BurmaNet News: January 3 - 5, 2004

[editor at burmanet.org]

January 3 – 5, 2004, Issue #2398

INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar's opposition NLD prays for freedom from 'bondage'
VOA: Burma's PM 'Ready to Implement Road Map to Democracy'
VOA: Burmese Opposition Leaders Renew Calls for Democracy
Sunday Times (London): Burma's junta ruins heritage to raise cash
Irrawaddy: Junta Continues Crackdown on Dissidents

ON THE BORDER
DVB: KARENNI ARMED GROUP "SCEPTICAL" ABOUT GOVERNMENT CEASEFIRE "OVERTURE"

DRUGS
Bangkok Post: Burma ties crucial for suppression

MONEY
Narinjara: Burmese prawn may harm Bangladesh’s prawn export

REGIONAL
BBC: Burma 'attacks Indian rebels'
The Telegraph: Bhutan beat in Myanmar
AFP: Thailand arrested 280,000 illegals, mostly from Myanmar, in 2003

OPINION/OTHER
Japan Times: Myanmar doesn't need new constitution
New Light of Myanmar: Independence Day Message of General Than Shwe
Mizzima: Burma: A Thorny Question for the Region


INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Agence France Presse, January 4, 2004
Myanmar's opposition NLD prays for freedom from 'bondage'

Senior Myanmar opposition leaders prayed Sunday during independence
celebrations that their National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung
San Suu Kyi, would be "freed from bondage" by the ruling military.

A handful of NLD top executives, joined by about 400 party members and
supporters, gathered at the Nga Dat Kyit monastery in western Yangon for a
religious merit-making ceremony and offered food alms to seven Buddhist
monks.

In making his supplication, NLD central executive committee member U Than
Tun, said: "By this good deed, may the NLD and its leadership be freed
from bondage soon."

The NLD was the target last year of a vicious crackdown launched after the
party's supporters clashed May 30 with a junta-backed mob in northern
Myanmar.

Aung San Suu Kyi was detained along with the entire NLD leadership and
over 140 others, according to a United Nations envoy.

After the violence, which erupted as Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD vice
president Tin Oo made a political tour of northern Myanmar, the military
regime also closed down the party's branches nationwide.

"All our offices are closed and we are very saddened that we can not even
hold a proper independence day commemorative ceremony," U Than Tun said.

U Than Tun was one of five NLD leaders released in late November, but Aung
San Suu Kyi remains confined to her Yangon home, as do NLD chairman Aung
Shwe and secretary U Lwin, while Tin Oo is in Kalay prison near the Indian
border.

The crackdown unleashed an outcry from the international community, led by
the United States and the European Union, which tightened economic
sanctions against the regime.

However, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has
stubbornly resisted calls from Western and Asian governments alike to
release Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel peace laureate, 58, is the famed daughter of independence hero
Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947 just six months before Myanmar,
then known as Burma, declared its independence from Britain on January 4,
1948.

___________________________________

Voice of America, January 4, 2004
Burma's PM 'Ready to Implement Road Map to Democracy'

Burma's prime minister says the country's military government is
determined to implement a so-called "road map" to democracy - but warns
that pressure from abroad will only delay the process.
Burmese newspapers carried the comments by Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in
their Saturday editions.
Khin Nyunt was quoted as saying the road map has been welcomed by all
parts of Burmese society, and has the support of other Southeast Asian
countries.
In August, Khin Nyunt announced a seven-point plan for democratic reform.
The plan includes convening a national convention to draft of a new
constitution, and the holding of free elections.
Western countries have expressed skepticism over the plans, citing the
military government's poor human rights record.
The United States and European Union have demanded the release of
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest in
Rangoon. The United Nations and Amnesty International are also calling for
the release of hundreds of political prisoners.
___________________________________

Voice of America, January 4, 2004
Burmese Opposition Leaders Renew Calls for Democracy
By Ron Corben

Leaders of Burma's opposition National League for Democracy marked
Independence Day with a religious ceremony and fresh calls for national
reconciliation and democracy.

National League for Democracy executives and more than 200 supporters
gathered at a monastery in western Rangoon to offer prayers and renew
their calls for the military to release NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi. They
also demanded more progress on bringing democracy to the country.

The ceremony comes seven months after government supporters attacked a
political gathering led by Aung San Suu Kyi. After that the government
cracked down on the NLD, closing its offices and arresting almost three
dozen of its leaders.

Some of the NLD leaders have been released, but Aung San Suu Kyi remains
isolated at her home in Rangoon and other senior members remain under
house arrest or are in prison.

Burma has been under military control since 1962. Although the NLD won
national elections in 1990, the military has refused to hand over power.

In a statement after Sunday's Independence Day ceremony, the NLD said that
for the people to enjoy the "fruits of democracy," there must be national
reconciliation and political dialogue.

At Rangoon's People's Park, about 10,000 people attended a
government-organized Independence Day rally. Military ruler Senior General
Than Shwe called for public participation in implementing a political road
map he says will lead to elections.

The government has pledged to implement a seven-point road map for reform.
The prime minister, General Khin Nyunt, was quoted in state-controlled
media Saturday as saying that pressure from abroad would only delay
reforms.

But Debbie Stothardt, a spokeswoman for the human rights group Alternative
Southeast Asian Network on Burma, says economic sanctions are needed to
ensure that reforms move forward.

"We have to be cautiously optimistic," she said, "and the only way that we
can make the regime deliver on its promises is for those governments,
including Thailand, to ensure that the regime does what it says and does
so very specifically."

The United States and other Western governments have stepped up sanctions
on Burma since the crackdown on the NLD. Burma's government hopes that
over the year ahead, progress on reform will lead to an easing of the
international pressure and relief from the economic sanctions.

___________________________________

Sunday Times (London), January 4, 2004
Burma's junta ruins heritage to raise cash
By Michael Sheridan

BURMA's military rulers have been accused of ruining internationally
important archeological sites with "concrete monstrosities" built to
enhance their own prestige and make money.

The works include fake palaces and a golf course set next to the fabled
temples of Pagan just so that army officers can play. Some ancient
monuments have been ineptly restored.

The generals have also been fending off attempts to place Burmese
treasures under the protection of Unesco, the UN cultural agency,
apparently to avoid international controls on the development and
exploitation of world heritage sites.

Burmese exiles blame the scandal on the need for the military junta, just
like monarchs of the past, to assert religious and political authority
over a pious and ill-educated population.

Scaffolding and cement mixers dot the landscape at Pagan, where the
remains of more than 2,000 brick and stone temples rise on a plain along
the Irrawaddy river in central Burma.

Pagan flourished between the 11th and 13th centuries when it was the
capital. Now work has started on a 16-storey observation tower for
tourists among the temples - a project described by a Unesco spokesman as
"a very big mistake".

The tower nevertheless received the blessing of General Khin Nyunt, the
prime minister, who drove a golden stake into the ground, deposited a gem
casket at the spot and sprinkled the ground with scented holy water.

Khin Nyunt has also built a new pagoda near Rangoon airport with a gazebo
to shelter two white elephants, symbols of royal power in Burma.

The first comprehensive survey of damage done to monuments in Pagan and at
other important sites was unveiled by two eminent Western academics in
Bangkok last month.

Pierre Pichard, of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient, said the junta
was guilty of a cultural crime: "There's no justification for what they
are doing. It may be too late to save Pagan." Damage may be even worse at
the magnificent but remote Hindu city of Mrauk-U in northern Burma, he
said. This is visited by fewer outsiders than Pagan.

Pichard and Donald Stadtner, one of America's leading scholars of Burmese
art, shocked an audience of diplomats, art experts and scholars with
descriptions of crude concrete and paint restorations of ancient
buildings.

In one case, restorers eager to please the senior officers in charge of
art and culture hastily remodelled a statue of the four-armed Hindu deity
Vishnu. The result was a six-armed statue that appeared to be of another
deity, Shiva. The masterpiece has been ruined.

While Pagan is the worst example of garish restoration, extravagant work
has been carried out on old palaces in the cities of Mandalay and Pegu.

Burmese authorities have rejected the criticism. Nyunt Han,
director-general of Burma's department of archeology, says restorers are
working from old documents and plans.

Western experts are not convinced. Stadtner accuses the generals of
soliciting money from Buddhist groups to build new pagodas on ancient
ruins. The sponsors - in one case postal workers from Japan -have their
names engraved on commemorative plaques.

"They are offering spiritual salvation in a religious Disneyland,"
Stadtner said.

"It's an elitist form of patronage. What they are doing is selling these
mounds of ruins."

___________________________________

Irrawaddy, January 5, 2004
Junta Continues Crackdown on Dissidents
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

New year, same junta. Burma’s military government continued to crackdown
on dissidents inside the country, arresting several opposition members
around the New Year’s time, a Burmese rights group based in Thailand said
today.
About 20 dissidents across the country were arrested over the past few
weeks because of their political activities, said Tate Naing, secretary of
the Thai-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma
(AAPP).
On Friday, the junta’s military intelligence arrested two members of the
opposition party the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Mandalay
Division, Tate Naing said. Seventeen other dissidents, including 15 NLD
members, were also arrested in Rangoon, Mandalay and Tennasserim Divisions
in late December, he added.
The dissidents were arrested for their political activities, but no
details of their activities have been disclosed, Tate Naing said. He said
that most of the arrested are victims of the attack on the opposition in
Upper Burma on May 30. In May, junta-backed civilian groups ambushed the
NLD’s convoy in Depayin, killing dozens and driving others into hiding.
The attack led to the arrest of several opposition members, including
party leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"The arrests of NLD members around Burma after the violent attack on May
30 are still in progress," Tate Naing said in an AAPP statement released
on Thursday. "Because of the arrest, we denounce the military government
that usually talks about rebuilding democracy in Burma."
On Jan 4, Burma’s 56th Independence Day, junta leader Sr-Gen Than Shwe
delivered a message to the county in which he called on ethnic people to
participate the government’s political road map to build a democratic
country. The message was read by Rangoon’s military commander Maj-Gen
Myint Swe at an official ceremony in the capital. Burmese Prime Minister
Gen Khin Nyunt proposed a seven-stage road map for national reconciliation
in August.
But ethnic Shan leader Hkun Htun Oo criticized the junta’s road map. Hkun
Htun Oo said from Rangoon that it would be better if the junta’s road map
resulted from tripartite talks among the military, ethnic and democratic
leaders.
He added that the junta should ensure that the road map will guarantee the
rights of ethnic people, otherwise, ethnic participation in the plan would
be meaningless.


ON THE BORDER
___________________________________

Democratic Voice of Burma, January 4, 2004
KARENNI ARMED GROUP "SCEPTICAL" ABOUT GOVERNMENT CEASEFIRE "OVERTURE"

It has been learned that the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council)
has recently made an overture to the Karenni National Progressive Party,
KNPP, one of the national race armed groups at the Thailand-Burma border,
for a ceasefire agreement. The SPDC made the overture through the Kayah
State peace negotiators, and noted that it is up to the KNPP to rejuvenate
the cease-fire since the 1995 ceasefire agreement was still valid. DVB
(Democratic Voice of Burma) correspondent Naw Nanda Chan filed this report
after obtaining the views of the KNPP.

(Naw Nanda Chan - recording) Top KNPP leaders including KNPP Chairman U
Hte Bu Pe, Vice-Chairman Gen Mahn Aung Than Lay, and General-Secretary U
Rimond Htoo held an emergency meeting today and discussed an overture by
the SPDC, through the military government's Kayah State peace negotiators,
for a ceasefire with the KNPP. The SPDC's Kayah State peace negotiators
met with the KNPP leaders last Friday (26 December) and said since the
SPDC has not annulled the 1995 ceasefire agreement, the KNPP could
rejuvenate the agreement anytime. Furthermore, they stated that the KNPP
should attend the National Convention when it is reconvened and should not
miss the opportunity. KNPP General-Secretary U Rimond Htoo gave the
following response to the Burmese military government's overture.

(U Rimond Htoo) The KNPP has categorically rejected the 1995 ceasefire
agreement because the SPDC violated it. If there are going to be talks
about a ceasefire agreement, we would treat it as a new deal. As for the
convention, the Karenni would hold discussions first, and then attend the
convention with delegates selected by the Karenni people. As we do not
know anything about the SPDC's National Convention, we have requested
details about it.

(Naw Nanda Chan) At the meeting, the KNPP accepted in principle to hold
ceasefire talks with the Burmese military government, as the KNPP desires
peace. But the meeting also stressed the need for the KNPP to meet with
other ceasefire groups from Kayah State before any talks with the
government take place. Furthermore, all the Central Committee members
agreed that the KNPP also needs to hold talks with other national race
groups to solve the prevailing political situation. But, U Rimond Htoo
said he is sceptical about the SPDC's proposal because the SPDC military
government is making an overture for a ceasefire agreement on one side
while at the same time they are continuing their military offensives in
Kayah State.

DRUGS
___________________________________

Bangkok Post, January 5, 2004
Burma ties crucial for suppression

Strengthened security ties between Thailand and Burma are crucial to
stopping smuggling of drugs into Thailand, the commander of the Pha Muang
Task Force, Maj-Gen Manas Paorik, said.

The task force is directly involved in drug suppression along the upper
North border area.

Maj-Gen Manas said he had instructed his men to rethink their attitude to
Burmese border troops to avoid any untoward incidents.

``I have ordered them to view the Burmese troops as their friends and
allies,'' Maj-Gen Manas said.

``We should not open fire if we become accidentally engaged in a border
area, as happened in the past.

``From now on they have no need to dive for shelter,'' he said.

His units had also been instructed to make friend with Burmese border
troops stationed opposite them, to help avoid any misunderstandings.

``I told them to share their food, to eat together, to play sport
together,'' he said.

``This will strengthen ties and better understanding,'' he said.

He was convinced this policy would lead to closer cooperation.

Maj-Gen Manas is a former classmate of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
at the Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School and was personally picked
by the prime minister to command the task force.

Tensions along the border soared dramatically in early 2001 when Burmese
troops seized a Thai border outpost in Mae Fah Luang's Ban Pang Noon area
and used it as base to attack a nearby Shan rebel military base, just
across the border in Burma.

Maj-Gen Manas said one of the prime minister's priorities was to
strengthen understanding with Rangoon's military junta.

``With this policy in place, security cooperation with Burma along the
border area has improved,'' he said.

``As a former policeman, the prime minister has closely supervised police
[on drug issue] while the military is responsible in border area.''

Large supplies of methamphetamines were still stored across the border in
Burma, with traffickers waiting for the opportunity to smuggle them into
Thailand.

``We still have quite a lot to do to prevent these drugs from being
trafficked across the border,'' said Maj-Gen Manas.

Building strong communities in border villages plagued by drug trafficking
was among the priorities to stem the flow of illegal drugs from Burma.

``Information provided by these villagers is deemed essential to success
in our drug fight,'' the task force commander said.

About 70% of his forces would be involved with the rearrangement of border
villages, with the rest deployed along the border itself against
traffickers.

Remote sensors had been used successfully against smugglers, allowing a
reduction in the number of troops strung out along the border.

``This equipment helps us trace the movements of infiltrating drug
traffickers,'' Maj-Gen Manas said.

MONEY
___________________________________

Narinjara, January 5, 2004
Burmese prawn may harm Bangladesh’s prawn export

Dhaka, January 5: Burmese prawn importing into Bangladesh may harm the
Bangladesh's prawn export industry, according to the Bangladesh's largest
Bengali newspaper, Daily Jugantor.

Due to the American sanction on Burma, Singaporean and Malaysian
businesses stopped buying prawn from Burma. Since then, prawn has been
smuggled into Bangladesh through the border trades.  However, Burmese
prawn is packed with chemical perseveres rather than using enough ice, and
this is effecting the quality of the prawn.

There are 17 prawn importing companies operating from the border town
called Teknaf and the port city of Chittagong in Bangladesh. Since there
is no buyer for prawn in Burma, the prawn price is diving deep and prawn
industry is in deep trouble. Hence, prawn trading has turned westward:
exporting to Bangladesh, which again exports to the Western countries.

Bangladesh exports prawn to USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The prawn
export said to valued 1.5 billion US dollars a year, the newspaper quoting
a conference of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA).

An English language newspaper, The Independence, reported that Bangladesh
has earned about 80 million US dollars by exporting shrimps to the US
during the last financial year.

REGIONAL
___________________________________

BBC, January 5, 2004
Burma 'attacks Indian rebels'

Separatist rebels from India's north-eastern state of Nagaland say Burma
has launched a military offensive against their camps on its territory.
Burmese troops are believed to be targeting a faction of the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Indian military officials say.
The Burmese move follows a similar offensive against insurgents in Bhutan.
This is not the first time that Burma has attacked rebels fighting for a
tribal homeland in north-east India.
But the BBC correspondent in the area says the offensive assumes
significance because it comes so soon after the Bhutan operation.
Troops target rebel HQ
A spokesman for the NSCN faction led by SS Kaplang said that two of its
camps had been overrun.
Burmese troops were closing in on the faction's headquarters in the Tenu
Tekhap Joku valley in western Burma, the spokesman said.
But he added the rebels were confident of fighting back.
There have been no reports of casualties so far. Indian military officials
said they were closely watching the situation.
Last week, India said it might launch joint military operations with
Burma, also known as Myanmar, against rebels based on Burmese soil.
___________________________________

The Telegraph, January 5, 2004
Bhutan beat in Myanmar
By Samir K. Purkayastha

Guwahati, Jan. 4: Two days after the Indian Army chief hinted at joint
military exercises with Myanmar, a senior NSCN(K) leader said that several
of the group's camps have come under the attack of the Myanmarese army.

The Myanmarese army is now advancing towards the NSCN(K)'s council
headquarters in Sagaing division, he said.

The outfit's home secretary, Ngaimong, told The Telegraph over satellite
phone from one of its base camps in Myanmar bordering Arunachal Pradesh
that a large platoon of the Myanmarese army from its 7th battalion was
moving towards the outfit's headquarters at the Tenup Tephak Joku Valley.

He said the group's leader, S.S. Khaplang, was now camping at the base.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has been making a strong case for
"Bhutan-like action" in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Ngaimong described the attacks as sporadic and claimed that there was no
casualty on his side till this evening.

"So far, we have managed to push back the advancing army on several
occasions and we are prepared to do the same if they attack our council
headquarters," he said.

The rebel leader claimed that the military activity against the group has
been intensified at the behest of the Indian Army after the visit of
Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to Yangon in the first week of
November.

Shekhawat had two rounds of talks with General Than Shwe and Vice-Senior
General Muang Aye during his five-day visit to Myanmar. During the
Vice-President's visit, the Myanmar government had assured him that it
would not allow any anti-India activities to be carried out from its soil.

On Friday, army chief N.C. Vij had hinted at joint military exercises with
Myanmar which could be the first step towards a joint offensive against
Northeast rebel groups based in the neighbouring country.

Vij also said in Guwahati that the Indian Army had been imparting training
to Myanmarese troops of late.
Following the discussions between Shekhawat and the junta, Yangon was also
expanding its administrative base over the vast stretch of areas in
Sagaing and Kachin provinces. India shares 1,640 km of border, mostly
unguarded, with Myanmar.

The NSCN(K) alleged that the junta was using Naga civilians as human
shields. Ngaimong said the outfit has 20-odd camps in Myanmar.
___________________________________

Agence France Presse, January 3, 2004
Thailand arrested 280,000 illegals, mostly from Myanmar, in 2003

Thai immigration police arrested 280,937 foreigners who had entered or
stayed in the kingdom illegally in 2003, with about 60 percent of them
Myanmar nationals, police said Saturday.

Major General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a police spokesman, said authorities
rounded up 189,486 people on illegal work charges and another 91,451 on
charges of illegal entry at the country's airports and 54 border
checkpoints.

A total of 168,414 Myanmar nationals were arrested, while Cambodians made
up the second largest group with 78,438 and Laotians came third, he said.

Most of those arrested were eventually repatriated to their native country.

Pongsapat said Thai police are to be more strict this year in examining
visitors, whose numbers are predicted by tourism officials to swell to an
all-time high of 12 million in 2004.

"The national police chief has instructed immigration police at all
checkpoints to intensify their screening, especially among suspect
groups," Pongsapat said.

In June Labour Minister Suwat Liptapanlop announced there were more than a
million illegal workers in Thailand, many of them posing "a threat to
national security".

Non-governmental organizations, which expressed alarm over what they
described as a major crackdown on migrants in 2003, say there are up to
2.0 million legal and illegal foreign workers in Thailand, the vast
majority of theme from Myanmar.


OPINION / OTHER
___________________________________

Japan Times, January 4, 2004
Myanmar doesn't need new constitution
By Nyunt Shwe

Myanmar (also known as Burma) is celebrating what could be the most
auspicious anniversary in its 56 years of independence, which was declared
at 4:20 a.m. on Jan. 4, 1948. Interestingly, the British government had
agreed to grant independence on Jan. 1, but superstitious elements within
the newly formed government would not accept it because revered
astrologers considered the timing less auspicious or even bad.

So the authorities and event workers got up early on Jan. 4, during the
coldest spell of the Myanmar winter, to perform a crucial ceremony for a
country that had lost its independence 125 years earlier. Although the
nation's outcome since then has turned into one of the more saddening
stories in world history, all of Myanmar's governments have continued to
keep the tradition of following the advice of astrologers.

On Aug. 30 last year, the ruling military regime, the State Peace and
Development Council, or SPDC, and new Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt
launched a nation-building strategy called "the seven-point road map."
Though it was rejected at first by Western countries, the United States
and Britain recently accepted it with caution after demanding that it
bring together National League of Democracy (NLD) leader Aung San Suu Kyi,
all democratic factions and ethnic representatives for a national
convention this month.

However, opposition parties and groups inside and outside of the country
have unanimously rejected moves toward a convention because they say that
the SPDC is just trying to avoid its responsibility of honoring the 1990
election results - in which the NLD won 82 of 485 parliamentary seats -
and that it is deploying a strategy of trying to divide the opposition.

On Dec. 9 one of the more responsible organizations that pushed the Bush
administration to impose severe sanctions on Myanmar, the Free Burma
Coalition - founded by Zar Ni - issued a statement of support for the
national convention. Ni, who fled the country as a student dissident to
the Thai-Myanmar border region after the 1988 uprising and later found
haven in the U.S., is a key activist with considerable connections with
the U.S. Congress. His group was expelled from the so-called alternative
road map convention forum formed Oct. 11-12 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by
more than 30 internationally displaced Myanmar opposition groups.

The most prominent and leading opposition group, the National Coalition
Government for the Union of Burma (formed by exiled elected parliamentary
members and now based in the U.S.) and other groups stand firmly against
the SPDC-sponsored national convention.

The oldest ethnic Karen insurgency group, KNU, has recently entered talks
with the SPDC, and the Karenni National Progressive Party is eager to
enter peace talks with the SPDC if it ever gets an invitation. The SPDC
acts as if it's ready to deal, but its real aim is opposite of what others
expect. The SPDC does not seek genuine reconciliation, but wants to pin
the NLD into a corner and force it to accept a unilateral offer.

Staunch supporters of democracy restoration in Myanmar seem confused and
have become pawns to the SPDC's black magic. This condition is dangerous
for Myanmar.

Does Myanmar really need a new constitution? I don't think so because we
had a democratic constitution that served us from 1948 to early 1962. Our
national hero - the founding father of Myanmar Army and the principal
architect of the independence struggle - and his colleagues drafted that
document. The first step is to reclaim that constitution, which was
scrapped by U Ne Win in his 1962 coup. Amendments can be made to it to
conform to national necessities and the face of internationalism.

The next step is also simple if the SPDC's good will for its country is
genuine and sincere: Just talk with Suu Kyi and discuss how the new
government should be formed after the state's power is transferred to
democratically elected members. The SPDC could bargain with Suu Kyi over
the portion of seats it needs to safeguard its standing in international
national politics. This arrangement would restore the accountability of
the SPDC and win back the affection of the entire nation toward the army.

Up until now, Myanmar's generals have been the culprits of the problem; at
least, that's what the international community thinks. The regime has
governed Myanmar with an iron grip for 15 years, yet many problems are
arising and intensifying, such as poverty. And the rise in the number of
drug users and AIDS/HIV-infected victims is alarming.

The number of political prisoners of conscience remains constant at around
1,300, even though the government releases a few occasionally. The regime
just plays a card game of prisoner releases to lengthen its stay in power.

Myanmar's immediate need is for neither a national convention nor a new
constitution. The main priority is to implement the results of the 1990
election, which was democratically and justly conducted by the military
regime. Otherwise, this country will drift into a country of beggars and
whores, a condition that our country's father, U Aung San, once warned
against.

We now lag far behind Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and
Vietnam. If this trend continues, we will see the realization of San's
warning.

Nyunt Shwe, a freelance journalist, has resided in Tokyo since 1991. He
was formerly an elected township leader of Myanmar's National League for
Democracy headed by Aung San Suu Kyi.

___________________________________

New Light of Myanmar, January 4, 2004
Independence Day Message of General Than Shwe

In an address to mark the 56th anniversary of Burmese independence, Senior
Gen Than Shwe emphsized the importance of national unity and patriotism.
He gave details of recent government industrial and rural development
projects and also laid out four national objectives towards which he urged
all people to strive. Following is the text of the report in English
published by Burmese newspaper The New Light of Myanmar web site on 4
January

Yangon (Rangoon), 4 January: The following is a translation of the message
sent by State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Chairman Defence
Services Commander-in-Chief Senior Gen Than Shwe on the occasion of the
56th Anniversary of the Independence Day (4 January):

On this auspicious occasion of the 56th Anniversary of the Independence
Day of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), I would like to extend greetings to
all the national people of the state, with amity and high regard. It has
now reached the 56th anniversary of the day on which the independence and
sovereignty of the Union of Myanmar had been restored, after the entire
national races had sacrificed much blood and sweat.

Throughout the course of Myanmar history, the national brethren including
Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan have striven for
perpetuation of the state and sovereignty at the risk of their lives, with
the sense of patriotism and union spirit.

In this regard, we will have to document with honour the victories
achieved through the harmonious endeavours of the Tatmadaw (armed forces)
members, who have restored and safeguarded the independence and who are
the offspring of the national people, the state service personnel and the
entire national races. For years countable by the thousand, the Union of
Myanmar stood as an independent and sovereign nation, with her own
civilization. The national brethren have defended and safeguarded the
state sovereignty with Union Spirit, while preserving and relaying their
high standard of civilization and national pride and national character to
the new generation.

Bonding themselves with their race and land with deep devotion, the
Myanmar races have striven to equip themselves with strong Union Spirit,
with patriotism and the love for the nation as the core factors. The
history of the Union of Myanmar is the history of the national races. When
there was national unity, the nation was strong, and it stood tall winning
the respect of the neighbours. The founding of the consolidated states -
the first Myanmar empire during the Pagan era, the second Myanmar empire
during the Toungoo era, and the third Myanmar empire during the Konboung
era - was prominent in history.

Since time immemorial, Myanmars have been known to be fully equipped with
patriotism -the spirit to love their own race, literature, traditions and
culture and customs; the spirit of never tolerating any insult against the
nation and the race; and the spirit to make selfless sacrifices for the
national cause. They cherish the independence. And because of the
patriotism, that is their innate nature, they were able to restore
independence and sovereignty.

Because of the government's endeavours, relying on the national strength,
and participated by the entire people, the motherland is now on the right
track towards development.

Since assumption of the state duties, the government has striven for
national re-consolidation, regional peace and stability and the rule of
law, as priority tasks. It has been laying down and implementing border
areas and national races development projects, with greater momentum, to
restore national unity. At the same time, 17 armed groups returned to the
legal fold as the government had initiated negotiations, based on mutual
trust, with them to pave the way for their return to the fold. The
national race leaders of the peace groups are now taking part together
with the government in building infrastructures for the development of
their respective regions and the nation as well.

Myanmar has been continuously practising the independent and active
foreign policy. It always concentrates on extension of the international
relations, based on love and friendship, with all the countries around the
world. It has given priority to extending cordial relations with her
neighbours, based on good neighbourliness, mutual respect and cooperation.
It is also actively taking part in the activities of the UN and
international bodies, and the regional organizations including the ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the BIMST-EC (Bangladesh, India,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation) and Greater Mekong
Subregion Development Programme for global peace, security and
development. As a means to facilitate the ASEAN integration programme for
new members, Myanmar successfully hosted the Summit Meeting on Economic
Cooperation Strategy between the four countries - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
and Thailand - in Pagan in November 2003.

The government is able to develop the national economy in leaps and
bounds. In doing so, it has laid down the national policy and the economic
policy for development of agriculture as the base and development of the
industrial and other economic sectors. It has given special priority to
progress of multi-sectors. It is extending sown acreage of various crops,
applying advanced techniques and quality strains and building irrigation
facilities, with paddy as the base of agricultural business. It has
established 18 industrial zones in states and divisions of the nation. An
effective factor that is behind the emergence of good foundations of sound
economic development is the progress and the increase in the number of
transport infrastructures including roads and major bridges spanning
rivers and large creeks built by the government the length and breadth of
the nation.

Similarly, the government has been striving with greater acceleration to
develop the electricity and energy sector and the task to discover new
natural energy deposits for advancement and modernization of the
multi-sectors. It has designated the 24 development zones for progress of
all sectors. As the development of qualified human resources plays a key
role in building a modern and developed nation, the government has laid
down and has been implementing the 30-year national education promotion
plan. It has been building universities, colleges, institutes and basic
education schools all over the nation with added momentum. It has already
created favourable conditions for all to study arts and science, computer
science and engineering subjects in every development zone. At present,
there are 154 institutions of higher learning in the nation. As the
academic programmes have been extended, there is increase in the number of
subjects taught and courses opened, and even the doctorate courses can be
conducted in the nation. Paying attention to the health and fitness of the
citizens, health infrastructures including hospitals, regional
dispensaries and rural health care centres have been opened all over the
nation. In the past, there were only four medical institutions under the
Ministry of Health. At present, the number has extended to 14.

Today, the world is facing new technologies emerging and changing at high
acceleration. And together with the technological development, the
advancing information and communication systems are dominating the mankind
at a tremendous speed. Applying and adapting to the new ICTs (information
and communications technology) of the world, linkages have been made with
the Internet. Here, we need to maintain our progress in the ICT.

Only when the national unity flourishes in the Union of Myanmar, will
peace and stability of the state be ensured. Likewise, only if there
emerges a peaceful and stable environment of the state, will there be
national development infrastructures. And only then will we be able to
accelerate the rate of socio-economic development. In addition, the sound
economic development foundations will further consolidate national unity
and ensure perpetuation the union, and bring about a peaceful, stable and
prosperous state. The state requires peace and stability for the emergence
of a modern and developed discipline-flourishing democratic nation. We
also need to strengthen the economy of the state and the people to reach
this end. Moreover, the national education level needs to be high.

The seven-point future political programme of the nation has already been
laid down to build a discipline-flourishing democratic nation, while
maintaining the peace and stability of the state and the rule of law. For
the success of the political programme, the entire national races are
required to actively play their respective roles, with full sense of Union
Spirit. We, with the firm resolve to reach the national goal - emergence
of a peaceful, modern and developed nation - lay down the Four Objectives
of the 56th Anniversary Independence Day as follows:

-All the national people to collectively safeguard the national
independence and ensure perpetuation of sovereignty;

-All the national people to be united to ensure non-disintegration of
national solidarity;

-All the national people to strive for the emergence of an enduring state
constitution and for the building of a new modern and developed nation;

-All the national people to participate with full sense of Union Spirit
and patriotism in the successful implementation of the seven-point roadmap
of the state.

On this auspicious occasion of the Independence Day of the Union of
Myanmar, I, with amity and high regard, would like to urge all the
national races of the union to energetically strive to realize the Four
Objectives, with united force and high efficiency as the strength, and
Union Spirit and patriotism as the base.

___________________________________

Mizzima, January 3, 2004
Burma: A Thorny Question for the Region
By Zin Linn

Much to everybody's surprise, the Burmese military junta has recently
stepped up its arrests of people for peaceful dissent against the regime
in many places around the country. On 22 December 2003, the residences of
eight members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) from Mandalay
Division were raided by the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). A
mobile-phone, approximately one hundred-thousand Kyat, books and papers
were confiscated and taken to an undisclosed location.

Those detained in the raids include Daw Tin Myint (F), Ma Hninn Pa Pa
Hlaing (F), U Than Win (M), U Win Kyi (M), U Myint Oo (M), U Hla Oo (M), U
Hla Soe (M) and Ko Aung Aung (M). To date, family members have not been
allowed to meet with the detainees.

Most of the detainees were also victims of the Depayin attack on Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi and her supporters on 30 May when they were arrested and only
recently released. The crackdown occurred shortly after the sixth visit of
the UN Special Rapporteur, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and the second
visit by two Amnesty International (AI) representatives. Also, three
unidentified persons were arrested in Rangoon on 24 December 2003.
According to a reliable source in Rangoon, the detainees had cooperated in
gathering evidence relating to the Depayin ambush to present to the UN
Special Rapporteur and the two AI representatives.

In addition to the above-mentioned arrests, three other NLD members from
Tennasserim Division were arrested in mid December by the local MIS. They
are Ma Than Soe (F) from Longlon township and Nyi Nyi Lay (M) and Phoe Pe
(M) from Tha-yet-chaung township. Their whereabouts is still unknown.
Moreover, two civilians, Nyi Soe from Tha-yet-chaung and Aung Minn from
Pu-law in Tennasserim Division were accused of participating in
anti-government political activities and later arrested by Captain Tin
Maung Win of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No 262 in December.

According to the Washington-based Radio Free Asia, three Buddhist monks
from Mahadhammikayama Monastery in Magwe were put on arbitrary trial and
sentenced to 27 years imprisonment each on 24 December 2003. The three
monks, U Ottara, U Khemasara and U Kauthanla, who were studying Buddhist
scripture at the monastery. The MIS accused them of being agitators,
attempting to instigate a religious riot.

Actually, the international community wants to see action that clearly
demonstrates the State Peace and Development Council's (SPDC) genuine
readiness to allow political freedom for all Burma's citizens, including
the inclusion of ethnic nationalities representatives in Burma's political
future. The SPDC also needs to demonstrate this readiness by releasing all
political prisoners and allowing political parties to become involved in
the future of the nation. But the military junta has failed to respect the
advice of the international community and continues to act in its usual
way contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On 22 December 2003, after a 17-day visit to Burma, an Amnesty
International delegation called on the government to release all prisoners
of conscience and cease arresting people for peacefully dissenting against
the regime. At a press conference in Bangkok the delegation issued a
statement outlining a range of serious concerns substantiated during the
visit, and called on the military authorities to take urgent steps to
improve the human rights situation, which has deteriorated significantly
since the 30 May violent attack on the NLD.

AI, which first visited Burma in February 2003, has documented the arrest
of scores of people for non-violent political activities since May 2003,
many of whom are now confirmed to have been sentenced to long terms of
imprisonment under repressive legislation. At the time, AI strongly urged
the SPDC to permit an independent, impartial, and effective investigation
into the 30 May events, and to bring those found responsible to justice.
The continued absence of such an investigation fuels the climate of
impunity in Burma. Neglecting all suggestion from international
organizations and well-wishers, the junta is strongly pursuing its
'iron-fist' policy and the political prisoners' list continues to grow.

In the fifteen years since the nation-wide civil uprising in 1988, little
progress has been made in the areas of democracy and human rights in
Burma. The UN Special Rapporteur Prof Paulo Sergio Pinheiro has repeatedly
criticized Burma's Junta, saying its political reforms were going simply
too slowly. He occasionally suggested the generals speed up change and
insisted that all political prisoners must be freed as a sign of
sincerity. But, as long as the generals dilly-dally on the issue of
releasing political prisoners, it is clear they still have no intention to
restore democracy and embark on a process of national reconciliation in
Burma.

The launching of a concerted effort among international community to free
political prisoners in Burma is laudable. This issue is not only
intertwined with regional politics, but it is also connected with global
humanitarianism. For that reason, world leaders should consider pressuring
the SPDC to free all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.
It can be argued that military regime takes advantage of releasing
prisoners in small numbers in order to reduce international pressure,
especially from those who have brought sanctions against the regime.
However, the regime should understand that building an appropriate
political atmosphere foundational for national reconciliation and the
unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners detained
arbitrarily and inhumanely is part of this process. The release of all
political prisoners can also spur the country’s economic revival,
which is on the verge of collapse.

But the junta has not only repeatedly declined to release of all political
prisoners but has also stepped up its arrest of its citizens for
expressing dissenting opinions. In doing so, the junta violates Article 19
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and challenges decisions on
"Burma Issue" by the UN.

Any announcement made by the military regime concerning national
reconciliation will continue to be meaningless unless there is political
space for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD. This means the Nobel laureate
and her colleagues must be released from detention and must be free to
travel and communicate with each other, NLD members and supporters. The
Burmese people have not been allowed to participate in the nation's
political processes. The junta must take the voices of the Burmese people
into account in any process of political reform in Burma. At the same
time, the regime has no rights to discard the result of the 1990 general
elections in which people made clear their desires for the future.

The current spate of arrests and imprisonments may be the outer
manifestations of the military regime's inner thinking. World leaders of
today should make a concerted effort to help build the tomorrow of the
Burmese people. Without the world leaders' genuine sympathy and sincere
help, Burma may continue to be a thorny question of the region.