BurmaNet News, March 16, 2006

[Editor]

March 16, 2006 Issue # 2920

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: Burma still flouting international labour laws: ILO
DVB: NLD MP Thein Win passes away in Rangoon
DVB: More Burmese prisoners die of HIV/AIDS
AFP: Myanmar slams US human rights report
Kaladan News: SPDC's new policy to cripple Rohingya economy

HEALTH / AIDS
Irrawaddy: Bird flu confirmed in Burma

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: EU concerned over condition of Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
The Times: Pariah states line up to hijack new UN human rights group

OPINION
Asian Tribune: The common traits of Southeast Asian leaders

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 16, Mizzima News
Burma still flouting international labour laws: ILO - Jessicah Curtis

The Burmese government is still violating international labour laws and
continues to persecute forced labour claimants according to a new report
by the International Labour Organization.

The latest report on the forced labour situation in Burma, which will be
discussed at the 295th session of the ILO’s Governing Body starting in
Geneva today, said no progress had been made during discussions with the
military over the continued persecution of people claiming to be the
victims of forced labour practices.

According to the report, the only progress made by the ILO in Burma was
that Burma’s minister for labour had assured interim ILO liaison officer
in Rangoon Richard Horsey he was not in any physical danger.

Late last year Horsey and former ILO informal facilitator Léon de
Riedmatten, received a series of death threats as a result of their work
for the labour group.

But the report focused on the Burmese government’s insistence on being
able to prosecute people they believed to have lodged false claims of
forced labour with the organisation.

In the absence of rule-of-law or a competent legal mechanism for the trial
of forced labour cases in Burma, ILO officials have said they were
concerned the military were able to intimidate possible victims into
keeping silent.

"The (ILO) Liaison Officer is concerned that the lack of investigation of
the cases of forced labour reported to him, and the signal sent by the
recent prosecutions of complainants, will tend to reinforce the climate of
impunity surrounding government officials who have recourse to forced
labour," the report said.

"This in turn will undermine any progress made in this regard as a result
of the convictions of several local government officials in early 2005 for
illegal imposition of forced labour."

The report highlighted the cases of Su Su Nwe, lawyer Aye Myint and Zaw
Htay, Thein Zan and Aung Than Tun, all of whom have been imprisoned for
reporting instances of forced labour in the country.

While the report said the Burmese government had not allowed the ILO to
increase its presence in the country, officials had stopped threatening to
quit the group and the military's rhetoric against the ILO had eased.

"Certainly the tension has subsided compared with late last year. The main
point, though, is to be able to make progress on the substance," ILO
representative in Rangoon Richard Horsey told Mizzima.

ILO staff in Rangoon have held a series of discussions with Burmese
officials in the hope of creating a mechanism through which forced labour
claims could be properly processed. But according to the report, the
latest meeting between the ILO and Burma’s minister for labour, held early
this week, was unable to produce a consensus on the formation of such a
mechanism.

The report will be considered by the ILO’s Governing Body later this month
and is likely to result in recommendations for the tougher treatment of
Burma by members of the body.

____________________________________

March 15, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD MP Thein Win passes away in Rangoon

The National League for Democracy (NLD) elected representative (MP) of
Sagaing Division, Kalemyo Township constituency No.2, Dr. Thein Win had
died from cancer on 15 March.

55-year old Thein Win passed away at 2.10pm local time while he was
receiving treatments for intestinal cancer at Rangoon ‘Japan’ hospital,
NLD spokesman told DVB. His remains is currently being displayed at the
hospital and NLD leaders, 88 Generation student leaders, former political
prisoners andf their family friends have been paying their respect to him.

But his wife Kyi Kyi Myint is said to be not very well at Kalemyo and she
will be only able to see the remains of her beloved husband on 17 March.
At the moment, Thein Win’s three daughters are in Rangoon but the funeral
arrangements will be made only when their mother and brother are with them
in Rangoon.

Roughly speaking, the remains of Thein Win will be taken from the hospital
to Yea-way Cemetery on Sunday (19 March) and religious memorial services
are to be held at Sasna Dekkhita Damma Temple Buddhist monastery in
Rangoon Thinganggyun Township.

Thein Win was born of father U Bo and mother Daw Than Htike in 1952 at
Monywa in central Burma. He graduated from nearby Mandalay Medical
University in 1978 and carried out his national duties in the mountains of
Burma’s northwest Chin State. After the 1988 nationwide pro-democracy
uprising, he became Kalemyo Township NLD chairman. He was not only
actively involved in political activities, but also helped all political
prisoners detained at local jail - with all his heart and money, according
to his colleague and friend Do Htaung, the MP of No.1 constituency and
former political prisoners and their family members.

At the moment, 85 MPs out of 485 elected in the May 1990 general election
including Thein Win, have died in Burma without seeing or enjoying a
democratic system they had craved and worked for. The NLD won a landslide
victory in that election but the ruling army generals are still refusing
to hand over power to the party.

May Thein Win rest in peace!

____________________________________

March 15, Democratic Voice of Burma
More Burmese prisoners die of HIV/AIDS

Increasing numbers of inmates have died from HIV/AIDS during previous
months at the notorious Tharawaddy Jail in lower central Burma, situated
north of Rangoon, according to a Burmese health staff who doesn’t want to
be identified.

According to the staff, at least 40 prisoners have died since early this
year. When DVB contacted a doctor on duty at the prison for comments,
he/she confirmed that the report is correct. The same doctor said that the
situation has become worse since the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) members were barred from visiting prisons at the end of last
year. Around two prisoners a day on average have died from illnesses and
many of the surviving ones are also suffering from tuberculosis and severe
malnutrition.

According to someone who was released from the prison recently, a team of
the junta-sponsored Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA)
central members led by Maj-Gen Than Htay came to the prison and
interrogate prisoners and told them that they will be taken action against
if they request help from the ICRC.

A district level USDA official promised to provide a television set,
medicines and raise the quality of prison food (usually not suitable for
human consumption)for prisoners, but not only nothing has been done about
the promises, but also prisoners were each forced to ‘contribute’ 300 kyat
and a packet of coffee mix to the costs of the uninvited visit of the
team.

____________________________________

March 16, Agence France Presse
Myanmar slams US human rights report

Military-run Myanmar on Thursday rejected a US human rights report,
accusing Washington of interfering in the country's domestic affairs.

"The report of the US State Department can only be regarded as a
politically motivated attempt to maintain pressure on Myanmar and to
interfere in the domestic affairs of the country," the foreign ministry
said in a statement.

"No foreign states can claim to have greater interest in the well-being of
citizens of Myanmar than the government and people of Myanmar," said the
statement, printed in the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

Last week the United States, Myanmar's most vocal critic, said the junta's
human rights record during 2005 had worsened and its military rulers
continued to commit serious human rights abuses.

The State Department's annual report on human rights reads as a litany of
atrocities it says were committed by the junta, including extrajudicial
killings, rape, torture and beatings of prisoners.

The military, which has ruled the country since 1962, has been accused of
operating a strict police state and restricting basic rights and freedoms.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's democracy icon and Nobel peace prize
winner, has been under house arrest for more than 10 of the past 16 years
and kept isolated from the outside world.

Due to the rights violations, the United States has a total ban on
Myanmar's exports, and the European Union has more targeted measures
including a travel ban on the junta, an arms embargo and a ban on
investment in state companies.

____________________________________

March 16, Kaladan News
SPDC's new policy to cripple Rohingya economy

The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is using its new policy in
northern Arakan, Burma to cripple the economy of the Rohingya people.

According to the policy, the SPDC's army based in Maungdaw Township, a
border area of Arakan has been repeatedly taking away the cattle of
Rohingya villagers simply saying that they are smuggling cattle to the
neighbouring countries, particularly to Bangladesh, said a local on
condition of anonymity.

On March 5, soldiers went to Haji Ahamed Kobir of "Tharay Kondan village"
in Maungdaw Township and took away 12 buffalos that were born and bred on
his farm accusing him of smuggling cattle.

This army unit was appointed in Nasaka (Burma's Border Security Force)
area in southern Maungdaw Township after Prime Minister Khin Nyunt. was
sacked

After seizing the cattle, they took it to the Tactical Operation Commander
(TOC) in Buthidaung Town and handed it over saying that the cattle were
being smuggled to Bangladesh. The people are at a loss and do not know
what to do about cattle, the local continued.

The owner Haji Ahamed Kobir tied his buffaloes near his shrimp project to
make the land fertile to increase shrimp production.

In Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships, every family has a book in which all
the domestic animals such as--- cattle, fowls, goats---are listed by
Nasaka. Sometimes, the concerned authorities come to villages to check the
list. If the list does not tally they find the owner or take way what is
in excess.

Villagers have to report if they sell their cattle and delete them from
the lists. They also have to pay for the deduction of animals they
possess.

The 12 heads of cattle were listed in the book. How could they allege that
the cattle were being smuggled to another country, asked a close relative
of Haji Ahamed Kobir.

They also took away cattle from Shomshu, Basa Meah, Hamid, and Serazul
Hoque of the same village.

This matter was reported to the concerned Nasaka authorities of area No
(7) but they said that a complaint could not be lodged verbally against
the army. The complaint had to be filed in an application. According to
the advice, the villagers made the complaint in an application to the
Nasaka camp.

After two or three days in a retaliatory move soldiers came to the owners
homes and arrested and severely tortured them angry because they had
complained to the Nasaka officer and to extract confessions that the
seized buffalos were being smuggled. They forcibly took their signatures
on a white paper.

A villager said, "We are solely dependent on our farmlands and cattle
because most of us are farmers. Our lands were confiscated and now the
army is seizing our cattle. Besides, we have no jobs and our movement is
restricted."

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

March 16, Irrawaddy
Bird flu confirmed in Burma - Shah Paung and Clive Parker

Tests conducted in Bangkok have confirmed that chickens in Burma died from
the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain, as the junta issued a public
acknowledgement of the outbreak for the first time.

A representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Dr Wantanee
Kalpravidh, arrived in Rangoon this morning with confirmation that Burma
had been infected by the virus. Wantanee will visit the main site of the
outbreak just outside Mandalay tomorrow, an official of Burma’s Livestock
Breeding and Veterinary Department said.

It was not immediately clear whether bird flu had also struck Sagaing
Division. A statement in today’s state-run The New Light of Myanmar—the
first public announcement by the government—said that “suspected avian
influenza virus of H5N1 was found in a fowl” in Kin-U Township in Sagaing,
while the LBVD said that this case had produced a positive result in
Bangkok. The FAO, however, has repeatedly told The Irrawaddy this week
that only chickens that died in Mandalay had produced positive results for
bird flu in tests carried out in Burma.

The New Light of Myanmar report confirmed that the affected areas of
Sagaing and Mandalay were under close surveillance as part of containment
efforts that include the temporary closing of poultry markets and a
poultry culling program. Other reports have said that poultry breeders
affected by the culling program have not received any compensation.

One poultry feed manufacturer in Mandalay said the outbreak was beginning
to hit the industry hard: “If the authorities order a ban [on chicken
feed], the situation means we will surely have to shut down,” an employee
of the company said today. “Sales of chicken feed are down more than 60
percent.”

A resident of Tachilek said that officials on both sides of the border
crossing with Mae Sai in Thailand had banned trading in chickens across
the frontier earlier this week. In Rangoon, restaurants have begun posting
signs saying they do not sell poultry or eggs in a bid to avoid scaring
off customers, while there are also reports that fried chicken stands in
the capital have closed.

Burma’s first suspected cases of bird flu were discovered at the weekend
when the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries conducted tests confirming
the disease before informing the FAO, the World Animal Health Organization
and the World Health Organization. The FAO has since rushed supplies to
Burma to help contain the disease. Meanwhile, there have been no
additional reports of affected birds and, as yet, no reported human cases.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 16, Mizzima News
EU concerned over condition of Burmese refugees in Bangladesh - Siddique
Islam

The European Union voiced concern over the living conditions for Burmese
refugees in Bangladesh yesterday during a two-day meeting of the EU and
Bangladesh joint commission in Dhaka.

Delegates at the meeting held on March 14 and 15 discussed the living
conditions of Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, in particular the conditions
faced by Muslims from Arakan State.

A Bangladeshi official told Mizzima yesterday, “The EU raised the issue of
the [Arakan Muslim] refugees 
 They expressed their concern over the
miserable condition of [refugees] living outside the two official camps”.

The official, a Bangladeshi delegate to the meeting, said EU
representatives had asked the Bangladeshi government to rehabilitate
undocumented Burmese refugees who had lived unaided in the country for
many years.

Hundreds of illegal Burmese nationals living in unauthorised camps in
Bangladesh face starvation, malnutrition and lack access to clean water or
sanitary facilities.

A joint press statement released by delegates after the meeting recognised
the importance of welfare issues facing the refugees.

A high-level EU delegation led by Bangladesh and Afghanistan coordinator
Ana Beatris Martins is due to visit two camps housing Burmese refugees in
Bangladesh today.

Sources told Mizzima Martins would inspect the Nayapara and Kutupalong
camps in Cox's Bazaar.

____________________________________

March 16, The Times
Pariah states line up to hijack new UN human rights group - James Bone in
New York

The United States stood almost alone yesterday as the United Nations voted
overwhelmingly to set up a new Human Rights Council to replace the widely
discredited body that sits in Geneva.

Fearful that oppressive regimes with egregious records on human rights,
such as Zimbabwe and Sudan, would seize control of the new body,
Washington voted against its creation.

The US was joined only by Israel, Palau and the Marshall Islands in
opposing the motion. Of the 191-nation General Assembly, 170 members
approved the creation of the new council. Iran, Belarus and Venezuela
abstained.

John Bolton, the United States Ambassador to the UN, said Washington was
not confident that the new 47-member body "would be better than its
predecessor".

"We must not let history remember us as the architects of a council that
was a 'compromise' and merely 'the best we could do' rather than one that
ensured doing 'all we could do' to promote human rights," he said.

The United States opposed the council even though it had led the drive to
abolish the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, which has become a
stronghold of countries such as Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe trying to protect
themselves from international criticism.

To prevent rights-abusers from getting on the new council, the US had
wanted members to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the UN General
Assembly and to be barred if they were subject to UN sanctions. But the
final version required election by only an absolute majority of the
General Assembly -a minimum of 96 votes -and did not ban rights violators
from seeking a seat.

European nations and leading human rights groups, including Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch, supported the creation of the
council, despite its shortcomings.

They noted that all members of the new body would undergo a human rights
review and could be expelled from the council by a two-thirds majority of
the UN membership.

In contrast to the annual six-week sessions of the Geneva-based body, the
new council will meet at least three times a year for a minimum of ten
weeks. It will be able to hold special sessions to address human rights
crises, if approved by one third of its members.

European Union nations pledged in a joint statement not to vote for any
countries that were subject to rightsrelated UN sanctions.

Despite the US "no" vote, Mr Bolton promised that Washington would "work
co-operatively" to make the new council "as strong and effective as it can
be".

"The real test will be the quality of membership that emerges on this
council and whether it takes effective action to address serious human
rights abuse cases like Sudan, Cuba, Iran, Zimbabwe, Belarus and Burma,"
he said.

____________________________________
OPINION

March 16, Asian Tribune
The common traits of Southeast Asian leaders - Prof Kanbawza Win

Witnessing the political crisis in Philippines and Thailand, not to
mention the dictatorial countries of Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and
the near totalitarian countries of Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei there seems
to be several common factors of the so called ASEAN countries. A common
penchant or rather and inkling is that once the leaders got into power by
hook or by crook, they will never let it go. This is a great lesson which
they copied it from the Burmese leader General Ne Win.

Since the post colonial era soon after the second World War II,
Philippines has produced Marcos, while Indonesia comes up with Suharto.
Even the so called democratic countries like Singapore and Malaysia had
produced Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir Mohamad, all are dictators but in name,
and who may have been popular and benevolent in a democratic way, but who
both used a dreaded internal security act, allowing indefinite arrest and
internment without trial, to keep opponents in check.

Another common trait is their cruelty on the people. When Pol Pot of
Cambodia was killing millions of his own people, including women and
children and taking the country back to the stone age, the so called ASEAN
leaders were mute and quietly supported the Khmer Rouge in the
international arena. Hence it was no wonder that they treat the Burmese
the same way and that the policy of Constructive Engagement, born out of
their brains was the hall mark of torturing the people of Burma. The
cruelty of these Southeast leaders were match by lust and greed which was
clearly demonstrated in the region especially in the exploitation of human
and natural resources of Burma. Not every one will agree but it can be
label as ASEAN values.

Now Thailand has a fledgling democratic system, but, ironically, has
produced a civilian leadership which falls in line with a lust for power
and the greed it engenders, shown by the Burmese Generals. In fact, the
five-year-old government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has gathered
even more power than any military leadership before it, and is accused by
a growing chorus of critics of using it brazenly to amass levels of
dubiously acquired wealth.

Most of the dictators including Ne Win had paid for their venal attitude
to power with their abrupt removal by the people. The current popular
uprising in Bangkok calling for Thaksin’s head seems all too familiar and
seems to be fighting a rearguard action tenaciously clinging on to power.
Once a strongman refusing to recognize the writing on the wall, the time
for playing by the political and constitutional rules seems to have
passed.

Farmers, teachers and thousands of state employees opposed to Thaksin's
rule were traveling to the capital to take part in the rally, organizers
said. Metropolitan Police spokesman Col Pinit Maneerat said police had
received reports that Thaksin supporters were planning their own rally in
Bangkok, stirring concerns of a standoff between the opposing camps.

Tens of thousands of protesters have been demanding Thaksin’s resignation
in regular weekend rallies, accusing the tycoon-turned-politician of
corruption, mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand, stifling
the media, and allowing cronies to reap gains from state policies. Labor
unions representing state-owned utilities and rail workers have called on
employees to join the rally to protest Thaksin's privatization plans.

Thaksin was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term last year when his
party won 377 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. The rural
constituencies, which have benefited from his populist policies has
supported him. But when he sold its controlling stake in telecom giant
Shin Corp to a Singapore state-owned investment company for 73.3 billion
baht (US $1.9 billion), it became the last straw for the people and the
anti Thaksin campaign swelled. Critics allege the sale involved insider
trading and tax dodges and complain that a key national asset is now in
the hands of a foreign government. The protesters sought Singapore's help
in annulling the deal. The third common trait of ASEAN countries is the
dog eating dog is now having a great effect on Thailand. Unlike the people
of Burma who are used to bear the injustice silently, the Thais had stood
up and Singaporean companies who had relish on the blood and sweat of the
working people of Southeast Asia are partly to blame. The term
Constructive Engagement which is so synonymous with the continuous
violations of the people of Burma had misfired with the Thai and perhaps
the marginalized people are now laughing in their sleeves.

What kind of picture do ASEAN present to the world? What sort of regional
organization it presents. Action speaks louder than words and it is high
time that ASEAN countries should stop producing and supporting dictators
under different guise.

Prof. Kanbawza Win (Dr. B.T.Win): Incumbent Dean of Students of AEIOU
Programme, Chiangmai University, Thailand. Senior Research Fellow at the
European Institute of Asian Studies, Under the European Commission,
Brussels, Belgium. Earlier Consultant to National Coalition Government of
the Union of Burma. Editorial Consultant, "Asian Tribune." The learned
Professor submitted this article for publication in the Asian Tribune.