BurmaNet News, January 24, 2006

[Editor]

January 24, 2006 Issue # 2885


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: National Convention to recess again next week
AFP: European donors plan to restore AIDS help to Myanmar
Mizzima: Than Shwe's son seriously injured in car accident

ON THE BORDER
IMNA: Myanmar companies cannot join border display
Irrawaddy: First stateless Shan granted Thai citizenship
SCMP: Tsunami has eased Thais' attitude to Myanmese workers

DRUGS
Irrawaddy: Burmese police target Tachilek drug ring

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: Illegal Myanmar timber trade with China picks up

REGIONAL
DVB via BBC: Burmese opposition radio claims Indian navy chief's visit to
sell weapons

INTERNATIONAL
Parade Magazine: The world’s 10 worst dictators
Irrawaddy: US should use Burma approach on rights council, says Amnesty

OPINION / OTHER
The International Herald Tribune: India and China: A delicate dance -
Michael Vatikiotis


____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 24, Irrawaddy
National Convention to recess again next week - Aung Lwin Oo

The junta-sponsored National Convention, tasked with drafting a new
constitution, is to recess at the end of next week after sitting for
nearly two months, an ethnic ceasefire group reported today.

Dr La Ja, general secretary of the armed Kachin Independence Organization,
which has five representatives at the assembly, said the chairman of the
Convention’s convening work committee had told delegates of the recess but
had given no reason or date for resuming the sessions. No official
announcement has yet been made.

The current session began, amid widespread criticism, on December 5 at
Nyaung Hnapin, Hmawbi Township, about 40 km north of Rangoon. Information
Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw Hsan said at the opening ceremony that the assembly
had demonstrated its validity because 1,074 delegates had turned up. They
represented 99.44 percent of those eligible to attend.

The National Convention began its work in 1993, but ground to a halt for
seven years before then-premier Gen Khin Nyunt announced a seven-point
road map to democracy, with the drafting of a new constitution by the
National Convention as a first step.

Critics of the National Convention say the country’s opposition is
unrepresented and that it employs undemocratic practices. In an official
statement issued the day after the current session began, the US State
Department said: “The Convention includes only delegates hand-picked by
the regime, prohibits free and open debate on crucial issues, and
continues to exclude Burma's democratic opposition and key ethnic minority
groups.”

Commenting on the reconvened National Convention, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan called on the junta “to use this occasion to enhance
inter-ethnic harmony and political stability by engaging the
representatives of all ethnic nationality groups and political leaders in
a substantive political dialogue aimed at national reconciliation.”

During last year’s session, 13 ethnic-ceasefire groups attending the
meeting presented a joint proposal paper including a recommendation that
in addition to legislative authority in a Union Parliament there should be
legislative authority in the state assemblies, entailing some
power-sharing and the right to form assembly-controlled armed forces.

The government dismissed the groups’ demand and urged the amendment of the
proposal paper in accordance with the six objectives and 104 tentative
articles of the constitutional blueprint tabled by the government.

Dr La Ja said today that no independent proposals had been made by any of
the attending groups or individuals at the current session.

____________________________________

January 24, Agence France Presse
European donors plan to restore AIDS help to Myanmar: diplomats

Yangon: A group of European-led donors plans to replace funding worth
millions of dollars that Myanmar will lose from the withdrawal of the
UN-created Global Fund to fight disease, diplomats said Tuesday.

"There is an urgent need to make sure that the programs in place (to fight
the diseases) do not end," a European diplomat told AFP.

"A process is underway, and it will require political decisions, but we
have high hopes as this project does not conflict with the EU Common
Position" on Myanmar, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of
anonymity because of ongoing talks on the issue.

The EU has suspended most of its aid to military-ruled Myanmar as part of
sanctions to try to force democratic reforms, but it makes exceptions for
projects to improve health for the country's poorest people.

The Global Fund announced its pullout of the country in August after
earlier agreeing to give 98.5 million dollars over five years to battle
AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis -- diseases that are prevalent in Myanmar.

The Global Fund says it is leaving because of restrictions imposed by the
junta, but diplomats say it also faced significant pressure from a handful
of influential US lawmakers who oppose any compromise with the regime.

A UN official said banning programs to fight the three diseases is a
"death sentence" for many people in Myanmar.

The new donor group initially includes the European Commission, Australia,
Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, but other countries could
join, the diplomats said.

The group has already held talks on the proposal with the Myanmar
government, the political opposition and civic groups, they said.

Myanmar suffers one of the worst AIDS epidemics in Asia, posing a threat
to the region as it spreads, according to the United Nations. Some 31
percent of prostitutes have HIV, while nearly 38 percent of injecting drug
users have the virus, UN estimates show.

The country also has one of the world's highest caseloads of tuberculosis,
with 97,000 new cases detected each year, while malaria is the nation's
leading cause of illness and death.

The donors want to create an alternative system for funding health
programs, while sticking to the safeguards established by the Global Fund
to ensure the money does not directly support the military regime and that
aid workers are free to travel the country.

Like the Global Fund money, the new program would give priority to local
authorities and release new funding based on the results achieved in the
projects, the diplomats said.

When the Geneva-based Fund announced its pullout, it blamed the junta's
restrictions on the movement of aid workers and limits on imports of
medical supplies.

But diplomats here said the withdrawal was equally due to a US political
lobby backed by key lawmakers which wants to push for regime change rather
than compromise with the generals.

The UN Development Program (UNDP), which manages the Global Fund's money
in Myanmar, has secured stop-gap funding so that the existing programs can
continue working until July.

The hope is for a smooth handover when the new donors take over that
month, the UN official said on condition of anonymity.

The donors met Myanmar officials on January 19 to discuss the project,
diplomats who attended the meeting said. The European Commission plans to
send a group of experts next month as they prepare the new scheme.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962 and is the target of
western sanctions aimed at pressing for democratic reform and the release
of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

The United States has taken a hard line against dealing with the regime,
but other nations in Europe are now pushing for humanitarian initiatives
to ease the plight of Myanmar's people.

____________________________________

January 24, Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
Than Shwe's son seriously injured in car accident- Jessicah Curtis

Senior General Than Shwe's stepson is reported to be in a stable condition
after being seriously injured in a car accident.

Sources told Mizzima the accident occurred on the Rangoon-Mandalay highway
near Taungoo yesterday.

Tun Naing Shwe also known as Tun Tun Naing, the son of Than Shwe's wife
Daw Kyaing Kyaing from a previous marriage, was reported to have suffered
spinal injuries as a result of the accident.

He was taken to Rangoon General Hospital where sources said security was
upped.

It is unclear exactly how serious the spinal injuries he sustained are or
when he will be released.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 24, Independent Mon News Agency
Myanmar companies cannot join border display - Chan Mon

Companies in Burma (Myanmar) cannot not join the display of commodities
organized by the Thai-Burma border committee in Three Pagoda town slated
to begin on January 28, according to an implementing committee Member.

Nai Chuchit, a leader of the Thai implementing committee said Myanmar
companies told him that they could not join the display because there was
no security on their way to the border along the highway.

“Air transport would be expensive for them,” Nai Chuchit said explaining
what Dr Aung Shwe the leader of Myanmar side told him. U Wae Tun a leader
of the implementing committee from Three Pagoda went to Rangoon to discuss
the display with the Myanmar companies.

Myanmar companies are afraid of traveling along Thanphyuzayart to Three
Pagoda Pass because of the movements of ethnic rebel armed groups along
the road.

“If the Myanmar companies cannot join, the display will not draw crowds,”
said another implementing committee member. According to the committee, if
the companies from Rangoon cannot afford to come, the Myanmar side will
display whatever products they havein Three Pagoda such us furniture and
other goods.

The Myanmar and Thai border committee planned to display commodities from
January 28 to February 5 for to foster goodwill between the two countries.

At the display, Myanmar will show case oyster, cuttle-fish, utensils,
pearl and specific fish from Tenaserrim Division, Mon State , and Pathein
Township in Ayeyawaddy Division. Thai traders will display machine parts,
cosmetics, consumer and kitchen goods.

Over 59 companies from Thailand will participate according to a member of
the implementing committee. On the Burma side, Myanmar Pearl and Fishery
Corporation will lead the display and Zaykabar Company, Mya Yeik Nyo
Company and OK Myanmar Company will join in before listed.

____________________________________

January 24, Irrawaddy
First stateless Shan granted Thai citizenship - Sai Silp

Hundreds of formerly stateless ethnic Shan in Mae Fa Luang district were
granted Thai citizenship today in a ceremony at the district office in
Chiang Rai province.

Thailand’s Department of Provincial Administration formally granted
citizenship and Thai identification cards to 1,109 immigrants and members
of hill tribe communities. The 109 ethnic Shan in this group are the first
among Thailand’s thousands of Shan émigrés to receive citizenship.

An official from the Mae Fa Luang district office told The Irrawaddy today
that the region has especially high numbers of stateless minorities who
relocate there from other Thai provinces and from neighboring countries.
This makes tracing their birthplaces and permanent addresses difficult.

“The citizenship granted for adults is more difficult than children
because we have to check their profiles carefully,” said the official.
“When they move from other provinces, we have to recheck with local
authorities and wait for their recommendation. So it takes time.”

More than half the population of Mae Fa Luang district—nearly 44,000—are
stateless minorities. Of these, some 3,069 have been interviewed for
formal citizenship and are awaiting the results.

Other districts in Chiang Rai province, such as Maung and Mae Sai, have
similarly large stateless populations, primarily because the province
borders Burma, Lao and China, from which immigrant populations have
arrived for decades.

Tip Saiwan, a 29-year-old Shan in Mae Sai, said that he has no official
Thai nationality, though he has lived in Thailand since his birth.

“I registered for citizenship in 2003, and it’s being considered by the
authorities,” said Tip. “Actually, the most important thing is not the ID
card, but being able to live here in Thailand with the rights and freedoms
of the Thai people.”

Lack of citizenship for stateless minorities hits children the hardest, as
they are denied access to Thai high schools and universities, have no
access to healthcare services and are prohibited from traveling beyond the
community in which they live.

Nearly all ethnic Shan peoples in Thailand live in Chiang Mai and Chiang
Rai provinces, as both share borders with Burma’s Shan State
____________________________________

January 24, South China Morning Post
Tsunami has eased Thais' attitude to Myanmese workers

Thailand may be becoming more aware of the plight of Myanmese workers in
the wake of the tsunami's anniversary.

Thousands of Myanmese are employed in construction and fishing and on
rubber and coconut plantations along Thailand's west coast. They mostly
live in overcrowded shacks and shanty towns and are often subjected to
curfews and harassment from local authorities.

The governor of the holiday island of Phuket, Udomsak Uswarangkura, said
he had raised the Myanmese issue with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to
try improve their lot. The governor said there were 23,000 legal Myanmese
workers on Phuket and at least 10,000 illegal ones, with thousands more in
the provinces of Phang Nga and Ranong to the north.

Having built many of the resorts and hotels along the coast, the Myanmese
workforce is now in the process of rebuilding them.

"Thailand needs their labour," the governor said. "The issue has to be
well managed, with positive measures to correct the problem. The lives of
the Myanmese are filled with uncertainty. We should give them certainty."

Almost all Myanmese are illegal immigrants but officials grant work
permits to many, based on the needs of employers. Those who work illegally
are rounded up periodically and trucked to the border with Myanmar.

The tsunami highlighted the plight of the Myanmese, who had to be coaxed
to come forward to give details about dead family members and provide DNA
to the international Thai Tsunami Victim Identification team.

Thirteen months after the tsunami, with most dead foreigners named and
sent home, the bodies of Myanmese and poor Thais are being processed, with
difficulty.

Delays and complications have been caused by the single names used by
Myanmese, mispronunciations, lack of documents and the need for
often-reluctant Thai employers to vouch for their identities.

Over the weekend, a 16-year-old Myanmese named King sat under a tree with
friends, waiting his turn in the queue for body releases. His face had
dabs of traditional face powder, and his baseball cap an image of an
American eagle perched on a US flag.

His mother died of natural causes a month before the natural disaster
killed his father.

Orphaned Khun King works on a construction site, following in the steps of
his parents.

Not far away, relatives of another victim due for release look on as
identification team members, in biological hazard suits, peel back a body
bag to gaze on their long-dead loved one for the last time.

The vital factor that will enable King to pick up his father's body is the
presence of his employers, K.B.Boonlert and his wife, Rang. They can
establish to the satisfaction of the authorities that King is who he says
he is - his father's son.

Unlike many employers, Ms Rang follows the law closely and registers all
her Myanmese workers. Over the years, she has even developed a close bond
with some of them as sons come to work alongside fathers and mothers.

"Treating people equally is not a problem," she said. "The Myanmese are
good workers."

____________________________________
DRUGS

January 24, Irrawaddy
Burmese police target Tachilek drug ring - Shah Paung

Authorities in the Burma-Thailand border town of Tachilek have begun
cracking down on drug trafficking in the city.

A Burmese Anti-Narcotic Task Force in Tachilek has arrested at least eight
people and confiscated quantities of methamphetamine tablets worth nearly
US $10 million in Tachilek Township in the first two weeks of January.

“We heard that many people were arrested [for possession of] drugs,”
according to a resident of Tachilek. The task force also seized an
unspecified number of AK47 automatic rifles and nearly 150 M16 automatic
rifles.

Officials with the task force have refused to give exact details about the
arrests or what will happen to the confiscated drugs and weapons.

“We have not yet completed our investigation, and because of the secret
nature of this process, we cannot provide any further information,” a task
force official told The Irrawaddy today.

Traditionally, Burmese authorities stage public burnings of drug caches
seized during raids. Residents of Tachilek claim no such public ceremonies
have occurred, and the drugs are believed to be still in the custody of
the local police.

One of the eight suspects in custody is believed to be a former member of
Khun Sa’s Mong Tai Army. The former drug lord—one of four Burmese drug
traffickers wanted by the US—surrendered to Burmese authorities in 1996
and now lives in Rangoon.

At least five houses in Tachilek Township have been seized by the task
force for links between their owners and the eight suspects now in
custody.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 24, Agence France Presse
Illegal Myanmar timber trade with China picks up

Bangkok: Myanmar's illegal timber trade with China has picked up in recent
days, after an unexplained halt of several months, a forestry watchdog
said Tuesday.

Global Witness said logging trucks had been crossing to China's
southwestern Yunnan province from northern Myanmar every seven minutes
when the London-based group released its previous report in October.

But the forestry monitor said the trade -- believed to be worth 300
million dollars per year -- had inexplicably stopped for several months
before resuming at a slower pace about 10 days ago.

"It is a positive step in the right direction. However, we're also
concerned whether this is simply going to lead to more control by the
regime in these areas," forestry advocate Susanne Kempel told a press
conference.

Myanmar forestry officials say they legally export 18,000 cubic metres
(635,670 cubic feet) of timber annually, but Chinese customs officials say
they imports about one million cubic metres (35 million cubic feet) from
its neighbour, Kempel added.

"In the past, they would have ... explained that they're not fully in
control of the border areas and therefore cannot close most of it, but
these last few months have shown they've been able to," she said.

The watchdog tracked logging trucks and found those entering China were
carrying logs from areas under the military's control, not from regions
held by ethnic rebels, Kempel said.

Myanmar's junta had long denied the trade existed, but has recently begun
to acknowledge the problem.

"This has serious repercussions for Myanmar's economy and for legitimate
timber exporters," Brigadier General Thein Aung, the forestry minister,
said in the semi-official Myanmar Times weekly.

"Exporters find it hard to compete with smuggled timber on the
international market, resulting in decreasing prices and a decline in
production in the wood-based industry," he said in Monday's edition.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 24, Democratic Voice of Burma via BBC
Burmese opposition radio claims Indian navy chief's visit to sell weapons

Text of report by Norway-based Burmese Democratic Voice of Burma website
on 21 January

[Newsreader] It has been learned that Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian
Navy is currently visiting Burma and discussing weapons sale with the SPDC
[State Peace and Development Council] leaders. Indian newspapers have
already carried reports about India's plan to sell weapons to the SPDC
military junta since last month. DVB [Democratic Voice of Burma]
correspondent Khin Maung Soe Minn filed this report.

[Correspondent Khin Maung Soe Minn - recording] Indian newspapers have
already carried reports since last month that Admiral Arun Prakash, chief
of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, plans to meet with the SPDC leaders to
sell naval sea reconnaissance planes and sea to air missiles. It is also
tipped that the Indian Navy might reach an agreement to assist the Burmese
Navy build naval vessels. Some Indian dailies assume the junta might show
the visiting Indian Chief of Naval Staff the facilities at Cocos Island,
which is close to India's Andaman Island, to convince him that there are
no Chinese radar and eavesdropping station there. Regarding the matter DVB
contacted the Indian Naval Headquarters. Indian navy spokesman Commander
Vinay Garg said he could not say anything on that matter. He said the
Indian delegation is on a goodwill visit to Burma at the invitation of the
Burmese junta. He added that the delegation might hold talks on bilateral
cooperation.

Dr Tint Swe, minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma who is based in New Delhi, said it would create a very concerned
situation if India really decides to sell naval weapons to the Burmese
military junta.

[Dr Tint Swe] My first concern is if you look at the history of the
military junta, they use weapons against those that oppose them. The
second point is when nations that are more advanced than an undeveloped
country like Burma attempt to sell either weapons or other technologies
they tend to sell only third rate weapons which that country does not
need. Simply speaking, India is trying to sell the weapons they do not use
anymore to our country. In other words, the money for the weapons will
come from the Burmese taxpayers and the sale of the nation's natural
resources. My personal concern is buying the weapons is not going to
benefit the national economy but rather create a tense atmosphere.

[Khin Maung Soe Minn] While the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy is
visiting Rangoon, it has been learned that two Indian naval vessels - the
guided missile destroyer INS Ranjit and the missile corvette INS Kuthar -
have docked at Rangoon port. The two Indian naval vessels are expected to
join SPDC naval vessels in a joint naval exercise. The Indian navy held a
joint naval exercise codenamed "Milan 2006" on 9-14 January involving
navies from several nations including the SPDC navy. Furthermore, it was
learned that two Indian destroyers went to Burma and joined in a naval
exercise on 12 December 2005.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 22, Parade Magazine
The world’s 10 worst dictators [excerpted - ed] - David Wallechinsky

Meet the contenders: A “dictator” is a head of state who exercises
arbitrary authority over the lives of his citizens and who cannot be
removed from power through legal means. The worst commit terrible
human-rights abuses. This present list draws in part on reports by global
human-rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Freedom House,
Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International. While the three worst
from 2005 have retained their places, two on last year’s list (Muammar
al-Qaddafi of Libya and Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan) have slipped out of
the Top 10—not because their conduct has improved but because other
dictators have gotten worse


3) Than Shwe, Burma (Myanmar). Age 72. In power since 1992. Last year’s
rank: 3

In November 2005, without warning, Than Shwe moved his entire government
from Rangoon (Yangon), the capital for the last 120 years, to Pyinmana, a
remote area 245 miles away. Civil servants were given two days’ notice and
are forbidden from resigning. Burma leads the world in the use of children
as soldiers, and the regime is notorious for using forced labor on
construction projects and as porters for the army in war zones. The
long-standing house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel
Peace Prize and Than Shwe’s most feared opponent, recently was extended
for six months. Just to drive near her heavily guarded home is to risk
arrest.
____________________________________

January 24, Irrawaddy
US should use Burma approach on rights council, says Amnesty

Amnesty International USA yesterday sent a letter to US President George W
Bush urging his administration to help ensure the creation of a UN Human
Rights Council, given its previous work on the situations in Burma and
North Korea. The human rights organization said Bush should push for a
system in which members of the new body would be elected on their rights
record. “To be effective, the Human Rights Council must protect all human
rights in all countries. No country has a claim to membership,” the
organization’s executive director, Dr William F Schultz, said in the
letter to the White House. Schultz recognized Bush’s efforts to prompt
China to help bring about change in Burma and North Korea in the document,
saying the same approach would help protect human rights worldwide if
applied in the case of the UN’s new rights body.

At last September’s UN Summit, delegates agreed in principle to reform the
current Human Rights Commission to make it more effective and responsive
to violations of rights worldwide. However, disagreements over the exact
specifications of the new body mean it is still not clear how it would be
composed.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 24, The International Herald Tribune
India and China: A delicate dance - Michael Vatikiotis

Singapore: India and China are performing an awkward tango. Each is wary
of the other as partners; both are talented and experienced on their feet.
But dance together they must.

In Beijing this month, India's oil minister, Mani Shankar Aiyer, signed an
agreement to cooperate with China in securing crude oil resources
overseas. The landmark deal is aimed at preventing fierce competition for
oil from driving up the price of assets. It marks the start of a new era
of energy geopolitics focused on Asia, and reveals something of how Asia's
emerging superpowers intend to behave.

The quest for oil is a strategic priority for both India and China, which
rely on crude oil imports for 70 percent and 40 percent of their needs,
respectively. Competition for overseas supplies has already seen some
ferocious bidding wars, most of which China has won.

With stakes so high, one side had to blink. ''It is clear to me,'' said
Aiyer, India's oil minister, in Beijing, ''that any imitation of the
'Great Game' between India and China is a danger to peace. We cannot
endanger each other's security in our quest for energy security.''

Speaking in Shanghai in early January, India's foreign secretary, Shyam
Saran, said that India and China ''are too big to contain each other or be
contained by any other country.'' He spoke of both countries fashioning a
''strategic and cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity.''

Superficially, India and China make more logical partners than
protagonists. Both economies are booming so that trade and investment
synergies are proliferating. India's hi-tech companies are flocking to
China, where there are opportunities for applying research and innovation
in cost-effective ways. China's manufacturers see in India a potentially
vast market for appliances, cars and the steel that is used to make them.

On the political front, both countries want to carve out spheres of
influence in their neighborhoods and need assurances that local
adventurism won't invite intervention. So China stays out of the Kashmir
quagmire, in return for which India doesn't play games in Tibet. China is
backing India's candidacy for membership of the United Nations Security
Council.

This won't be an easy partnership, however. Beneath the hype about shared
prosperity, each side mistrusts the other and uses competing alliances to
jostle for advantage. India deploys its so-called strategic partnership
with America to maintain leverage over China. China uses its proximity to
Pakistan and Bangladesh to nip at India's heels.

Neither do China and India share much in common other than great power
aspirations. India's rambling but reliable democracy is very different
from China's rigid authoritarian system. They will eventually compete in
the same Western and Asian markets.

Luckily, geography makes it hard for China and India to confront one
another. The Himalayas pose a formidable barrier to military adventurism
in either direction, which explains why the month-long border war the two
countries fought in 1962 ended in stalemate.

The trouble is that today wars are fought by proxy, and since both India
and China are nuclear powers, this suggests a scenario for nuclear
brinkmanship in Asia. China helped Pakistan develop the missile technology
that brought Indian cities into the range of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
Now New Delhi fears that Beijing's answer to the recent Indian-U.S. pact
on nuclear energy development is a pledge to supply Pakistan with new
nuclear reactor technology.

A complicating factor will be Japan, which has realized that one way to
counter what it sees as the growing strategic threat from China is to
bolster ties with India. This could explain why Japan's foreign minister,
Taro Aso, was in New Delhi in the first week of January seeking regular
high-level dialogue on nuclear and defense issues.

India is going to need this extra leverage over China, because judging
from China's aggressive energy policy, it's hard to see much win-win
stemming from the cooperation India signed on to in Beijing. Before the
ink was even dry on the Beijing agreement, Indian oil ministry officials
found out that Myanmar had agreed to sell natural gas from a field partly
owned by an Indian company exclusively to China.

Michael Vatikiotis is a visiting research fellow at the Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.