BurmaNet News, February 12-14, 2005

[Editor]

February 12-14, 2005 Issue # 2655


INSIDE BURMA
AP: Myanmar pro-democracy parties calls for boycott of
constitution-drafting talks
AP: Delegates begin arriving for Myanmar's constitutional convention
Irrawaddy: Shan ceasefire group will quit National Convention unless
leaders released
AFP: Myanmar plans new law against human trafficking
DVB: Burmese students protest against private tuition ban - opposition radio
Xinhua: Myanmar steps up crack-down on unlicensed foreign video records

REGIONAL
AFP: Malaysia to crack down on illegal immigrants from March 1: PM
AFP: UN's Razali concerned about arrest of pro-democracy leaders

INTERNATIONAL
AAP Newsfeed: Labor calls for govt to tighten sanctions against Burma
Irrawaddy: US condemns junta for arresting ethnic leaders

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: Top generals locked in power struggle

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 12, Associated Press
Myanmar pro-democracy parties calls for boycott of constitution-drafting
talks - Aye Aye Win

Yangon: Pro-democracy parties in Myanmar urged ethnic groups to reconsider
plans to attend constitution-drafting talks held by the ruling junta,
saying the process could not guarantee democracy and human rights.

The junta has touted the constitution-drafting National Convention, which
had its first two-month session mid last year and is scheduled to
reconvene Feb. 17, as the first step in a so-called roadmap toward
democracy.

The pro-democracy parties said ethnic minorities attending the last
convention had submitted proposals only to have them rejected.

"It cannot be expected that the ethnic problems, including the rights of
the nationalities, could be discussed and solved at the continued
Convention," said a statement by the Committee Representing People's
Parliament, a 10-party coalition of ethnic minority parties led by
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy.

The parties said the junta was trying to draft a constitution
unilaterally, and that "that constitution could not be expected to
guarantee democracy, human rights and public well-being."

The statement was issued to coincide with the country's Union Day, which
commemorates the signing of a 1947 agreement between ethnic leaders and
the late independence hero Gen. Aung San - Suu Kyi's father - to resist
British colonial rule. Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, won independence
in 1948.

The statement came just days after police detained seven ethnic Shan
political party members.

Earlier Saturday, top junta leader Sr. Gen. Than Shwe marked Union Day by
urging unity among the country's many ethnic groups and warned of national
disintegration at the hands of "old and new colonialists."

______________________________________

February 14, Associated Press
Delegates begin arriving for Myanmar's constitutional convention

Yangon: Delegates are arriving in Myanmar's capital for the reopening of a
constitution-drafting convention set up by the military government, a
state-run newspaper reported Monday.

The National Convention, billed by the junta as a first step toward
restoring democracy, is being boycotted by the main opposition party -
detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy,
or NLD.

Myanmar has had no constitution since the military took power in 1988.

Over 1,000 delegates, most chosen by the junta, are expected at the
convention when it resumes Thursday after closed-door discussions in May
and June.

Some 140 delegates from three states which are home to ethnic minorities
arrived in Yangon Sunday, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said.

The NLD is boycotting the convention because of the junta's refusal to
release Suu Kyi from house arrest. It also says the proceedings are
undemocratic.

Many Western countries, exiled dissidents and the U.N. Commission on Human
Rights' special investigator for Myanmar have made similar criticisms.

The biggest party representing the Shan - Myanmar's second-largest ethnic
group after the Burmans- are also boycotting the meeting, along with a
smaller minority organization.

Authorities have detained two Shan leaders since last week for unexplained
reasons.

A top junta member recently said foreign and domestic forces and
"unscrupulous elements" are trying to derail the constitution process, and
warned of security threats during the convention.

______________________________________

February 14, Irrawaddy
Shan ceasefire group will quit National Convention unless leaders released
- Shah Paung

An ethnic ceasefire group will not attend the National Convention, due to
resume on February 17, if Burma’s junta does not release its detained
leaders, said the group’s representatives.

Last week several leaders, including President Maj-Gen Sao Hso Ten of the
Shan State Peace Council, or SSPC, were arrested by the military
government after attending a meeting between opposition and ethnic groups
held in Shan State on February 7. Currently Sao Hso Ten remains in
detention.

Sao Khai Hpa, vice-chairman and general secretary of the Shan State Army
(North), or SSA-N, told the BBC Burmese Service on Sunday that the group
would stop attending the National Convention, tasked with drafting a new
constitution, if the authorities did not release its detained leaders
before the convention’s start.

Sao Hso Ten is a former leader of the SSA-N. The SSA-N is part of the SSPC.

The SSA-N representatives who arrived in Rangoon to attend the convention
have returned to their headquarters in northern Shan State, the BBC report
said.

Sao Khai Hpa is now in Rangoon negotiating with the military for the Shan
leaders’ release. A representative of the SSA-N said by phone from Rangoon
that the organization could not comment on the situation now because it
was too complicated.

Along with the SSPC leaders, representatives of the Shan Nationalities
League for Democracy, or SNLD, and other political leaders from Rangoon
attended the meeting in Shan State. What was discussed is unknown.

Like the leaders of the SSA-N, Chairman Hkun Htun Oo of the SNLD and his
general secretary were arrested last Wednesday, soon after two senior
members of the party were similarly arrested after attending the meeting
in Shan State.

Sources close to the SSA-N said the group’s leaders were arrested because
they had contact with other political groups at the meeting. The SSA-N
entered into a ceasefire agreement with the junta in the 1990s. All
ceasefire groups are banned from communicating with political groups such
as the SNLD and the National League for Democracy, or NLD.

These days, according to sources in Rangoon, the authorities have kept a
watchful eye on all ethnic and opposition leaders.

Fu Cin Sian Thang, the chairman of the Zomi National Congress and a member
of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament, said the
authorities have been watching his home and following him when he leaves.
He added that other leaders have also spoken of being watched.

______________________________________

February 14, Agence France Presse
Myanmar plans new law against human trafficking

Yangon: Myanmar plans to enact a new law to crack down on human
trafficking, imposing stiffer penalties for traffickers and allowing
authorities to freeze their assets, the Myanmar Times reported Monday.

The law, which would take effect mid-year, would ensure the rights of
victims, while imposing tougher penalties for traffickers in line with the
UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, police told the
weekly.

Police Lieutenant-Colonel Rallyan Mone, the head of the home affairs
ministry's Anti-Trafficking Unit, told the paper 40 officers were trained
for his group last year, under a cooperation deal with Cambodia, Laos and
Thailand.

Human trafficking is considered a surging crisis in Asia, and several
countries of the region have been strongly criticized for failing to
recognize the scale of the problem.

>From July 2002 through December 2004, Myanmar has arrested 939 people on
human trafficking charges. Of those, 485 were sentenced to prison,
including two who received life sentences, the paper said.

During the same period, authorities prevented 2,629 people, including
1,225 girls, from being trafficked across the borders.

______________________________________

February 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese students protest against private tuition ban - opposition radio

It has been learned that 126 10th Standard students staged a protest at a
state high school in Ramree, Arakan State, on 4 February. Since the
teachers are not properly teaching the students as the 10th Standard
examinations draw near, a local resident requested a renowned chemistry
subject tuition teacher, U Nyi Nyi, who is currently on a visit, to teach
the students.

U Nyi Nyi conducted the free chemistry tuition class in two sessions and
the incident occurred when Township Education Officer TEO U Tun Khaing
banned the tuition classes. All 126 male and female students, disgruntled
with the TEO's actions, destroyed 85 plastic and 41 wooden chairs, desks,
and windows. passage omitted

The local resident told DVB that the protesting students include 72 males
and 54 females. Authorities are taking special care of this delicate
problem and it is still unclear whether the 126 student protesters will be
allowed to continue their studies and sit for the exams.

______________________________________

February 13, Xinhua News Agency
Myanmar steps up crack-down on unlicensed foreign video records

Yangon: Myanmar is stepping up crack-down on unlicensed foreign video
tapes and VCDs which are considered not suitable for public shows,
official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday.

Finding that some local businessmen are selling, hiring and showing such
foreign video tapes/VCDs which are not in conformity with Myanmar culture,
the Ministry of Home Affairs warned the businessmen to abide by related
rules and regulations in doing their business.

The authorities also warned that illegally imported feature video tapes
and VCDs may lead to the imitation of wrong life style by youths, pointing
that some scenes appearing in these records are against Myanmar culture
and traditions.

Action is also being taken against violators who pirate video features and
VCDs legally produced by local distributors to prevent exploitation of
those in the profession, according to the authorities.

The country's Video Scrutiny Central Committee pledged to continue to
prohibit all the video tapes/VCDs which are injurious to Myanmar culture
and traditions and curb all illegal acts of video industry.

During the last few years, the Myanmar authorities seized and destroyed a
large amount of local and foreign uncensored, pornographic and pirated
video tapes and VCDs valued at tens of thousands of US dollars.

______________________________________
DRUGS


_____________________________________
REGIONAL

February 14, Agence France Presse
Malaysia to crack down on illegal immigrants from March 1: PM

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia will crack down hard on Indonesian illegal
immigrants from March 1, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday
after talks with the visiting Indonesian president.

The new deadline, which could see hundreds of thousands of illegal workers
jailed, whipped or deported, will mark the end of an amnesty which has
twice been extended at Indonesia's request.

Abdullah made the announcement at a joint news conference with President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after the two leaders held a private meeting
which was expected to ease tensions over the issue.

"The soft operation to advise illegals to return home will continue until
the end of February. We hope by then, all illegals will return home,"
Abdullah said.

"Because from March 1 we will crack down on the illegals."

The planned crackdown, which will involve more than half-a-million
officials and civilian security force volunteers in a nationwide sweep,
has been widely criticised by human rights groups which say it is open to
abuse.

Abdullah said Malaysia would continue to employ Indonesians as long as
they were in the country legally, and would introduce a new system to
fingerprint all foreign workers to ensure that illegals were weeded out.

Yudhoyono thanked Malaysia for allowing Indonesians to work in the country
-- more than a million are employed here legally -- and pledged to ensure
that those "who exit Indonesia will come with valid travel documents".

The president also referred to complaints by some Indonesian illegal
workers that their Malaysian employers were refusing to pay their salaries
before their forced departure from the country.

"We leave it to the Malaysian authorities to find a way to resolve the
issue of unpaid Indonesian workers," he said, without mentioning a
reported threat by Jakarta to sue the employers in the Malaysian courts.

Abdullah said that while the non-payment of salaries did not involve the
government "we hope they will carry out their responsibility to pay their
dues to the workers".

Yudhoyono later told a gathering of some 500 Indonesians at the
ambassador's residence that they should "follow the laws of Malaysia.

"Please maintain the good name of Indonesia. We will protect you, we love
you, but listen to us," he said.

Before the amnesty began on October 29 last year, Malaysia estimated there
were more than a million illegal workers in the country, mostly from
Indonesia but also from the Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India and
Sri Lanka.

Nearly 400,000, mostly Indonesians, left without facing any penalty during
the first three months of the amnesty. But others have remained, clinging
to jobs in the construction, plantation and service industries in the face
of unemployment at home.

Yudhoyono, who chose Malaysia to begin a traditional round of visits by
new leaders to fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), said the discussions were held "in good spirit".

The two leaders took no questions and did not mention any discussion of
Indonesia's hunt for two Malaysians who are accused of playing leading
roles in the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror group.

Former university professor Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammed Top are
wanted for a series of attacks in Indonesia. Yudhoyono, who was sworn into
office last October, has said arresting the pair is among his top
priorities.

_____________________________________

February 12, Agence France Presse
UN's Razali concerned about arrest of pro-democracy leaders

Kuala Lumpur: The UN special envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, Saturday
expressed concern about the arrest of several pro-democracy leaders by the
military junta and its move to ban groups from commemorating a key
pre-independence event.

"The United Nations is very concerned at the arrest.

We are following the situation very closely," Razali told AFP.

Among those held was Hkun Htun Oo, the chairman of the Shan National
League for Democracy.

The military has also prohibited the United Nationalities Alliance,
Myanmar's leading coalition of pro-democracy ethnic political parties,
from commemorating Union Day on February 12.

Razali, a former top Malaysian diplomat, said in principle the alliance
had the right to commemorate Union Day.

On that day in 1947, various ethnic communities within what was known as
Burma then unanimously called for independence from Britain.

Burma became independent a year later but has been ruled by a military
dictatorship since the 1960s.

The United States Friday slammed Myanmar's military junta over the arrests.

Razali also expressed concern that he had not been allowed to return to
the isolated Asian country, where he has pushed for democratic reforms.

"I have not been given any indication if I will return to Myanmar in the
near future. This is a matter of deep regret and concern to the United
Nations," he said.

Razali was last permitted to enter Myanmar last March, when he urged all
parties "to turn over a new page for a credible democratic transitional
process."

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

February 14, AAP Newsfeed
Labor calls for govt to tighten sanctions against Burma

Canberra: Labor today called for Australia to tighten sanctions against
Burma and condemned Prime Minister John Howard for failing to raise
concerns about Burma's human rights abuses during the ASEAN summit.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd moved a motion in
parliament noting widespread human rights abuses by the Burmese military
regime and the detention of the Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.

He said Mr Howard should have used the opportunity presented at the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit late last year to
raise Australia's concerns about Aung San Suu Kyi's detention.

Mr Rudd said the Burmese government was one of the most corrupt,
incompetent and oppressive regimes in the world and criticised the
Australian government's stance that economic sanctions against Burma would
be ineffective.

"Democracies in the region, including Australia, must continue to express
their abhorrence of the Burmese regime," he said.

"We should also be looking for ways to target sanctions against the junta
of corrupt officers who control the government.

"They should not be allowed to smuggle their wealth to safe havens in the
west, or to travel abroad to enjoy the fruits of their theft of the
Burmese people's national wealth."

Liberal MP Alan Cadman defended the government's actions, saying it had
repeatedly called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and it would be
virtually pointless to impose economic sanctions.

"The government doesn't feel that for a small tiny minuscule trade
program, that sanctions will make any difference," he said.

"Unless there is a United Nations concerted effort, where there is broader
sanctions ... then we think that it will have little impact.

"For sanctions to be effective, there must be a dynamic impact on the
regime."

_____________________________________

February 12, Irrawaddy
US condemns junta for arresting ethnic leaders

The United States on Friday condemned Burma’s military government for
arresting several ethnic leaders, according to a statement issued by US
State Department.

“These actions further demonstrate the junta’s rejection of genuine
national reconciliation as well as its disregard for the well being of the
Burmese people and the views of the international community,” Richard
Boucher, spokesperson of the State Department, said in the statement.

The statement came days after the military regime arrested several ethnic
Shan leaders, including Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin, chairman and
general-secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, or SNLD.

The SNLD is Burma’s largest ethnic-based party and the second biggest
winner in the 1990 election.

Among the arrested are other leaders of the Shan State Army (North) that
has gained ceasefire agreement with the junta. Another ethnic leader Shwe
Ohn was also detained in Shan State on last Tuesday. The 82-year-old
leader is a founder of the Shan State People’s Freedom League for
Democracy that was deregistered by the junta.

The reason for the arrests is unknown.

Boucher said, “We also are concerned that authorities have prohibited the
United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), Burma’s leading coalition of
pro-democracy ethnic political parties, from commemorating Union Day on
February 12.”

Saturday marks the 58th anniversary of Burma’s Union Day which
commemorates the signing of the historic Panglong angreement in Shan State
between ethnic leaders and late national leader Gen Aung San to gain
independence from British colonial rule.

“We reiterate our call on the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, to allow the National
League for Democracy to reopen its offices nationwide, and to engage the
democratic opposition in a meaningful dialogue leading to genuine national
reconciliation and the establishment of democracy,” said Boucher.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

February 14, Bangkok Post
Top generals locked in power struggle - Larry Jagan

As much as the official organs try to cover it up, there appears a
definite rift in Burma's leadership

Burma's military leaders have been at pains in recent weeks to prove they
are united and not in the midst of a power struggle.

Reports of murder and mayhem have fuelled rumours and speculation of coups
and gunbattles within the country's secretive military leadership. But
over the last two weeks since the rumours erupted, the state-run media
have been inundated with pictures of the top army commanders gathered
together and apparently at ease with each other.

Burma's top general, Than Shwe, and Lieutenant-General Thein Sein, in
charge of the National Convention drafting a new constitution, have
dominated the press, although the number two general, Maung Aye, and the
prime minister, Soe Win, have been far less visible.

``The situation in Rangoon is normal, if you ask me,'' the Burmese
ambassador to Thailand, Myo Myint, told the Bangkok Post last week.

But the situation in Rangoon is far from normal. The intense power
struggle which led to the purge of former prime minister Khin Nyunt four
months ago is far from resolved. Now it is a struggle for power between
the top two generals, General Than Shwe and General Maung Aye.

``It's a struggle for supremacy,'' according to one Asian diplomat based
in Rangoon.

In recent months, Gen Than Shwe has been trying to sideline Gen Maung Aye.
Several key Than Shwe supporters in the ruling military council, the State
Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, have been reporting directly to
the senior general and not passing papers and reports to Gen Maung Aye,
the army commander-in-chief, according to diplomats in Rangoon. At the
same time, Gen Maung Aye has been encroaching on the prime minister's turf
and taken on many of his responsibilities, said a Burmese businessman.

At present, the real battle involves a series of planned major changes to
the cabinet, the SPDC and the powerful regional commanders. ``Six
ministers including the prime minister have already been told that they
are to be replaced in the near future,'' according to a source in the
Burmese government.

The expected changes are likely to mainly involve the economic ministries.
Some of the existing ministers are currently under investigation for
corruption, including the minister for post and telecommunications,
Brigadier-General Thein Zaw. He is now under scrutiny because of a number
of major contracts involving massive kickbacks. ``He has fallen foul of
the top because he has broken the unwritten law prohibiting excessive
corruption,'' according to one Burmese businessman.

One of the contracts under review is a proposed deal with the major
Chinese mobile phone company, ZTE. Under this contract, the Chinese would
provide a $150 million (5.78 billion baht) loan for the infrastructure to
provide 300,000 phone lines. This is more than 10 times the real cost of
the project, according to industry experts. In a ZTE contract for a
million phone lines in another Southeast Asian country the cost was $30
million (1.16 billion baht).

``The delay in any official announcements about the changes probably means
Than Shwe and Maung Aye cannot agree on who should get the key posts,''
said a senior Asian diplomat who has dealt with Burma for many years.

The struggle between the two also involves changes to the SPDC and the
regional commanders. Many of the older generals are likely to be retired.
Key Than Shwe supporters, the four chiefs of the Bureau of Special
Operations _ Lieutenant-Generals Ye Myint, Aung Htwe, Khin Maung Than and
Maung Bo _ are expected to be replaced, according to a former Asian
military commander who knows the Burmese regime well.

``Maung Aye does not want to openly confront the senior general, but does
want to reduce his power base,'' said a senior Southeast Asian diplomat
who closely follows events in Rangoon. When the changes are agreed, many
Asian diplomats believe the balance of power will have swung Gen Maung
Aye's way, although not entirely.

Gen Maung Aye is also anxious to have his people take control of what he
sees as the key regional commander posts: Rangoon and the southern,
southwestern and southeastern commands. ``He will only feel safe if his
supporters are in place in and around the capital,'' said a former Thai
military intelligence officer.

But at the same time as the two top men struggle for control, a transfer
of power is also taking place within the military, with the next
generation of generals being given the reins. It is a slow and uncertain
process that began with former prime minister Khin Nyunt's arrest and the
dismantling of the former military intelligence branch.

Lieutenant-General Thura Shwe Mann, the chief of staff, has taken a
pivotal role in the new emerging administrative and military structure.
Previously he had been seen as something of a recluse. But in recent
months, especially since General Khin Nyunt's fall from grace, Lt-Gen
Thura Shwe Mann has taken an active role in political matters. When Gen
Than Shwe went to India, Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann and the new prime
minister, Lieutenant-General Soe Win, were left in control of the country.

It was Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann with Lt-Gen Soe Win who warned Burma's
businessmen not to be involved in corruption. He also gave them two weeks
to report any dealings they may have had with Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt. He was
reportedly furious when no one owned up. Since then he has been meeting
foreign diplomats in Rangoon, often in place of the new prime minister.
``He exudes extreme confidence,'' said an Asian diplomat who met him
recently in Rangoon.

The key countries in the region which closely follow political
developments in Burma _ China, India, Japan and Thailand _ are all
convinced Lt-Gen Thura Shwe Mann is the man to watch. All these countries
have been working hard since Gen Khin Nyunt's removal to establish a
strong relationship with the army chief. ``He has clearly emerged as the
new number three,'' said one diplomat in Rangoon.

The former Rangoon commander, Lieutenant-General Myint Swe, who has been
appointed to form the new intelligence branch under the direct control of
the army, has begun to emerge as fourth in the military hierarchy. He is
known to be a Than Shwe supporter.

Everything now appears to be on hold until after the National Convention
reconvenes this Thursday. Much may depend on how smoothly the proceedings
run. The military leaders appear to be nervous. They have rounded up many
of the ethnic leaders in the days before the Convention is to open.

Gen Than Shwe has now decided to draft the constitution as quickly as
possible, according to sources in Rangoon. The plan is to put it to a
referendum before the end of the year, and before the Asean leaders summit
in Kuala Lumpur.

``Than Shwe knows that to avoid Asean pressure for political reform,
Rangoon must offer some concession before the summit, otherwise Burma's
presidency of the organisation in 2006 is going to be even more
contentious,'' said a senior European diplomat who has close ties to
Rangoon.

The senior general may not yet have fully developed his strategy for
Burma's political future, but if there is a referendum on the constitution
later this year, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National
League for Democracy, may be released from house arrest shortly afterwards
and elections held in 2006.

For that to happen, the power struggle within the military would have to
finally be resolved and the transfer of power to the new military leaders
completed.

In the meantime, the struggle for power and influence between the top two
generals will only increase uncertainty and tension in Rangoon.