BurmaNet News: January 9, 2004

[editor at burmanet.org]

January 9, 2004, Issue #2402

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Students Sentenced to 15 Years
Irrawaddy: Dead Set on Helping

ON THE BORDER
The Telegraph: BURMESE ARMY OPERATION REPORTEDLY UNITES NAGA INSURGENT
FACTIONS

MONEY
Narinjara: Prices Rise in Arakan as the Salary of Government Servants
Increase

OTHER
Bill Moyer’s NOW: Unocal Trial and Burma will be featured tonight (January
9, 2004) on PBS at 9pm EST (There will be a rebroadcast Sunday Night
(January 11, 2004)
EU: The Latest Common Position on Burma/Myanmar
EU: The Latest Sanctions Regulation on Burma


INSIDE BURMA
___________________________________

Irrawaddy, January 9, 2004
Students Sentenced to 15 Years
By Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma’s military government on Wednesday sentenced seven university
students to prison terms ranging from seven to 15 years because they
founded a students’ sports union without permission, according to two
Burmese organizations based in Thailand.

Three of the seven students were sentenced to 15 years, three others to 13
years and one to seven years, said the Thai-based Assistance Association
for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP). The students, who were all first
and second year students at Dagon University in Rangoon, were arrested in
mid-June 2003.

Aung Kyi, Nan Sian Naung and Myo Min Htun were sentenced to 15 years,
according to the AAPP.

A member of the exiled All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Min Naing,
said the students sent the head of their university a letter which asked
permission to form a sports union. The head of the university turned down
the proposal, he added, but the students formed the union by themselves.

Military intelligence officers later arrested the students and
interrogated them about why they formed the union and if the union had any
connection with political movements. Min Naing said his group received
information about the arrests from sources inside Burma in June.

The AAPP said that the students were physically tortured while being
interrogated. Both organizations said the students were not involved in
any political organizations, although they received long sentences usually
reserved for those charged with political crimes.

Min Naing said that the Burmese government does not allow students to form
social organizations and closely watches the activities of university
students.
___________________________________

Irrawaddy, December 2003
Dead Set on Helping
By Htain Linn

Accompanied by some poor people, a famous Burmese movie star carries a
coffin in Rangoon. In the coffin is the corpse of a poor man who is
unrelated to the actor. This is not a scene for a film; it’s real. And to
many people it’s amazing, because it’s so unheard of. The movie star, Kyaw
Thu, has participated in many funerals as a sort of gravedigger, and he is
vice president of a social welfare association known as the Free Funeral
Services Society (FFSS).

The association was founded three years ago in Rangoon, with the aim of
helping people who cannot afford funerals for their family members. It is
based in a monastery, the Byamma Vihara in Thingangyun Township in
Rangoon. And the help it gives is making a lot of people happy.

"I was so poor," says Sein Hla, a Rangoon resident who spoke by phone for
the first time in her life. "When my daughter-in-law passed away I asked
my neighbors to contact this association. They helped me for free. I am
very grateful to them."

Another Rangoon resident, Daung Yin, says, "On September ninth, my
fifteen-year-old daughter passed away. Because I am retired, I didn’t have
enough money for her funeral. So I contacted some members of this
association and they helped from beginning to end. I was so pleased." He
added that without the association’s help the funeral would have caused
him much trouble.
The FFSS began its work on Jan 1, 2001 with a ceremony for famous sculptor
U Han Tin. The hearse was driven by Kyaw Thu. Two years later the
association could boast that it had supported over thirteen thousand
funerals.

Some of the association’s founders got their inspiration from Byamaso, a
social welfare association based in Mandalay. Following lengthy
discussions, they founded the FFSS using their own money in May 2000. The
association is non-profit, non-governmental, and apolitical.

The original donors numbered less than ten. But among them were famous
writers, film directors, and movie stars—including Kyaw Thu. He initially
donated 500,000 kyat (US $500); his son and daughter donated two coffins.

The FFSS offers help irrespective of race, religion, or socioeconomic
status. And the help includes transportation, two days of cold storage,
and cremation.

"Everyone is overcome with grief when their family members die," says Aye
Thant, the association’s president. "The feeling is the same whether
you’re rich or poor. So we believe in helping everyone."

When a person dies in Burma, normally family members fill out a death
certificate from their local authorities and then send the corpse to a
mortuary. The funeral ceremony and cremation occur two days later,
although some opt to wait for five days.

Today the FFSS has over 80 members, and it provides 20 to 25 free services
daily. On average about 150 people die in Rangoon every day, so the FFSS
is responsible for between 13 and 17 percent of the funerals. Each month
the association spends 7.5 million kyat, and its hearse fleet is now ten
vehicles. Generally the association uses reusable coffins, because they
are used only for display purposes and not for burial.

The association relies upon donations from various people inside and
outside of Burma, to the tune of over 10 million kyat per month. Even the
military government’s transportation minister and his family donated a
half million kyat. A substantial donation came from the market of Nyaung
Bin Lay, or "Small Banyan Tree." The market’s shopkeepers and workers
donated 15 million kyat toward the purchase of a hearse. Donations also
came from Burmese living in Japan, Taiwan, England and the US. A Burmese
living in Japan donated a second-hand car to be used as a hearse.

The association’s members use this money only to assist others. And Aye
Thant says that they sometimes use their own personal money to pay for
association meetings, for instance. The more money they get, he said, the
more poor people they can help.

But the association’s work is not without its problems. There is an old
Burmese superstition that anyone whose livelihood depends on conducting
funerals is tainted, as is that person’s family.

"When I became involved with the funerals, I discovered that some
actresses didn’t want to act with me and some movie producers didn’t want
me to act for them," says Kyaw Thu. "The superstition led them to believe
that by working with me they would lose money."

The FFSS began in Rangoon, but Kyaw Thu has since founded chapters in
several other towns, including Bogale, Seikkyi-Khanaungto, Amarapura,
Bassein, Moulmein, Pa-an, Kyaukse, Natogyi, Magwe, and Minbu.

The association also has a subcommittee, founded by some former hospital
administrators, that provides medical assistance for pregnant women. It
was started on Apr 7, 2002, or World Health Day. Using the advice of
physicians, they hope to save a life or two by helping especially those
women with complications requiring surgery. The subcommittee foots the
bills, and has helped women in four different Rangoon hospitals.

The stories of poor people receiving FFSS assistance are often tragic. One
morning four or five months ago, a father called the association because
his 17-year-old daughter had passed away. She was his only child. The
association carried her body from home to a mortuary. At noon on the same
day, the mother called to say that her husband had died of heart failure.
"If she hadn’t received any assistance, not only material help but also
consolation from us, that woman could have gone mad with grief," says Than
Myint Aung, a famous writer and the association’s information officer. She
also works actively to provide assistance for psychiatric hospitals,
orphanages, and projects involving leprosy amelioration and HIV/AIDS
prevention.

Burma’s poverty and economic uncertainty make an association like this one
indispensable. Many Rangoon residents are struggling just to put food on
the table, so they often need such extra support. But social workers must
balance their desire to achieve official acceptance with their need to
fight the public’s superstitions.

Still, the association’s founders have not lost their focus or their
vision. As Kyaw Thu puts it, "We may have to keep nourishing cooperation
and loving kindness. I believe that if we can develop enthusiastic
interest, compassion and sacrifice, then we will be successful."


ON THE BORDER
___________________________________

The Telegraph, January 8, 2004
BURMESE ARMY OPERATION REPORTEDLY UNITES NAGA INSURGENT FACTIONS

The Myanmar (Burma) army's operation against the National Socialist
Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) (NSCN-K) has led to the Isak-Muivah group
coming out in support of its rival for the first time since they split.

The NSCN (I-M) today condemned the junta's action against "our brothers",
raising hope of a reconciliation with the Khaplang faction.

Accusing the Indian army of complementing the offensive by Myanmar against
the NSCN (K), the Isak-Muivah group said it could have an adverse effect
on the peace process in Nagaland.

"They (functionaries of the Khaplang faction) are our brothers and these
attacks on them will be bad for the peace process," NSCN (I-M) information
and publicity kilonser (minister) Karaiba Chawang said.

The militant leader warned Delhi against striking a "clandestine deal"
with Bangladesh to launch a similar military operation there, saying that
would negate all the gains from the peace process.

Information about the ongoing operation in the remote areas of Myanmar is
scarce, but intelligence sources in Nagaland claimed two NSCN (K) members
were killed in an encounter with Myanmarese forces in the Patkai range of
Sagaing division.

Two days after army chief Gen. N.C. Vij said a joint military exercise
with Myanmar was on the cards, NSCN (K) home secretary Ngaimong told The
Telegraph over phone from a hideout in that country that most of his
organization's 20-odd camps had come under attack. He said Myanmarese
troops were advancing towards the NSCN (K) council headquarters, where
S.S. Khaplang is based.

The military operation against the NSCN (K) evoked negative reactions from
other Naga organizations, too.

The Naga Hoho, which is the apex organization of all Naga tribes, said one
false step could take the peace process back to where it started. Its
president M. Vero said use of "military might" was not the solution to the
problem of militancy.

"The peace process is on and there is hope and peace all around. At this
juncture, none should try to jeopardize the peace process," the Naga Hoho
chief said.

"I do not know exactly what is their (the junta) plan. But it is my appeal
to the junta as well as Delhi and Thimphu to exercise restraint at this
crucial juncture."

Anticipating an exodus of Naga people from Myanmar in the event of the
operation against the NSCN (K) being intensified, Vero urged the Neiphiu
Rio government and the Naga community here to be prepared to help their
"fleeing" brethren.

"The exodus has not begun, but it is important for everyone to be ready to
help them if they come to Nagaland seeking shelter and protection," he
said.

Over a thousand Nagas had fled Myanmar in the wake of a brief offensive
against the NSCN (K) in 2001. Bhutan's recent operation against the ULFA
(United Liberation Front of Assam), the National Democratic Front of
Boroland and the Kamtapur Liberation Organization sparked a similar exodus
of people from the region who had settled in and around the militant camps
there.


 MONEY
___________________________________

Narinjara, January 9, 2004
Prices Rise in Arakan as the Salary of Government Servants Increase

Sittwe, January 9: The prices of basic commodities have sky rocketed after
the Burmese government increased the salary of Government Servants.

The salary increase, effective as of this January, has seen the price of
cooking oil increase from 1400 kyat a viss (1.75 kg) to 1500 kyat, Onion
from 600 to 1200, Garlic 700 to 1000 and chilli 1500 to 1800 in Sittwe,
the capital of Arakan state. All the basic commodities except rice saw
their prices increase.

The price rise is affecting the wage earner (non-government employees) and
the fall in the rice price has meant bad news for farmers.

The military government ceased the supply of rice to government servants,
and replaced it with 5,000 kyat a month on top of the normal salary
starting from this January.


 OTHER
___________________________________

Bill Moyer’s NOW, January 9, 2004
Unocal Trial and Burma will be featured tonight (January 9, 2004) on PBS
at 9pm EST (There will be a rebroadcast Sunday Night (January 11, 2004)

This week on NOW:
The energy giant Unocal is one of the last American companies doing
business in Burma, a country condemned by the U.S. government for a record
of heinous human rights abuses. Unocal along with its French and Thai
investors took on a unique partner in a project to build a pipeline, the
Burmese military, which has a notorious reputation for rape, slave labor,
and murder. Should American corporations like Unocal be held accountable
for business dealings overseas? NOW takes viewers into the Burmese jungle
with courageous Burmese worker Ka Hsaw Wa, who has documented the abuses
related to the pipeline project. The program also tells the story of Ka
Hsaw Wa’s wife, Katie Redford, an American lawyer and a founder of the
human rights group EarthRights International. Redford is using an obscure
law passed in 1789 to bring suit against Unocal to make it liable for
human atrocities committed in the name of corporate profits.
Burma Past and Present
As NOW reports in "Global Business vs. Global Justice," the Union Oil
Company of California or UNOCAL, has been charged since September 1996
with knowingly using forced labor to construct a natural gas pipeline
across the Tenasserin region of Burma — a country known to some as
Myanmar. Unocal provides a Web site to explain more about the so-called
Yadana Project in Myanmar which, according to the company's site, "has
brought significant benefits in health care, education, and
economicopportunity to more than 45,000 people living in the pipeline
area."

According to FAULTLINE, the Californian environmental magazine, the
pipeline project is "one of the single largest sources of revenue to the
military junta, which has been accused in pending US lawsuits of forced
labor, rape and torture." And Heidi Quante of the Burma Project —
established by the Open Society Institute and dedicated to increasing
international awareness of conditions in Burma — says "Unocal is seen as
one of the companies that's propping up the military."

In defense, Unocal Public Relations Manager Barry Lane explains, "Our
investment there provides one of the few open windows to the US to the
government of Myanmar. It wouldn't be beneficial whatsoever to shut down
one of Myanmar's last windows to the West."

To understand more about the story, it is helpful to know about Burma's
past. A brief history is provided below.

Brief History of Burma

Located in Southeast Asia, Burma borders Thailand, Laos, China, India,
Bangladesh, and the Andaman Sea. The country is roughly the size of Texas.
No current census figures are available, but most observers estimate total
population around 50 million people, comprised of eight major ethnic
groups. When Burmese
language origins are traced back, evidence indicates that the Burman
people originated in the north in the Himalayas. The Burman Empire had
been a monarchy from the 11th century until the regions was conquered by
Britain in the late 19th century and ruled as part of India.
In 1948, the Union of Burma, crafted largely by the efforts of General
Aung San, achieved independence. To this day, Aung San is a national hero,
whose image is seen plastered on walls all over Burma. He was described as
Dr. Ba Maw, a subsequent political leader of Burma: Aung San had common
sense, more of it than any of the others. He was erratic and intolerant
and hard to get along with, but he saw things as they really were,
divorced himself from all this ideological nonsense, and rolled up his
sleeves and got to work.

At that time, Burma became a parliamentary democracy, but sadly, its
engineer Aung San was assassinated just before the hand-over. In the new
democracy, there was some ethnic strife as minorities struggled to
gain independence from the Burman majority, but the unrest was minimal
compared to that which would follow. In 1962, a coup brought a
military-dominated regime into power, led by the Burma Socialist Programme
Party (BSPP). Under the BSPP, there were no longer free elections, and
freedom of expression and association were curtailed. In addition, student
and worker protests in the 1960s and '70s were met with military force and
human rights abuses became a common occurrence.

On August 8, 1988, a nationwide protest demanded that the BSPP regime be
replaced by an elected civilian government. Reports allege that soldiers
fired into crowds of unarmed protesters, killing thousands. In September,
the army announced a coup by the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) (renamed the State Peace and Development Council in 1997.)

Burma was renamed Myanmar (from the Burmese word for the martial
attributes of "strong" and "fast") by the country's ruling military regime
in 1989. It is worth noting that the democracy movement within the
country, the European Union, the United States, and most major media
outlets officially continue to use Burma as a symbolic protest against the
military regime.

SLORC declared that elections would be held when "peace and tranquility"
were restored, but before the scheduled date, the leader of the most
popular opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) — a
woman by the name of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San —
was placed under house arrest, and many of the other senior NLD officials
were placed in jail.

The free vote did take place in 1990, but when results came in showing
that the NLD had won over 80% of the parliamentary seats, the junta
changed the rules of the election, and many elected representatives were
arrested.

In July 1995, after six years of house arrest during which she was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize, Aung San Suu Kyi was released. However, in 2001,
she was again placed under de facto house arrest for maintaining her
unbending political opposition. She was released in May 2002, and
continues to speak out against the dictatorship. (Visit the Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi Web pages.)

Throughout the junta's rule, there have been allegations of myriad human
rights violations. Reports by Amnesty International, the UN, Human Rights
Watch, and many other groups have repeatedly described murder, torture,
rape, detention without trial, and massive forced labor of villagers as
military porters in combat zones. A more detailed account of these charges
appears in the Human Rights Watch World Report 2003: Burma.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton issued an executive order under the
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations
Act that certified that the Goverment of Burma had committed large-scale
repression of democratic opposition, thereby prohibiting new U.S.
investment in Burma. In addition, the President declared a national
emergency to deal with the threat posed to the national security and
foreign policy of the United States by the actions and policies of the
Government of Burma.

In May 2003, President George W. Bush extended the national emergency with
respect to Burma for one year.

Sources: Amnesty International; Asia Observer; The Burma Project;
FAULTLINE; Frommer's; Human Rights Watch; Unocal; U.S. Campaign for Burma;
San Jose University Economics Department; The White House
___________________________________

European Union, December 22, 2003
The Latest Common Position on Burma/Myanmar|

To see the “COUNCIL DECISION 2003/907/CFSP of December 22, 2003
implementing the Common Position 2003/297/CFSP on Burma/Myanmar”, please
go to http://www.burmanet.org/Burma_commonposition_Dec03.pdf

___________________________________

European Union, December 23, 2003
The Latest Sanctions Regulation on Burma

To see the “COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2297/2003 of December 23, 2003
amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2000 prohibiting the sale, supply
and export to Burma/Myanmar of equipment which might be used for internal
repression or terrorism, and freezing the funds of certain persons related
to important governmental functions in that country”, please go to
http://www.burmanet.org/Burma_sanctionsamendment_23-12-03.pdf