to the
Government of Burmas continued repression of the democratic opposition in
Burma and with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive
Order 13047 of May 20, 1997;

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, hereby order:

Section 1. Except to the extent provided in section 203(b)(1), (3), and
(4) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(1), (3), and (4)), the Trade Sanctions
Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (title IX, Public Law 106-387)
(TSRA), or regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued
pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or
any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order,
all property and interests in property of the following persons that are
in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or
that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United
States persons, including their overseas branches, are blocked and may not
be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:

(a) the persons listed in the Annex attached and made a part of this
order; and
(b) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in
consultation with the Secretary of State,
(i) to be a senior official of the Government of Burma, the State Peace
and Development Council of Burma, the Union Solidarity and Development
Association of Burma, or any successor entity to any of the foregoing; or
(ii) to be owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or
on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and
interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

Sec. 2. Except to the extent provided in section 203(b) of IEEPA (50
U.S.C. 1702(b)), the TSRA, or regulations, orders, directives, or licenses
that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any
contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the
effective date of this order, the following are prohibited:

(a) the exportation or reexportation, directly or indirectly, to Burma of
any financial services either (i) from the United States or (ii) by a
United States person, wherever located; and
(b) any approval, financing, facilitation, or guarantee by a United States
person, wherever located, of a transaction by a foreign person where the
transaction by that foreign person would be prohibited by this order if
performed by a United States person or within the United States;

Sec. 3. Beginning 30 days after the effective date of this order, and
except to the extent provided in section 8 of this order and in
regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant
to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any
license or permit granted prior to 30 days after the effective date of
this order, the importation into the United States of any article that is
a product of Burma is hereby prohibited.

Sec. 4. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United
States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, or
attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is
prohibited.
(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in
this order is prohibited.

Sec. 5. For purposes of this order:
(a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;
(b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint
venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
(c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen,
permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United
States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign
branches), or any person in the United States; and
(d) the term "Government of Burma" means the Government of Burma
(sometimes referred to as Myanmar), its agencies, instrumentalities and
controlled entities, and the Central Bank of Burma.

Sec. 6. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type
specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by or to
persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to
section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the
national emergency declared in Executive Order 13047, and hereby prohibit
such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in property are
blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order who might have a
constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the
ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to
such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render
these measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures
to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive
Order 13047, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination
made pursuant to this order.

Sec. 8. Determining that such a waiver is in the national interest of the
United States, I hereby waive the prohibitions described in section 3 of
the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 with respect to any and all
articles that are a product of Burma to the extent that prohibiting the
importation of such articles would conflict with the international
obligations of the United States under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the United Nations
Headquarters Agreement, and other legal instruments providing equivalent
privileges and immunities.

Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the
promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to
the President by IEEPA and sections 3(a) and 4 of the Burmese Freedom and
Democracy Act of 2003, other than the authority to make the determinations
and certification to the Congress that Burma has met the conditions
described in 3(a)(3) of the Act, as may be necessary to carry out the
purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any
of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States
Government consistent with applicable law. The Secretary of State is
authorized to exercise the functions and authorities conferred upon the
President by section 3(b) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003
and to redelegate these functions and authorities consistent with
applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby
directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry
out the provisions of this order.

Sec. 10. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary
of State, is authorized to determine, subsequent to the issuance of this
order, that circumstances no longer warrant inclusion of a person in the
Annex to this order and that the property and interests in property of
that person are therefore no longer blocked pursuant to section 1 of this
order.

Sec. 11. Nothing in this order is intended to affect the continued
effectiveness of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses, or other forms
of administrative action issued, taken, or continued in effect heretofore
or hereafter under 31 C.F.R. chapter V, except as expressly terminated,
modified, or suspended by or pursuant to this order.

Sec. 12. Sections 1 through 7 of Executive Order 13047 are hereby revoked
to the extent they are inconsistent with this order. All delegations,
rules, regulations, orders, licenses, and other forms of administrative
action made, issued, or otherwise taken under Executive Order 13047, not
inconsistent with section 3 of this order and not revoked
administratively, shall remain in full force and effect under this order
until amended, modified, or terminated by proper authority. The revocation
of any provision of Executive Order 13047 pursuant to this section shall
not affect any violation of any rules, regulations, orders, licenses, or
other forms of administrative action under that order during the period
that such provision of that order was in effect.

Sec. 13. All provisions of this order other than section 3 shall not apply
to any activity, or any transaction incident to an activity, undertaken
pursuant to an agreement, or pursuant to the exercise of rights under such
an agreement, that was entered into by a United States person with the
Government of Burma or a nongovernmental entity in Burma prior to 12:01
a.m. eastern daylight time on May 21, 1997.

Sec. 14. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or
benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any
party against the United States, its departments, agencies,
instrumentalities, or entities, its officers or employees, or any other
person.

Sec. 15. This order is effective on 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on
July 29, 2003.

Sec. 16. This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in
the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
July 28, 2003.
__________

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT July 28 2003

Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 and Executive Order
        Today, I have signed into law the Burmese Freedom and Democracy
Act of 2003 and an executive order sending a clear signal to
Burma's ruling junta that it must release Nobel Peace Laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi, along with all other political prisoners, and
move down the path toward democracy.  These measures reaffirm to
the people of Burma that the United States stands with them in
their struggle for democracy and freedom.

        The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act is the result of close
cooperation between my Administration and Members of Congress on
both sides of the aisle, especially Senator Mitch McConnell and
Representative Tom Lantos.  Among other measures, the legislation
bans the import of Burmese products.  The executive order freezes
the assets of senior Burmese officials and bans virtually all
remittances to Burma.  By denying these rulers the hard currency
they use to fund their repression, we are providing strong
incentives for democratic change and human rights in Burma.

        In May of this year, the Burmese government tightened its grip on
the people of Burma when it organized an attack on the motorcade
of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for
Democracy (NLD).  Since then, Burmese officials have ignored
requests from around the world to release Aung San Suu Kyi and
other members of the NLD and to re-open NLD offices.

        The repression of the Burmese regime contributes to problems that
spill across Burma's borders, including refugee flows, narcotics
trafficking, and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.  These
problems affect Burma's neighbors, and these nations must play an
important role in resolving the current crisis.  I urge the
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to continue to
make clear to the regime that its behavior is inconsistent with
ASEAN's standards and goals.  Burma should not be permitted to
tarnish ASEAN's record as a positive force for progress.  I also
welcome the measures taken by the European Union and Japan to
bring about democratic change in Burma.

        The United States will not waver from its commitment to the cause
of democracy and human rights in Burma.  The United States has
raised the situation in Burma at the United Nations Security
Council, and will do so again as developments warrant.  The world
must make clear -- through word and deed -- that the people of
Burma, like people everywhere, deserve to live in dignity and
freedom, under leaders of their own choosing.
_________

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Jul 29 2003

FCO MINISTER: ‘TWO MONTHS ON: BURMA’S INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION GROWING’

Tomorrow marks two months to the day since Nobel Peace Prize Winner Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi (ASSK) was detained by the Burmese military regime.

Speaking after his return from south-east Asia, FCO Minister Mike O’Brien
welcomed yesterday’s reports that the Red Cross had finally been given
access to ASSK, but he dismissed hints by the Burmese regime that she
might be released soon and called for an immediate end to her detention:

“I welcome the news that, in response to mounting international concern,
an official from the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) was
finally given access to ASSK yesterday.  I am very relieved that she
appeared to be in good health.  Nevertheless, the fact remains that ASSK
should not be in detention at all: she remains cut off from her friends
and supporters – both within Burma and beyond – by a draconian law which
allows her to be held, without charge or access to lawyers, for up to five
years.  This is simply not acceptable.

“In the meantime, the regime seems determined to silence ASSK. I have
tried to call her several times but was frustrated by the Burmese
authorities.  In a further effort to make contact, I have also written to
her. Unfortunately, the regime has given our Ambassador in Rangoon no
assurances that my letter will be passed on, or that ASSK will be
permitted to reply.

“The regime has suggested that ASSK will not remain in detention for ‘a
long period’.  But if the regime is genuine about this, why does it refuse
to commit itself to a date for her release?  Without such a concrete
commitment, the military’s assurances will continue to lack credibility. 
In the meantime, calls for her release will only grow louder as each day
passes.

“Last week I represented the United Kingdom at the Asia-Europe Foreign
Ministers Meeting in Bali.  From my discussions with others there, it was
clear to me that Burma’s international isolation is growing.  The message
from both Asian and European governments is clear: if Burma is not to be a
pariah state, ASSK must be released, and the regime must start along the
road to reform”.

Notes for Editors

1.	Following a violent incident at Depayin on 30 May in which elements of
the regime attacked ASSK and a convoy of her supporters, ASSK has been
detained under Section 10(a) of the 1975 State Protection Law – a
draconian piece of legislation which permits the detention of an
individual for up to five years, without access to family or lawyers.  The
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative to Burma, Tan
Sri Razali Ismail, saw ASSK on 10 June. Officials from the ICRC saw her on
28 July.  Apart from these two visits, however, no other independent
observer has been able to secure access to her.

2.	The Fifth ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting [ASEM FMM V] was held in Bali
on 23-24 July and was attended by Foreign Ministers from ten Asian and
fifteen European states.  The Meeting called on the Government of Burma to
‘immediately release Daw Aung Suu Kyi and other NLD members and ensure
them freedom of political activities’.  It also called upon the Burmese
regime ‘to resume its efforts toward national reconciliation and
democracy’.
_________

Nation July 29 2003

Wind of change may be stirring
By Don Pathan

Something is afoot in Rangoon and it could very well bring a new power
arrangement and a better tomorrow for the military-controlled state.
Informed sources say the top three members of the military junta are at
loggerheads following condemnation by the international community and
leading Asean members over the detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.

This latest crisis started on May 30 when Suu Kyi supporters were attacked
by a group of armed pro-junta thugs.

The government said five people were killed in the clash, but members of
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) said the death toll was at
least 70.

Rangoon responded by rounding up NLD members and once again placing Suu
Kyi in "protective custody".

According to observers, the decision to attack the Suu Kyi's supporters
was made by General Than Shwe, head of the junta, which calls itself the
State Peace and Development Council. But, those sources say, Than Shwe did
not tell the other members, Army chief General Maung Aye or intelligence
chief Lt General Khin Nyunt, about his attack plan.

The incident would have probably gone down as just another bloody act by
one of the world's most condemned regimes if Asean and the international
community had not made a fuss out of it.

Asean, the European Union and the United States all agreed to pressure the
Rangoon government to release Suu Kyi. Leading members of Asean, including
Thailand and Malaysia, called for a road map to lasting peace in Burma.

Condemnations rolled down like an avalanche, with the US Congress passing
legislation boycotting Burmese goods and the European Union issuing a
travel ban on Burmese leaders.

At the recently concluded annual ministers' meeting in Phnom Penh, Asean
made an unprecedented move by calling for the immediate release of Suu
Kyi. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad went as far as suggesting
Burma could be kicked out of the grouping if the junta continued to defy
the international community.

Thailand, which proposed the peace road map, is trying to get the message
through to the junta. But it not clear that Than Shwe is listening.

While the condemnation of the outside world is getting through to Khin
Nyunt and Maung Aye, the junta's chairman, Than Shwe, is resolutely
turning a deaf ear and ignoring Thailand's road-map proposal.

Over the weekend, Than Shwe unleashed two of his closest aides, Deputy
Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win and senior intelligence officer
Brig-General Than Tun to tell the world that Burma can solve its own
problem. Their statements were carried in the international press.

But Khin Nyunt's young bloods, meanwhile, are working behind the scenes to
push for a new power arrangement that could shunt Than Shwe into a
ceremonial post and put him out of the decision-making process.

However, it is not clear how the rivalry between Khin Nyunt and Maung Aye
will unfold if and when Than Shwe is out of the way.

Meanwhile, Asean is not standing still. Malaysia has jumped on the
road-map bandwagon, and Indonesia is pushing for an "Asean mission" to
Rangoon to seek a way out of the deadlock between Suu Kyi and the junta.

Now, observers are keenly watching Razali Ismail, the UN special envoy to
Burma, to see which direction he will take after a year of shuttling in
and out of Burma has failed to bring him closer to a political
breakthrough.

If the issue comes before the UN, say Bangkok-based diplomats, Burma could
be put under global sanctions. And that will mean Thailand, along with all
the other UN members, will have no choice but to stop doing business with
our neighbour to the west.