BurmaNet News, February 19-22, 2005

[Editor]

February 19-22, 2005 Issue # 2660

"Total has become the main supporter of the Burmese military regime."
- Aung San Suu Kyi quoted in February 22 AFP article on Total campaign launch


INSIDE BURMA
AP: High-level ILO team probing forced labor visits Myanmar
South China Morning Post: Deposed PM's allies face sentencing
AFP: Myanmar sees 10 percent growth in tourist arrivals: report

REGIONAL
AP: Arroyo expresses concern over Suu Kyi
Manila Bulletin Online: Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win urged to waive
chairmanship of ASEAN
AFP: Myanmar leader says referendum on constitution to include all
Narinjara: Rohingya refugee issue in Bangladesh Parliament
Xinhua: Cambodia hopes to create single regional tourist visa

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN says world could snub Myanmar referendum
AP: U.N. envoy says Myanmar ignoring his efforts to bring democratic reforms
Independent (UK): Campaigners target Total for Burma involvement
AFP: Campaign launched to pressure Total into leaving Myanmar

STATEMENTS
UN: Statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General on
Myanmar

ANNOUNCEMENT
February 22, US Campaign for Burma
"Burma, Realizing the Dream": Second Working Conference of the US Campaign
for Burma

Key Note Speakers:

Hon. Paula J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, US
Department of State Hon. Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister, National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma

Saturday and Sunday, February 26th-27th, 2005
The George Washington University
1957 E St, NW (On E St, between 19th and 20th)
Washington, DC NW 20052
*******************
Please register at:
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/whatyoucando/conference.html
For a complete conference schedule, go to
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/whatyoucando/schedule.html

______________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 22, Associated Press
High-level ILO team probing forced labor visits Myanmar

A delegation from the International Labor Organization, long a critic of
Myanmar for its inaction against forced labor, arrived here Monday to
determine if the country's military rulers have taken steps to curb the
practice.

It was not immediately clear if the ILO team, led by a former Australian
governor general, Sir Ninian Stephen, will meet with junta Chairman Sr.
Gen. Than Shwe, said a diplomat familiar with the situation who declined
to be named.

In November 2000, the ILO urged its 175-member countries to impose
sanctions against Myanmar for its poor track record on forced labor, in
the U.N. body's first such move against any country.

Seeking to show its good intentions, the junta allowed the Geneva-based
group to open an office in the capital Yangon in 2002.

The ILO withdrew its threat of sanctions in May 2003 after agreeing on a
plan of action with the government "capable of making a concrete and
verifiable impact toward the complete elimination of forced labor in
Myanmar."

But last year, the ILO said Myanmar had failed to make much progress and
suggested that unless the junta took swift action, the call for sanctions
would be revived.
hier klicken!

In an unprecedented move likely to placate the labor body, a court in
Myanmar earlier this month found four local officials guilty of forcing
villagers to work on a road-building project and imprisoned them for up to
16 months.

The ILO's representative in Yangon, Richard Horsey, said that though the
problem of forced labor remain serious, the prosecution of local officials
will change "the climate of impunity surrounding those who impose forced
labor."

______________________________________

February 21, South China Morning Post
Deposed PM's allies face sentencing; More than 300 Myanmese officers set
to receive jail terms this week, as disquiet grows in the military - Larry
Jagan

Bangkok: Hundreds of military intelligence officers who served under
deposed Myanmese prime minister General Khin Nyunt are expected to be
handed stiff jail terms for corruption this week, sending fresh shockwaves
through the ruling armed forces.

The sentencing of more than 300 officers and some business associates has
been delayed several times. It is now likely to go ahead after last week's
resumption of a convention on the constitution, which has been
preoccupying leaders, according to diplomatic and business sources in
Myanmar.

Sentences of up to 30 years are expected to be handed down for economic
crimes and corruption during secret court sessions inside Yangon's
notorious Insein jail, where the defendants have been held since a
crackdown on Khin Nyunt's faction in October.

"It's a form of cannibalism - the army is eating its own flesh," a retired
Burmese military officer said about the trials, orchestrated by the
military junta's supreme leader, Senior General Than Shwe, and his No2,
General Maung Aye.

The sentencing will be the final nail in the coffin of the country's
military intelligence unit, which provided Khin Nyunt with the power base
that propelled him to the leadership. The unit was disbanded and all its
30,000 members given dishonourable discharges, with those at the top
thrown into jail on corruption charges.

Khin Nyunt has been held under house arrest at his villa on Yangon's Inya
Lake but he is not expected to face charges.

His two sons - businessman Ye Naing Wynn and army officer
Lieutenant-Colonel Zaw Naing Oo - have not appeared before the courts in
Insein. But they may face trial in the future, according to businessmen in
Yangon.

Than Shwe and Maung Aye are understood to have taken the action against
Khin Nyunt and his unit because the former prime minister advocated talks
with democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The mass trials of the military intelligence officers have caused disquiet
within the military, adding to the rumours about the future of the
impoverished country.

Many observers believe the atmosphere in Yangon is similar to 1988 when
former military dictator Ne Win quit, setting the stage for a series of
demonstrations by students and monks which were brutally put down by the
military as it retook power. "Burma is a social volcano about to erupt,"
said a Myanmese businessman recently.

The verdicts and sentences were originally scheduled to be handed down
more than two weeks ago but have been deferred more than four times.

Diplomats in Yangon believe this may have been because the country's top
military leaders were dealing with the restart of the National Convention,
which is drafting a new constitution.

Many of the intelligence officers on trial have been charged with crimes
related to commercial activities involving Chinese businessmen across the
border and in some cases having bank accounts there.

There are also investigations into several ministers for what the regime
regards as "excessive corruption".

One of those under scrutiny is the minister for post and
telecommunications, Brigadier-General Thein Zaw, regarding a number of
major contracts that allegedly involved massive kickbacks.

One of the contracts under review is a proposed deal with mainland mobile
phone company ZTE. Under the contract, ZTE would provide a US$ 150 million
loan for the infrastructure to provide 300,000 phone lines.

But this is more than 10 times the real cost of the project, according to
industry experts. Another ZTE contract for a million phone lines in
another Southeast Asian country cost US$ 30 million.

Thirty prosecutors and 30 judges appointed to conduct the trials at the
jail have been sequestered in a state guest house outside Yangon since
mid-January.

None of the military men have the benefit of defence counsel. "Many
decided not to hire lawyers as they believe it would be worse for them to
have a defence counsel," said a family member of one of the generals on
trial.

______________________________________

February 21, Agence France Presse
Myanmar sees 10 percent growth in tourist arrivals: report

Yangon: Myanmar recorded more than 656,000 foreign visitors last year, a
rise of about 10 percent from 2003, a report said Monday citing official
figures.

The military-ruled country also earned 135 million dollars from the
industry in the same period, up 20 million from 2003, the Myanmar Times
reported, quoting figures from the ministry of hotels and tourism.

Of those who visited in 2004, 236,370 came through Yangon International
Airport and another 414,972 entered via checkpoints on the borders with
China and Thailand.

Border tourism has soared in the past two years. Many of the travellers
who entered through checkpoints were on day visits, according to the
semi-official weekly.

The tourism rise occurred despite an international outcry over the junta's
ongoing detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a crackdown on
her pro-democracy party.

Independent travellers surged 64 percent last year to comprise nearly half
of all air arrivals, in part due to the increasing use of the Internet to
book reservations and obtain travel information, and because of Myanmar
promotions abroad, said the ministry's director of tourism promotion,
Nyunt Nyunt Than.

"Travellers can acquire the information we distribute at tourism shows in
foreign countries so they no longer have to make prior arrangements with
tour agencies," she said.

Thais topped the list of air arrivals last year, followed by visitors from
Taiwan, Japan, the United States, Germany and France, Italy and Britain,
the weekly said.

The paper also cited Yangon's efforts to expand its airport by July 2006
to handle up to 2.7 million passengers per year and upgrade its facilities
to allow Boeing 747 jets to use it.

Myanmar's military regime sees tourism as an important source of foreign
exchange to boost the country's economy, which is in tatters due to
decades of economic mismanagement and ongoing international sanctions.

Sanctions were toughened by the United States and the European Union
following Aung San Suu Kyi's detention while new economic aid was
suspended by Japan, the regime's largest donor.

The Nobel peace laureate's National League for Democracy party supports a
ban on tourism as advocated by certain human rights groups until the
government introduces democratic reforms.

______________________________________
REGIONAL

February 21, Associated Press
Arroyo expresses concern over Suu Kyi - Jim Gomez

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo expressed concern over detained
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s condition during talks Monday with
Burma’s visiting premier and hoped democratic reforms would take place “as
soon as possible,” officials said.

Arroyo held talks on trade and Burma’s pledge to democratize with Prime
Minister Lt-Gen Soe Win. His visit was condemned by activists, who said
welcoming him with a red carpet would help legitimize Rangoon’s widely
criticized military regime, and tarnish the Philippines’ democratic
legacy.

During their closed-door meeting, Arroyo said she was worried “about the
situation of Aung San Suu Kyi,” said her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye. He did
not say how the Burmaleader reacted.

“The fact that she took this up directly is a signal of our hope that
democratic reforms will take place as soon as possible,” Bunye said.

Arroyo and other officials also told Soe Win that the Philippines wants to
help Burma reconcile its differences with the international community and
would not endorse sanctions, according to a document of the meetings given
to reporters.

“The Philippines does not agree with those who propose sanctions against
Burma,” it quoted officials as telling the Burma contingent.

Philippine officials said they preferred to engage Burma economically,
hoping to encourage the government to conform with the world’s
expectations, the document said, adding that Philippine help to develop
Burma’s human resources could be extended “if Burma accelerates its
democratization process.”

Burma has been under international pressure since it detained Suu Kyi, a
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, in May 2003. She remains under house arrest.

Burma’s military rulers seized power in 1988 after crushing a
pro-democracy uprising. The junta held elections in 1990, but refused to
cede power when opposition leader Suu Kyi’s party won by a landslide.

While the two leaders met, about 50 left-wing protesters from the militant
Akbayan group burned a portrait of Soe Win outside the presidential
palace, and held up placards that read, “Don’t do business with dictators“
and “Gen Soe Win, how many Burmese did you kill?”

“The state visit is an implicit recognition of the military junta’s
legitimacy and sends a nod in the direction of that government’s
repressive policies,” the group said in a statement.

Another group of protesters, the Free Burma Coalition, urged the
Philippines and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, or Asean to block Burma’s assumption of the group’s chairmanship
in 2006 to pressure Rangoon to free Suu Kyi and initiate democratic
reforms.

The Philippines is among Burma’s most vocal critics in the 10-member Asean.

On the sidelines of an Asean summit in Laos last November, Arroyo told Soe
Win that Burma’s government should include Suu Kyi’s National League for
Democracy in a constitution-drafting convention. The convention began
Thursday in Burma without Suu Kyi’s party.

______________________________________

February 21, Manila Bulletin Online
Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win urged to waive chairmanship of ASEAN -
Genalyn D. Kabiling

Lawmakers yesterday urged Myanmar Prime Minister Soe Win to voluntarily
waive assumption to the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) unless he accedes to the demand of other ASEAN
member-states that he liberate his political prisoners, including Aung San
Suu Kyi.

Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and
Aquilino Pimentel are one in expressing concern that Myanmar's alleged
human right violations are primary considerations in asking Soe Win to
forego chairmanship of ASEAN which he is poised to occupy in 2006.

"In order to maintain Myanmar's good standing in the ASEAN and among the
international community, it should speed up its democratization process
and address human rights issues besetting the military junta-led country,"
said Drilon.

In a one-on-one meeting with Soe Win at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel
yesterday, Drilon urged the prime minister to address the issues of human
rights violations otherwise the Philippine government will be under
pressure to reconsider the "policy of constructive engagement."

The Senate president also urged Soe Win to provide a timetable for the
implementation of its so-called "roadmap to democracy."

Likewise, Senator Santiago explained that "the release of Aung San Suu Kyi
by the government of Myanmar is a golden opportunity to demonstrate its
renewed commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights."

According to Santiago, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shares the
sentiments of the majority of the senators on the issue.

Santiago, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations, submitted
yesterday a resolution by the committee "expressing the sense of the
Senate that Myanmar should not assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006
unless there has been compliance with the principles of human rights law."

The committee resolution stated that all members of the UN have an
obligation to promote
and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms as stated in the UN
Charter and as elaborated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), the international conventions on human rights and other applicable
human rights instruments.

The UDHR is a document that defines and provides for the basic human
rights that must be enjoyed by all.

This provision, the statement reads, is enough to justify the country's
call for Myanmar to relent and free its political prisoners or skip
chairmanship of ASEAN.

This resolution was highly praised by opposition Senator Pimentel who
averred that Myanmar's record for human rights violations has stripped the
country of the moral ascendancy to lead ASEAN.

"The military junta's persistent refusal to grant freedom to Suu Kyi and
other opposition leaders is a blatant disregard of Myanmar's commitments
to respect the human rights of its people and to abide by democratic
principles when it was admitted into ASEAN eight years ago," the senator
lamented.

The notoriety of Myanmar's military junta and its repression of basic
human rights earned the ire of many ASEAN members and some western
countries around the world.

_____________________________________

February 21, Agence France Presse
Myanmar leader says referendum on constitution to include all

Manila: Prime Minister Soe Win of military-ruled Myanmar on Monday said a
referendum to draft a new constitution included "all strata of the
society" despite a boycott by the opposition party.

At a speech before a luncheon meeting with Philippine President Gloria
Arroyo, Soe Win said that a "roadmap for democratization" was now being
implemented to transform the country into a "disciplined democratic
nation."

"The national convention in which all the nationalities in the country and
all strata of society are represented resumed four days ago," Soe Win
said.

"Once its task is completed, a new constitution will emerge and the
aspirations of our people will be met."

Myanmar has ignored international calls to free the opposition leader and
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last week said the referendum should be
transparent and regretted the absence of the NLD.

"Unless this poll adheres to internationally accepted standards of conduct
and participation, it may be difficult for the international community,
including the countries of the region, to endorse the result," Annan said.

But while Myanmar realizes that it must work closely with its neighbors in
the region, Soe Win said he believed that cooperation should not "diminish
national identities but enhance political and economic strength."

"I am confident that working bilaterally and in the framework of the
ASEAN, we can contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the
region," he said.

_____________________________________

February 18, Narinjara News
Rohingya refugee issue in Bangladesh Parliament

Dhaka: The issue of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh was discussed in a Feb
17 supplementary question section of Bangladesh Parliament, a report of
Bangladesh based news agency.

Replying to House, Ministry for Home fairs Lutfozzaman Babar said that
there are about 20197 Rohingya refugees from Burma still remain in the
country.

He said Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) have been instructed not to allow any more
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Babar informed the house that no Rohingya refugee has applied to the
government seeking the citizenship of Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan told the House that Bangladesh
government is conducting the refugee’s repatriation program through
bilateral dialogue with UNHCR and Burmese military government.

Replying to a question, Khan said that so far 95 percent of Burmese Muslim
refugees have returned to their homeland and everything is being done for
the repatriation of the remaining refugees.

About 250,000 Muslim refugees from Burma fled to Bangladesh in 2001 for
fear of prosecution by Burma army but most refugees were return back to
their home under the repatriation program.

_____________________________________

February 22, Xinhua General News Service
Cambodia hopes to create single regional tourist visa

Phnom Penh: Tourists visiting Cambodia in the next few years may be able
to enter China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar without needing
additional visas, local media reported on Tuesday.

It was said that Cambodia and the five nations agreed last week to begin a
feasibility study.

"We have a plan to practice a common visa as European countries are
doing," The Cambodia Daily quoted the ministry's Secretary of State Thong
Khon as saying.

"If you get a [Greater Mekong Subregion] visa in Cambodia or any one of
[the other] countries, you will be able to travel freely," he added.

Thong Khon hopes that a single visa will help attract even more visitors.
The number of tourists arriving in Cambodia increased from about 800,000
in 2003 to 1 million in 2004.

"With a common visa and improvement of transportation access, Cambodia
expects to reach 6 million tourists a year by 2010," Thong Khon said.

Asia Development Bank tourism project director Tith Chandtha predicted
that the heads of states of the six nations will approve a plan for a
single visa by the end of 2005.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

February 22, Agency France Presse
UN says world could snub Myanmar referendum

United Nations: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned the international
community could reject Myanmar's referendum on a constitution if the main
opposition party is not included in the process. Annan has been a vocal
critic of decisions by Myanmar's military rulers, who relaunched a
national convention on Thursday aimed at drafting a constitution to be put
to vote as part of their "road map" to democracy.

The opposition National League for Democracy is boycotting the convention
to protest the house arrest of its leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung
San Suu Kyi, and party vice chairman Tin Oo.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan said the junta should make
the constitution and referendum process "transparent and inclusive," and
that the absence of the NLD and other parties was regrettable.

"Unless this poll adheres to internationally accepted standards of conduct
and participation, it may be difficult for the international community,
including the countries of the region, to endorse the result," Annan said.

He said he accepted that Myanmar "faces complex and difficult challenges
in its transition to democracy and its quest for national reconciliation,"
but that the NLD and other groups must have a say.

"The national convention, in its present format, does not adhere to the
recommendations made by successive resolutions of the (UN) General
Assembly," Annan said.

He called on the junta, "even at this late stage, to take the necessary
steps to make the road map process more inclusive and credible."

The European Union and the United States have also rejected the
constitutional proceedings without the presence of the NLD, which won a
landslide election victory in 1990 but was never allowed to take power.

As the convention re-opened, Lieutenant General Thein Sein -- who his
first secretary of the government, known as the State Peace and
Development Council -- said the military was "working to fulfil the
aspirations of the people."

"Democracy can never flourish in an unstable atmosphere. We need peace and
stability," he said.

The convention intends to approve the legislative structure adopted in the
last session, and discuss how to divide power among legislative,
administrative and judicial bodies, he said.

The junta hopes the process will be complete by 2006, when Myanmar is due
to assume the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"We can't be sure but that is what we are aiming for," Thein Sein said.

General Khin Nyunt, the only top member of the junta who supported any
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, was sacked from his post as prime minister
in October last year.

The military intelligence he headed for two decades was disbanded, and 300
people linked to it are standing trial in secret inside the country's
notorious Insein prison.


Khin Nyunt had announced the national convention as part of a seven-step
"road map" to democracy in August 2003.

Annan again called on the junta "to resume without delay a substantive
political dialogue with the representatives of all ethnic nationality
groups and political leaders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to help
achieve a genuine process of national reconciliation."

_____________________________________

February 22, Associated Press
U.N. envoy says Myanmar ignoring his efforts to bring democratic reforms

The U.N. special envoy to Myanmar on Tuesday accused that country's junta
of ignoring his efforts to bring about national reconciliation with the
opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

"I have to come to the conclusion that the efforts of the U.N. have been
denied, not taken into account by the present regime," said the envoy,
Razali Ismail, a former Malaysian diplomat. "It makes us really
disappointed that we are seen in that context of not being helpful."

Razali urged Myanmar's military rulers to "trust the U.N." in its efforts
to bring a substantive political dialogue between Myanmar authorities and
representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders.

"We are their friend, not their foe," Razali said. "Use the U.N. as a
facilitator _ that would be my humble advice." Razali told The Associated
Press after a news conference where he announced details of a March 18
fund-raising concert for Asian tsunami victims.

Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1962, has not had a
constitution since the current junta seized power in 1988 after crushing a
pro-democracy uprising. The junta held elections in 1990, but refused to
cede power when Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won by a
landslide.

The government last week resumed a national convention to draw up a new
constitution, but it is being boycotted by the NLD because Suu Kyi, who is
currently under house arrest, was not allowed to attend.

Razali reiterated U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recent call for the
junta to include the NLD and other opposition groups in the constitution
convention.

If those groups can't participate, "the convention would not be recognized
as being inclusive and there will be problems later in accepting results
of the convention," Razali said.

Razali's efforts to bring about a reconciliation, which had progressed in
fits and starts, stalled early last year when he last visited Myanmar.
Razali said he was "very sad" that the junta hasn't indicated when he
could return to Myanmar to meet with officials.

But "I will plod on, try my best," he said.

He said Myanmar's government has not fully kept its pledge to the
10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which it is a member,
that it would move toward democracy.

"They have to take into account what they have committed themselves to
doing, what ASEAN has committed itself to doing, what are the hallmarks
and principles that the countries in this area have espoused," Razali
said. "If you look at it in that context, there is much more that has to
be done in Myanmar."

_____________________________________

February 22, The Independent
Campaigners target Total for Burma involvement - Rachel Stevenson

Total Oil, the French oil giant, is fuelling the brutal military regime in
Burma with millions of pounds and has benefited from forced labour and
human rights abuses, according to a report published today.

Britain's fourth biggest petrol supplier is being condemned by human
rights campaigners for working in partnership with the vicious Burmese
dictatorship in a report from the Burma Campaign human rights group,
published yesterday. It says Total's joint-venture with the Burmese
government provides the regime with as much as £200m a year, which is
largely spent on weapons and on enriching the generals who have ruled the
country for 43 years.

The oil company is accused of deploying Burmese troops to "protect" the
area in which it operates and of allowing forced labour to build an oil
pipeline. It is also alleged that Total gave the go-ahead for villages in
the pipeline's path to be demolished, leaving thousands homeless. Local
groups of soldiers patrolling Total's pipeline were known as "Total
battalions" and there are many reports of rapes and killings in the area
surrounding Total's plants.

Despite many EU states, including Britain, wanting to take tougher action
to stop companies such as Total investing in Burma, France is blocking
further action to protect its oil giant, according to the report. John
Jackson, of Burma Campaign UK, said: "Total has done more than any other
company to help prop up the regime in Burma. The French government is
protecting Total's interests by blocking sanctions."

Rape, torture and slavery are widespread in Burma, where the regime has
been described by the UN as a "crime against humanity". More than 1,000
people are in prison for their political beliefs and one in 10 babies dies
before the age of five.

Tony Blair has told UK companies operating in Burma not to do business
with the regime, but the Prime Minister has not imposed sanctions on the
country. French ministers, however, are believed to have used their veto
last year to stop attempts by the EU to increase restrictions on Burma. In
December the EU agreed to stop investment by European companies several
Burmese companies, such as a pineapple juice factory and a tailor's shop.
But following pressure from the French, the EU put no restrictions on the
lucrative oil and gas industry. The US banned investment in Burma in 1997.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of Burma who has been
held under house arrest for 15 years, said: "Total has become the main
supporter of the Burmese military regime."

Total denies the allegations that it used forced labour or employed the
army to create a military zone around its pipeline. "Since the start of
its operations in Burma, Total has always maintained extreme vigilance to
guarantee that international laws and human rights have always been
respected in the area. Total has from the beginning acted with conviction
and efficiency to eradicate all forms of forced labour in the area where
it operates and has regularly expressed its concern about this unlawful
practice to the Burmese authorities," said a spokeswoman for Total.

Total insists its presence in Burma is a force for good, allowing economic
development of the region.

_____________________________________

February 21, Agence France Presse
Campaign launched to pressure Total into leaving Myanmar

Paris: Some 40 organizations launched an international campaign aimed at
pressuring the French oil giant Total to pull out of Myanmar, where they
said the company's activities support a military dictatorship, a French
activist collective announced.

The campaign is led by the International Federation for Human Rights,
Actions Birmanie of Belgium and the French collective, which is called
"Total pollutes democracy."

"Total must pull out of Burma (Myanmar) not only for having taken
advantage of army-imposed forced labor, between 1995 and 1998, for the
construction of the Yadana gas pipeline but also because it fills the
coffers of a predatory regime," Olivier De Schutter, secretary general of
the International Federation for Human Rights, told a press conference.

"It is not possible to pretend, as Total does, that you can deal with
Burma without enabling the junta to increase its power.

"The entire economy is in the hands of a small group of soldiers who do
nothing for the population," he charged.

"Forty percent of the budget is allocated to military spending; 0.4
percent to health and education, according to the United Nations
Development Program."

If Total withdraws from Myanmar, according to the French collective, "one
would hope that France would finally support the adoption of significant
economic sanctions against the Burmese junta, as the democratic movement
in the country has asked."

_____________________________________
STATEMENTS

February 18, United Nations
Statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General on Myanmar

New York: The Secretary-General notes that on 17 February, Myanmar
reconvened its National Convention to continue drafting the principles on
which a new constitution will be based. Regrettably, contrary to his
earlier suggestions, this happened without the participation of the
National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties.

The Secretary-General is also concerned about the recent detention of
several Shan leaders, including the President of the Shan State Peace
Council (SSPC) and the Chairman of the Shan National League for Democracy
(SNLD).

While accepting that Myanmar faces complex and difficult challenges in its
transition to democracy and its quest for national reconciliation, the
Secretary-General believes that for a genuine process of national
reconciliation to take root, the views of the NLD and other political
parties, as well as the representatives of all the ethnic nationality
ceasefire groups, must be sought and considered.

It remains the Secretary-General's view that the National Convention, in
its present format, does not adhere to the recommendations made by
successive resolutions of the General Assembly. He thus reiterates his
call on the Myanmar authorities, even at this late stage, to take the
necessary steps to make the roadmap process more inclusive and credible.

The Secretary-General also encourages the authorities to ensure that the
next phases of the roadmap - the drafting of the constitution and the
holding of a national referendum - are transparent and inclusive. It is
his considered view that unless this poll adheres to internationally
accepted standards of conduct and participation, it may be difficult for
the international community, including the countries of the region, to
endorse the result.

The Secretary-General, once again, appeals to the Myanmar authorities to
resume without delay a substantive political dialogue with the
representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders,
including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to help achieve a genuine process of
national reconciliation. He reiterates the need for the remaining
constraints on all political leaders to be lifted, NLD offices to be
allowed to reopen and for political prisoners, including elected
officials, to be released. He also renews his readiness to facilitate
national reconciliation efforts among all parties concerned and to that
end, urges the authorities to agree to a visit of his Special Envoy.