BurmaNet News, December 13, 2005

[Editor]

December 13, 2005 Issue # 2863


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Rangoon fire victims forcibly relocated out of town
Irrawaddy: EU humanitarian aid to Burma increases fourfold
DVB: Oppression of NLD members continues in Rangoon’s Thone Gwa
AP: Myanmar junta accuses foreign media of spreading lies

ON THE BORDER
NMG: Opposition releases alternate draft constitution

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima: China-Burma trade progressing: Burmese trade minister
Irrawaddy: Junta backs coffee trade

ASEAN
Irrawaddy: Asean delegation to visit Burma in January
Kyoto News: Myanmar asks ASEAN to oppose U.N. Security Council resolution
Narinjara: India wants closer ties with ASEAN: Dr Singh

REGIONAL
Kyodo News: Japan's Aso urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi
Narinjara: Burmese PM to arrive in Dhaka on December 18
NY Times: As an Asian century is planned, U.S. power stays in the shadows

INTERNATIONAL
UN News Center: Myanmar: Annan praises Asian states

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: The mouse finally roars
Irrawaddy: Pay back time
Guardian: Leaders bite the Burma bullet

PRESS RELEASE
Burma Campaign UK: New Burma ‘Dirty List’ - Companies named and shamed

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 12, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rangoon fire victims forcibly relocated out of town

The homeless victims of Rangoon Hlaing Township fire which occurred on 28
November, have been forcibly relocated to new locations out of town by the
local authorities.

Without warning, they were moved out of the temporary shelters at sport
stadiums, interrogation centres and guest houses and taken to No.3, Ward
near No.4 Hmawbi Road, around 20 miles away from their original homes.

To make the matter worse, only some people with homes were given new
places to live and their tenants are finding it hard to survive on open
fields as the authorities gave them only 35,000 kyat compensation. A
victim who doesn’t want to be named told DVB that it costs at least 10,000
kyat a month to hire a room on top of a 100,000-150,000 kyat deposit.

Some victims claimed that rich people were able to prevent their homes
from being swallowed by the fire by bribing fire fighters, and the fire
was a deliberate act of the authorities to clear the slum areas.

____________________________________

December 13, Irrawaddy
EU humanitarian aid to Burma increases fourfold

The European Union increased by fourfold its humanitarian assistance to
Burma this year, an official said, even as an international agency charged
with fighting disease cut off all aid to the military-run nation. The aid
from the EU's humanitarian department, ECHO, targets primary health care
and malaria control nationwide, as well as water and sanitation services
in the central dry zone where access to clean water is limited, said
Bernard Delpuech, who heads the agency's Rangoon office. He said the
opening of the office had nothing to do with a decision by Global Fund to
fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to cut off aid to Burma. The
Geneva-based fund announced it was cutting all funding because the
military government had imposed travel restrictions on its aid workers.

According to Delpuech, ECHO operates in Burma on three
principles—“impartiality, neutrality and independence”—and only
international non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and
International Red Cross agencies are eligible to receive its funding. ECHO
opened its office in the capital Rangoon last week so that it can better
assess needs and monitor projects, Delpuech said in an interview, adding
that ECHO increased its aid to Myanmar from about US $2.4 million to $9.6
million in 2005.

____________________________________

December 10, Democratic Voice of Burma
Oppression of NLD members continues in Rangoon’s Thone Gwa

The military junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association
(USDA) of Rangoon’s Thone Gwa Township has been oppressing and
intimidating the local National League for Democracy (NLD) members and
supporters with all available means.

The USDA leaders summoned car owners within the township and told them not
to employ any NLD member or supporter as driver or bus fare collector.

An NLD member who has been making a living as a driver all his life told
DVB that the car owners were pressured by a local USDA working committee
member Win Han not to employ him on the pain of imprisonment and the
closing down of their business interests.

Moreover, Win Han has been collecting details of businesses owned by the
NLD members and supporters in the township, and he told his supporters
that the USDA is going to take over the administration of town soon and
instructed them to start the intimidation of the businessmen from now on.

____________________________________

December 13, Associated Press
Myanmar junta accuses foreign media of spreading lies

A state-controlled newspaper on Tuesday accused foreign radio stations of
spreading fabricated news reports in an effort to destabilize Myanmar.

A commentary in the state-run Kyemon daily said the BBC, Voice of America
and Radio Free Asia are beaming programs into the impoverished country as
a tool to "dominate and interfere in the country's domestic affairs."

"These Western radio stations have constantly broadcast fabricated and
exaggerated reports with the aim of disintegrating the Tatmadaw (Myanmar
army) and destabilizing the peace and stability in the country," the
newspaper wrote.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, tolerates little dissent, and all major
media, print and broadcast, are controlled by the state.

Citizens, as a result, depend on radio broadcasts from abroad to get much
of their news. Although listening to foreign stations is not illegal, it's
frowned upon by the regime as a defiant gesture.

The VOA and BBC have in the past have defended their broadcasts, saying
they want to provide a factual alternative to the government propaganda
that dominates state-run television, radio and newspapers.

The article did not single out any reports but complained that the radio
stations have ignored the achievements of the country and based their
reports on "a handful of exiled dissidents, ethnic insurgents and
narco-terrorists" who want to destroy the country.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta -
formerly known as the State Peace and Development Council - seized power
in 1988. It called elections in 1990, but when Aung San Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy party won a landslide, the military refused to hand
over power.

Suu Kyi has been detained for 10 of the past 16 years.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 13, Network Media Group
Opposition releases alternate draft constitution

An alternate constitution for Burma has been drafted and released by
opposition groups in exile even as the Burmese regime has reconvened its
National Convention to draft the state constitution.

The constitution the military junta is drafting will not benefit people
because it is not based on the desires of the people, stated the federal
constitution drafting committee in exile.

Regarding the main differences between the constitution being drafted by
the State Peace and Development Council and the one drafted by opposition
groups in exile, Dr. Lian H. Sakhong said, “The constitution is not a
subject to be confirmed by those drafting it. It seems that the people
will be forced to approve the SPDC’s constitution. But we will submit the
constitution we’ve drafted to the people. That’s the main difference.”

The draft alternative constitution is based on eight basic principles for
a future federal union of Burma, resulting from drafting the constitution;
a seminar held last February; inspired by the desires of ethnic groups;
armed groups that are still fighting the regime and political parties
inside the country.

“We strongly believe the state constitution we’ve drafted reflects the
will of the people and will fulfil the desires of the people,” said Dr.
Lian H. Sakhong.

The alternate constitution that has been recently drafted can be freely
and openly criticized not only by the people but also by the military
junta, the statement said.

“General Aung Than Lay, the chairman of the federal constitution drafting
committee, once said, challenging General Than Shwe, ‘What we are doing is
open. Everyone can join and discuss or debate. But the National Convention
General Than Shwe is holding is closed and participants are frightened by
guns. So what we are doing is a direct challenge to the military junta’,”
Dr. Lian H. Sakhong said.

The draft state constitution will be submitted to political organizations
in January 2006 for advice and consultation, and after making necessary
changes, confirmation will be asked for at the seminar that will be held
in March 2006, explained Dr. Lian H. Sakhong.

Several seminars on drafting the state constitution, federal constitution,
and member states’ constitutions have been held by the opposition since
1993 when the military junta started the NC.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 12, Mizzima News
China-Burma trade progressing: Burmese trade minister - Myo Gyi

Burmese deputy trade minister Brig. Gen. Aung Htun said trade relations
between China and Burma were progressing at an inaugural speech at the 5th
Trade Fair in Jie Gong, Yunnan province yesterday.

The inaugural event was attended by several high-ranking officials from
both countries and the trade fair, hosting a wide variety of products from
beer to Burmese jade and paintings, is due to end on Friday.

Several possible trade agreements will be discussed by officials at the
event including the implementation of a 105-mile border trade zone early
next year and the feasibility of the Die Hong autonomous prefecture acting
as a regional trade hub.

While Chinese officials said trade with Burma accounted for 54.2 percent
of Chinese border trading one official expressed disappointment with the
level of trade saying, "The target trade value of Sino-Burma border trade
for this year is US $1.5 billion, but only $780.55 million was realised".

Burma exported $290.9-million-worth of goods to China this year while
importing on $489.65-million-worth leaving a trade deficit of more than
$198 million.

____________________________________

December 13, Irrawaddy
Junta backs coffee trade - Louis Reh

With the firm backing of Burma’s ruling junta, the Karenni Nationalities
People’s Liberation Front is set to begin farming 10 thousand acres of new
coffee plantations from the start of next year, with a view to exporting
the product to Thailand.

KNLPF second-in-command Htoo Kyaw visited Mae Hong Son, Thailand in
October, striking an agreement with local authorities to reopen two border
checkpoints to facilitate legal export of the coffee. The group has long
been involved in the black market trade of buffaloes, chilies and beans in
the northern Thai town.

Five sites in Karenni State, ranging in size between 1,000 and 3,000
acres, have been earmarked for the new plantations—a substantial increase
on the 600 acres currently farmed for coffee in the state. The
government’s Myanmar [Burma] Farm Enterprise department has estimated the
start-up cost of the project at US $1,700 and will provide training in
coffee planting and land management.

A KNPLF spokesperson told The Irrawaddy today that the group, which signed
a ceasefire agreement with the junta in 1994, intends to offer jobs to
unemployed people in the area and insists it will not encroach on land
already being farmed by local communities. “We will seek wild lands to
grow the coffee,” he said. “Land [Karenni] villagers cannot reach.”

The coffee venture will provide additional opportunities for income for
the KNPLF, alongside businesses such as the Maw Chi tin mine and logging
projects along the Salween River—business concessions granted by the
government.

Rimond Htoo, general secretary of the rival Karenni National Progressive
Party, dismissed the group, saying they were unable to represent the
Karenni people as long as they were under the control of the junta.

“The name [KNPLF] represents all the people of Karenni State,” said Htoo.
“But in reality, they are just business opportunists.”

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 13, Irrawaddy
Asean delegation to visit Burma in January - Eileen Ng

Malaysia's foreign minister is likely to visit Burma in January to assess
its promised moves toward democracy, and has demanded to see detained
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Thai foreign minister said
Tuesday.

Burma's military government, under pressure from other members of Asean,
agreed Monday to let Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar visit in Malaysia's
capacity as Asean chairman. The concession came during a summit of Asean
leaders.

Syed Hamid was expected to assess the progress of democratic reforms in
the junta's so-called national reconciliation process, which so far has
produced scant results.

Asean has also demanded that Syed Hamid's delegation be allowed to meet
with Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for the last two years, said
Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon. But it remained unclear
whether that would happen.

"It's ongoing negotiations now, the message has been put across," Kantathi
said. The group hopes to send Syed Hamid's delegation in January, he
added.

He said Asean told Burma that the national reconciliation process must
proceed as planned, and that it's important that all political detainees
are freed, including Suu Kyi.

Burma has become a pariah state for the West and an embarrassment for
Asean for its poor democracy and human rights record. Its failure to
fulfill pledges of democracy has increasingly angered Asean colleagues,
who are also feeling the heat from the US, which calls Burma "an outpost
of tyranny."

In a departure from its policy of staying out of the internal affairs of
members, the Asean leaders Monday issued a statement urging Burma to
"expedite" progress towards democracy.

"In a way, it is breaching the non-interference policy, but I suppose the
leaders feel they should interfere," said former Malaysian prime minister
Mahathir Mohamad, who had lobbied hard to bring Burma into Asean.

Asked if Asean is doing enough to pressure Burma, Kantathi said: "We are
proceeding in the best way that we can."

"It's important to have the door open" for communication, he said.

Burma has been under military rule since 1962. The current group of
generals came to power in 1988 after crushing a pro-democracy uprising.
They called elections in 1990, but refused to hand over power after Suu
Kyi's party won.

____________________________________

December 11, Kyoto News
Myanmar asks ASEAN to oppose U.N. Security Council resolution

Myanmar has urged its Southeast Asian neighbors to oppose any U.N.
Security Council resolution being issued against the country after the
council is briefed soon on its situation for the first time, an official
said Sunday.

According to the ASEAN official, Nyan Win called on his colleagues to
"maintain a common stand" to "prevent Myanmar from being singled out" in a
U.N. Security Council resolution.

____________________________________

December 13, Narinjara News
India wants closer ties with ASEAN: Dr Singh

The Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has affirmed India’s interest
in closer economic interaction with ASEAN, an association of Southeast
Asian nations including Burma.

Reiterating India’s commitment to work with ASEAN and East Asian countries
to make the 21st century truly an Asian century, Dr Singh also declared
that India is committed to bringing down its tariffs to levels prevalent
in ASEAN countries, to dismantle unwanted barriers and to expand global
capital flow.

“We must walk this road together with ASEAN, so that enterprises in our
countries find it a mutually beneficial process, not a hurtful one. There
may be losers, and there will certainly be gainers, but on the whole, we
will obtain a win-win outcome and it should be our ambition to work
jointly,” Dr Singh said.

Delivering the keynote address at the Special Leaders Dialogue of ASEAN
Business Advisory Council in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Dr Singh revealed
that India had already concluded a Framework Agreement on Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation with ASEAN in 2003 and with Singapore recently.

“We are developing a similar model with Thailand, and are setting up a
Joint Study Group for conclusion of Free Trade Agreements with Malaysia,
Indonesia, Japan and the Republic of Korea. We are also examining ways to
develop regional trading arrangements with our great neighbour - China.
These are all milestones on the road to the eventual creation of an Asian
Economic Community, or the ‘arc of prosperity’ that I envisage will become
a reality in the early part of the 21st century,” Dr Singh added.

Talking about India’s ‘Look East’ policy, Dr Singh, also an acclaimed
economist, revealed that the Indian government had launched the policy in
1992. “This was not merely an external economic policy, it was also a
strategic shift in India’s vision of the world and India’s place in the
evolving global economy. Most of all it is about reaching out to our
neighbours in South East Asia and East Asia. I have always viewed India’s
destiny as being inter-linked with that of Asia and more so South East
Asia,” Dr Singh added.

Claiming India’s development in high technology areas such as Information
Technology, Space, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals, the visionary leader
also disclosed that India is ready to share its skills in these sectors
with the partners in ASEAN and other developing countries.

Pointing out that East Asian Community is a natural extension of the
ASEAN-India engagement process, Dr Singh also hopes that the India-ASEAN
Free Trade Agreement can become the first step in the process. “I believe
the objective basis for the economies of our region to come together
already exists. The subjective desire to create an East Asian Community,
bringing together ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea, and also Australia and New
Zealand, is manifest,” asserted Dr Singh.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 10, Kyodo News
Japan's Aso urges Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso urged Myanmar on Saturday to release
democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in his meeting with his
Myanmar counterpart Nyan Win, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

In the talks on the sidelines of a series of meetings of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations and its dialogue partners, Aso told Nyan Win
that resolving the issue is important for Myanmar to gain the
international community's trust, the official said.

Aso said that although Japan is willing to resolve issues linked to
Myanmar's democratic reforms through dialogue and to hear what Yangon has
to say, it would be difficult for Tokyo to continue to take such a
position unless progress is made on that front, the official said.

____________________________________

December 13, Narinjara News
Burmese PM to arrive in Dhaka on December 18

The Burmese Military Junta’s Foreign Minster Nyan Win is due arrive in
Dhaka next week to attend the 8th ministerial meetings of BIMSTEC, said an
official report.

The formal meeting of the forum will be held on December 19 at Dhaka
Sheraton Hotel. Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will inaugurate the
BIMSTEC meet.

The forum will focus mainly on trade, poverty alleviation, terrorism and
trans nation crimes.

According to sources, Bhutanese Trade and Industry Minister, India’s
Minister of State for External Affairs, Nepalese State Minister for
Foreign affairs, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and the Thai Foreign Minister
will also arrive Dhaka on December 18.

____________________________________

December 13, New York Times
As an Asian century is planned, U.S. power stays in the shadows  - Seth
Mydans

The focus was on Myanmar Monday as a regional summit meeting began here,
but the broader view was on the evolving shape of Asia as economies grow
and alliances shift in the decades to come.

When the 10 leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations
gathered for their annual meeting, they made their strongest demand yet
for political and human rights reform in Myanmar.

''Enough of talking,'' Foreign Minister Syed Hamid of Malaysia told
reporters after the meeting. ''We want to see some action.'' He said he
would soon travel to Myanmar as a representative of the association, known
as Asean.

''We want to see something very tangible, like perhaps the release of the
detained people,'' he said, in a clear reference to the pro-democracy
leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

At the same time, more leaders were arriving for the first East Asia
summit meeting on Wednesday, where 16 nations will inaugurate a broader
association whose ambition is balanced by its lack of immediate substance.

It will be the largest association of Asian leaders -- representing nearly
half the world's population -- as well as the first to include China and
India together. It will also be the first in postwar times to exclude the
most powerful participant in regional affairs, the United States.

The vision of the East Asia summit talks, as conceived by Mahathir
Mohamad, then prime minister of Malaysia, who proposed it almost two
decades ago, was of an exclusively East Asian grouping -- a caucus without
the Caucasians, as he called it. He now says it has been diluted by the
inclusion of Australia and New Zealand.

Although there are built-in tensions and contradictions among its members
that could hobble effective action, the new group does embody a broad and,
some say, necessary vision for the future.

''We have little choice but to construct a new architecture for East
Asia,'' said former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore recently.
''If East Asia does not coalesce, it will lose out to the Americas and
Europe.''

The world will be a different place in 30 or 40 years, with Asia at the
forefront, said Daljit Singh, a visiting senior fellow at the Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. The new grouping is a response to
this change. ''Its significance is that it symbolizes the Asian century,
the coming of age, in a sense, because by 2050 Asia will have three of the
four largest economies in the world,'' he said in a telephone interview.

These three -- China, Japan and India -- will be represented at the
meeting, along with the 10 Southeast Asian nations, South Korea, Australia
and New Zealand. Russia will be allowed to attend as an observer.

The exclusion of the fourth big economy, that of the United States, is
also a signal of changing dynamics, Mr. Singh said, but the American
presence remains strong through its close allies, Japan, Australia and New
Zealand.

Already there are tensions among the members as China continues to seek a
dominant role in the region, India presses for greater influence and the
Southeast Asian nations struggle not to be overwhelmed by their new
partners.

The leaders of China and South Korea are not planning to meet with Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan because of continuing disputes over
wartime atrocities.

There has also been debate over the inclusion of Australia, New Zealand
and India, which had lobbied to join the group.

The members of the core grouping, Asean, are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar.

This 38-year-old association is a smaller scale model for the East Asia
summit meeting, with its disparities in economic strength and political
structure. Acknowledging these from the start, Asean has adopted a
careful, low-key policy of consensus that has blunted its effectiveness.
It has begun to abandon that policy with Myanmar, which has resisted
gentle pressure to ease its repressive policies and open its political
process.

The expanded 16-member grouping will account for about three billion
people and one-fifth of global trade. Both these figures are expected to
rise steeply in the years to come.

But with scale comes increased diversity, bringing together nations as
rich as Japan and as poor as Cambodia; as democratically open as India and
as closed as the Communist leadership in Laos. Its members will be as
small as Brunei, with a population of less than 400,000, and as huge as
China and India.

The expansion of the East Asia gathering to include non-Asians and close
partners of the United States has defeated its purpose, said Mr. Mahathir,
who stepped down as prime minister two years ago and is holding an
alternative forum after the summit meeting.

''This so-called East Asia summit is an East Asia Australasian summit,''
he said last week. ''Australia's views do not represent the East, but the
views of America.''

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 12, UN News Center
Myanmar: Annan praises Asian States for backing release of Aung San Suu Kyi

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today commended the
Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) for its call on Myanmar to
“expedite” both its political reform efforts and its release of political
detainees, including democracy activist Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

That call was made during ASEAN’s 11th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, along with
an announcement that the organization will send Malaysian Foreign Minister
Syed Hamid Albar to Myanmar to learn first-hand whether the country is
making steps toward democracy. Mr. Annan also welcomed this development in
a statement released by his spokesman.

In addition, the Secretary-General commended Myanmar for its decision to
accept the envoy.

In November, Mr. Annan expressed deep disappointment at the decision of
the authorities to extend the confinement of Ms. Suu Kyi, who is the
General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and a Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate.

Over the past several years, the Secretary-General has been pushing the
Government of the South Asian country to release her and allow a role for
opposition parties.

While there had been signs of progress in 2003 when the Myanmar
authorities announced their seven-point road map towards democracy, basic
goals have not been met since then, according to the most recent report by
Mr. Annan.

In that report, he said the National Convention charged with drawing up
principles for a new constitution continues to exclude representatives of
many political parties, including the NLD.

The Secretary-General also took the opportunity of the ASEAN meeting to
congratulate leaders of the organization for signing the “Kuala Lumpur
Declaration” this morning, paving the way for the formation of an ASEAN
Charter and providing the bloc with both a legal and institutional basis.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 13, The Nation
The mouse finally roars

Asean has spoken out against Burma, after years of ignoring the brutal
regime’s mistreatment of its citizens. Finally, after nearly eight years
of haemorrhaging, Asean has spoken out succinctly against Burma. Over the
past few days, ahead of this week’s Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the
regional group asked the beleaguered country to quicken its pace of reform
and get on the road to democracy.

It was supposed to be taboo just to say those words. But now that Asean
has come out, the momentum must be maintained. After all, it’s better late
than never, and it was the right thing to do. Summit host Malaysia should
be given a standing ovation for standing up to Burma like no other country
has ever dared to do.

With all due respect, it was an act of redemption, albeit a greatly
appreciated one. Lest we forget, it was former Malaysian prime minister
Mahathir Mohamad who embraced Rangoon and swung the votes in favour of its
admission into Asean back in 1997. At that time, there were strong
objections from quite a few countries, but Malaysia’s persistence, coupled
with the strong support of Indonesia under former leader Suharto, won the
day after Mahathir argued that political factors should not be taken in
consideration in Burma’s case.

But last year, Mahathir came to regret his decision and has made clear
since that Burma should be expelled from the grouping. He said this
despite the fact that Asean does not have any provision to kick out a
member, even if that member violates the spirit of cooperation. Asean has
finally woken up to the ongoing political repression inside Burma against
its people, and especially against opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Asean made efforts in the past to foster political progress inside Burma,
but its efforts fell on deaf ears.

Burma’s chronic intransigence will be uppermost on Asean’s mind when the
Eminent Persons Group (EPG) starts to draft the group’s charter soon.. The
legally binding charter should be completed within a year. Asean
secretary-general Ong Keng Seng said it would contain provisions that
promote such universal values as human rights and democracy and serve as
the human face of Asean in the international arena.

How the EPG addresses these issues will completely depend on their
individual judgements and approaches, but one thing is clear: as long as
there is no progress inside Burma, that country’s political conditions
will loom large in the minds of the drafters. They will also be reminded
of the necessity of collective action in protecting the interests and
lives of ordinary citizens.

It is interesting to note that when the host spoke up and displayed a
firmness of resolve, the military junta in Rangoon budged and listened
attentively albeit in astonishment. Malaysia proposed sending an Asean
fact-finding team to Burma to investigate conditions throughout that
country, and Burma has complied with the request. In 2000, Thailand itself
proposed that an Asean troika be dispatched to Burma, but Rangoon
declined. That says a lot about Malaysia’s political clout relative to
Thailand’s.

Indeed, Burma’s quick response was a slap in Thailand’s face. Malaysia’s
call for greater openness in Burma augurs well with our southern
neighbour’s growing regional and international status. The recent decision
to have a senior UN official brief the Security Council in the near future
will further highlight Burma’s political oppression, as well as the role
of Thailand in propping up the brutal military junta.

This development is making Thailand’s efforts in regard to Burma look like
nothing more than a failed public-relations campaign by the prime
minister’s affiliated companies, which indeed enjoy business contracts
inside that country. Sooner or later, Thailand will have to pay a very
high price for its ill-devised policies towards Burma. It is nothing short
of ridiculous for Thailand to maintain its years-long silence on Burma
while the rest of Asean, including those who used to be staunch backers of
the oppressive regime, becomes more vocal about the issue.

Asean as a whole now wants to see more progress in Burma, as well as
freedom for Suu Kyi. Thailand stands in danger of finding itself isolated.

____________________________________

December 13, Irrawaddy
Pay back time

In a surprising change from its normally hands-off attitude towards fellow
member Burma, Asean leaders have spoken out against the Burmese military
regime. The grouping departed from its usual non-interference policy to
express frustration over the lack of political reform in Burma, and asked
for the release of political prisoners—presumably including opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kudos to Asean. If the change of sentiment is real, that is.

Host Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, speaking at Asean’s 11th
summit, from December 12-13 in Kuala Lumpur, was quite blunt with the
Burmese leadership: Rangoon should release all political prisoners. There
are currently more than 1,000.

Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natelegawa also weighed in:
"We wanted to express as strongly as possible our disappointment that the
issue has dragged on and that it remained unresolved, which has
implications for the credibility of Asean."

It is also interesting to note that—with the notable exception of
Thailand, which appears to be forging closer, mainly business, ties with
the military junta—four other Asean countries, including the Philippines
and Singapore, have also expressed their frustration with the junta’s
failure to progress on its professed plan to move towards democracy, and
have pressed Rangoon to reform and change.

Indeed, the news from Kuala Lumpur is encouraging, and many oppressed
Burmese who have listened to news from the Asean Summit via shortwave
radio will have welcomed the move.

In fact, it was not so unusual for Malaysia to be so forthright. It was
Kuala Lumpur which pushed Asean partners to accept Burma into the fold in
1997, despite criticism and objections from the international community.
Perhaps Malaysia, feeling the weight of responsibility, now wants to put
the record straight by urging the Burmese regime to go in the right
direction.

Previously, Asean had stuck to its policy of “constructive engagement,”
hoping that embracing Burma would nudge the military leaders forward.
Instead, Burma simply hid behind the Asean shield while doing hardly
anything to put the country on its proclaimed “road map” to democracy.

Maybe Asean is now effectively abandoning “constructive engagement,”
though Malaysia’s Syed Hamid told reporters Asean would still engage the
Burmese regime.
Asean leaders have now made it known to Burma’s military rulers that they
want to see tangible change in their troublesome partner.

The grouping is also sending a mission—led by Syed Hamid, as Malaysia is
currently Asean chairman—to Burma in the near future to assess progress
towards democratic reform. The Burmese government quickly agreed to
receive the mission.

Although it is unclear exactly what the mission will do, it can be assumed
that Syed Hamid Albar will meet high ranking Burmese officials, including
junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

It is important that the delegation also try to meet opposition leaders,
including Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders. Some Asean officials say this is one
of the delegation’s intentions, but Rangoon has so far kept quiet.

It is time for Asean to implement a result-oriented policy towards
Burma—tell its leaders that time is running out. Asean should now make it
clear that it stands by the Burmese people.

____________________________________

December 13, The Guardian
Leaders bite the Burma bullet

After years of procrastination, south-east Asian leaders finally bit the
Burma bullet yesterday, telling the country's military junta to release
the detained opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and other political
prisoners and "expedite" the restoration of democracy. But the timing owed
as much to external pressure as political altruism, coming shortly after
the US proposed taking Burma before the UN security council.

Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the Association of South-East Asian Nations
(Asean) also said it would send a ministerial delegation to Burma to
assess the political and human rights situation. The junta, which recently
extended Ms Suu Kyi's house arrest for another six months and has
repeatedly refused entry to UN envoys, reportedly agreed to the visit.

The demarche reflects Asean's growing embarrassment over abuses in Burma,
including systematic repression, targeting of ethnic minorities and
official connivance in drug trafficking. A recent report by the former
Czech president Vaclav Havel and the South African former archbishop
Desmond Tutu demanded urgent multilateral action. Another inquiry this
month claimed the use of torture was "state policy".

"Asean has long been losing patience with Burma and this decision
obviously demonstrates a very deep unease, especially coming from an
organisation that traditionally doesn't interfere in other countries'
internal affairs," said Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK. "By bringing
Burma into Asean (in 1997), they hoped engagement would work. The policy
failed. Burma has become a millstone round Asean's neck. But the regime
depends on the outside world for trade and investment. It is vulnerable to
political and economic pressure."

The junta unveiled a road map to democracy in 2003 but set no timetable.
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, reported last month that "basic
goals have not been met (and) the national convention charged with drawing
up a new constitution continues to exclude representatives of many
political parties, including (Ms Suu Kyi's) National League for
Democracy". Alexander Downer, Australia's foreign minister, has likened
the pace of reform to "glue flowing up a hill". Ong Keng Yong, Asean's
secretary general, said Burma's renewed detention of Ms Suu Kyi was seen
as "a slap in the face" for the organisation.

But Asean ministers may have other reasons for taking a tougher stance as
a new forum for Asian regional cooperation takes shape. Fearful of being
overwhelmed by economic giants such as China, Japan and India at
tomorrow's inaugural East Asia summit, Asean has decided to boost its
standing by adopting a constitution dedicated to "democracy, human rights
and obligations, transparency and good governance".

The fate of its Burma initiative may nevertheless depend on the attitude
of bigger players such as the US and China, which has large financial
interests in Burma. John Bolton, US ambassador at the UN, suggested this
month that the junta posed a threat to international peace and security
and its own people. And he raised the stakes by highlighting "reports that
Burmese authorities are seeking nuclear power capabilities".

The unprecedented UN session on Burma, convened by the US under Britain's
presidency, is expected before Christmas. It could lead to a binding
resolution on restoring democracy, Mr Farmaner said. "The US has made
Burma a priority but it is not aggressively pursuing a resolution right
away, which would have alienated China."

A White House meeting in October between George Bush and Charm Tong, a
Burmese women's rights activist, may have been crucial in stiffening
American resolve. Ms Tong reportedly made an impression on the president,
and he devoted much of his subsequent Asia tour to arguing the case for
action on Burma.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

December 13, Burma Campaign UK
New Burma ‘Dirty List’ - Companies named and shamed

Siemens, Swiss Re and Chevron join Burma ‘Dirty List’

26 new companies have been added to the ‘Dirty List’ published today by
the Burma Campaign UK. A total of 101 companies feature on the new list.
The ‘Dirty List’ exposes companies that are directly or indirectly helping
to finance Burma¹s brutal military dictatorship.

Other major companies named and shamed include Rolls Royce, Total Oil,
DHL, Orient Express, Schlumberger, Lonely Planet, Daewoo and China
National Offshore Oil Corp.

‘These companies are putting profit before principle by helping to keep
Burma’s military dictatorship in power,’ said Yvette Mahon, Director of
the Burma Campaign UK. ‘Foreign investment and trade doesn¹t help the
people of Burma, it hurts them.’ The regime spends half its budget on the
military and spends less on health than any other country.

The new companies added to the list are the result of new information and
an influx of new investment in Burma’s gas sector.

-      37 companies on the list are in the tourism sector  either operating
tours to Burma or promoting tourism through guides.
-      18 companies on the list are in the timber sector.
-      23 companies on the list are in the oil & gas sector.

Prime Minister Tony Blair has called on companies not to trade with Burma,
but since Labour came to power imports from Burma have quadrupled, rising
from £17.3million in 1998 to £74m in 2004. In addition, Britain is ranked
as the second largest investor in Burma, as it allows foreign companies to
use the British Virgin Islands to channel investment to the country. The
government has repeatedly refused to stop this investment, despite calls
from Burma¹s democracy movement and the British trade union movement. All
the main opposition parties and more than 100 Labour backbenchers also
support an investment ban.

Almost 20 of the companies on last year’s ‘Dirty List’ have ended their
involvement in Burma, including insurance giant Aon, Austrian Airlines and
Frommers guides.

For more information and a copy of the Dirty List, contact Mark Farmaner,
Media Officer, on 020 7324 4713, mobile 0794 123 9640.