BurmaNet News: December 17, 2003

[editor at burmanet.org]

December 17, 2003 Issue #2389

INSIDE BURMA
BBC Monitor: Burma's Naga ethnic group denounces government's National
Convention
AFP: Myanmar dismisses US skepticism over plans for democratic reform
AFP: Myanmar urges better cooperation on Southeast Asian environment
Irrawaddy: KNU Still Talking with Government

ON THE BORDER
Xinhua: Myanmar, Thailand to deal health problems in border areas
Mizzima: Ingthem Villagers: The Forgotten Burmese

BUSINESS / MONEY
Mirror: Rag trade ignores Burma plea
Xinhua: China, Myanmar sign agreements on loan, economic cooperation
Xinhua: Myanmar PM urges for ASEAN cooperation in addressing environmental
issue

REGIONAL
Mother Jones: Thailand's Brothel Busters

INTERNATIONAL
AP: MTV takes on Myanmar's military junta but not in Asia

PRESS RELEASE
Salween News: 83 Thai and Burmese NGOs demand stoppage of Chinese dams on
Nu/Salween river in China



INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Dec 17, BBC Monitor
Burma's Naga ethnic group denounces government's National Convention

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese
Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 15 December

The Naga Nationalities League for Democracy, NNLD, issued a statement on
10 December denouncing the National Convention proposed by the State Peace
and Development Council SPDC . The statement noted that the National
Convention, to be convened in accord with the SPDC road map, is nothing
new and it is an attempt by the military regime to prolong their hold on
power. The statement also mentioned that it is the junta's way of finding
a temporary solution to appease the international community which has
imposed economic and other sanctions against the junta over the infamous
30 May Tabayin political incident. The NNLD general secretary, L Lawng
Sar, explained the following about the statement to DVB Democratic Voice
of Burma .

L Lawng Sar Firstly, I would like to say that the NNLD categorically
object the National Convention since it is not a tripartite dialogue
involving all parties concerned. As the National Convention does not
represent the Naga national races, the people, and the military and as the
delegates were handpicked by the junta, the NNLD finds this action as
unacceptable.

Furthermore, the NNLD would not accept any other delegate representing the
Naga race not chosen by the Naga people. End of recording

According to the Network Media Group news report, L Lawng Sar said the
NNLD is ready to support the National Convention if it is genuine, free,
and fair and convened for the benefit of all the national races in Burma
including the Naga people.
_____________________________

Dec 17, Agence France Presse
Myanmar dismisses US skepticism over plans for democratic reform

Myanmar on Wednesday rejected the United States' scepticism over its
stated plans for democratic reforms, insisting they were progressing "at a
steady" pace with a new constitution to be drafted next year.

At a 12-nation meeting in Bangkok Monday, Myanmar Foreign Minister Win
Aung promised his country would hold a national convention to write a new
constitution in 2004 as the first step in a seven-point democracy "road
map".

Washington was unimpressed, saying it wanted to see the ruling junta
follow up on its pledge to permit Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition National
League for Democracy (NLD) to take part in the convention.

It said it also wanted proof that Myanmar's ethnic minorities and other
political parties would be allowed to play a role in shaping the country's
future, and that political prisoners would be released from jail.

The regime said in a statement that the criticism did nothing to help
Myanmar embark on political reforms.

"As the United States is learning in Iraq and Afghanistan, making the
transition to democracy is not a simple, quick or easy task," it said.

The regime claimed "extremely positive developments" in recent months
including the release of hundreds of prisoners and the go-ahead for
political parties to resume their activities.

"The roadmap towards democracy announced by Prime Minister General Khin
Nyunt in August is moving forward at a steady pace, focusing on
relaunching the national convention next year to write a national
consitution," it said.

"The government encourages the United States to join with the
international community in helping Myanmar make the transition to
democracy. Mere criticism -- especially criticism which ignores the facts
-- is not very helpful."

Aung San Suu Kyi is currently under house arrest after political unrest in
May triggered a sweeping crackdown on her party, leaving its entire
leadership in detention and its branches closed nationwide.

Some of the senior members have been freed from house arrest but others
remain confined to their homes or in jail and the party offices are still
closed.

Win Aung told the Bangkok meeting that political parties including the NLD
would take part in the convention. The make-up of the forum is critical
because an earlier convention collapsed in 1995 when the NLD withdrew on
the grounds it was unrepresentative.

The NLD has not commented on the claim that it will attend, and political
observers in Yangon noted that because many of its leaders are in
detention it seems unlikely it could have made such a decision.

Washington tightened its sanctions against Myanmar after the arrest of
Aung San Suu Kyi who has served two other stints under house arrest since
her political career began in 1988.
_____________________________

Dec 17, AFP
Myanmar urges better cooperation on Southeast Asian environment

Southeast Asian nations need to work together more closely to protect
their natural resources, which the majority of the region's 520 million
people depend on for their livelihoods, Myanmar said Wednesday at a
regional environment ministers' meeting.

Myanmar's Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt said at the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting that the region could be
"justifiably proud" about the state of its environment but that more work
needed to be done.

"The (talks) will provide yet another opportunity for ASEAN member
countries to renew and strengthen their resolve to protect the environment
and implement sustainable strategies," he said in an opening address.

He emphasised the need for "greater cooperation and collaboration" among
member countries as well as for "continued and sustained support from
international organisations".

"The majority of ASEAN's population still depends on natural resources for
their livelihood ... it is therefore vitally important that these
resources are managed and used in a sustainable manner," he said.

The two-day meeting, which is being held under tight security in the
capital of the military-run state, is expected to adopt the "Yangon
Resolution" on sustainable development.

_____________________________

Dec 17. Irrawaddy
KNU Still Talking with Government
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma’s military junta and an armed ethnic Karen group met again in
Bangkok, after a Karen delegation concluded an initial exploratory trip to
Rangoon earlier this month to assess the junta’s political "road map," a
Karen leader said yesterday.
After the three-day meeting in the Thai capital ended on Monday, Deputy
Chairman of the Karen National Union (KNU) Gen Bo Mya said the two sides
have made headway toward building mutual confidence. The junta’s
representative at the meetings, government spokesman Col San Pwint, has
met with KNU leaders several times since November.
The KNU reached a verbal ceasefire agreement with the junta after the
Karen delegation met with Burma’s Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt in Rangoon
earlier this month.
Bo Mya, who is also commander in chief of the KNU’s army, sent a
delegation of five junior army officers to Rangoon to evaluate the
sincerity of the junta’s seven-step "road map" proposal for national
reconciliation. After the mission, he said the junta’s proposal could be
genuine.
"After more than 50 years of civil war, we have to gain peace for the
country," Bo Mya said. "War is no good. It is meaningless for whoever
dies—Burmese or Karen." He added that the military shares the idea that
building peace will benefit the people.
Bo Mya cautioned, however, that the KNU is still not fully convinced about
the junta’s honesty. If the junta breaks its promises or if the Karen are
unsatisfied with the junta’s sincerity, the insurgent group would fight
again, he said, adding that fighting has stopped since the verbal
ceasefire earlier this month. The KNU is the largest armed group still
fighting Burma’s central government.
The KNU is undecided on whether to attend the junta’s National Convention,
which is the first step of the "road map" and is set to reconvene next
year. The convention adjourned in 1996 when the opposition National League
for Democracy withdrew in protest at the military’s restrictions.


ON THE BORDER
___________________________________

Dec 17, Xinhua
Myanmar, Thailand to deal health problems in border areas

Myanmar and Thailand have pledged cooperation to deal with common health
problems in areas along their border, agreeing to carry out disease
control activities at four border crossings, according to local Myanmar
Times report.

The four border crossing points are Tachilek-Maesai, Myawaddy-Maesot,
Three Pagoda Pass-Kanchanaburi and Kawthaung-Ranong.

The agreement, which was reached at a recent meeting here of officials
from health ministries of the two countries, also covered strengthening
information exchange and conducting technical forums with training to be
provided for health workers from government and non-governmental
organizations, the report said.

Joint activities agreed upon also include combating multi-drug resistant
tuberculosis (TB) and developing a comprehensive response to the link
between TB and HIV, it said.

The two countries also agreed to expand the 100-percent condom use
program, strengthen services and treatment for sexually transmitted
infections and enhance activities to reduce HIV/AIDS transmission among
intravenous drug users.

The agreement also include improvement of voluntary counseling and testing
services and addition of programs for the prevention of mother-to-child
HIV transmission, according to the report .

The report added that to fight the diseases prevalent along the common
border, the two countries have sought financial aid from the Global Fund
for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, based in Geneva.

Myanmar and Thailand began cooperation in prevention and control of
malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS in border areas in 2000 and bilateral health
exhibitions were conducted in Tachilek and Maesai in 2001, Kawthaung and
Ranong in 2002 and Kengtung and Chiang Rai in 2003.

_____________________________

Dec. 17, Mizzima
Ingthem Villagers: The Forgotten Burmese
By Surajit Khaund

Positioned at the midst of political controversy, they remain untouched by
Indo-Burma relations and have no interest in politics. Their main aim is
to keep intact their relations with the Assamese people. They are the
Burmese people of Ingthem village in Assam in northeast India.

These Burmese families' forefathers came to Assam in the early 19-century
with the Burmese army whose mission was to defeat the Ahom Kingdom. Since
then these Burmese people have lived in Assam and India's other
northeastern states. The Burmese people of the Ingthem village are
completely assimilated with Assamese culture. They cannot speak Burmese
and claim to be Assamese.

In 1817, about 16,000 Burmese soldiers entered Assam through the Patkai
Hills, taking advantage of unrest in the Ahom Kingdom at that time. These
Burmese troops were defeated at Ghiladhari  by the Ahoms. Taking revenge
in 1819, approximately 20,000 Burmese soldiers under command of Ala Mingi
invaded Assam and defeated Ahom soldiers. After three months in Assam, Ala
Mingi returned to Burma but about 2000 of his soldiers remained. These
troops later scattered and settled in various places.

Recently, a Mizzima correspondent met about 15 Burmese families in the
Ingthem village descendant from these soldiers to learn about their living
conditions and their thoughts and opinions on Burma.

Locally, these Burmese descendants are known Man. Though the Assamese
people initially had negative attitudes toward the Burmese for their
invasion of Assam, gradually, with the passage of time, this attitude
faded and is no longer held. In fact, the Man are very popular in their
locality. Whenever the Assamese people organize any function, the Burmese
are generally given first priority. This has now become a tradition in the
Assamese society.

These families are completely ignorant about the present situation in
Burma. “Though our ancestors came from Burma, yet we are now Assamese.
Even our children are sent to Assamese medium schools just to keep our
relations with them intact”, Prasanta Man said. The 35-year old Burmese
man, who is also a social activist in the locality, said that
behaviourally, the Burmese people are completely culturally assimilated
with the Assamese. What is more interesting is that they do not know their
mother tongue they speak only Assamese. ”Assamese is our main language.
Our forefathers knew Burmese, but after they died, the younger generations
were attracted to the Assamese language instead of Burmese”, he added.
Asked whether he wanted to visit Burma, Prasanta replied negatively saying
he had no idea about Burma.

Mahesh Man, a middle-aged Burmese of the village said that he wanted to
unite the Burmese families in northeast India. According to him there are
about 200-300 Burmese families scattered in various parts of the region
for which steps should be initiated to unite them. These Burmese people
are now living in Meghalaya, Garo Hills, Manipur and Silchar.” I have a
mind to visit Burma to see our people, but I do not have any idea of the
route connecting the countries,” he said.

The Burmese people of the Ingthem village are relatively rich. They
possess enough agricultural land to support their families. Moreover, some
of their sons are working in the Indian Army and other government
services.

Another important aspect of these Burmese families is that women are very
active. Eighty per cent are weavers. Their handloom products are in high
demand in the markets of the northeast India. ”We prepare our clothes
ourselves. And our handloom products have dominated the various markets of
the country”, Moina and Rashmi said. Asked about their relation with the
Assamese women they said, “We always claim to be Assamese so that the
relation would continue forever."


BUSINESS / MONEY
____________________________________

Dec 17, The Mirror
Rag trade ignores Burma plea
Andrew Penman & Michael Greenwood

Clothing retailers from some of Britain's biggest companies and most
famous brands have ignored repeated requests from human rights campaigners
to disclose whether they source clothes from Burma.

Run by a vile military dictatorship with an appalling human rights record
Burma - also known as Myanmar - appeals to manufacturers because of cheap
labour and a ban on trade unions. Factory wages are as low as 5p an hour
which is below the United Nations definition of an "extreme poverty"
income. The Burma Campaign UK claims that Benetton, Argos, Jeffrey Rogers,
MK One, Paul Smith, Calvin Klein, Savoy Tailors Guild, Shellys, Reiss,
Hobbs, Hawkshead and Urban Outfitters are among almost 40 brands which
have ignored repeated requests to say whether they source from the
troubled state. Yvette Mahon, director of the Burma Campaign UK said:
"Customers could inadvertently be buying their loved ones Christmas
presents that have helped to fund one of the most brutal dictatorships in
the world."

Primark - a subsidiary of Associated British Foods - which has 115 clothes
stores in the UK, said this week that it would stop getting stock from
Burma.
_____________________________

Dec 17, Xinhua
China, Myanmar sign agreements on loan, economic cooperation

China and Myanmar signed a framework agreement on provision of
concessional loan and another agreement on economic and technical
cooperation here Wednesday.

Visiting Assistant Minister of Commerce of China Chen Jian and Myanmar
Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win endorsed the documents on behalf
of their respective countries.

Under the prior agreement, the Chinese government will provide a
concessional loan for use in the second phase of a key communication
network project of Myanmar, while under the latter agreement, the Chinese
government will extend an interest-free loan to Myanmar for use in
projects mutually agreed.

U Khin Maung Win said at the signing ceremony that Myanmar and China are
friendly neighbors with a long-standing "paukphaw" ( fraternal)
friendship. The two countries have mutual understanding and support each
other. China has rendered much support for the economic development of
Myanmar.

He expressed belief that the loans extended by China will contribute to
the improvement of Myanmar's infrastructure and its economic development.
_____________________________

Dec 17, Xinhua
Myanmar PM urges for ASEAN cooperation in addressing environmental issue

Myanmar Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt on Wednesday urged for greater
cooperation among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) as well as sustained support from international organizations in
addressing global environmental problems.

Khin Nyunt made the call in his inaugural speech at the two-day 9th ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting on the Environment and the 2nd ASEAN 3 Environment
Ministers Meeting here.

"No country acting alone can overcome it," he said.

He warned that environmental protection is imperative nowadays with the
world facing numerous environmental problems due to long neglect.

Noting that ASEAN Vision 2020 and the Hanoi Plan of Action provide the
basic framework for promoting sustainable development in the region, he
pointed out that ASEAN countries are making significant progress in the
implementation of the environment strategies.

He praised that forest cover in the ASEAN region remains over 48 percent
compared with world's average of below 30 percent with three ASEAN
nations' figure standing among the world's 17 mega biodiversity countries.
The region contains 35 percent of the world's mangrove forests and 30
percent of the world's coral reefs.

He said his country is making sustained efforts to conserve its rich
natural resources and environment, disclosing that in 1997, Myanmar formed
the National Convention for Environmental Affairs and adopted a
development strategy to promote sustainable management of land, forest,
agriculture, mineral, marine and fresh water resources.

He described his government's greening project as one of the most
successful environmental projects carried out.

Afforestation, reforestation, water supply, agricultural extension and
income generating activities were carried out, he added, adding the scope
of the project has been widened to include several more districts.


REGIONAL
____________________________

November/December, Mother Jones
Thailand’s Brothel Busters
By Maggie Jones

From the outside, the Pink Lady in Chiang Mai, Thailand, had all the
markings of a brothel: the bodyguard stationed at the front door, the
blackened windows, the motorcycles parked out front late at night. Inside,
it looked like a cheap diner, with frayed vinyl booths and tables.
Flashing Christmas lights hung from the bar. The stereo played Thai pop
music.

Several times in 2001, investigators with an American organization called
International Justice Mission (IJM) -- a religious group staffed by
Christian lawyers -- paid undercover visits to the Pink Lady. The group --
usually two to three men -- would order rounds of Heinekens and talk with
as many girls as possible, recording the conversations with a hidden
camera. Eventually they compiled a 25-page report that included
photographs, addresses, and excerpts from Thailand's penal code -- which
outlaws brothels -- and presented it to the country's Department of Public
Welfare. A week later, police descended on two brothels and two nearby
houses and rounded up 43 women and girls.

     To IJM, it was a successful "rescue" mission, one of dozens that it
and other organizations have undertaken in Thailand, India, Cambodia,
and other countries. On IJM's website and in its fundraising
brochures, these rescues are advertised as effective ways to help
girls and women who have been trafficked across borders and forced
into prostitution. But despite IJM's lofty goal – to gather evidence
that will lead to prosecutions of brothel owners and free their
victims -- the raids don't often net the big players or lead to
significant jail time for traffickers.

     And then there's the sticky problem of whether some of the women even
want to be rescued at all. One organization in India, known as STOP
(Stop Trafficking, Oppression, and Prostitution), has been criticized
for "saving" women against their will. And an NGO worker complained
last year in the Kathmandu Post that a group of Nepalese women had to
bribe rescuers to let them stay in their brothels. "I've never seen
an issue where there is less interest in hearing from those who are
most affected by it," notes Phil Marshall, manager of the United
Nations' Project on Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia's Mekong
region.

     In the days following the Pink Lady raid, the rescued women and girls
were locked into two rooms of an orphanage by Public Welfare
authorities, and many of them hardly seemed relieved. While some told
of having been promised waitressing jobs and then being forced into
the brothel, others had chosen to work there, and several complained
that they had not yet been ready to leave. "We need to make money for
our families," one woman cried. "How can you do this to us?"

     During the one hour each day when they were allowed outside the
building, four girls soon slipped out the front gate and disappeared.
A few nights later, 11 of them strung together sheets, shimmied down
the second-floor window of the orphanage, and climbed over a concrete
and wire fence. Nine more ran away weeks later. During one of the
escape attempts, a woman fell from a second-story window and was
hospitalized with back injuries.

     Some of the women felt there was no longer a life for them outside
prostitution -- that brothel life had ruined them. Others saw the
brothel as their only hope to earn money. Some of the escapees were
clearly trying to return to Burma, a daunting and dangerous journey,
and more than a few, social workers believe, were heading back to the
brothels. Within one month following the raid, a total of 24 girls
and women had run away from being saved.

     You won't find these complications featured in IJM's literature, or
in the group's media appearances. Nor were they discussed in
congressional testimony during debates over the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act, passed in 2000 and widely considered the key element
in the U.S. government's new war on global sex trafficking. In
addition to providing funding for anti-trafficking initiatives, the
legislation gives Congress power to impose sanctions on countries
that don't aggressively tackle the problem. According to human-rights
groups, as many as 250,000 women and children are caught up in
Southeast Asian sex traffic every year. As countries such as
Thailand, India, and Nepal try to convince the United States that
they are addressing trafficking, brothel raids are likely to
increase.

     IJM won't say how many women they've helped rescue or what happened
to them afterward. Sharon Cohn, IJM's director of anti-trafficking
operations, says her organization targets only women who are smuggled
across borders or coerced. IJM director Gary Haugen says he's never
met a prostitute who's been upset about being rescued. "All the
conversations I've had have been with victims who expressed how
grateful they were to be released from a place of horrific abuse."

     But that doesn't mean others aren't caught in the raids -- or that
all trafficked women necessarily want to be rescued. Burmese
migrants, for example, rely on traffickers to flee to Thailand, and
into the sex trade, because they have few opportunities to support
their families at home, where they'd live in fear of gang rape and
forced labor. One 19-year-old Burmese sex worker told me she could
have found work in Thailand as a domestic, but she'd heard stories of
girls who weren't paid or were beaten by their employers. (In one
recent case, a Burmese domestic worker in Thailand died after her
employer set her on fire and left her without food, water, or medical
care for three days.) "Some women, particularly those with families
to support, see brothels as their best option," says Marshall. "And
given their other choices, I think this is understandable."

     During a recent anti-trafficking conference in Hawaii, experts and
human-rights advocates called for a list of "best practices" for
raids and rescues -- including more attention to who does and doesn't
want to be taken from brothels. IJM officials say they have been
working to coordinate their investigative work with other
organizations and the Thai government, to make sure women receive
"aftercare" following the raids. But clearly, the spectacular busts
won't stop anytime soon -- and neither will the flow of women and
girls into brothels. "If it were your 12-year-old daughter in the
brothel, you'd want the raid," says Marshall. "But you also have to
acknowledge that it's someone else's daughter that might end up in
the brothel because your daughter got out. Raids don't necessarily
address the roots of the problem and can actually make things worse
if they are not done right."

     Several months ago, Cambodian officials working with IJM – and with
Dateline NBC cameras rolling -- raided a brothel in Svay Pak, a
notorious shantytown outside Phnom Penh. Thirty-seven girls and young
women were taken from the brothel and placed in a shelter. One was
only five years old; several girls were under 10. But after the TV
cameras were turned off and IJM had left the country, six women,
thought to be about 18 or 19 years old, climbed over the fence at the
shelter and ran away. Local aid workers believe that the girls, who
were illegal migrants with few places to go, returned to a brothel.
And a new group  of children is expected to arrive in Svay Pak's
brothels before long.


@2003 The Foundation for National Progress


INTERNATIONAL
____________________________

Dec 16, Associated Press
MTV takes on Myanmar's military junta but not in Asia

Music television channel MTV has launched a campaign for the release of
detained Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi - but viewers in
Asia aren't likely see it.

MTV hopes the publicity blitz will raise the profile of Suu Kyi's struggle
against Myanmar's ruling military junta to the level of Nelson Mandela's
1980s battle against apartheid, MTV Networks Europe said in a statement.

"MTV is all about providing a platform for the voice of young people, and
we vehemently support everyone's right to freedom of expression, no matter
who they are or where they live," MTV president Brent Hansen said.

But MTV's Singapore-based Asian network won't be taking part, even though
Myanmar, also known as Burma, is an Asian country.

There are no immediate plans to run the campaign on the network's eight
Asian channels, MTV Asia said late Tuesday in a written response to
questions.

The campaign uses an ad produced in Europe - and intended for all of MTV's
42 channels worldwide - said the statement from the channel's European
headquarters.

MTV Asia's statement said it would review the ad next year, along with
other European content, and consider it for future use.

But some expressed doubts.

"It is unlikely that we will run it. It is a good cause, but we have to be
sensitive to markets here," an MTV Asia employee said on condition of
anonymity.

Myanmar's junta has been widely criticized in the West for its human
rights abuses, but most Asian governments say this achieves little and is
an interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.

In MTV's campaign, a 60-second ad shows a teenage girl in a bright bedroom
surrounded by posters, clothes and her stereo. The room suddenly darkens,
the posters curl away and the carpet fades into a stone floor.

The words "How would you feel if your home was a prison?" appear
on-screen, followed by "Aung San Suu Kyi is under house arrest" and a
photo of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The ad gives a Web site where viewers can send a message asking the United
Nations to help free Suu Kyi.

Human rights groups say they're disappointed by MTV's hesitation.

"Why would they suddenly become nervous about human rights?" said Debbie
Stothard, regional coordinator for the Bangkok-based activist group
ALTSEAN-Burma.

"It's not that dangerous," she said. "Their audience isn't Burmese
military rulers or human rights abusers."

Myanmar's current military regime took power in 1988 after crushing a
pro-democracy uprising. It held elections in 1990, but refused to honor
the results after Suu Kyi's party won.

On the Net: MTV's Free Suu Kyi campaign: www.mtvburmaaction.com

____________________________________

PRESS RELEASE

Dec 16, Salween News Network
83 Thai and Burmese NGOs demand stoppage of Chinese dams on Nu/Salween
river in China

Chiang Mai: 83 Thai and Burmese NGOs have signed a letter of petition and
submitted it to the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in
Bangkok demanding a halt of the projects to build a series of large
hydropower dams on Nujiang river in China. Nujiang is the upper reaches of
the Salween river shared by downstream countries including Thailand and
Burma. The river and the basins have been declared a World Heritage site
by UNESCO.

The letter demands comprehensive disclosure of information concerning
development projects of the entire river in China. It calls for
participation of people and nations which share the river in any decision
makings. Currently, the Chinese authority already approves the
construction of 13 dams on the river in China, the first of which shall be
commenced within this December in Lew Ku town, without due consultation
process with their own public and affected communities as well as
communities and governments in downstream countries.

 Most signatory organizations work either on the environment or human
rights issues including SEARIN (Southeast Asia River Network), Thai
Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, Salween Watch, and several other
Shan, Karen and Karenni organizations such as Shan Human Rights
Foundation, Karen Rivers Watch, Karenni Evergreen,  Women's League of
Burma, etc.

 Part of the letters reads;

“The Nu/Salween, the last free-flowing international river in the region,
is shared by three countries
 The peoples and the natural environment in
the Nu/Salween River Basin will be drastically impacted by any major
hydropower development undertaken by China on the river
 (Therefore)
environmental and social impact assessments should be comprehensive,
including meaningful public participation, and should be carried out
according to international standards. Furthermore, they should cover the
impacts in the entire watershed, and not be limited to areas in China
alone.”

 “Information concerning the environmental and social impacts of the
projects must be thoroughly disclosed and made known to concerned
parties, including people and communities upstream and downstream” said
Chainarong Sethachue, SEARIN’s director. “Failing to include
participatory and transparent process in the decision makings concerning
the dam projects in China shall set precedence for the other dam projects
in Salween river to follow.”

Two large dam projects are pending in the Salween river including the
5,000 megawatt hydropower dam in Shan state and another dam with the
equivalent capacity in the river, the portion of which borders Thailand
and Burma.