BurmaNet News, June 18, 2004

[Editor]

June 18, 2004, Issue # 2499


INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi marks birthday under house arrest
AFP: Myanmar releases six opposition members linked to Aung San Suu Kyi clash
Xinhua: ASEAN highway's Myanmar sections start building

BUSINESS / MONEY
Financial Times: Burma imposes sharp increase in import duties

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Seminar in Chiang Mai Marks Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday

OPINION / OTHER
Asian Tribune: Threats to Burmese refugees in Thailand increasing – RI
Mizzima: ASEAN’s other major intersection

PRESS RELEASE
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions: Burmese Demand Action Against Regime

INSIDE BURMA
______________________________________

June 18, Agence France Presse
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi marks birthday under house arrest

Yangon: Myanmar's pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was due
to mark her 59th birthday Saturday under house arrest, with her political
party under crackdown and the prospects for her release slim.

Five hundred supporters and members of her National League for Democracy
(NLD) were planning to gather at the party's ramshackle headquarters in
Yangon to commemorate the day, party officials said.

Hundreds of NLD youth wing supporters were also finalising details for a
ceremony Saturday at the city's famed Shwedagon Pagoda.

But Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate and the figurehead of a
deeply crippled democracy movement, will not be among either group, as she
remains under house arrest since her detention more than one year ago
during a deadly clash between her supporters and a junta-backed mob.

"I pray everyday that she will be set free," the NLD's secretary U Lwin
told AFP.

Other NLD members echoed the somber mood at party headquarters, where
opposition leaders and supporters prepared food alms that will be offered
to monks at a dawn prayer ceremony Saturday.

"I wish on her 59th birthday that she will live to be 120 and carry on
with her good work," said Maung Maung Gyi, a former military officer and a
winning NLD candidate in the 1990 elections that the NLD won in a
landslide but was never recognised by the junta.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent nearly nine of the past 15 years in some form
of detention.

Most recently she and several of her top lieutenants were taken into
custody after last year's deadly May 30 clashes in northern Myanmar.

Dissidents who escaped the melee said as many as 100 people were killed.
The government claims four people were killed and 50 injured.

The incident triggered a crackdown on the NLD and the detention of dozens
of other opposition party members.

Hopes of her release rose in April when analysts and diplomats expected
she would be freed ahead of a national convention to help lay the
groundwork for a new constitution.

But these were dashed when the junta refused to release her and launched
the convention without participation of the NLD.

However, Myanmar on Friday did release six NLD members jailed after the
clashes, a party source said.

Also on Friday the state press carried a commentary calling on all
political parties and organizations to make concerted efforts towards
national reconciliation and implementation of the junta's self-proclaimed
"roadmap to democracy".

______________________________________

June 18, Agence France Presse
Myanmar releases six opposition members linked to Aung San Suu Kyi clash

Yangon: Myanmar Friday released six members of Aung San Suu Kyi's
pro-democracy party jailed after deadly clashes last year, leaving her and
her deputy the last still detained over the incident, a party source said.

"They were released at 11:00 am," a National League for Democracy (NLD)
member told AFP.

"With the six released today, only two people related to the May 30
incident will be left (in detention), that is Aung San Suu Kyi and Tin
Oo."

The release came a day before the 59th birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi, who
remains under house arrest more than a year after she was detained in last
May's violence in northern Myanmar which saw her supporters attacked by a
junta-backed mob.

The six freed were listed as Nyan Win Tun, Ye Htut, Chan Nyein Aung, Kaday
Soe, Chan Mye Aung, and Nyein Zaw U.

The first five had been serving prison terms of 10 years each for
involvement in the bloody clashes, while Nyein Zaw U had been jailed for
seven years.

The action came less than two weeks after the ruling military junta
released nine NLD youth wing members who were arrested for protests
marking the anniversary of her detention a year ago.

The nine faced years in jail for handing out copies of the United Nations
human rights declaration in part to highlight gross rights violations
against party leaders in last May's clash.

Dissidents who escaped the melee said as many as 100 people were killed.
The government claims four people were killed and 50 injured.

The incident triggered a crackdown on the NLD and the detention of dozens
of opposition party members.

______________________________________

June 18, Xinhua News Service
ASEAN highway's Myanmar sections start building

Yangon: Two sections of the roads in Myanmar that constitute part of the
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) highway have started
building, a local news journal reported in its latest issue.

Of the two sections, the Mawlamyine-Mudon-Thanbyuzayat highway section in
southern Mon state will be upgraded by South Korea under an aid program of
the ASEAN3 (China, Japan and South Korea), the Pyi Myanmar journal said.

The other section, Thaton-Pha An-Kawkareik-Myawaddy in southeastern Kayin
state, will be implemented with the cooperation of Thailand, it said.

During this year, all of the incomplete sections of the ASEAN highway
lying within Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are set to complete expansion to
two lanes with about 3 meters wide on each side.

Of Myanmar's 4,542 km highway, there remains 201 km involved in the
incomplete section of the ASEAN highway.

The overall Myanmar section of the ASEAN highway extends across six states
and divisions.

The ASEAN highway project comprises of 23 highways stretching 37,000 km. A
meeting of ASEAN Transport Ministers held in Vietnam in 1999 agreed to
upgrade all its highways to two lanes by 2004 and to four lanes by 2020.


BUSINESS / MONEY
______________________________________

June 18, Financial Times
Burma imposes sharp increase in import duties - William Barnes

Bangkok: Burma's decision to increase import taxes sharply on goods such
as televisions and construction materials may be part of a drive to
discourage inessential imports and conserve scarce foreign currency, say
analysts.

The military junta, which has ruled since 1962, has often promoted
self-sufficiency as an economic strategy at times when foreign currency
reserves have fallen so low they would pay for only a few weeks' imports.

The move comes a few days after the US House of Representatives voted to
renew an import ban on goods from Burma for another year. When it was
imposed last year, Burma lost export revenue worth about Dollars 356m
(Euros 296m, Pounds 194.4m) a year.

Foreign currency shortages have eased in the past two years with the start
of offshore gas production that is believed to provide the junta with
Dollars 1.5m a day.

The junta tightly controls trade policy to protect favoured companies and
military businesses, while at the same time trying to ensure basic foods
such as rice remain as cheap as possible.

The raising of import duties may also be a move to broaden the tax net:
the junta rules with an iron fist but experts say Burma is one of the
world's least taxed countries. There have been recent signs of attempts to
obtain more tax revenue. Last year, for example, attempts were made to tax
car registrations.

The ministry of finance and revenue raised import duties without
explanation to a flat 24 per cent from a variable 2.5 per cent to 20 per
cent. Medicines, computers, fertiliser and some other imports were
exempted. The tax will also be calculated using a more realistic exchange
rate between the kyat and the dollar.

The announcement sparked panic buying as Burmese tried to buy goods at the
old prices.

"Last year the exile (opposition) groups said the near collapse of the
banking system would provoke the population into open protests. The
reality is that Burmese just shrug their shoulders and carry on as best
they can. This is a government that is not big on public relations and
transparency - people are used to that," said a diplomat in Rangoon.


REGIONAL
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June 18, Irrawaddy
Seminar in Chiang Mai Marks Aung San Suu Kyi’s Birthday - Shah Paung

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi turns 59 on Saturday. On Friday
a seminar was held at Chiang Mai University, Thailand in honor of the
world’s most famous and photogenic political prisoner.

Aung San Suu Kyi is general-secretary of the National League for
Democracy, or NLD, the main opposition party in Burma. In May 1990 the NLD
won a landslide victory in the first general election held in the country
for decades, but was not permitted to assume power by the military
government.

In 1991 Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She has spent
much of the last 15 years under house arrest and has been subject to
botched assassination attempts orchestrated by Burma’s military government
on two occasions.

At the seminar, entitled “Freedom for one and Freedom for all”, former
political prisoners from Burma and Thailand gave presentations about their
experiences. A Burmese woman who spent five years in prison, Yi Yi Tun
said: “Because of sharing this bad experience, I hope that our friends and
other people who attended this seminar may understand more about Burma’s
political situation and will more strongly support our democracy
movement.”

Also speaking at the seminar were the authors of “Shattering Silences”, a
report on how rape is used as a weapon of war against Karen women by the
Burma Army. The report was released last April.

The seminar took palace at the Women’s Studies Center of Chiang Mai
University. Over 40 people attended from the Burmese exiled oppositions
groups, and Thai and Burmese NGOs.

On June 19 at 8:00pm a candlelight vigil is to be held for Aung San Suu
Kyi at Chiang Mai’s Tapae Gate. In Rangoon, Suu Kyi’s birthday will be
marked by a ceremony at NLD headquarters.

Municipal councilors in Paris plan to bestow honorary city citizenship on
Aung Sun Suu Kyi on June 19th as a birthday present.


OPINION / OTHER
______________________________________

June 18, Asian Tribune
Threats to Burmese Refugees in Thailand Increasing - RI

The situation for Burmese in Thailand is increasingly difficult,
especially for urban refugees and asylum seekers from every ethnic group.
Any Burmese in Thailand without a valid visa is considered an "illegal
alien," subject to deportation at any time if caught working or traveling
without permission.

Passport holders find it increasingly difficult to renew their visas, thus
putting at risk their ability to study, conduct business, or run
organizations to assist their countrymen. The new Royal Thai Government
"one year legalization" registration system for alien workers will not
cover Burmese refugees or asylum seekers, nor permit even the trained
Burmese medics in Dr. Cynthia’s Mae Tao clinic to obtain legal work
authorization.

When the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the junta governing
Burma, convened its National Convention in mid May, Thai government
authorities insisted that Thai-based Burmese NGOs, heretofore permitted by
authorities to travel and provide training and aid to refugees, cancel all
public meetings and travel. These NGOs are uncertain when, or if, they
will be able to renew their activities. The Thai government told
international NGOs to limit their presence in the border refugee camps to
one to two staff and to get a schedule of visits approved a month in
advance.

The Royal Thai Government (RTG) is bent on removing "urban refugees,"
whose numbers include key leaders of the exiled democracy movement, to
border camps to limit their international communications and political
organizing. Thus, the RTG in 2003 ended the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) refugee status determinations, but has yet to establish
new Provincial boards or clarified the standard to be used to determine
which Burmese are "refugees" and thus eligible to reside in the nine
official border camps assisted by NGOs. Thai officials told members of a
joint Refugees International/George Wolf Operating Foundation assessment
mission that a broader definition than "fleeing fighting" would be adopted
and UNHCR made a member of the Boards. No one would say when these boards
would come into being nor how they would deal with the existing backlog of
thousands of Burmese cases.

NGOs are concerned that Thai pressure may build for repatriation to Burma
because of the ceasefire with the Karen National Union army, despite
miniscule UNHCR presence and preparations in Mynmar and little
cross-border contact with the NGOs now working with the refugees. Thai
officials told RI that "economic development would solve the Burmese
refugee problem." Burmese NGOs suggested that the establishment of "a more
democratic federated state following the rule of law rather than arbitrary
whims" would permit many to consider returning voluntarily under an
internationally monitored return to home villages with reintegration
assistance by NGOs.

Refugees and NGO staff working with them expressed fear of "formal
deportations," in which 400 Burmese deportees are vetted with Burmese
authorities, and then officially handed over by Thailand's Ministry of
Interior to the SPDC. Unauthorized departures from Burma are punishable by
a two-year prison sentence and heavy fines. Any Burmese, believed to be a
"resistance soldier or supporter," or a political dissident, can expect
and will probably receive harsh treatment. At one time, possession of a
UNHCR refugee document or being identified by UNHCR as a "person of
concern" was an immediate ticket out of an MOI deportation proceeding.
Now, despite UNHCR protests, possessing a refugee document, or being
identified by a UNHCR officer, at best moves the refugee into "informal
deportation." There, no lists or information are provided in advance to
SPDC authorities, but the refugee is still at risk. Returnees often are
met by armed militia factions, or local officials seeking "volunteers" for
forced labor or military service, or by those seeking to extort money from
refugees desperately trying to return to Thailand.

Recently, the pace of informal deportations has quickened as Thailand
increased pressure on the Burmese, in part through targeting them as the
major part of the 1-2 million "illegal workers" drawn to the growing Thai
economy. Authorities aggressively conduct almost daily roundups and
deportations from Bangkok and Mae Sot. "Knowing who is missing
having
information, money, a cell phone
that is essential to protect your
friends," one expatriate Burmese refugee advocate told RI.

UNHCR considers the Burmese "increasingly at risk" and is seeking
international support for quick Thai resumption of provincial refugee
status determination boards, which would more closely mirror international
refugee determinations, operate transparently, and include an effective
appeal mechanism. UNHCR seeks Thai cooperation in conducting a
re-registration exercise to cover the 30,000 new persons who have been
able to access the nine border camps, despite Thai efforts since 2002 to
prevent new arrivals. UNHCR is asking third countries to join the U.S. and
Norway in "burden sharing" with Thailand (host to Burmese refugees since
1984) by providing more resettlement opportunities for those who cannot
return due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution in the
SPDC-controlled Burma.

Refugees International, therefore, recommends that:

* Donor governments assist Thailand in developing its refugee policy and
refugee status determination procedures to reflect international norms and
practices, particularly in the treatment of children and vulnerable groups
and by permitting full and regular access to refugees by the UNHCR, NGOs,
and other responsible parties.

* The Thai Ministry of Interior stop all deportations of Burmese asylum
seekers and refugees in recognition of Thailand’s responsibility to
provide safe haven to those at risk.

* UNHCR, responsible Thai officials, and representatives of donor
governments consult with Burmese refugees and the NGOs assisting them to
determine how to plan for and conduct a successful voluntary repatriation/
reintegration program that provides for personal security, return of
property of indemnification, recognition of citizenship or permanent legal
residency, and waiver of any penalties for leaving the country.

* UNHCR ensure that its offices in Thailand and Burma confer regularly
together and with donor governments and the NGO community on the issues
affecting repatriation, including citizenship, minority rights, property
rights, religious freedom, rule of law, the development of effective
monitoring standards and staffing.

* The United States and other donor governments encourage UNHCR to provide
additional resources to its operations in Thailand to permit it a greater
presence in the refugee camps and more personnel to provide training and
technical support to Thai officials and monitor their operations.

- Refugees International -

Dawn Calabia and Kavita Shukla carried out a joint Refugees
International/George Wolf Operating Foundation assessment mission to
Thailand in May.

______________________________________

June 17, Mizzima News
ASEAN’s Other Major Intersection - Nyo Oun Myint

It is fair to say Burma is a major threat to ASEAN (the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations) interest for its future. ASEAN has hide Burma’s
worsening economic crisis, increasing drug trafficking, endless human
rights abuses, and political suppressions while dealing with rest of the
international community. The Burmese military junta has enjoyed the full
protection of its 18th century political control and absolute power
against its own people from ASEAN countries, bitterness of Cold War supper
powers syndrome, and involvement of Indo-China conflict. ASEAN’s
constructive engagement policy provides improvement of Burma’s image.

ASEAN countries ignorantly refuse to accept that international cooperation
in Burma’s political deadlock only provides negative consequences for
ASEAN. Unlike 1970s, today ASEAN only has commercial interest among the
nations and continent. The new world concept of export first may not favor
ASEAN defending Burma junta. ASEAN may have abandoned its commercial
interest first in a political confrontation with European Union in recent
months while defending Burma unnecessarily.

ASEAN should consider the other Burmese than just the military generals,
who have forced prolonged suppression against the own people. Moreover,
the Burma junta is so unhealthy that it breaks promises even to ASEAN.
Should ASEAN confront with other internal community in terms of Burma as
an issue of the principle? In fact, ASEAN seems to be allowing the
generals to eliminate all oppositions and suppress all citizens until
country will be quiet under the one man rule.

Since Burma joined ASEAN, Burmese people never enjoyed the economic and
social prosperity in terms of economic coordination and opportunity in the
commercial improvement. The Burmese people were supposed to have
advantages from joining the ASEAN. In stead, Burmese citizens were denied
the right to travel legally within ASEAN countries. It seems to be ”you
are member of us but you are not ours.”

ASEAN policy towards Burma is only dealing with handful of generals but
nothing more. In fact, why has ASEAN accepted Burma as a member without
allowing its people to enjoyi commercial and social benefits?  Since Burma
became a member of the ASEAN, ASEAN politically acknowledged Burma and
accepted its membership.  ASEAN uses Burma as a card to bargain with other
super powers; China, India, the United States, Asia-Pacific countries,
Japan and EU. But current EU senior officers stressed that no further
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) ministerial meetings can take place without the
EU’s 10 new members.

However, current negative consequences have jeopardized the two
ministerial meetings between EU and ASEAN and the Burma issue will become
a major deadlock in the ASEM leadership summit in Hanoi in October. ASEAN
should do better negotiating on the EU’s refusal to accept Burma along
with Cambodia and Laos since ASEAN is competing with other Latin American
countries for commercial interest.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) and other ethnic political parties
won more than 95 % of the parliament seats in the 1990 elections but the
junta left out these political parties in their own national convention.
The junta self created a roadmap to democracy without legitimacy and
refused to accept national reconciliation and power sharing. ASEAN
realized quite well that without the NLD in the political development
process that junta is now conductingthere will be not political stability.

Both ASEAN and the EU have same interest of releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and allowing for  genuine democratic reforms in Burma. The current Burmese
political deadlock creates more economic disasters and social disorder,
which may result in a new wave of economic and political refugees.

ASEAN should cooperate with other EU and democratic countries by
requesting the dropping its failed constructive engagement policy. There
will be no productive outcome from the current ”Burmese way to democracy”
while ASEAN defends its policy and Burma may not lead to the positive
result. Moreover, Burma will provide regional instability unless ASEAN
will decide to have a new positive policy towards Burma that will
coordinate with rest of the citizens.

(The author is a leader of Foreign Affairs committee of the National
League for Democracy- Librated Area)


PRESS RELEASE
______________________________________

June 18, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Burmese Demand Action Against Regime

The New Zealand Government needs to urge the United Nations to take a
strong stand against the military regime in Burma, Saw Min Lwin, a
visiting Burmese trade unionist said today.

Saw Min Lwin, the secretary of trade union rights and human rights for the
Federation of Trade Unions in Burma who is currently in Wellington, is to
join a delegation of 30 of his countrymen and women at Parliament today to
deliver a letter to the Prime Minister.

“In my country, thousands of farmers have had their land confiscated by
the regime, many more work under forced labour, families live in the
forests to hide from the soldiers and thousands more are forced to live in
refugee camps outside Burma.”

The convention being held by the regime to draw up a new constitution is a
fraud, Saw Min Lwin said. The National League for Democracy (NLD) which
has been prevented from taking office after winning elections over a
decade ago is not participating because its leader Aung San Suu Kyi
remains under house arrest, party members are in jail and all offices
except for the headquarters are closed.

Other political parties who also had success at the elections are not
taking part in the convention because the regime denies freedom of
expression.

Saw Min Lwin said the letter, in line with the ILO Resolution of 2000,
would ask the Government to urge the UN for economic sanctions against the
regime and for the UN to be directly involved in talks to solve Burma’s
political problems.

“We want to tell Miss Clark about our concern for the people in Burma who
face oppression and abuse of their human rights at the hands of the
regime,” he said.