BurmaNet News: September 17, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

September 17, 2003 Issue #2328

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Prisoners shot dead in Bassein prison
DVB: NLD youth sentenced
MT: Work begins on farm sector study

DRUGS
Xinhua: Myanmar urges US to join fully in fighting drug

GUNS
DVB: Clash between KNU and SPDC

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Indonesia's envoy optimistic about visiting Myanmar soon
BP: Thai government to end process of employers registering illegal
foreign workers for temporary work permits
AFP: Work on Bangladesh-Myanmar road link to start this year: FM
Mizzima: Burma MPs Demand Suu Kyi Release

INTERNATIONAL
Radio Australia: Australia announces funding for Red Cross in Burma
VOA: Nobel Laureates Appeal for Release of Burmese Opposition Leader
FT: ADB Ex-director rebukes bank's role in "pushing too actively and too
hard for re-engagement in Burma"

EDITORIALS
Mizzima: The Lady - Problem or Solution for the Burmese Generals?


----INSIDE BURMA----

Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB)   September 16, 2003
Prisoners shot dead in Bassein prison

Prisoners at Bassein Prison in Lower Burma who have been staging hunger
strikes for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi were fired upon by the
SPDC security forces and at least four prisoners were killed and many are
said to be wounded. It is not known clearly how many political prisoners
were killed or wounded.

According to a statement by the NCGUB, common prisoners also joined the
political prisoners in staging the hunger strikes. Security forces came to
the prison on Monday and brutally quelled the ‘rebellion’.

A local resident at Bassein told the DVB about the incident as follows:

A Bassein resident : It is true. I heard that about 2 people were killed.
It happened three or four days ago
I heard that there were some
disturbances inside the prison and people heard the sounds of gun fires.
As it occurred inside the prison, we don’t know clearly what really had
happened. I heard that some prisoners who are about to be released were
also killed. I don’t know whether they are political prisoners or not
I am
now told that 4 people died at the scene. Ten people were hospitalised in
Bassein Hospital
They just opened fire on anyone they saw


According to unconfirmed reports, seven of the wounded also died later at
the hospital. Moreover, about 150 prisoners were taken away from Bassein
Prison on 2 TE trucks but it is not known where they were taken to. Seven
political prisoners have been staging hunger strikes since the 5 of
September for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and they were joined by
ordinary prisoners on 8 September.


Democratic Voice of Burma   September 16, 2003
NLD youth sentenced

The NLD youth leader Ko Thein Naing Oo and a youth member Ma Tin Tin Nyo
from Dala Township were each sentenced to seven years in prison by a local
court. They were arrested by the military intelligence [MI] and charged
with attempting to distribute leaflets on Dipeyin incident and inciting
the people of Dala Township. They were then charged with the despised Act
5J and tried by Dala Special Court in Insein Prison. A NLD member told DVB
that after three months of the trials, they were each sentenced to seven
years on the 5th of September.

Moreover, other NLD members, Ko Maung Maung Lay of Kyimyintaing Township,
Ko Myint Htay of Tamwe Township and Ko Ne Win of South Dagon Township are
also currently being detained in Insein Prison. They are being charged
with 5J and tried by Tamwe Township Court.

They were arrested in connection with distributing leaflets on Dipeyin
incident but the authority could not find incriminating documents with
them, according to a NLD member. They are appearing again at the court on
the 15 but they are still not allowed to meet family members.


Myanmar Times   September 8-14, 2003
Work begins on farm sector study
By Win Nyunt Lwin

WORK has begun on an US$870,000 technical assistance project funded by the
United Nations Development Program to conduct a far-reaching study of the
nation’s agricultural sector.

The six-month project, that began last month, involves 10 foreign
specialists – including two from the Asian Development Bank – and 12
Myanmar experts.

The deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Planning, U Than
Htay, who will act as the project’s director, said one of its tasks will
be to define investment needs for stimulating the expansion of the farm
sector.

U Than Htay said that while much agricultural research had been carried
out in Myanmar, the project would produce the most detailed and
comprehensive study.

The study will be conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation,
in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation.

A retired FAO official who has been appointed project leader, Mr Bhaskar
Barua, said the review team will study the impact of such factors as
seeds, fertilizer and other inputs on agricultural productivity.

The review team will study a range of issues and topics, including
formulating investment strategies and identifying investment priorities,
competitiveness in the farm sector, land and water management and
development, and agricultural support services.


----DRUGS----

Xinhua General News Service   September 17, 2003
Myanmar urges US to join fully in fighting drug

YANGON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar government Wednesday urged the
United States to join in more fully in the war against narcotic drugs,
saying that both countries have a mutual interest in the matter.

A government statement warned however that if the two sides fail to work
together, the underworld elements will gain the advantage. The statement
expressed Myanmar's absolute commitment to the war against narcotics. The
statement came amid US President George W. Bush's certification on Monday
that Myanmar was among 23 countries on the so-called "major's list" of
narcotics producing states which had failed to meet anti-drug commitments.

The statement cited the assistance provided by Japan, Australia, the
United States and Germany in reducing opium output in the Golden Triangle,
however, regretted that cooperation with the United States has been very
limited.

According to Myanmar, the US government has aided Myanmar with 68 million
dollars from 1974 to 1988 mainly in training Myanmar officials and
supplying equipment used in the drug eradication operations.

However, since 1988, the United States cut off not only its assistance in
eradicating drugs, but also in economic development on account of
political reasons, it added.

According to a ground-survey report of the United Nations Office on Drug
and Crime, Myanmar's opium poppy cultivated area dropped 24 percent from
81,400 hectares in 2002 to 62,100 hectares in 2003, while its opium
production declined from 828 tons in 2002 to 810 tons in 2003.


----GUNS----

Democratic Voice of Burma   September 17, 2003
Clash between KNU and SPDC

There had been a clash between the KNU fighters and the SPDC soldiers
yesterday and the SPDC’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tin Myint and
Sergeant Thein Tun Tin were seriously wounded. Two Burmese soldiers were
also killed during the clash.

The SPDC troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) - 583 under the
command of Western Military Command, in charge of the security of
Kyar-Inn-Seikkyi Township, Karen State were ambushed by the KNU fighters
from Column 2 under the command of Brigade 6 while fording a stream in a
patrol. During the twenty minute long clash, two SPDC soldiers were killed
and six were wounded.


----REGIONAL----

Xinhua General News Service   September 17, 2003
Indonesia's envoy optimistic about visiting Myanmar soon

JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) --The Indonesian special envoy for Myanmar and
the former foreign affair minister, Ali Alatas, said that he was
optimistic about visiting Myanmar before the ASEAN summit in October, to
approach the government of Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi.

"I hope so. We have submitted a request for the visit," Alatas told
reporters late Wednesday after meeting Indonesian President Megawati
Soekarnoputri at her residence.

The special envoy also said that his mission was to convey the stance of
Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to
support the sustainability of Myanmar's effort to enhance reconciliation
and democratization.

"So in this case, Aung San Suu Kyi's case could be solved and the pressure
over the case could be eliminated." he said.

However, the envoy said that currently the Indonesian government was
waiting for the confirmation from the government of Myanmar for the time
of the visit.

Previously, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda disclosed that the
visit had been postponed because of the shakeup of the Mayanmar cabinet,
such as the appointment of General Khin Nyunt as the prime minister on
Aug. 25, which was followed by the announcement of "road map to
democracy."

Myanmar Foreign Minster U Win Aung had said that the government of Myanmar
would like to end the crisis through a dialogue, involving the members of
ASEAN.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic fighter and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was
detained on May 30 following clashes between her supporters and
pro-government masses that left a numbers of people dead.


Bangkok Post   September 17, 2003
Seeking Solutions That Work
By PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN

Labour experts have thrown doubt on plans by the government to end the
process of employers registering illegal foreign workers for temporary
work permits.

The government plans to make this year's registration between Sept 4 and
25 the last. It wants to begin importing legal labour as of September
2004.

The government has agreed with Burma, Laos and Cambodia to open up the job
market to their citizens who can produce a legal passport and employment
contracts issued by employers in Thailand.

Legal labour imports are meant to curb the smuggling of illegal immigrants
into Thailand, bring to the surface undocumented aliens currently in
hiding and end the practice of alien workers being underpaid and forced by
their employers to live in squalid conditions.

While there is nothing wrong with making things right, labour specialists
say it will be almost impossible to replace the annual registration system
with legal imports without major hiccoughs.

Surapol Seeprasert, secretary-general of the Samut Prakan Fisheries
Association, said the requirement that job seekers from neighbouring
countries possess passports would be a hindrance as most potential
employees were unlikely to have the money for a passport, which can cost
up to 10,000 baht. I doubt any Burmese or Laotian or Khmer will be able to
come in via the right channels,'' he said.

Mr Surapol said the government may opt not to import legal labour
initially, but continue to use illegal workers on the condition that they
are able to prove they are lawful citizens of either Burma, Cambodia or
Laos. Unregistered workers could stay but only after they are arrested and
the people hiring them illegally bail them out, he said.

Proving the nationality of these foreigners, particularly the Burmese,
will not be easy. Eighty percent of Burmese now in Thailand illegally say
they have Burmese nationality but belong to an ethnic minority group such
as the Mon or Karen, and are denied citizenship by Rangoon.

What can we expect of Burma if we need to prove the Burmese immigrants
here really are Burmese?''

Mr Surapol said he did not think employers would bother to help any
illegal worker who has been arrested, so that they would just be
repatriated to their home country.

He said labour agencies and employers would need two or three years at
least to prepare to import labour and the government would need the same
time to draft the laws that support the process.

The government should make it compulsory for businesses hiring immigrant
staff to register with the labour authorities. Those business sectors
allowed to use alien labour are land and water transport, mining, milling,
construction, fisheries and agriculture. Aliens can also be employed as
unskilled factory workers and maids. CEO-style governors should be allowed
to grant employers in areas other than those listed permission to use
foreign labour on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Supang Chanthawanitch, director of the labour migration studies centre at
Chulalongkorn University, said the import of legal foreign labour would
take a few years as the state needs time to set up databases.

Mrs Supang said the policy would also not solve the problem of human
trafficking or end the inhumane treatment of foreign workers while
employers are not required to inform the state of the exact number of
people they want to bring in.

Any special costs related to the use of legal foreign labour may also
encourage employers to continue to smuggle illegal workers, she said.

Labour Minister Suwat Liptapanlop has said that foreign workers and their
employers would have to pay special charges as they would benefit directly
from the new scheme. The state plans to collect a fee from foreign workers
for medical examinations and work permits, and charge employers around
3,000 baht for arranging utilities and other services for their staff.

All imported workers would receive a two-year work permit, renewable one
time only. Fifteen percent of their wages would be deducted and put into a
special fund to be returned to them when they return home so they can
start a new life, the minister said.

Employers would have to ask the country providing workers for proof of
their citizenship. Priority would be given to foreign workers already
registered with the Labour Ministry.

Mr Suwat said Burma, Laos and Cambodia might have to solve the problem of
expensive passports. Those governments will have to do something to
guarantee their agreements with us on employment promotion are honoured,''
he said. I believe they will do what they must to support their citizens
to come to work here for our mutual economic benefit.''

A senior labour official said Thai representatives would meet with Burmese
officials in November to discuss details of the employment scheme.

The Labour Ministry's Employment Department also plans to allow citizens
of neighbouring countries living in border areas to work in Thai border
provinces facing labour shortages provided they return home each evening,
the labour official said. Chambers of commerce in border provinces support
this plan and are pushing for the establishment of exclusive economic
zones.

The import of legal foreign policy has the backing of the prime minister.
It is not fun having to photograph alien workers and register them every
year,'' the official said.

About 1.2 million illegal foreigners are believed to be working in
Thailand, with only about a third, or 400,000, registered with the Labour
Ministry.

A cabinet resolution dated August 27, 2002 prohibits the renewal of work
permits for illegal foreigners working in petrol stations, laundries,
beauty salons, hotels, restaurants, auto repair shops and some businesses
granted investment privileges by the Board of Investment, such as the
animal feed, artificial flower, mineral water and garment industries. That
decision affects 12,161 registered foreign workers. They will be
repatriated when their work permits expire on Sept 25.

The government reportedly wants businesses receiving investment promotion
from the state to employ only Thai citizens.


Agence France Presse   September 17, 2003
Work on Bangladesh-Myanmar road link to start this year: FM

DHAKA: Construction of the first road linking Bangladesh and Myanmar will
begin this year, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Morshed Khan said Wednesday.

The road, which would cross to Myanmar's Sittwe port town from Teknaf on
Bangladesh's southeastern tip, is seen by Dhaka as a way to move closer to
the economic giants of Southeast Asia.

"I am sure the work on the road linking Teknaf with Myanmar's Sittwe area
will start this year," Khan told reporters.

"I hope the road would be completed sometime in 2004," he said.

Khan said Bangladesh's main port at southeastern Chittagong could
eventually become a regional hub as trade picks up with the South Asian
country's eastern neighbours.

Dhaka's relations with Yangon soured in the early 1990s when around
250,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees flooded across the border into Bangladesh
claiming atrocities by Myanmar's military government.

But Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has moved cautiously to build
ties with Yangon since her election in 2001, visiting Myanmar in March.

Myanmar's chief Senior General Than Shwe in December made the first visit
to Bangladesh by a leader of the junta, which took over in a 1988 coup.


Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)   September 17, 2003
Burma MPs Demand Suu Kyi Release

New Delhi: A group of exiled Members of Parliament elected in the 1990
Burma's general elections has called for the immediate release of their
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners to start a
national reconciliation process in the currently military-rule Burma.

The Members of Parliament Union, in its statement to mark the 15th
anniversary of the military coup in Burma tomorrow, has also called on the
world community to step up pressure on the Burmese Regime, which came into
power by killing pro-democracy demonstrators fifteen years ago.

"During the past fifteen years, the junta blatantly broke its promises
regarding the transfer of power to the election winning party National
League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi and dialogue with the
NLD and ethnic nationalities for political reform and national
reconciliation", said the statement.

Several elected Members of Parliament left Burma after the regime cracked
down on the National League for Democracy and other winning parties after
refusing to hand over power to the NLD. They are at present residing in
Thailand, India, USA, Australia and the Netherlands and they formed
themselves together as Members of Parliament Union to continue their
cause.

“If the generals have real commitment to establish a peaceful democratic
Burma, they must start the reconciliation process by immediately and
unconditionally releasing Aung San Suu Kyi, together with others detained
in connection with the May 30 incident, as well as other remaining
political prisoners as a first step”, said Daniel Aung, Vice President of
the Members of Parliament Union.

The Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been imprisoned in an
undisclosed location by the Burmese junta since May 30 this year after a
violent attack on her and her organizing tour in Upper Burma, which was
allegedly orchestrated by the military junta.


----INTERNATIONAL----

Radio Australia   September 17, 2003
Australia announces funding for Red Cross in Burma

Australia has demonstrated its support for the work of the International
Committee of the Red Cross in Burma. A contribution of 500,000 dollars for
that work has been announced by the minister for foreign affairs,
Alexander Downer. He says the funding underlines the importance of the Red
Cross having access to all political detainees, including the country's
democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr Downer says he has called
repeatedly on the Burmese regime to release Suu Kyi.


Voice of America   September 17, 2003
Nobel Laureates Appeal for Release of Burmese Opposition Leader
By Ron Corben

Bangkok:  Several Nobel Peace laureates want the European Union to step up
pressure on Burma's government to release opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi from detention. The demand for greater EU pressure follows new U.S.
sanctions that went into effect last month.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams says more economic pressure is
needed to free Burma's leading democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi.

In an interview in Bangkok Wednesday, Ms. Williams said that on behalf of
several Nobel laureates, she has sent letters requesting new sanctions to
European commissioners as well as to German's foreign minister.

"I've been trying to support efforts to get the European Union to increase
its sanctions against the Burmese government," she explained. "As you know
the U.S. government did increase its sanctions. We're not displeased by
that - we think the European Union should follow suit."

The United States last month banned Burmese imports and is trying to deny
the military government access to U.S. dollars.

Ms. Williams won the Peace Prize in 1997 for her efforts to ban the use of
land mines and Aung San Suu Kyi won in 1991 for leading Burma's democracy
movement despite brutal repression from the government.

To pressure Burma's government into dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy, the European Union has stopped issuing
visas to Burmese officials and is freezing the assets of members of
Burma's government. It has suspended trade privileges over Burma's use of
forced labor.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since May 30, when government
supporters attacked an NLD convoy, leaving several opposition members dead
or injured.

Ms. Williams, attending a conference in Bangkok, also called on the
countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN, to do
more to encourage her release.

"We really need countries in this region to step up to the plate and, if
they really support democracy, to take positive concrete steps to pressure
this regime to engage in dialogue," she said.

Burmese leaders will join the heads of the other ASEAN states in October
for a regional summit. Member countries such as Thailand and Indonesia are
pressing Burma to free Aung San Suu Kyi and return to dialogue with the
opposition.

Burma's new prime minister, Khin Nyunt, has said the government is moving
to carry out fair elections but says there is no fixed time frame. He has
warned that added pressure will only distance Burma from democracy.


Financial Times (England)   September 17, 2003
Ex-director lashes out at ADB's 'lack of direction': Leaked paper says
structure hampers delivery of funds
By SHAWN DONNAN

JAKARTA: A former director of the Asian Development Bank has lashed out at
the institution for lacking "clear vision and strong direction" and being
an ineffective regional mimic of the World Bank.

Frank Black, a British government appointee who represented the UK,
Germany, Austria and Turkey on the ADB's 12-member resident board until
earlier this year, accuses the bank of having an over-centralised
structure that interferes with the delivery of development funding in the
region.

The comments were made in a leaked internal paper submitted by Mr Black
when he left the bank in June this year.

They are the most prominent criticisms of the bank's direction since
questions arose after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. They
echo the debate over the effectiveness of supranational organisations such
as the International Monetary Fund.

In the paper obtained by the Financial Times, Mr Black wrote that the
Manila-based ADB's current "constraints" called into question the need for
regional development banks and undermined its ability to deliver technical
assistance in Asia.

In the past decade the ADB had gone too far in trying to address criticism
that its initials stood for "Asian Dams and Bridges", he said.

As a result, it had become a "regional mimic of the World Bank" in spite
of the fact that it "does not have, nor will it ever have, the capacity to
be an effective World Bank mimic".

The ADB's closeness to governments that borrow from it, Mr Black wrote,
has undermined its efforts topromote good governance, while the bank's
expert staff is "thinly stretched, well beyond its overall capacity".

The bank had developed into a series of "vertical kingdoms" that
encouraged a prevalent system of patronage. Too many of its senior roles
were filled with civil servants "parachuted" in by member governments such
as Japan.

"Its potentially useful advocacy role for the region can also too easily
slip into playing the role of propaganda mouthpiece for some governments
(and not always the most democratic or legitimate of governments)," Mr
Black said.

The ADB refused to respond to the attack. "I don't think it is appropriate
for me to comment on the views of a single board member," said Robert
Salamon, ADB senior spokesman.

Speaking from Geneva, where he now works for a Swiss foundation attached
to the United Nations Development Programme, Mr Black reaffirmed his
criticisms.

He said his description of the bank as a "propaganda mouthpiece" was meant
as a rebuke to bank's role in "pushing too actively and too hard for
re-engagement in Burma".

But he said he remained optimistic about the ADB's potential to do good in
Asia and pointed to parts of his June treatise to back that up.

"The ADB does have a valuable and distinctive role to play in the region,"
Mr Black wrote then. "But it will have to make some adjustments and
embrace change in a way it has been reluctant to do in the past if it is
to contribute to its full potential."


----EDITORIALS----

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)   September 17, 2003
The Lady - Problem or Solution for the Burmese Generals?
By Aung Naing Oo

September 17, 2003: The Burmese junta, the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC), will exclude opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the
political process. This has been made plain by a policy speech by Burma's
new premier General Khin Nyunt on 30 August. Given the speech's tone,
manner and setting, it looks as if Rangoon has made up its mind.

According to General Khin Nyunt's declaration, the SPDC will go ahead with
a seven-phase roadmap. This strategy is not new but it is one, which
cannot be carried out while Aung San Suu Kyi enjoys her freedom.
Conveniently, she remains in detention following the junta's 30 May ambush
on her entourage.

The Burmese junta has repeatedly stated: "We will release her at an
appropriate time". "An appropriate time" is likely to be when the junta
deems its strategy achieved - perhaps a long while into the future. 
However, proceeding according to this strategy, the SPDC will not find a
solution for Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi is a key part of the problem as well as the solution. And
if the SPDC leaders were smart, they would follow the example of the White
South African government. They would negotiate with Aung San Suu Kyi just
as the Apartheid government did with Nelson Mandela. Obviously, in order
to do so, the Apartheid government recognized Mandela's pivotal role in
the conflict.

Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's Mandela. She holds the key to the conflict in
Burma. But Rangoon has tried for the past fifteen years to exclude her
from politics. This approach has proved futile. She has been imprisoned
three times already but with every detention her popularity soars. Her
popularity is certain to persist if she remains in detention.

Needless to say, it is her detention that has angered nations the world
over. Many countries, especially the US, the EU, Japan and the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), have responded harshly. It can readily
be noted - and without any intention of causing offence - that if other
party leaders such as U Tin Oo or U Aung Shwe been detained, the
international reaction would have been considerably cooler. And any
additional sanctions imposed on Burma on the occasion of their detention
would have been unlikely. This is the sad truth.

Off and on, the Burmese junta treats Aung San Suu Kyi as a despised
pariah. It has sought at every turn to sideline and belittle her. Yet the
generals fear her defiant speeches and are loathe to see her meet with
supporters all across the state. Her doing so might well have compelled
the SPDC to end her campaign trips three months ago.

Aung San Suu Kyi's status as a Nobel Laureate continues to serve as a
perpetual reminder to SPDC leaders of their precarious hold on power. Most
importantly, they have not forgotten that her National League for
Democracy won a landslide victory in the 1990 election. Her continued
detention will only serve to cement her role as an integral part of the
solution to Burma's political crisis.

Clearly, the SPDC cannot kill Aung San Suu Kyi. This might have been
attempted during the ambush on that fateful day in May. But she is "like
the father, like the daughter." Her father, General Aung San, who died in
1947, remains a symbol of freedom and defiance for the Burmese people.
Aung San Suu Kyi may die in detention or before she sees freedom in Burma
but she would die a martyr. And she would inspire the Burmese for
generations and haunt the despots from her grave.

Nor can the SPDC release her unconditionally, which is what she will ask
as a condition of her freedom. Her incarceration, therefore, poses a
dilemma for Rangoon. And her freedom causes the SPDC leaders headaches.
She will remain a thorn in the junta's side if she is not brought into the
fold.

In particular, it is impossible to imagine how the West will end its
sanctions if she remains incarcerated. Recently Indonesia, the current
Asean Chair, warned Burma that her continued detention could become the
focus of the grouping's summit in Bali next month.  Indonesia's call for
Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom is just another indication that SPDC is
threatened with sour relations not only with the West but also with its
Asean's allies.

Crucially, Aung San Suu Kyi will continue to occasion intensely negative
publicity for the SPDC. The news about her hunger strike is just one
example - even if it is not true. The point is that the SPDC has jailed
her illegally. The best and most obvious choice for the generals,
therefore, is to make her part of the political equation.

"Aung San Suu Kyi was ready to compromise if dialogue took place," said
Daw San San, an NLD Member of Parliament from Rangoon, who escaped from
Burma in August. Unfortunately, Burmese politics took a wrong turn. Now
the SPDC leaders will never know her real intentions. Nor can she offer
what she has in mind now.

One may call it a cult of personality but Aung San Suu Kyi is probably the
only person who can make compromises with the SPDC leaders. It is highly
likely that the whole nation will accept flexibility in her dealing with
the generals. People will be happier to see a compromise solution if it
essentially halts the SPDC's entrenchment.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has realized that some of the key NLD demands are no
longer appropriate," said Daw San San.  Reportedly, she might even accept
the SPDC's demand that 25 percent of the un-elected parliamentary seats be
reserved for army personnel.  If genuine negotiations were to take place,
they would ease many of the junta's concerns. The junta would benefit
enormously.

Aung San Suu Kyi can be a nightmare or a pleasant dream for the generals.
Indeed, the ball is in the SPDC's court. Hopefully, they will make a
timely decision to reverse the trend.

Aung Naing Oo is a research associate with the Washington-based Burma Fund.