BurmaNet News, January 7-9, 2006

[Editor]

January 7-9, 2006 Issue # 2875


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: UN should be more proactive, say Burmese opposition leaders
DVB: Yangon Times publish messages from 1988 student leaders
Irrawaddy: KIO to demand answers
Xinhua: UN project brings gender-balanced school enrollment in Myanmar

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima: One killed in Burma border town blasts

HEALTH / AIDS
AFP: Myanmar parents worry over shortage of TB drug

ASEAN
AFP: ASEAN envoy insists on meeting Suu Kyi during Myanmar visit

REGIONAL
AFP: Myanmar retreating further into isolation as UN envoy quits
Mizzima: We need a new Burma policy say Indian MPs
Press Trust of India: Navy event in Andaman sea

INTERNATIONAL
DVB: Burmese activist forum in Europe meet at Cologne


OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: Licensed to live

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 9, Irrawaddy
UN should be more proactive, say Burmese opposition leaders - Shah Paung

Burmese opposition groups and politicians today suggested that the United
Nations needs to play a more proactive role in order to solve the
political problems in Burma.

“The UN should not wait just for homegrown reform and should [be] an
international actor by setting minimum parameters for political
development in the country,” said Thaung Htun, representative for UN
Affairs for the exiled National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma.

According to Thaung Htun, Burma’s military government will now have less
cooperation with the UN, particularly in the wake of former UN special
envoy Razali Ismail’s decision not to renew his contract.

“It is good that Razali quit his position because he could do nothing for
Burma during his [tenure],” said Mahn Sha, general secretary of the Karen
National Union.

A veteran Malaysian diplomat, Razali Ismail on Sunday said that he will
not renew his contract after two years of the Burmese military government
not allowing him access to the country.

“I have not been allowed to go back for the past 23 months,” said Razali.
“There is no justification for me to go on.”

He added: “They [UN] must find someone else who is more acceptable to the
Myanmar [Burma] government.”

Thaung Htun also urged the UN to appoint a new envoy with an
“internationally high profile” in order to deal with “international and
domestic actors,” including the junta and opposition forces.

Opposition forces in Burma, however, are not convinced that a change of
personnel will produce any different result. “Even if the UN selects
another person for the position, the junta will not change,” said National
League for Democracy spokesperson Han Thar Myint. “The best way is through
the UN Security Council.”

He added that the US’s permanent representative to the UN, John Bolton,
succeeded in getting the Burma issue discussed by the UNSC. “So, it is
clear that the UN special envoy is not the only one who can negotiate the
situation in Burma.”

Razali was appointed as a UN Secretary-General special envoy in April
2000, and during his time he went to Burma more than ten times. During his
visits, he met with opposition leaders, ethnic leaders and Burmese
military officials. Since March 2004, the Burmese military government has
refused him entry into the country.

In a setback to Asean, whose increased pressure on Burma in recent weeks
produced an agreement by the ruling junta to allow a delegation to visit
in 2006 Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win said last Friday that the
government is not ready to host the regional bloc’s delegation.

Nyan Win said that the government is busy moving its new administrative
capital. Asean announced at its recent 11th Summit in Malaysia that it
would send a delegation—led by Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid
Albar—to assess how Burma is proceeding with political reform.

____________________________________

January 6, Democratic Voice of Burma
Yangon Times publish messages from 1988 student leaders

The Yangon (Rangoon) Times journal last week was permitted to publish the
new year messages of renowned 88 Generation Student leaders Ko Ko Gyi and
Htay Kywe, and other well-known personages.

Sources close to the media and student circles say the journal quickly
sold out because it carried the photographs of those leaders together with
their messages.

Ko Ko Gyi said in his greetings message that in order to differentiate
between good and bad, it was essential to only do good in the new year.

Htay Kywe said if everyone had the desire to really achieve something by
acting on it, the new year will indeed be a peaceful and pleasurable year.

This is the first time that publications have been allowed to carry such
news since Min Ko Naing and other student leaders were released from
Burmese prisons in 2005.

____________________________________

January 9, Irrawaddy
KIO to demand answers - Khun Sam

A spokesman for the Kachin Independence Organization today said the group
was not going to back down as it pursues answers relating to the killing
of five members at the hands of Burmese government troops.

“Such killing of our members has occurred repeatedly [despite an agreed
ceasefire],”said vice general secretary Sumlut Gun Maw. “Therefore we will
need to take a harder stand.”

According to the KIO, five soldiers and one civilian were killed during a
Burmese army raid on the group’s Nam Ngu office on January 2. Nam Ngu is
near the northern Shan State Chinese border town of Muse and is controlled
by the KIO.

The government has so far failed to offer an official explanation for the
incident, and there is no record of tension between the two groups in the
area.

KIO Central Committee members traveled to Rangoon and Shan State last week
to meet government officials and find out why the shootings had happened,
as well as to retrieve the dead bodies.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy today on his way back to KIO headquarters in
Laiza after meetings with junta authorities in Kutkai, Sunlut Gun Maw said
the six bodies had already been cremated and a funeral service was held
last Saturday.

In Rangoon, KIO general secretary Dr La Ja today said that he and two
other senior KIO members were due to meet with the junta’s Rangoon
commander and military intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Myint Swe, to discuss
the shooting.

The KIO, the biggest Kachin ethnic ceasefire group, signed a truce with
the Burmese military junta in February 1994.

____________________________________

January 9, Xinhua General News Service
UN project brings gender-balanced school enrollment in Myanmar

Yangon: The food-for-education project of the World Food Program (WFP) in
Myanmar's western Rakhine state has brought about a gender-balanced school
enrollment in the academic year of 2004-05, the Myanmar Times reported
Monday.

The WFP program came into being in 1996-97 with the aim of reducing gender
gap in education in the area, where parents were reluctant to encourage
their daughters to go to school on account of culture beliefs.

The WFP figures show that 43,205 girls and 43,058 boys enrolled in primary
schools in the area, producing a gender balance status after years of
efforts to improve the net enrollment rate for boys and girls.

When the program was introduced in 1996-97 in the state, the primary
school enrollment rate for girls was 12,767 and 26,928 for boys. Starting
2000-01, the girl enrollment under the program exceeded that of boys and
in 2003-04 the girl enrollment rose to 61,456 compared with 25,856 boys,
the figures revealed.

According to WFP, its program has expanded to Myanmar's Shan state and
Magway division, benefiting 75,688 and 29,210 students in the areas
respectively.

Official statistics indicate that Myanmar's average school enrollment rate
increased from 92.5 percent in 2001 to 97.5 percent in 2005 with its
literacy rate growing from 91.4 percent in 2001 to 94.1 percent in 2005
and targeting to attain 95.5 percent in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has also successfully implemented a national education
promotion special 4-year plan (2000-01 to 2003-04), narrowing down
markedly the education gap between urban and rural regions and between
border and remote areas.

Besides the short-term education promotion program, Myanmar has also been
implementing a 30-year long-term plan for basic education starting 2001-02
in six phases each lasting for five years, aiming to bring about rapid
development of qualified human resources to meet the challenge of the
present knowledge age.


____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 8, Mizzima News
One killed in Burma border town blasts - Sein Moe

One person was killed in the Indo-Burma border town Tamu today after two
bombs rocked a local market.

The first bomb exploded near the Tokyo restaurant at Nantpharlon market at
8:15 am (local time). The restaurant owner, Maung Tun, 42, was seriously
injured in the blast and later died in hospital.

The second bomb went off just hours after the first near the Shwe Kaung
Hlan tea shop at the same market. No causalities were reported.

Eyewitnesses told Mizzima the blasts caused widespread panic among locals,
with many closing their market stalls and rushing home with their goods.

"Military officials holding M-16 rifles and communication sets were busy
in the market. They blocked the streets and drove out people in the
market," said a vendor.

The vendor also told Mizzima the first blast caused confusion during which
she heard a man shout that two more bombs would go off.

Eyewitness said military personnel arrested a tea-shop owner and that
locals were worried about the existence of a third bomb.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

January 7, Agence France Presse
Myanmar parents worry over shortage of TB drug - Hla Hla Htay

Yangon: Unexplained delays in importing a drug to treat tuberculosis in
children has sent prices sky-rocketing in Yangon pharmacies, alarming
parents who have desperately scoured shelves for the medicine.

"I couldn't find it for my son, even though I went to many pharmacies
downtown," Ko Win, father of a five-year-old boy, told AFP.

"I had to buy it anyway. My son needs to take it for 45 more days. Many
children suffer from tuberculosis here."

The Indian-made drug R/cinex for Kids has become harder and harder to find
since last month, worrying parents who rely on it to treat their children.

Doctors recommend that children with TB take the drug continuously for six
months.

Ko Win said he finally managed to find 10 doses, but he had to pay more
than twice the normal price.

"I pleaded with the pharmacy at the Yangon Children's Hospital compound,"
he said. "I got it at last, but I had paid 2,000 kyats (1.75 dollars) for
10 pills instead of the normal price of 700 kyats."

Drug store owners were at a loss to explain the shortage.

"Many customers asked me when it will be available -- I feel sorry for
them," said one drug store owner, speaking on condition of anonymity for
fear of reprisal from the military government.

Another store owner said: "When my customers asked me for this medicine, I
advised them to take their kids to the hospital. That's all what I can
help them."

The sole importer, a company called Mega Products, said it had run out of
R/cinex, but declined to explain the delay in importing it and insisted
more would arrive soon.

"We should have more this month," a company staffer said.

A health department official said the government's own supplies were not
affected by the shortage, and that 100,000 people -- including children --
were still receiving free treatment at government clinics.

"We are giving medical assistance to the people coming to our department,"
he said. "Everyone can get it free of charge.

"We have enough medicine for tuberculosis," he added, without specifying
how much stock of the drug the government had.

"We can assure everyone that it can be gotten from our department. It's
not our concern that the medicine is disappearing from the market."

Many people in Myanmar are reluctant to turn to the government for medical
care because of the vast and opaque bureaucracy involved.

The World Health Organization says that Myanmar's military government has
made strides in treating TB, despite the nation's crumbling economy and
health care system.

The country had been set to receive 98 million dollars over five years to
fight TB as well as AIDS and Malaria from the UN-created Global Fund.

But the Global Fund pulled out of Myanmar in August, citing restrictions
on its activities imposed by the government.

Myanmar has 97,000 new TB infections every year, according to the WHO.

____________________________________
ASEAN

January 9, Agence France Presse
ASEAN envoy insists on meeting Suu Kyi during Myanmar visit

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Monday that
he would insist on seeing detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi when
he visits Myanmar as a representative of ASEAN.

Myanmar raised hackles last week when it said it was too busy moving its
capital to receive the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
envoy, who had been expected to visit Yangon this month to check on
progress towards democracy.

Syed Hamid said he hoped the visit would go ahead in late February or
early March, and sidestepped suggestions that his insistence on seeing
Aung San Suu Kyi had triggered the delay.

"They didn't give that as a reason but I told them, if I go to Myanmar I
have to see all the political parties in Myanmar," he told AFP. "Otherwise
I think we would lose our credibiity.

"Of course I would like to see Aung San Suu Kyi," he said, adding that the
Yangon regime "did not give me any assurance" that a meeting would go
ahead.

The democracy icon is being detained at her lakeside residence in Yangon
and a visit by Syed Hamid would effectively break her enforced silence of
more than two years.

The minister said the stonewalling by the junta over the visit, which was
agreed at the 10-nation ASEAN's summit last December, was regrettable.

"I think it does not reflect well. It may be sending a wrong message to
the international community, this is our concern and I have conveyed those
concerns," he said.

"I don't think it's good for Myanmar to be isolated. This is what ASEAN is
trying to do, to encourage it to interact. But we need to know what is
happening."

Syed Hamid revealed some frustration with the shadowy Myanmar regime over
attempts to schedule the visit.

"I mentioned to them that they were the ones who gave the date and said
that the best time to come is in January," he said.

"I thought that the best thing is for me to communicate directly with the
foreign minister, and he explained to me (the delay was) because of their
move to the capital.

"I accept it at face value but I think we would like to visit as soon as
possible, maybe some time in late February or early March. So we hope it
can happen as soon as possible."

Southeast Asian nations, which have been criticised for being too soft on
Myanmar, stepped up their rhetoric at the December summit, demanding
democratic reforms and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from their fellow
member.

"Our concern at the last summit was to see that we would be able to
explain to the international community in a very credible way... that
there is progress on what's happening in Myanmar," Syed Hamid said.

"So I think the best thing for Myanmar to do is to cooperate," he said.
"If they want us to speak on their behalf then we need the ammunition."

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 9, Agence France Presse
Myanmar retreating further into isolation as UN envoy quits - Sarah Stewart

Kuala Lumpur: Myanmar's ruling generals have retreated further into
isolation by forcing a frustrated United Nations envoy to quit and
shunning neighbouring nations' attempts to push for reforms, analysts say.

The departure of Razali Ismail, who has been denied entry to the country
for almost two years, comes at a critical time for the secretive regime
which is about to be the subject of a formal briefing at the UN Security
Council.

Its one-time supporters in the region have taken a tough new stance, with
the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) demanding
steps towards democracy and the release of opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.

At a summit here last month they secured an agreement for Malaysian
Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to visit Myanmar in January to check on
the pace of promised reforms, only to be told last week that it had other
priorities.

"I think it does not reflect well. It may be sending a wrong message to
the international community, this is our concern and I have conveyed those
concerns," Syed Hamid told AFP.

"I don't think it's good for Myanmar to be isolated. This is what ASEAN is
trying to do, to encourage it to interact. But we need to know what is
happenning," he said.

Syed Hamid said he hoped the visit would go ahead in late February or
early March and that he was insisting on seeing Aung San Suu Kyi, who is
being held under house arrest at her Yangon home.

The minister agreed that Razali, a former Malaysian diplomat, had "no
choice" but to resign after being frozen out for so long, and that with
his departure "the presure on Myanmar is going to be greater".

Razali was appointed as the special representative of UN chief Kofi Annan
in 2000, in a last-ditch move as the world body prepared to officially
declare Myanmar a pariah state.

His swift success in brokering landmark contacts between Aung San Suu Kyi
and the ruling generals generated high hopes that Myanmar was about to
emerge from four decades of military rule.

The Nobel peace laureate's release from house arrest in May 2002 only
heightened those hopes, but they were dashed when she was taken into
custody a year later after clashes between her supporters and a
junta-backed mob.

The regime later announced it was holding a national convention to draft a
constitution under a "roadmap to democracy" which has been greeted with
widespread scepticism by the international community.

Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy which won 1990
elections in a landslide but was never allowed to govern, is boycotting
the process because of her continued detention.

Abdul Razak Baginda from the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre said that
by forcing Razali to resign and turning its back on the ASEAN initiative,
Myanmar was "digging in" and cutting off links its few friends in the
world.

"It was ASEAN that provided them with a window to the world and now the
window is slowly shutting," he said. "Especially at the last ASEAN summit,
it was very clear ASEAN as a whole is unhappy with Myanmar."

Calls for Myanmar to be excluded from the regional grouping will now grow
louder after the generals showed their disdain by brushing the Syed Hamid
visit aside, he said.

"Myanmar is a constant embarrassment to ASEAN ... and it should be bold
enough to threaten the suspension of Myanmar's membership," he said.

"Even if it is not effective, ASEAN will be seen as an effective
organisation. Today everyone is laughing at ASEAN, saying -- someone is
biting you and you're not biting back."

However, analysts in Yangon said the ASEAN initiative was the best hope
yet for pressing the military to introduce reforms, and that the generals
could be preparing to produce a trump card.

"It could well be the driver needed to break the present political
impasse," said one close observer of the military, on condition of
anonymity.

He said the junta could be stonewalling as it prepares to come up with a
compromise deal, or at least organise a meeting between the ASEAN mission
and Aung San Suu Kyi, breaking her enforced silence of more than two
years.

____________________________________

January 8, Mizzima News
We need a new Burma policy say Indian MPs - Mungpi

The Convener of the Indian Parliamentarian's Forum for Democracy in Burma
has urged the Indian government to support people suffering in Burma and
to stop exploiting the country for economic gain.

Robert Kharshiing, a member of the Nationalists Congress Party in
Meghalaya state of Northeastern India, told Mizzima India needed to change
its stance on Burma.

"India should take a stand for the interest of the people of Burma
 who do
not have civil rights and liberties. It should not be based on economic or
monetary reasons," he said.

IPFDB was formed last year by ruling and opposition party members to
address the political problems of Burma and work toward the restoration of
democracy and human rights in the country.

"We feel that every citizen should have the right to live their life
peacefully but that is not the case now in Burma. As reports come, we are
hearing that there is repression going on. So, we feel the there is a
threat," he said.

He stressed that the international community, in particular India and
China, should work harder to promote democracy in Burma.

In the past few months, India has augmented its economic engagement with
Burma, with bilateral trade between the countries expected to reach US $1
billion and ongoing joint offences to combat insurgency issues.

China also has considerable economic ties with Burma, which many rights
and Burma groups say are helping to keep the military junta in power.

IPFDB, which has just 12 members, is hoping to increase its numbers.

"Practically, all the MPs of the Indian parliament are supporters of the
movement towards the restoration of democracy in Burma, and especially are
supporters of the demand for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi," said
Kharshiing.

In order to convince more parliamentarians to join the forum, the group
plans to have two meetings with parliamentarians during the Indian
parliaments' budget session, which will begin in February.

____________________________________

January 7, The Press Trust of India
Navy event in Andaman sea

Port Blair: The biennial event of the Navy, in which warships from
littoral navies participate, will be held here from January 9.

The six-day event, 'Milan 2006', has as its motto 'Friendship across the
seas' and warships from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand , would participate in it, Commander Salil Mehta
said today.

A delegation from Australia and other South East Asian countries would
also participate.

The event is organised with the aim to develop bonds of friendship and
solidarity between the navies of the littoral and other friendly nations
while providing an opportunity for professional interaction and exposure
to diverse cultures and traditions.

It also aims at opening up avenues for multilateral cooperation on many
fronts, which includes operations to counter the scourge of piracy,
illegal migration, maritime pollution and illegal fishing and poaching
while enhancing safety of navigation and security of the sea lane, he
added.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese activist forum in Europe meet at Cologne

Pro-democracy Burmese activists in Europe held a two-day long conference
at the German city of Cologne starting on 7 January, to discuss matters
relating to the prevailing situation of Burma.

According to DVB correspondent Khin Hnin Htet who has been covering the
conference, activists from Norway, Germany, UK, Belgium, France and the
like discussed ways of prompting the release of Burma’s democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi, her deputy Tin Oo, ethnic national leaders and other
political prisoners in 2006.

They also discussed ways of placing the situation of Burma at the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) successfully and finding more effective
means of getting foreign tourism and joint investments, especially gas
pipeline projects such as Shwe gas pipeline project in the Gulf of Bengal,
out of Burma.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 9, Bangkok Post
Licensed to live

One woman's experiences have shaped her into a human rights advocate and
fierce critic of the Burmese junta

At the age of six Charm Tong was sitting in a basket on the back of a
donkey. At each step away from her hometown in Burma, the little girl saw
the Thai border getting closer. As she arrived at the refugee camp in
northern Thailand, she couldn't help but wonder: ''What am I doing here?
Why can't I live with my parents, in my own home? Why?'' On top of the
feelings of guilt, despair and loneliness, those questions echoed in her
mind every single moment of her life in the orphanage where she grew up
with other Shan refugees who fled to safety _ or like her, were sent by
their parents _ from brutal persecution in the war-torn areas. Spending
over a decade searching for answers, Tong, now 24, realises that each
piece of the jigsaw puzzle of her life has been gradually put together.

''I feel lucky that my parents sent me here to escape from political
harassment in Shan State _ where a civil war has been fought for more than
four decades. I can live here safely and receive an education,'' said
Tong, a human rights activist of the Shan Women's Action Network (Swan).
The young lady who looks far more mature than her years, Tong was one of
Marie Claire's Women of the Year in 2004, received the Reebok Human Rights
Award given to young people who risk personal safety to fight injustice,
and was also one of four Burmese women nominated for last year's Nobel
Peace Prize by a Swiss-based group known as ''1,000 Women for the Nobel
Peace Prize 2005''.

''Now I know more about the conflict-ridden situation in my birthplace,
and understand why I'm here. I want to rescue the Shan people from living
in fear, pain and trauma, and want them to be recognised as human beings
with dignity and rights,'' she said.

Tong's concerns for human rights started early. Since childhood she had
seen her friends forced out of school to work as farm labourers, porters,
or domestic workers, and many women were forced into the sex trade. She
had also heard many poignant stories about families being separated, and,
most cruelly, women and children being raped by troops of the Burmese
military regime, even in their own homes.

Having seen enough of Shan civilians becoming victims of human rights
abuses, at 16 Tong developed a desire to fight against injustice and to
become a voice for her people. She became an activist and began working
with human rights groups, interviewing rape victims and trying to expose
the exploitation and violence perpetrated against Shan women and children.

It was a report titled License to Rape, that she helped publicise, that
detailed incidents of some of the many women and children affected by the
trauma of rape, sexual assault and abuse in Burma. Published in 2002 by
the Shan Human Rights Foundation and Swan, the report, which details 173
cases involving the rape of over 600 girls and women, revealed specific
incidents of human rights abuses committed by Burmese troops and gave
clear evidence that the rapes were not individual acts of violence, but
were being committed systematically, as part of a strategy to subjugate
the people of Shan State.

According to the report, assaults were committed by soldiers from 52
different battalions. Eighty-three per cent of the rapes were committed by
high-ranking officers. The majority of women were gang-raped, some being
brutally tortured and killed after being raped.

Regretfully, however, there was only one case of a rapist being punished
by his commanding officer, while women who voiced complaints were often
threatened or even killed by the military.

''Rape is truly a 'weapon of war'. Women are recognised not only as women
but women of the ethnic groups, and rape is used as a tool to terrorise,
demoralise and control local communities,'' she said.

As she talked about the vicious crimes committed in her native country,
her wide eyes exuded determination, and her soft but assertive voice
revealed her strength and courage.

As menacing as it may seem, girls and women aged from six to 62 years old
were raped, Tong said.

''I have heard so many heart-rending stories about women_young and old _
in distress. The woman who was seven months pregnant who was gang-raped
from dawn to dusk. Mothers were raped upstairs while daughters were raped
downstairs. Some girls were raped and burned alive by Burmese troops.
Their villages were destroyed, along with the people's pride and dignity,
leaving them unable to restart their lives,'' she said, her voice shaking.

''Many rape survivors feel hopeless and full of despair as they face
rejection by friends, families and communities. Some doctors who knew
about the crimes flatly refused to discuss the matter,'' she said, adding
that women who have been raped often can't help but end up feeling shame,
weak and dirty.

Burma is not the only area where women are at risk. Even in so-called
''cease-fire'' areas along the Thai border, they are mentally raped, Tong
said.

Unlike Burma's other ethnic minorities, such as the Karen and Karenni, the
Shan who cross the border into Thailand have not been recognised as
refugees. Without official protection or support, they run the risk of
being arrested and mistreated, she said.

''Many women flee to Thailand after being raped, but when they arrive they
don't receive any help and don't have access to basic healthcare,
humanitarian aid or counselling services.

''Most rape survivors suffer in silence. They are forced to live in hiding
as illegal immigrants, and are thus vulnerable to exploitation and
trafficking, and some are deported, back into the hands of their abusers.
It's like a double punishment: Women who were raped are, again and again,
threatened or even killed when returned,'' she said.

The Shan are particularly defenseless against deportation or detention by
the Thai authorities. In May 2005, the Thai military ordered the return of
over 400 Shan refugees, including 208 orphans, who had been taking refuge
inside the Thai border in Mae Hong Son province.

Deportations of undocumented migrant workers have also increased since
September last year, following the deadline for registration of migrant
labourers in Thailand. ''And they remain in a position of extreme
vulnerability,'' she said.

The life-threatening situation has ignited Tong's sense of frustration
with Burma's military junta and made her passionate about defending the
rights of Shan women and children in both Burma and Thailand. To protect
and promote the dignity of women and children, she helps Swan provide them
with education and training, health services and empowerment programmes to
improve their quality of life.

Tong said the License to Rape report received positive local response and
brought considerable international attention to the systematic use of rape
and other brutal tactics, and triggered widespread condemnation of Burma's
military junta.

But for three years the situation has not changed, at least not for the
better, she said.

''Political repression in Burma has intensified. Aung San Suu Kyi has
spent many years under house arrest and is still struggling for her
rights. The world has also repeatedly condemned the government's
violations of basic human rights, but inhumane conditions inside Burma
still exists, and seem likely to continue,'' she said.

Although the passing years bring no satisfaction, Tong reiterates that she
continues to tell the stories of the Shan people who live in agony, giving
them some encouragement to live relatively normal lives.

Despite relentlessly advocating for refugees' rights, the young activist
is determined to contribute to improving the human rights situation
throughout the world.

The report, Tong believes, brings to light the truth, and can help the
world learn about what is happening to other people who are being treated
as less than human.

''Rape is a worldwide phenomenon, and it's women who have always been and
continue to be the primary targets for violence and sexual assault. The
problem of rape is universal, about which all the world's people should
know and help solve,'' she said.

Tong suggests that the international community and especially Burma's
regional neighbours, including members of Asean, should put pressure on
the regime to implement a nationwide ceasefire; suspend all trade with,
and investment in Burma; and stop all loans to the regime until there is a
democratic reform. Giving protection to people from Burma seeking refuge
by allowing them access to refugee camps and other services is also
important.

''These crimes must stop,'' she affirmed. ''The women I talked to were
brave enough to speak up for their rights, so I must dare to speak out
against all prejudice against these people.

''Rape survivors say they need nothing but to live in peace, without
getting agitated when they go out to work, when they wake up or go to
sleep at night,'' she said. ''They dream of being safe and sound in their
own homes. I dream of making their dream come true.''