BurmaNet News, June 17, 2005

[Editor]

June 17, 2005 Issue # 2742


BUSINESS / FINANCE
The Economist: On yer bike; Myanmar

ASEAN
AFP: ASEAN expects Myanmar's decision on leadership issue next month: Ong

REGIONAL
AFP: Malaysia's Mahathir calls for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi
Xinhua News Agency: Thailand arrests illegal Myanmar immigrants
Mizzima: Great expectations for Burmese refugees in New Delhi

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: Europe steps up calls for Myanmar activist's release on eve of 60th
birthday
AFP: Global demos call for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom on 60th birthday
AFP: US insists human trafficking report not 'political'
Irrawaddy: UN urges Rangoon to reform

OPINION / OTHER
Washington Post: Myanmar stifles eloquent voice of freedom; Fight of the
'unfree' continues as democracy leader spends birthday under house arrest

STATEMENT
Statement by President Mikheil Saakashvili in commemoration of Aung San
Suu Kyi, Georgia
Statement by Elbegdorj Tsakhia in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and Freedom
in Burma
Statement by Mitch McConnell on resolution honoring Daw Aung San Suu Kyi


_____________________________________
BUSINESS / FINANCE

June 17, The Economist
On yer bike; Myanmar

Government bungling makes cars a rare luxury

For outsiders used to the gridlocked cities of South-East Asia, Yangon's
leafy and uncongested boulevards make a pleasant change. For locals,
however, they are just another reminder of the incompetence of their
military rulers. The 5m inhabitants of the city own just 152,533 cars, say
official statistics, or three cars for every 100 people. By contrast, some
3m vehicles ply the roads of Bangkok, in neighbouring Thailand. Myanmar's
relative poverty must account for much of the difference, of course. But
that poverty stems, in large part, from ludicrous government policies such
as those governing the import and sale of cars.

Cars are so scarce because no one can afford to buy them. They cost a
fortune, and not just by local standards. A 1993 Toyota saloon that can be
bought for $1,000 from a Japanese wholesaler would sell for as much as
$75,000 in Myanmar, according to one local's estimate. A brand-new Toyota
Land Cruiser, at $300,000, costs six times what it would in America.

Prices are so high because the government has given a near-monopoly on
imports to the Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited, which is owned
by the army. It sells the import rights to dealers for roughly $100,000
per car. On top of this, importers must pay a duty of 30% or more on the
value of the car. Dealers, naturally enough, only bother to import top-end
models that could justify such an outlay. But there is only a tiny market
for such vehicles. So Myanmar, a country of 50m people, officially
imported only 4,500 cars last year—and even that minuscule figure was a
big increase on previous years. Another 1,500 vehicles were assembled
inside the country, and sold at equally prohibitive prices.

The only economically viable way to bring cheaper, second-hand cars to
Myanmar is to smuggle them across the border from Thailand. Various ethnic
militias, allied to the junta and based in the border region, have
imported perhaps 40,000 vehicles this way since 2000, with the connivance
of the military-intelligence agency. But that once all-powerful body was
abolished last year, after its leader, Khin Nyunt, fell from grace. Now
the authorities are trying to round up all the smuggled cars. They have
seized 14,000 so far, and are threatening anyone caught driving one with
seven years in prison.

In all likelihood, therefore, the number of cars on the road this year
will decrease. Prices, needless to say, have risen, by about 20% in the
past few months. The government recently exacerbated the shortage, by
prohibiting car dealers from shipping old vehicles from the provinces to
Yangon. It has also banned the import of second-hand spare parts.

The junta seems oblivious of, or indifferent to, the ill effects of all
this. In 2003, it accidentally precipitated a bank crash, which is still
crimping the economy. The top generals, schooled under past socialist
regimes, are thought to have only the woolliest idea of how market forces
work. No one dares set them straight. Pliant bureaucrats recently
estimated last year's economic growth rate at 12.6%, which is higher than
China's. For the automotive sector, at any rate, it looks as if they
forgot a minus sign.

____________________________________
ASEAN

June 17, Agence France Presse
ASEAN expects Myanmar's decision on leadership issue next month: Ong

Myanmar will have to tell fellow Southeast Asian nations next month
whether it will insist on taking its turn to lead ASEAN in 2006, the
regional group's secretary-general said in an interview aired Friday.

The army-ruled country is supposed to take over the rotating chair of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations from Malaysia, but some members as
well as ASEAN's western partners are opposed to such a role for the
outcast regime.

ASEAN secretary general Ong Keng Yong, in a taped interview with
broadcaster CNBC Asia, noted that some member countries had been openly
expressing opinions about the prospect of ASEAN being led by Myanmar.

"But overall we still believe that the process here is for a particular
country, if they do not wish to take the chairmanship which has been
rotated to them, they will have to tell the other foreign ministers at the
AMM," he said.

Ong was referring to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting to be held in the
Laotian capital Vientiane in late July.

No ASEAN member has ever been pressured into relinquishing its leadership
but Myanmar's human rights record, particularly the treatment of
pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, has embarrassed its neighbors.

Holding the ASEAN chair means Myanmar will set the group's agenda and
direction as well as host a series of meetings, including a summit and a
high-level security forum involving the United States and European Union.

The United States and the EU have warned they will boycott ASEAN meetings
if Myanmar is allowed to chair the bloc, which also includes Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Vietnam.

The chair is rotated alphabetically among the members.

Ong said that while members have traditionally observed the principle of
non-intervention, "internally ASEAN member countries have always discussed
some sensitive matters among themselves."

"The only difference is that when some sensitive issues are discussed we
don't do it at a big open plenary forum. We do it at a very nice mealtime
or over a cup of coffee."

But Ong noted that in a break with tradition, some parliamentarians from
ruling parties of ASEAN members have been speaking out against Myanmar.

He said this was "a reflection of the maturity of the political culture"
in ASEAN and showed that "in public policy making, there is a growing
acceptance that not everything has to come from the government."

"If a parliamentarian feels that he or she should speak up about
something, like in this case Myanmar, he can do so as long as it's
constructive, it is not confrontational," Ong said.

"And this is what we are seeing now in countries like in Singapore, in
Indonesia, in Thailand, in Malaysia," he said. "Parliamentarians are
speaking up on an issue which they feel passionate about.

"The positive thing is the governments in these countries are saying, well
you guys are parliamentarians, you know what you're supposed to do and
well, if you want to raise these points, we can't stop you."

In a meeting this month in Singapore, where ruling party MPs rarely
criticize other Asian governments, regional legislators urged Myanmar to
relinquish its chairmanship unless it implements democratic reforms and
frees political prisoners.

A statement issued after the meeting called for the "lifting of
restrictions" on opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San
Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and the setting of a "firm
schedule" for the completion of a new constitution.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

June 17, Agence France Presse
Malaysia's Mahathir calls for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi

Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who while in power was an
important ally of Myanmar's junta, on Friday called on the ruling generals
to release democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mahathir, who engineered Myanmar's entrance into the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the junta should not be afraid of
the ramifications of freeing Aung San Suu Kyi or making other reforms.

"I fought hard for Myanmar to be admitted into ASEAN. I think the leaders
of Myanmar should consider public opinion (in support of her release) and
there is nothing they have to lose," he said.

"It is up to the government of Myanmar to decide. It would make things
easier for everyone."

Myanmar's democracy figurehead on Sunday celebrates her 60th birthday at
her Yangon home where she has been confined for the past two years, in her
third stint under house arrest since beginning her political career in
1988.

Mahathir said Myanmar's generals needed to be assured that if they moved
towards democracy, they would not face prosecution.

"Some guarantee must be given that no action will be taken against them,"
he said.

The Malaysian political strongman said however that the world had to be
patient with the regime, which has drawn widespread criticism for its
failure to end four decades of military rule.

"Democracy is not something that has been with us for millions of years.
It is not normal at all, the normal way is autocracy and monarchy," he
said.

Malaysian police on Thursday arrested 68 Myanmar activists for protesting
outside their country's embassy against Aung San Suu Kyi's detention. They
are being held at a local police station and are yet to be charged in
court.

Another noisy protest was held outside the Myanmar mission Friday, with a
dozen opposition members carrying placards and a birthday cake demanding
the release of Myanmar's freedom icon.

Representatives of Malaysia's Democratic Action Party (DAP), led by its
youth chairman Nga Kor Ming, held the cake aloft and sang a birthday song
dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.

In a written memorandum to the military junta which was presented to
embassy officials, Nga called for the "unconditional release of Aung San
Suu Kyi and some 1,350 political prisoners".

He also urged Malaysia to free all the Myanmar activists arrested Thursday
outside the embassy.

Myanmar is next in line to take over the rotating chair of the 10-member
ASEAN from Malaysia next year.

But parliamentarians in several ASEAN countries have urged their
governments to block Myanmar's accession because of its lack of reforms
which they say is an embarrassment to the region.

Mahathir has said in the past that Myanmar might have to be expelled from
the ASEAN grouping if its rulers continue defying world pressure to
release Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won disallowed 1990 elections in a
landslide.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

_____________________________________

June 17, Xinhua News Agency
Thailand arrests illegal Myanmar immigrants

Police on Thursday arrested 110 illegal immigrants from Myanmar in
northern Thailand, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

Some 200 police men were deployed around several construction sites and
factories in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai on Thursday to check
identification of suspicious people.

They rounded up 110 aliens without legal document, who were all from
Myanmar, the newspaper Nation quoted Chiang Mai police chief Jirut
Prommobol as saying.

Illegal immigration has long bothered Thailand, especially in places like
Chiang Mai lying on the country's border.

In Chiang Mai alone, police had arrested 229 Myanmars in May, the report
said.

Some 147 of them were arrested for selling methamphetamine, while the
other 87 people were arrested for illegally entering the country, said
Jirut.

Coming from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia,
illegal immigrants always take the hardest job in Thailand or involve with
crimes to survive.

On the other hand, their basic rights can hardly be guaranteed due to
their lack of legal status.

In a bid to solve the problem, the Thai government has registered illegal
immigrants for several times so as to better operate their movement and
life in the kingdom.

Many of them, however, have never showed up before the registration
station for fear of deportation.

_____________________________________

June 16, Mizzima
Great expectations for Burmese refugees in New Delhi – Mungpi

Hopes and expectations are high among Burmese refugees, as the survey
comes to an end striving to find out a durable solution to their living
condition.

The survey was undertaken by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), New Delhi, on May nine this year to scrutinise the living
condition of the Burmese refugees and prepare recommendations.

"The main objective of the survey is to see the living condition of the
Burmese refugees in New Delhi," survey consultant Marie Lobo said.

The one- and-a- half month long study, according to the UNHCR New Delhi,
would give practical suggestions on how to improve the agency's programmes
for Burmese refugees, complaining about the "ineffective and irrelevant"
programme and projects of the agency.

"It also includes whether the UNHCR's SA (Subsistence Allowance) cut-off
had negative effects on the refugees, Lobo added.

The Rs. 1400 subsistence allowance, which was being offered to the Burmese
refugees every month since 1990, had been gradually phased out.

According to the All Burma Refugee Committee (ABRC), around 280 Burmese
refugees were interviewed during the survey-- approximately 130 for
personal interviews and 150 for group discussions.

There are over 1500 Burmese refugees living in New Delhi, out of which
about 1,000 have been granted UNHCR recognition as refugees.

ABRC is a Burmese refugee committee, assisting the consultant of the study.

The study is likely to recommend a better financial support to the Burmese
refugees. It might also point out the shortcomings of the UNHCR's
Implementing partner NGOs and the mistakes of the UNHCR's projects for
Burmese refugees," said the ABRC General Secretary.

He said the UNHCR was committing mistakes in implementing projects for the
Burmese refugees and was ignoring suggestions from the concerned refugee
committees. He hoped that with an independent researcher, the study would
directly point out the weaknesses of both the refugees and the UNHCR in
the area of cooperation to find out a durable solution.

"Since I have been in UNHCR, I understand their mandates and I can see the
situation from inside and outside. As I am retired, I can see it from
outside now. I am asked to do independently, so I will not defend anything
and I will speak as an independent person," said Lobo.

Ms. Marie Lobo, who is now retired, has been with the UNHCR mission for
over twenty years. She has worked with the UNHCR mission in seven
countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

June 17, Agence France Presse
Europe steps up calls for Myanmar activist's release on eve of 60th birthday

Officials, former leaders and prominent organisations in Europe added
their voices Friday to a call on Myanmar's ruling junta to release
democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi as she prepared to mark her 60th
birthday under house arrest.

Norway's Nobel Committee, which gave Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Prize in
1991, called attention to her plight and called for her to be freed.

"We ask that she be set free immediately," the chairman of the committee,
Ole Mjoes, said in a statement dated June 19 marking Suu Kyi's 60th
birthday on Sunday.

"Suu Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil
courage in Asia in recent decades," he said.

The committee "wishes to congratulate her on this day and to express our
admiration for the courageous way in which she is fighting for democracy
and human rights" in Myanmar, he said.

Supporters are planning protests around the world to mark her birthday on
Sunday, demonstrating outside Myanmar's embassies in a dozen countries to
demand her release.

A letter signed by former prime ministers Lionel Jospin of France, Felipe
Gonzalez of Spain, and Jean-Luc Dehaene and Pierre Harmel, both of
Belgium, as well as former European Commission president Jacques Delors,
was made public Friday calling on the European Union and United Nations to
be tougher with Myanmar over Suu Kyi's detention.

Other signatories, like Suu Kyi awarded an honorary doctorate by Belgium's
Catholic University of Louvain, which published the letter, included the
chief prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunal, Carla del
Ponte, several Euro-MPs and German filmmaker Wim Wenders.

"Today, calls for a release are not enough... we have to act," the letter,
written in French, said under the title "Our freedom should serve her
own".

It called for further economic sanctions on Myanmar, UN Security Council
intervention against the country and more vigilance on the part of the
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The European Union and ASEAN should ban all foreign investment in Myanmar
(formerly known as Burma) along the lines of US restrictions, it said,
adding that it was "urgent" that the UN Security Council coordinate the
pressure on the country's junta.

Suu Kyi has been confined to her Yangon home for the past two years in her
third stint under house arrest. She has spent nearly a decade in detention
since taking up her pro-democracy cause in 1988.

Her National League for Democracy party scored a landslide victory in 1990
elections, but the junta never allowed the winners to take office.

Other initiatives were planned to bring attention to Suu Kyi's situation.

The Norwegian Burma Committee said it would hold demonstrations in front
of the Norwegian parliament as well as in a number of towns across the
country on Sunday and has organised a petition for her release that has
been signed by the Dalai Lama, among others.

In Sweden, representatives for all of the parties represented in
parliament expressed to Suu Kyi their "deepest respect for your courage
and loyalty to the struggle for democracy for the people" of Myanmar. A
demonstration was to be held in central Stockholm on Friday.

The Danish Burma Committee said it was organising a birthday party for Suu
Kyi in a Copenhagen cafe that would be attended by orchestras, artists,
left-wing politicians and children.

In the Czech Republic, the Myanmar community and the Multicultural Centre
organisation were to hold a meeting Saturday before joining the worldwide
campaign for Suu Kyi.

And an acclaimed Irish musician, Damien Rice, is to release a new single
called "Unplayed Piano" on the dissident's birthday, written after he
learned that she has been deprived of one of her few pleasures, playing
the piano at home.

_____________________________________

June 17, Agence France Presse
Global demos call for Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom on 60th birthday

Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters plan protests around the world to mark her
60th birthday Sunday, demonstrating outside Myanmar's embassies in a dozen
countries to demand her release from two years' house arrest.

The woman known simply as "The Lady" will only be able to hear of the
protests on her short-wave radio, one of the few links that she has with
the outside world from her rambling lakeside home where she lives in
isolation under 24-hour guard.

Few expect the protests to sway Myanmar's reclusive military leaders, who
have ignored US and European sanctions imposed as the junta has stalled on
its own "road map" to democracy, leaving the nation one of the poorest in
Asia.

But activists hope the demonstrations will draw the world's attention to
the Nobel peace laureate's plight.

"We can demonstrate to Aung San Suu Kyi and to the military that there are
a lot of people who support her," said Michele Keegan, one of scores of
activists who plan to lock themselves indoors for 24 hours Sunday in
solidarity.

"Basically what we're trying to do is show that it's not just a few small
voices calling for her release, that there are a lot of people around the
world, and in the region" who want her freed, Keegan said.

The so-called "Arrest Yourself" parties are planned in 16 countries --
including Britain, France, Germany, Singapore, Spain and the United States
-- to raise awareness and money for Myanmar's pro-democracy struggle.

Other activists are taking to the streets in London, Paris, Seoul, New
Dehli, Tokyo and a dozen other capitals to protest outside Myanmar's
embassies.

The disobedience began Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, where Malaysian police
arrested 68 Myanmar activists protesting outside the Myanmar embassy.
Public gatherings without a permit are illegal in Malaysia.

Yet lending his voice to the chorus of indignation was one of Malaysia's
most influential figures, former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who called on
the ruling generals to release Aung San Suu Kyi.

While in power, Mahathir was an important Yangon ally who engineered
Myanmar's entrance into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN). But on Friday he said freeing Suu Kyi "would make things easier
for everyone".

In Yangon, the NLD said the party had standing instructions not to accept
any gifts for Aung San Suu Kyi.

"Whatever donations were made to the NLD headquarters on her birthday
should be given to those still in jail and to their families outside for
their children's education," a party source said.

Relatives and friends close to Aung San Suu Kyi said they welcomed the
international appeals for her release, which one family friend described
as "the best gift for her 60th birthday".

International music television station MTV is running spots urging viewers
to e-mail the Myanmar junta with their concerns for the dissident.

San Francisco has named June 19 "Aung San Suu Kyi Day", while Edinburgh is
giving her its "Freedom of the City" award -- to be received by her
28-year-old son Kim, one of her two children by late British husband
Michael Aris.

In Washington, ranking US Representative Tom Lantos will lead protests in
front of Myanmar's embassy and attempt to deliver 6,000 birthday cards for
Aung San Suu Kyi.

"It will be interesting to see how they react," his spokeswoman Lynne Weil
said.

Thailand's respected Thammasat University in Bangkok plans to bestow an
honorary degree on Aung San Suu Kyi as part of day-long activities Sunday.

And top Irish musician Damien Rice is releasing a new single called
"Unplayed Piano" on the dissident's birthday, written after the star
learned that she has been deprived of one of her few pleasures, playing
the piano at home.

A group of 14 Nobel laureates also issued a joint statement ahead of the
birthday, calling on the international community to maintain pressure,
including sanctions, against the junta.

"They remind Burma's military leaders that they cannot reconcile with the
world until they reconcile with their own people," said the group,
including Desmond Tutu, who helped galvanize global opinion against racist
apartheid rule in South Africa, and the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader
of Tibet's Buddhists.

Also trumpeting the call for freedom was the Norwegian Nobel Committee
itself, which described Aung San Suu Kyi's struggle as "one of the most
extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades".

Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD scored a landslide victory in 1990 elections,
considered free and fair by the international community, but the junta
never allowed the winners to take office.

She has spent much of the last 15 years under house arrest, with her
latest detention beginning more than two years ago.

_____________________________________

June 17, Agence France Presse
US insists human trafficking report not 'political'

The US State Department defended its annual human trafficking report
against accusations that it is a political tool used by Washington to
pressure target countries, with one author Friday insisting its findings
are impartial.

Military-ruled Myanmar and Cambodia have complained about being
blacklisted, with both being relegated to the report's "tier three" of
worst offenders which failed to meet the State Departments minimum
standards against trafficking.

"We firmly believe that Burma is a tier three country," said Mark Taylor,
senior coordinator in the office to monitor and combat trafficking in
persons, using the country's former name.

"It is not making significant efforts to address trafficking for forced
labour and until we see signs that it is, it will remain at that level."

Though Cambodia has been praised for curbing child sex crimes, it was
relegated to tier three for the first time since 2002 because of its
failure to convict traffickers or prosecute public officials involved in
the flesh trade.

"While we appreciate their cooperation in getting these American
paedophiles back to the US for prosecution, we call on them (Cambodia) to
prosecute the trafficker who took the child to the brothel keeper that
provided this child for rape for profit in the beginning," Taylor said.

Taylor, who was visiting Thailand as part of a regional tour to discuss
the report's findings, said the State Department worked hard to ensure the
report stuck to its "objective" criteria.

The 2005 report assigned 14 countries to tier three, including US allies
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, he said.

"I hope that that speaks to its ability to see past the political prism
and to the objective criteria," Taylor said.

Myanmar has attacked the report as "lacking in objectivity".

"Myanmar does not condone the practice of trafficking in persons and is
constantly striving to overcome the pernicious practice," state media said
last week, carrying a foreign ministry report highlighting the junta's
efforts to combat trafficking.

_____________________________________

June 17, Irrawaddy
UN urges Rangoon to reform – Aung Lwin Oo

The UN Human Rights envoy urged Rangoon on Friday to show greater
political resolve to reform the country, calling for an open dialogue with
all parties and the creation of a freer political environment.

UN Special Rapporteur Paulo Sergio Pinheiro said during a press conference
in Bangkok that the junta needs to demonstrate its commitment to political
reform “by guaranteeing the full and effective participation of all
political actors in a meaningful and substantive dialogue.”

Pinheiro highlighted the arrest of ethnic Shan leaders and the continued
detention of the opposition National League for Democracy party leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and Vice-Chairman Tin Oo as major setbacks in the process
of political reform in the country.
“Her virtual solitary confinement, lack of access to the ICRC [the
International Committee of the Red Cross] delegation and her NLD
colleagues, runs contrary to the spirit of national reconciliation,” he
said. The rights envoy also reiterated the need to release more than 1,300
other political prisoners languishing in Burma’s prisons.

The junta’s permanent representative to the UN, Nyunt Maung Shein,
defended Burma’s crackdown on the NLD before the UN Human Rights
Commission’s hearing in March, claiming that “action had to be taken
against some members of the NLD, as it was one of their activities which
posed a threat to the peace and stability of the state, national unity and
solidarity.”

Pinheiro disputed this claim and added that no significant improvements
have been seen with respect to the country’s human rights record.

The special envoy expressed concern over the regime-sponsored National
Convention—charged with drafting a new constitution—which he believes will
conclude in the near future. He was critical of the assembly’s lack of key
political actors and a clearly specified time frame for completion.

Pinheiro has been repeatedly denied access to the country since November
2003, while the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s special envoy to Burma,
Razali Ismail, made his last visit to Burma in March of last year.

Pinheiro also recommended the international community “facilitate talks
between the junta and all political forces,” including the opposition
National League for Democracy and ethnic groups.

“I believe in dialogue,” Pinheiro said. “I haven’t believed in isolation
since the first day of my mandate.”

Pinheiro’s comments echoed those made by the UN secretary general earlier
this week. On Thursday, Kofi Annan urged the junta to release
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, just days before she turns 60.

“It is unfortunate that she is celebrating it under circumstances that one
would not have wished for her,” Annan said.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

June 17, The Washington Post
Myanmar stifles eloquent voice of freedom; Fight of the 'unfree' continues
as democracy leader spends birthday under house arrest – Vaclav Havel

On Sunday, Aung San Suu Kyi will celebrate her 60th birthday, which in a
Buddhist culture marks an important milestone in one's life.

The political activist and democracy leader in Myanmar, formerly called
Burma, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

I would like to meet her and give her a rose like the one she is seen
holding in a photograph in my study. Such an ordinary wish, however, in
the case of such an extraordinary woman as Suu Kyi may seem like a silly
idea.

The last time I wrote about her in 2003 was shortly after "unknown"
assassins tried to deprive her of her life and Myanmarese generals put her
under house arrest for the third time since 1989.

Since then, except for the occasional purge of senior generals, an
ever-increasing population of political prisoners and multiplying human
rights abuses, nothing in Myanmar seems to have changed.

Suu Kyi is still kept under strict house arrest, and the country's
generals have fortified themselves even more against any attempts at a
dialogue.

A dialogue? To conduct a dialogue with a regime that consistently disdains
basic human rights and freedoms -- that uses arms instead of words and
harassment and violence instead of discussion -- probably does not make
any sense.

This is something that the European Union recently learned the hard way
when it thought -- partly out of naivete, partly out of expediency -- that
a more forthcoming attitude toward Fidel Castro's regime would lead to a
more forthcoming attitude on the part of Castro toward his political
prisoners and dissent in general.

But Castro made a fool of the EU. He released a few critically ill
prisoners, secretly jailed some others and did not let some European
parliamentarians into the country. Those parliamentarians who somehow
managed to slip in were unceremoniously expelled.
I hope that the European Union will draw a lesson from this experience --
for example, when it again negotiates lifting the arms embargo on China.

It makes sense to keep up the pressure on the military junta in Myanmar,
which considers all the justifiable calls to free Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners, as well as calls to begin democratic reforms, to be
unjustifiable interference in the country's internal affairs.

Even a decade and a half after the fall of communism there, the citizens
of central and eastern Europe still vividly remember that their Communist
rulers made the same arguments. Abuses of human rights and freedoms have
never been and will never be solely internal affairs of any country.

As someone who years ago experienced firsthand the arbitrary rule of a
dictatorial regime, but then lived to see better times -- to a large
extent because of the international solidarity extended to us -- I appeal
to all those who have the opportunity to act against such arbitrary acts
to express their solidarity with people who, to this day, live in a state
of "unfreedom."

This is also why -- together with my friends the Dalai Lama, Prince El
Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, former presidents Richard von Weizsaecker of
Germany and Frederik de Klerk of South Africa, and others -- I founded the
Shared Concern Initiative.

The first public manifestation of this initiative was an open letter in
support of Aung San Suu Kyi.

This is why I welcomed it when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
moved beyond its "non-interference" policy and began publicly debating
whether Myanmar should assume the chairmanship of that organization.

This is why I support U.S. sanctions against the Myanmarese regime and why
I find it easy to identify with resolutions by U.S. legislators.

This is also why I appeal to the European Union to learn from its Cuban
fiasco and step up the pressure on the Myanmar regime both within the
framework of the United Nations and in other international forums -- and
to do it in clear and comprehensible terms.

The current situation in Myanmar is bad. Since 1990, the ruling State
Council for Peace and Development has repeatedly promised that it would
take steps leading to gradual democratization of the regime. Not a single
one of these promises has been even partially fulfilled.

But I am still an optimist. After all, I come from a country where, as
late as mid-1989, while all around us totalitarian icebergs were cracking
and thawing, the stupid, repressive regime remained strong. I, together
with other people of a similar mindset, was in prison. Yet, by the end of
that same year, I was elected the president of a free Czechoslovakia.

Seemingly unshakable totalitarian monoliths are sometimes as cohesive as
proverbial houses of cards, and fall just as quickly. Continuing
democratization of the whole region, together with growing dissent inside
the country, must eventually have a positive effect. As Suu Kyi celebrates
her 60th birthday, I wish for her that those changes will happen as soon
as possible, and that my silly idea -- to hand her a rose -- becomes a
simple and easy thing to do.

Vaclav Havel is former president of the Czech Republic.

_____________________________________

June 17, The Nation
Asean must stiffen its resolve on Burma

Rangoon has for too long been allowed to take advantage of the wobbles
that have plagued the grouping’s approach to engagement

Until Burma’s military junta decides one way or another whether it intends
to retain the chairmanship of Asean in 2006, the wobbly indecisiveness of
members of our regional grouping will continue to make it an object of
international ridicule.

Asean effectively decided not to decide on the issue of Burma’s
chairmanship during a formal meeting in the Philippines in April, when it
said the grouping would not deny chairmanship to any member country. This
put the ball in Rangoon’s court, leaving it up to the junta to choose for
itself whether to forego the honour in the face of mounting pressure from
Asean’s dialogue partners, notably the European Union and the United
States.

Having tossed the hot potato back to the generals, foreign ministers from
the group have expressed confidence that Rangoon will uphold the interests
of the group by passing up the chairmanship on its own accord.

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon was the first to hint that
Burma may not take up the chairmanship, as an act of consideration for
Asean as a whole.

Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo said in an article in the
Financial Times last Thursday that Burma had assured the group it would
take Asean’s interests into account. “Asean foreign ministers took this to
mean that Myanmar [Burma] would voluntarily forego its turn to chair. This
would be good solution,” he said.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar repeated the sentiment last
week, saying that Asean had no tradition of forcing its members to make
decisions on the appropriateness of their becoming chair of the group,
although individual members reserve the right to express their feelings on
the matter.

We have no clear indication of what Rangoon will opt to do beyond the
stated expectations of Asean ministers, though some ministers have hinted
that the junta’s representative to the meeting of Asean foreign ministers
in Vientiane next month will announce Burma’s position.

Again, it is clear to the whole world that Asean has no control over this
– let alone its common destiny. There has been a lot of hot air about
Asean members wanting to see democracy and national reconciliation in
Burma – but no action.

It should be obvious that at this stage it is simply not realistic to
expect the junta, which has ruled with an iron fist for a long time, to
make responsible decisions. Yet Asean ministers keep on hoping that the
generals will somehow be persuaded to skip being chairman of the regional
body so they can concentrate on political reform at home.

It is also obvious that Asean has no “Plan B” if Rangoon goes to Vientiane
intent on taking its turn as chairman no matter what.

The regional grouping has been talking about development and national
reconciliation in Burma since the junta put opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi under house arrest again in June 2003, but has never bothered to put
together any sort of action plan to enforce its will.

It just sits idly hoping against hope that good things will one day come
out of Rangoon.

The group bet on former prime minister Khin Nyunt’s “road map”, though no
one believed that such a plan would really contribute in any way to the
development of real democracy in the country. Asean’s hopes were dashed
when the former intelligence chief was purged. And yet the grouping still
seems to imagine that the current holders of power might honour Khin
Nyunt’s plans.

How embarrassing it must have been when the National Convention drafting a
new Burmese constitution announced a recess – to allow its members to go
back to tending their paddy fields. The body said it would resume the
constitution-drafting process around harvest time.

It has been evident to the rest of the world – though apparently not to
some parts of Southeast Asia – that Burma does not have Asean’s interests
at heart. And it never will unless Asean formulates a plan to enforce its
will. The fact is, Asean will never achieve its goal of facilitating
democracy in Burma so long as it allows its members to hide behind and
manipulate its oft-cited doctrine of non-interference.

The group badly needs to review this outdated principle and find a new way
to deal with Burma. Otherwise Asean will be bogged down on this issue as
long as Burma, under the junta, is a member, adding dead weight to a
regional grouping that at this point is going nowhere.

_____________________________________
STATEMENT

June 16, Embassy of Georgia
Statement by President Mikheil Saakashvili in commemoration of Aung San
Suu Kyi and democracy in Burma

On behalf of the Georgian people I want to extend our collective greetings
to the Senators, Congressmen, and freedom activists gathered here in
support of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.  Her continued
arrest by Burma’s military junta is an outrage, her courage in the face of
terror and intimidation serves as an inspiration to those throughout the
world who cherish freedom and democracy.

In 1990 the Burmese people voted overwhelmingly in parliamentary elections
for Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) to lead
them into a new era based on democratic governance.  The junta has refused
to recognize the results of this election.  Each day they must wage war on
the Burmese people, using murder, terror and intimidation, to keep their
hold on power.  This is a war they are destined to lose.

We in Georgia understand first-hand what it is like to live under tyranny
and the sacrifices necessary to gain liberty.  Following the collapse of
Soviet rule, Georgians embraced democracy and set about building a new
society dedicated to human rights and the rule of law.  When our democracy
was hijacked by corruption, the Georgian people went to the streets and
took it back in what is now known as the Rose Revolution.  Today,
individual freedoms are guaranteed, religious and ethnic groups
celebrated, and we are working out at the peace table differences that
once threatened our territorial integrity.  I am proud to say that
democracy is alive and well in Georgia, but our work is far from finished.

It is up to those who are free to join the fight of the oppressed.  I know
that the winds of freedom that have blown across Georgia, touched off an
Orange Revolution in Ukraine, spawned a Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan,
and shook the cedars of Lebanon will someday soon reach Burma.  To the
millions of Burmese who are imprisoned with Aung San Suu Kyi in their own
country, I say this: Doi Yea (Our Cause)!   Because your cause is our
cause.  Wherever freedom-loving people rise up to carry on the legacy of
the Rose Revolution, the spirit and support of the Georgian people stand
with you.

_____________________________________

June 3, Office of the Prime Minister of Mongolia
Statement in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and Freedom in Burma

I want to extend my warm greetings to those attending this important
ceremony and most of all to offer my heartfelt support to Nobel Peace
Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.  It is a tragedy that she could not be
celebrating her birthday among her family, friends and the Burmese people.
 Her continued jailing is a powerful symbol of the strength of Burma’s
democracy movement and the weakness of those trying to block this
country’s path to freedom.

There are those who try to argue that democracy and individual rights are
Western ideals.  How wrong they are.  In Mongolia, our constitution
guarantees the right to life, religious tolerance, the right to own
property, the right to a free press and free expression, and for the
public to bring grievances before their democratically elected
representatives.  These are not Western ideals, these are rights that each
of us inherit at birth from our Supreme Creator.

Today, Burma is ruled by a military regime that inflicts death, terror and
fear on the people in their struggle to maintain power.  History as
written by the Czechs, Poles, Hungarians, Serbs, Georgians, Ukrainians,
Romanians, Indonesians, we Mongolians and many others has proven that
freedom in the face of tyranny will triumph.  Burma’s generals should take
this history to heart.

Friends, it is up to each of us living in free societies to reach out and
help those living under oppression to find their freedom.  I can assure
the Burmese people of one thing: No dictatorship, no military regime, no
authoritarian government can stand against the collective will of a people
determined to be free.

Tonight, as darkness settles across Mongolia, I will light a candle and
place it in the front window of my residence as a symbol of hope and
support for the Burmese people and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Elbegdorj Tsakhia

_____________________________________

June 16, The Office of Senator Mitch McConnell
Statement of Senator Mitch McConnell on resolution honoring Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell introduced a resolution today honoring Aung
San Suu Kyi. His statement on the resolution follows:

"Mr. President, along with my colleagues from California, Arizona,
Tennessee, and Indiana, today I introduce a resolution recognizing Burmese
democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as a
symbol of the struggle for freedom in Burma.

"While many may know of the horrors committed in Burma by the illegitimate
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) - and the courage, dignity and
determination of Suu Kyi and her compatriots in the face of this
repression - some people may be unaware that June 19 marks Suu Kyi's 60th
birthday.

"I would like nothing more than to pick up the telephone and call her in
Rangoon to give her best wishes on her birthday. However, I cannot. Nor
can anyone else. Suu Kyi remains under house arrest by the SPDC.

"In addition to my colleagues in the Unofficial Burma Caucus in the Senate
- Senators Feinstein, McCain, Frist and Lugar to name but a few - it is
important to recognize the expressions of support for Suu Kyi and
democracy in Burma by other stalwarts of freedom, including Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili, Mongolian Prime Minister Elbegdorj
Tskahiagiin, former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel, former
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and a litany of fellow
Nobel Peace Prize recipients.

"Let me close by reiterating the call for the immediate and unconditional
release of Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience in Burma. I urge
Secretary of State Rice to encourage regional neighbors and allies to
redouble their efforts to support freedom in Burma when she attends the
12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum, and
post-ministerial meetings in Laos.

"Happy birthday, Suu Kyi. You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers."