BurmaNet News, June 28, 2006

[Editor]

June 28, 2006 Issue # 2993

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Gambling and crime on the rise in Burma during Soccer World Cup
DVB: Kachin State NLD forced to cancel meeting
DVB: Lucky owl: More Burmese carrying owl figurines for protection

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Burma holds up migrant worker registration plan
Irrawaddy: Thai and Burmese military talks on border issues

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima: China-Burma border trade at a standstill
Irrawaddy: Burmese firm to list on Singapore stock exchange
AFP: Myanmar to partially privatize 11 factories

INTERNATIONAL
DPA: Annan claims UN 'engaged' in Burma
BBC Burmese service: 50 Canadian Lawmakers call for UNSC action on Burma

OPINION / OTHER
The Spectrum: Burma tragedy highlights ineffectiveness of U.N.
IFEX: Harsh jail terms highlight repressive State
Asia Times: India embraces Myanmar on its own terms

PRESS RELEASE
RSF/BMA: Court upholds three-year sentences for journalists who
photographed new capital

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

Jun 27, Democratic Voice Burma
Gambling and crime on the rise in Burma during soccer World Cup

Illegal gambling, theft, robbery and murder are on the rise around Burma
during the football (soccer) World Cup season due to uncontrollable
gambling epidemic, according to local residents.

"In South Okkala, a woman's ear was cut off because (she or the
perpetrator?) lost the bet on the football match. There are a lot of
murder cases in Rangoon due to the losses of bet on football matches," a
local resident in Rangoon told DVB. "They (authorities) didn't check why
crimes are on the rise and the culprits were arrested within two days etc.
Of course, they would. They are not professional killers. These poor
people faced difficulties and they killed as the last resort. The
situation in Rangoon is bad."

When we contacted Kyauktada Township police station, a police officer on
duty denied that the reports were true, but local residents told us a very
different story of frequent burglaries and rising criminal behaviours.

"At Thaketa, the situation is bad. The situation at suburban areas is bad.
At Kyaukmayaung, they are openly playing (illegal) two, three number
lotteries," a Rangoon resident said.

Residents from other parts of the country also reported the rise of crime
due to illegal gambling, especially during the World Cup season.

____________________________________

June 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Kachin State NLD forced to cancel meeting

Kachin State National League for Democracy (NLD) in upper Burma, was
barred from holding a regular meeting by the local authorities.

The meeting was scheduled to be held at Shwegu on 26 June and NLD leaders
notified the authorities concerned two weeks in advance but they were told
four days before the scheduled day that they are not allowed to go ahead
with the meeting.

"We notifief Kachin State (election) commission at Myikyina. We also
notified Bamho District commisiomn and Shwegu Township where it was to be
held. Their reply now is, Shwegu commission said that they will only
accept when there is a permit from the State," Kachin State NLD organising
committee member Tin Wae told DVB.

But Tin Wae added that NLD members will continue to carry out their
activities after having consultationRangoon customs officials replaced
with NLD HQs in Rangoon.

____________________________________

June 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Lucky owl: More Burmese carrying owl figurines for protection

Many people in Rangoon have been carrying with them small figurines of owl
at all the time from the middle of this month with the belief that the
spirit of the owl would give them protection and luck.

According to Rangoon residents, the figurines could be seen on the bags of
the people walking on the streets or travelling to and fro.

The latest development could be an attempt to ward off the evil power of
the ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC)
which has also been forcing the people of Burma to grow castor oil plants
in accordance with the advice of their astrologers in order to hold onto
power longer. Others believe that the movement could be a political
movement to oppose the SPDC military government, which is spreading
through the word of mouth, a Rangoon resident who doesn't want to be named
told DVB.

The movement is also said to be spreading to other areas of Burma,
especially to lower and upper Burma. Some people are not only carrying the
figurines with them but also also keeping bigger stattettes of the
creature at home.

Traditionally, Burmese people believe that keeping the statuettes of a
pair of owls at home could end their troubles and open new path for luck,
and some observers believe that this idea could be linked to the
anti-military government movement.

Whatever the reasons, more and more people are giving each other the
figurines and statuettes of owl as presents, and the makers and sellers
are said doing a roaring trade at the moment.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

June 28, The Irrawaddy
Burma holds up migrant worker registration plan - Sai Silp

Plans to set up nationality identification centers for Burmese migrant
workers in Thailand are being stalled by disagreement between the Thai and
Burmese governments on where they should be based.

An official from the Thai Ministry of Labor told The Irrawaddy on
Wednesday that the Burmese government had approved the establishment of
the centers, but wanted them to operate out of two Burmese towns, Hpa-An
and Moulmein.

“Setting the centers in Burma makes it very difficult for Thai authorities
and workers crossing the border to use the process,” the official said.
“We proposed that Burmese authorities should send their officials to work
in Thailand border provinces.”

Thai Labor Minister Somsak Thepsuthin has said that if migrant workers and
Thai officials had to travel to Burma the identification process would
take as long as three weeks to complete. There was also concern, shared by
Burmese officials, about the transparency of the process and the task of
validating passports.

Pranom Somwong, a staff member of the Migrant Assistant Program, a
non-government organization working with migrant workers in Thailand, said
the centers should be located in Thailand in the interests of those
needing official identification.

“Migrant workers from Burma [living] in Thailand are labeled as criminals
by the Burmese government because they cross illegally to work in
Thailand,” Pranom said. “It makes it impossible for them to go back to
Burma for identification purposes.”

The Thai government’s objective of having an identification process is
meant to stop the flow of illegal migrant workers from neighboring
countries to Thailand. Registering workers with the approval of their
national governments means migrants can work in Thailand legally.

The governments of Laos and Cambodia operate nationality identification
centers in Thailand in co-operation with the Thai government. The centers
have so far processed some 70,000 Lao and Cambodian workers and registered
them with the Thai Labor Department.  They are eligible to work in
Thailand and have access to the same social welfare benefits as Thai
workers, including legal support and medical services for their children.

____________________________________

June 28, The Irrawaddy
Thai and Burmese military talks on border issues

Regional military commanders from Burma and Thailand began a two day
meeting in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Wednesday. The talks—the 23rd
meeting of the Regional Border Committee—concentrate on border issues.  It
is believed that among the topics is the demarcation of the Thai-Burmese
border, especially several disputed islands in the Andaman Sea, and
fishing grounds between the two countries. Thailand and Burma share more
than 1,600 kilometers of border, much of which has no clear demarcation.
The Burmese delegation is led by Maj-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, Commander of
Triangle Region Command, eastern Shan State. The delegation includes
military representatives from Mon State, Tenasserim [Taninthayi] Division,
Coastal Region Command and officials from Burma’s defense and foreign
ministries.  The Thai delegation is led by Lt-Gen Saprang Kanlayanamitr,
commander of the Third Army Region.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

June 28, Mizzima News
China-Burma border trade at a standstill - Mungpi

Trade across the China-Burma border had come to a standstill yesterday as
much of the business community went into hiding while a team of Burmese
military investigators swept the border town of Muse.

Mizzima's correspondent on the border said some traders had even shut up
shop in an attempt to avoid interrogation by the Bureau of Special
Investigation team led by northeastern commander brigadier general Aung
Than Htut.

"Some of the traders are already scared with the news of the recent arrest
of traders and border trade officials, so they are hiding themselves," our
correspondent said.

The team of investigators is reportedly checking on customs and trade
groups in Muse after the recent border trade scandal which saw more than
100 border trade and customs officials arrested.

Following the scandal, trade gates across the border were effectively
closed, Mizzima's correspondent said.

"But the traders have practice bribery to get through with their cargoes.
There has been and will always be bribery, no matter who comes to inspect
the trade gates."

____________________________________

June 28, The Irrawaddy
Burmese firm to list on Singapore stock exchange

A Rangoon-based property and construction firm, Yoma Strategic Investments
Pte. Ltd., plans to list on the Singapore stock exchange via a reverse
takeover of  Sea View Hotel, the Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times
reported on Wednesday. If the takeover is approved, Sea View would be
renamed Yoma Strategic Holdings and the shares are expected to resume
trading by August, the report said. Yoma Strategic Investments, a
Singapore-incorporated company, is controlled by Burma-born Chinese tycoon
Serge Pun, who heads Burma’s largest private commercial bank, Yoma Bank,
and is the founder of Serge Pun & Associates (SPA), a multi-national group
involved in banking, property and agriculture.

____________________________________

June 28, Agence France Presse
Myanmar to partially privatize 11 factories

Myanmar plans to sell a 49 percent stake in 11 factories as the government
tries to raise much-needed cash, official media said Wednesday.

Industry Minister Aung Thaung said in the Myanmar-language Mirror
newspaper that the government would retain a 51 percent stake in the
factories while selling the remaining shares at one million kyat (763
dollars) each.

The value of shares would be adjusted annually and buyers would have the
right to resell or transfer their shares, the newspaper said.

The minister gave no other details as to the amount of money to be raised
in all but said he wanted to reassure potential investors that the
government would not renege on deal afterwards.

The factories are located in Yangon as well as Mandalay and Magway in
central Myanmar, the report said.

They produce a range of goods, including textiles, cigarettes, beer, soft
drinks, cosmetics, glass, paint and bicycles, it added.

The current junta has taken steps to liberalize the economy since it took
power after crushing a pro-democracy uprising in 1988.

The previous military dictatorship had spent decades following the
"Burmese way to socialism", which ruined what had been one of the most
promising economies in Southeast Asia.

The current military rulers have fared little better and Myanmar remains
one of the world's poorest countries.

The economy has been further hobbled by a patchwork of US and European
sanctions imposed over a litany of human rights abuses and the military's
failure to deliver on promised democratic reforms.

But neighboring countries like China, India and Thailand have been
increasing their trade with Myanmar, mainly to tap the country's natural
gas reserves to fuel their own growing economies.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

June 28, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Annan claims UN 'engaged' in Burma

New York/Kuala Lumpur - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that
he had not received an appeal by lawmakers from 34 countries urging strong
action against Burma's ruling military junta, but he said the UN remains
engaged in finding a solution.

Annan said he had been in touch with Asian leaders "to use their influence
to bear on the Myanmar government to cooperate with us. The UN has not
disengaged from the issue."

Burma is sometimes referred as Myanmar, a name preferred by the ruling
junta. Similarly, the largest city, Rangoon, is sometimes called Yangon.

Annan was reacting to a report from Kuala Lumpur that the legislators have
called for the UN Security Council to adopt a tough stance against the
Rangoon government. The legislators reportedly sent a letter to Annan,
which had not reached UN headquarters by late Tuesday.

The UN had been asking Rangoon to release opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi, whose house arrested was extended in May another year despite
repeated calls for her release. Suu Kyi heads the National League for
Democracy and has spent 10 years under house arrest for demanding
democracy in one of the world' poorest countries.


>From Kuala Lumpur, a total of 503 members of parliament from countries in

Asia, the Pacific and the European Union submitted a strongly worded
letter demanding a binding UN resolution on the crisis in Burma.

"We believe the increasingly unstable situation in Burma represents a
threat not only to the people of Burma but also to international peace and
security; as a result, the United Nations Security Council has an
obligation to pass a peaceful resolution," the letter said.

"There is great urgency in this request, as Burma continues to spiral into
disaster. As reports make clear, Burma is ruled by one of the world's most
brutal military juntas," stated the letter, which was was released by the
Malaysian-based ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus on behalf of the
signatories.

It noted that Burma's detention of Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, as well
as the imprisonment and torture of more than 1,000 political prisoners,
required urgent international action.

The lawmakers called for "the immediate and unconditional release of Aung
San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma."

They urged the UN to pressure the ruling Burmese junta to ensure immediate
and safe access to all parts of the country for UN and international
humanitarian organizations.

"We, as elected representatives from all over the world, have joined
forces to support our fellow MPs in Burma," the letter said.

____________________________________

June 28, BBC Burmese service
50 Canadian Lawmakers call for UNSC action on Burma

Fifty Canadian Members of Parliament call for United Nations Security
Council action on Burma, by signing and adding their names on a letter
addressing to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and 15 members of UN
Security Council.

In the letter, Parliamentarians urged UN chief and Members of Security
Council “to put the situation in Burma on the formal agenda of the United
Nations Security Council and to pass a binding resolution requiring the
restoration of democracy to Burma.”

UN Security Council has rendered two briefings on Burma, one in December
2005 and another in May 2006. However, the Parliamentarians noted “the
briefings were only a first step” and “increasingly unstable situation in
Burma represents a threat not only to the people of Burma, but also to
international peace and security.”

“Canada’s support in this effort is very significant, given enlisting of
50 MPs which we haven’t seen in Canada,” said Tin Maung Htoo, coordinator
of Canadian Friends of Burma

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

June 28, The Spectrum
Burma tragedy highlights ineffectiveness of U.N.

Sadly, North Korea isn't the only nation in East Asia where the population
is persecuted and enslaved by the government, beset by disease and
starvation, and cowed into submission by an egocentric leader. Today Burma
is one of the world's worst human rights offenders and is wracked by
internal instability that threatens to spill over to its neighbors and
beyond.

A military-led regime has run Burma as a one-party state since 1962,
taking the country ever deeper into isolation and paranoia. In 1989, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) renamed the country
"Myanmar," but it hasn't stuck. Senior Gen. Than Shwe has been the defacto
head of state since 1992 and has methodically consolidated his power and
sidelined or eliminated all rivals.

In recent years, Than Shwe has assumed royal titles and prerogatives while
spending tens of millions of dollars on a national pagoda-building
campaign. Meanwhile, most Burmese are impoverished. He appears nightly on
national television, giving offerings to the monks and blessing crops.
Frequently the broadcasts feature his grandson, establishing the concept
of a ruling dynasty.

Building grandiose shrines and pretending to be royalty would be
relatively harmless, but Than Shwe also presides over a dirty war against
his own people. The Burmese army - known as the "Tatmadaw" - is engaged in
a relentless, extremely violent campaign against anti-regime rebels and
the ethnic minorities that nominally support them. Burmese
"counterinsurgency" practices include forcible relocation, destruction of
villages and foodstuffs, child conscription, torture, rape and mass
executions.

Correspondingly, the regime has locked down the border areas where these
things occur, making them virtually inaccessible to media and human rights
monitors. But the effects of the turmoil cross borders. There are
reportedly more than a half-million internally displaced persons within
Burma, with another half-million refugees living in Thailand, Bangladesh,
India and Malaysia. Diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are
spreading dangerously. Recent outbreaks of bird flu among poultry in Burma
are another grave concern.

On the political front, a struggling democratic opposition - the National
League for Democracy (NLD) - is increasingly constrained in its
activities, and its members are imprisoned on the slightest pretext. The
leading figure in the NLD is a 61-year-old woman, Aung San Suu Ky, who has
been under house arrest for the past three years and has been confined by
the regime for almost half of the time since 1989.

An advocate of nonviolent opposition, Suu Ky is the daughter of Burma's
own independence hero, who was assassinated in 1947. In 1990, she clearly
won a popular vote in national elections - while under house arrest - but
the government refused to honor the vote. She was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1991 for her ceaseless work for democracy, and she is without a
doubt the most beloved figure in Burma. Suu Ky has been hospitalized at
least twice while under arrest, and there is growing concern for her
health. She could die in government custody, sparking a nationwide
upheaval.

Although Burma is already the target of international sanctions - mostly
hurting the Burmese people - there are increasingly insistent calls for
more U.N. "action" on Burma. International pressure is building.

The case of Burma would be an ideal one for strong, decisive, multilateral
action. But after watching the slow agony of Darfur and witnessing the
monumental corruption of the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq, can anyone
seriously expect the U.N. to do anything meaningful to help the Burmese
people?

Tad Trueblood has more than 20 years of experience as an officer in the
U.S. Air Force and as an analyst in the national security community. He is
a Santa Clara resident.

____________________________________

June 28, International Freedom of Expression Exchange
Harsh jail terms highlight repressive State

Burma, officially known as Myanmar, has a reputation for being one of the
world's worst violators of human rights, including freedom of expression.
It has one of the strictest media censorship regimes, and journalists and
writers are often given harsh prison terms for criticising authorities.

Earlier this month, four individuals who were involved in the publication
of a book of poems were sentenced to jail for terms ranging from seven to
19 years, reported the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and
Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF)

On 9 June 2006, a criminal court in Pegu, north of the capital Rangoon,
sentenced Aung Than, Zeya Aung, Maung Maung Oo and Sein Hlaing for
publishing a book of poems deemed "anti-government."

Aung Than and Zeya Aung each received 19-year sentences for publishing a
book of poems called "Dawn Mann" ("The Fighting Spirit of the Peacock"),
reported SEAPA. The peacock is the symbol of the pro-democracy movement in
Burma and of the banned National League for Democracy party (NLD). Aung
Than is a member of the NLD.

In addition to being sentenced for publishing "anti-government" poems,
both men were sentenced for associating with outlawed organisations and
illegally crossing the Thai-Burma border.

Maung Maung Oo, owner of the printing shop where the book was published,
and Sein Hlaing, who helped distribute the book, were sentenced to 14 and
seven years in prison, respectively.

The NLD said it would appeal the decision. Six others who were arrested in
connection with the publishing of the book were released after six days of
interrogation, according to SEAPA.

Aung Than, Zeya Aung and Maung Maung Oo are reportedly being held at
Insein prison in Rangoon, where other journalists and dissidents,
including U Win Tin, have been detained under harsh conditions for years.
Sein Hlaing is being held at a prison in Pegu.
Under Burma's 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act, which was
amended in 1989, offenders face a jail term of up to seven years and a
fine of up to 30,000 Kyat (approx. US$5), notes SEAPA. The Act requires
that all books, periodicals, song lyrics and motion picture scripts be
submitted to the Press Scrutiny Board for approval.

According to Human Rights Watch, the human rights situation in Burma is as
bleak today as at any point in the country's recent history. Despite
promises of political reform, the ruling military junta continues to ban
virtually all opposition political activity and persecute democracy and
human rights activists. More than 1,100 people are currently imprisoned
for their political beliefs, and freedoms of expression, assembly, and
association are non-existent.

The military junta has also increased attacks on ethnic minorities in
eastern Burma, which has resulted in half a million internally displaced
people and forced more than 700,000 others to seek refuge in neighbouring
countries, the group says.

International pressure is building on the U.N. Security Council to take
action on Burma. In an unprecedented action, more than 500
parliamentarians from 34 countries have signed a letter urging the Council
to issue a binding resolution calling for national reconciliation in
Burma.

Visit these links:

- SEAPA: http://www.seapabkk.org/newdesign/newsdetail.php?No=486
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16927
- Human Rights Watch: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/02/10/usint12658.htm
- CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/attacks05/asia05/burma_05.html
- Joint Letter to U.N. Security Council: http://tinyurl.com/hlds2
- Mizzima News: http://www.mizzima.com/
- Burma Media Association: http://www.bma-online.net/
- Burma Campaign: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/unitednations.php
- Irawaddy Magazine: http://www.irrawaddy.org/

____________________________________

June 28, Asia Times
India embraces Myanmar on its own terms - Sudha Ramachandran

Even as India was reaffirming its growing ties with Myanmar at the seventh
round of consultations between the foreign offices of the two countries,
the US and other countries have been moving forward at the United Nations
to have Myanmar's military rulers censured by the Security Council.

The US-led move comes in the wake of the decision by Myanmar's ruling
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to extend Aung San Suu Kyi's
house arrest. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and leader of the National League
for Democracy (NLD), has been under house arrest since May 2003.

Hopes for establishing democracy in Myanmar were raised in May when UN
undersecretary general Ibrahim Gambari visited Myanmar and was allowed to
meet Suu Kyi. He is the only person other than her physician to have been
allowed to visit her. The meeting raised false hopes that the SPDC would
release Suu Kyi and renew contacts with the NLD, which won a landslide
victory in the 1990 general election. But hopes of change were dashed on
May 27 when the SPDC extended Suu Kyi's detention for another year.

This has prompted the US, among other Western countries, to consider
pursuing a Security Council resolution that would "underscore the
international community's concerns about the situation" there. According
to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, the concerns included Suu
Kyi's "unjustifiable detention". Washington has been saying that it would
like to move Myanmar - a country to which Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice referred as an "outpost of tyranny" - on to the Security Council"s
formal agenda.

If the US goes ahead, it would be the first time anyone has pushed for a
Security Council resolution against Myanmar. Yangon's military rulers have
been hauled up several times by the UN for their flagrant disregard for
democracy and human rights, but this has happened on the floor of the
General Assembly and by UN agencies such as the International Labor
Organization.

The proposed resolution in the Security Council would therefore be
unprecedented. But even as the US is considering this resolution, for some
of Myanmar's neighbors it is business as usual with the generals. India,
for instance, seems unfazed by the proposed US move.

Recently, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran was in Myanmar, firming up
energy and economic ties. "The talks covered the entire gamut of
India-Myanmar bilateral relations, with special emphasis on issues such as
security, energy, trade and economic cooperation and infrastructure
projects," a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Indian officials are not worried about the proposed US resolution in the
Security Council. China and Russia - both veto-wielding permanent members
- and Japan, a non-permanent member, have already signaled their
opposition. "I don't consider the situation in Myanmar as a situation that
poses a threat to international peace and security," Japan"s ambassador to
the UN is reported to have told the Security Council.

While India is banking on the Chinese veto to prevent the US resolution
from being adopted, it was China's growing influence in Myanmar that in
fact prompted India to begin engaging the generals there.

In 1988, India was among the most vociferous in its criticism of the
Myanmar junta's brutal suppression of the student uprising. The Indian
Embassy in Yangon is said to have helped the pro-democracy activists, and
its officials were in touch with opposition groups during the protests.

In 1990, India stepped up its criticism of the generals when the junta
refused to respect the mandate and hand over power to the NLD. In December
1992, it even sponsored a UN resolution calling on the junta to respect
the will of the people expressed in the 1990 election and to take all
necessary steps towards the restoration of democracy.


>From this policy of backing the pro-democracy movement, India subsequently

switched to a "pragmatic policy" of engaging the generals. The
rapprochement was prompted by security concerns triggered by China's role
in equipping, training and modernizing Myanmar's army, which increased its
influence over the junta.

Myanmar is said to have leased its Coco Islands to China. This enabled
Beijing to set up a monitoring station there, which meant that China could
not only keep an eye on Indian naval activity in the Bay of Bengal but
also spy on missile test-firing activity on India's east coast. New Delhi
realized that China's wooing of Myanmar's generals even as India shunned
them had made India's eastern flank even more vulnerable.

So while China is the main reason for India engaging with the Myanmar
junta today, it is China's likely blocking of a Security Council
resolution that will enable India to continue doing business with the
generals.

China's reason for blocking such censure is of course prompted by its own
extensive and long-standing economic and security interests in Myanmar.
Beijing and Yangon have stood by each other in the face of international
isolation in the past, point out Indian officials, and they will do so
again now should the US push for a Security Council resolution.

There are other reasons, too, for India's continuing engagement with
Myanmar, despite moves to censure it in the Security Council. It is
economically rewarding.

Myanmar is India's land bridge to Southeast Asia. Trade with Southeast
Asia could transform the economy of India's northeast. Myanmar is a vital
component for the success of India's "Look East Policy". Besides,
Myanmar's large gas reserves could significantly address India's energy
security concerns. Recently, Myanmar signaled that it is willing to sell
gas to India. Cooperation with the generals has also been rewarding in
fighting the insurgency in India's northeast.

Since the cost of castigating the generals in the late 1980s and early
1990s was very high - it left the field open for China to gain ground in
Myanmar - New Delhi is unlikely to make that mistake again. Wooing the
generals is now paying off. India therefore is unlikely to join the West
in condemning the junta.

The West has little to lose by antagonizing Myanmar, says a retired
diplomat, justifying India's Myanmar policy. He points out that the US
does not share a border with Myanmar as does India.

Indian officials point out that since influential people in the US see
India as a counterweight to China, Washington will not press New Delhi to
reverse its Myanmar policy. India's engagement of the Myanmar junta checks
Chinese influence not just in Myanmar but in the Indian Ocean as well. "So
it is in the US interest too that India pursues its present pragmatic
policy towards Myanmar," Indian officials are saying.

Officials justify India's courting of the junta on the grounds that the
West's approach of isolating the junta and imposing economic sanctions has
not worked. It has only hurt the people. Indian officials observe that
engaging the generals and simultaneously goading them towards reform is
likely to prove more successful.

India says that while it is engaging the generals, it has not abandoned
its commitment to restoration of democracy in Myanmar. Pro-democracy
activists continue to enjoy sanctuary here although they are not allowed a
free rein in their political activity from Indian soil.

When Indian President Abdul Kalam visited Yangon this year, India offered
the generals assistance in building democratic institutions and structures
in Myanmar. Officials say that India's approach to reform in Myanmar is
not by embarrassing and isolating the junta but by pushing for democracy
through official and diplomatic channels and in discussions between the
leadership of the two countries.

In public, too, India continues to call for democracy, argue its officials.

Indeed, it does, but the tone has changed. If in the past its statements
called on the generals to respect the people's mandate, restore democracy
and respect human rights; today it advocates reconciliation and welcomes
moves towards restoration of democracy.

Indian officials admit that India's long-term interests are better served
with a democratic government in Myanmar. But for now they need to court
the junta.

Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in
Bangalore.

___________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

June 27, Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières Burma Media
Association
Court upholds three-year sentences for journalists who photographed new
capital

Reporters Without Borders and the Burma Media Association today condemned
the Mandalay regional court's decision on appeal to uphold three-year
prison sentences for photojournalist U Thaung Sein (also known as U Thar
Cho) and columnist Ko Moe Thun (also known as Ko Kyaw Thwin), who writes
for the religious magazine Dhamah-Yate (Dhamah's Shadow). The court issued
its ruling on June 21 without hearing any witnesses.

"These long prison sentences for two journalists who just took photos of
the new capital, Pyinmana, show how dysfunctional the Burmese judicial
system is," the two organisations said.
"We call for their release and the release of the nine other journalists
imprisoned in Burma."

The sentences were imposed in March by a court in Yamaethin, which found
them guilty of violating article 32 (A) of the Television and Video Act
for taking still photographs and video footage of Pyinmana.

Their lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw initially appealed to the Yamaethin district
court in April. But it immediately rejected the appeal, also without
summoning witnesses.