BurmaNet News, December 9-11, 2006

[Editor]

December 9-11, 2006 Issue # 3103


INSIDE BURMA
Deutsche Press-Agentur: Burma arrests activists, denies protest
Kaowao News: NMSP urged to retain arms despite regime pressure
DVB: Burmese activist in Rangoon hospital for "heart problem"

ON THE BORDER
Narinjara: India-Myanmar car rally to reach Burma on Tuesday

BUSINESS / TRADE
IRNA: Indian gas authority acquires stake in Myanmar

ASEAN
AP: Southeast Asian summits seem snakebit this year

REGIONAL
Khonumthung News: Human rights award for Chin Refugee Committee
Mizzima: Shwe Mann's 'Mission India' ends

INTERNATIONAL
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: City Burmese honor imprisoned patriot

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Thailand's cynical ploy on Burmese migrant workers - Kavi
Chongkittavorn

INTERVIEW
National Public Radio: Getting Burmese atrocities on camera

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 10, Deutsche Press-Agentur
Burma arrests activists, denies protest

Rangoon: Burmese authorities on Sunday arrested three democracy activists
who attempted to organise a ceremony marking International Human Rights'
Day, effectively squashing the rare show of dissent.

"U Myint Aye and two others were arrested at 9:00 a.m. local time at
Bogalay Township, and then released around 1:00 p.m.," said Mar Ky, a
spokesman for the 88 Generation Students Group, a dissident group
committed to peaceful resistance against Burma's military regime that has
ruled the country since crushing student-led pro-democracy demonstrations
in 1988.

Myint Aye, a member of the former students' group, planned to draw 100
people to Bogalay, Irrawaddy Division, to commemorate international human
rights' day Sunday in Burma, a country whose rulers are notorious
worldwide for their human rights' abuses.

The peaceful show of defiance was silenced by the swift arrests of Myint
Aye and two other leaders an hour before the ceremony was scheduled to
begin, Mar Ky said in a telephone interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur
dpa.

The three were quickly released after the ceremony was cancelled.

Myint Aye was previously arrested on September 28 after he publicly
complained about the regime's detention of 88 Generation Students leaders
Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Htay Kywe.

He was released in the second week of November.

The 88 Generation Students Group has carried out several non-violent
protest campaigns in recent months including a signature gathering effort
to petition for the freedom of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and
nationwide prayer sessions calling for a resolution of the country's
political impasse.

Burma has been under military rule since 1962, when former strongman
General Ne Win seized power. A new lineup of generals took control in 1988
after a brutal crackdown on a pro-democracy movement that left thousands
dead.

The regime has ignored the outcome of a 1990 general election that should
have brought the victorious party, the National League of Democracy headed
by Aung San Suu Kyi, to power 16 years ago.

Suu Kyi has been kept under house arrest, where she languishes now, for
about 11 of the past 17 years.

____________________________________

December 9, Kaowao News
NMSP urged to retain arms despite regime pressure

Mon grass roots communities have urged the ceasefire group, the New Mon
State Party not to lay down arms despite pressure from the military
regime. The opinion of the people was heard during the party's campaign
among the public in Ye, Yepyu, and Three Pagodas Pass Townships this week.

"We (the Mon public) cannot surrender our arms.  We have made sacrifices
for so many years.  The SPDC will take away our rights if the NMSP lays
down arms," said a villager at a public gathering on December 4, where
NMSP leaders Nai Hongsar, Ong Htow Mon and Captain Jalon Htow talked to
over 120 participants in Palai Japan village, a sparsely populated area
near Three Pagodas Pass, a Thai Burma border town.

The Mon population has become increasingly frustrated since the SPDC
resumed its National Convention with rumors circulating that ceasefire
groups will be disarmed.

Over the past three months, the NMSP conducted a survey among the public
which reveals that the majority want the NMSP to keep arms but opinion is
divided on whether it should join the National Convention or walk out.

The NMSP's Military Commission member, Colonel Nai Kaorot told Kaowao that
the NMSP would take public concerns seriously and reiterated the party's
position for self-determination.  However, it will continue to observe its
cease-fire policy and solve the political crisis through a dialogue. "We
have no option but to continue with the peace process and hope for a
positive outcome for our aspirations as an independent people," he added.

The NMSP is one of the strongest ethnic ceasefire groups and occasionally
speaks out in support of an open dialogue with the military regime.  It
also supports the UN Security Council's decision to include Burma in its
agenda to press for democratic reforms.  As a consequence, the regime has
stopped its supplies of food and provisions to the party.

Established by late President Nai Shwe Kyin in 1958, the NMSP is the only
major political party with a military wing, the Mon National Liberation
Army, which has fought against the regime for almost five decades.  It
arrived at a cease-fire deal with the ruling Burmese junta in 1995.

____________________________________

December 11, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese activist in Rangoon hospital for "heart problem"

Dear listeners, we would like to report about a human rights activist
being hospitalized.

Ma Su Su Nway of Htanmanaing village, who only a few days ago won the
John-Humphrey Freedom Award for courageously suing the military regime for
its forced labour practices, is hospitalized in Rangoon because of her
worsening heart condition, according to sources who have been helping and
assisting her.

She has been under treatment at the Muslim Charity Hospital on Barr
Street, Rangoon, since Friday [ 8 December] and we understand Dr Tin Myo
Win, personal physician of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, is personally taking
charge of her case.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 10, Narinjara News
India-Myanmar car rally to reach Burma on Tuesday

The India-Myanmar army car rally, flagged off by Indian Defence Minister A
K Antony will enter Burma through Tamu on December 12. The joint car
rally, by Indian and Burmese army men set off on December 5 from India
Gate, New Delhi . Visiting Burmese Army General Thura Shwe Mann and Indian
Army Chief of Staff General J. J. Singh along with other senior officials
were also present at the flag-off ceremony.

"The rally is aimed at closer cooperation between the two countries in
general and the armed forces of India and Myanmar in particular," said the
Indian Defence Minister while flagging off the rally.

Indian Lieutenant Colonel K S Chauhan is leading the joint rally,
organized for the first time between the two countries. The rally
comprises 45 members including 12 Myanmar Army personnel in 12 vehicles.
It will cover nearly 8,000 kilometres from New Delhi to Yangon and back,
said a statement issued by the Press Information Bureau (Defence Wing).

The rally that has crossed different states in India including Uttar
Pradsh, Bihar, West Bengal, Asom, Nagaland and Manipur. It is primarily
organized in honour of 20,000 martyrs of India and Myanmar who sacrificed
their lives during World War II fighting for the British in Burma in 1942.

After reaching their destination, the Taukkyan War Cemetery in Rangoon on
December 16, the participants will return along the same route to enter
India through Moreh in Manipur, the release added.

The return journey will begin from Rangoon after a commemorative ceremony
at the war cemetery in the Burmese capital. The rally has been sponsored
by General Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and J. K. Tyres.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 9, IRNA
Indian gas authority acquires stake in Myanmar

Indian gas authority acquires stake in Myanmar exploration block New
Delhi, Dec 9, IRNA India-Myanmar-Gas exploration The state-run gas utility
Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) Friday said it had acquired a 30
percent stake in an offshore exploration block in Myanmar.

GAIL has signed a production sharing contract with Myanmar Oil and Gas
Enterprises on December 6 for Block A7 located in the Rakhine offshore
area, GAIL said in a release here.

The public sector firm would hold a 30 percent participating stake while
the remaining 70 percent would be with its consortium partner Silver Wave
Energy, it said.

The company now holds a participating interest in 17 exploration blocks
along with national and interna-tional consortium partners.

The Navratna PSU has also acquired stakes in the A-1 and A-3 blocks in
Myanmar and Block 56 in Oman, the release said.

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 9, Associated Press
Southeast Asian summits seem snakebit this year - Paul Alexander

Cebu: This just wasn't a good year to host the Southeast Asian summit.

Myanmar decided to pass on its turn to hold the annual meeting, rather
than draw even more attention to its dismal human rights record and lack
of progress in restoring democracy.

That passed the baton to the Philippines, which rushed to finish a new
convention center in Cebu a year earlier than planned, frantically working
on the final touches only to be forced Friday to postpone for a month with
a strong storm bearing down on the area.

Then again, maybe that's not a bad thing, with the U.S., Britain and
Australia warning that terrorists might be in the final stages of planning
an attack when 16 Asian leaders would be here next week.

Officials rejected any cause-and-effect between the terror threat and the
postponement, saying they didn't want to take a chance with unpredictable
weather just a week after a super typhoon the fourth in as many months
left more than 1,000 people dead or missing.

"Categorically I will state that the decision was based on this weather
disturbance and this weather disturbance only," Marciano Paynor Jr., head
of the summit organizing committee, told a news conference Friday.

Tropical storm Utor is expected to hit the area when Asian leaders would
be flying in over the weekend, Paynor said. The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations summit was scheduled to be held Monday and Tuesday, followed
by the second East Asia summit on Wednesday.

"It's better to postpone the summit rather than hold it in an atmosphere
where there is destruction all around. It goes against the grain of the
theme of ASEAN, which is `One caring and sharing community,'" said Ignacio
Bunye, spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He added that organizers also worried about the possibility of the storm,
which is forecast to hit hardest just north of Cebu, could veer south and
disrupt services, leaving the Asian leaders without water or power.

"It will be a terrible inconvenience, which we should avoid," Bunye said.

Military chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon downplayed any security
threat, saying the 10,000-strong security contingent was prepared for
anything.

"The assessment is that we have deployed enough security forces and, minus
the weather, we are confident we could hold it," Esperon said.

Paynor said officials considered delaying the summit for a few days, along
with a number of other alternatives, before deciding on postponement to
early January. No dates were immediately announced.

Officials initially said foreign and economic ministers would go ahead
with their planned meetings Saturday, but later decided to postpone, too.

"They told me they would like to leave tomorrow about lunchtime so when
the typhoon comes they are already out," Philippine Foreign Secretary
Alberto Romulo said of his fellow foreign ministers.

Associated Press writers Jim Gomez, Oliver Teves and Hrvoje Hranjski
contributed to this report.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 11, Khonumthung News
Human rights award for Chin Refugee Committee

A Malaysian non-government organization has honoured the Chin Refugee
Committee (CRC) in Malaysia with the Suaram Human Rights award on December
8.

The Malaysian NGO gave the award to CRC for its work in providing
assistance, protection and creating awareness of the situation of Chin
refugees in Malaysia .

“We are surprised and happy to be honoured. It is very encouraging. At
same time it will help us to step up our awareness campaign regarding
refugees in the international community,” Salai San Duh Ceu, member of the
CRC executive committee, told khonumthung News.

The Chin refugee population in Malaysia is now estimated to be around
20,000. Of them 400 are in jail, added Salai Ceu.

Sauram Human Rights award is aimed at honouring local communities for
their commitment and achievements in defending and promoting human rights
in Malaysia . The award was started in 1999.

Sauram is a leading human rights organization in Malaysia and has been
campaigning for human rights in Malaysia and other parts of the world.

The CRC founded in 2001, is voluntary organization working for Chin
refugees in Malaysia and advocating protection and registration of
refugees with the UNHCR. It is also associated with NGOs in Malaysia.

____________________________________

December 10, Mizzima News
Shwe Mann's 'Mission India' ends

Burmese Army Chief of Staff General Thura Shwe Mann wound up his India
visit having reportedly clinched a deal for supply of armaments to Burma
in lieu of flushing out Indian insurgents holed up in his country. An
Indo-Burmese 'joint military exercise' is also in the offing in Virangtee,
Mizoram state.

General Thura Shwe Mann left India on Saturday afternoon following a
two-day discussion with his Indian counterpart in Fort William, the
headquarters of the Indian Army's Eastern Command.

He held a series of meetings with the Indian Army brass for purchase of
military hardware from India.

Indian Ministry of Defence spokesman in Kolkata, Wing Commander R. K. Das
said that the visit would be a major CBM between the two countries. A
10-member Burmese delegation led by General Shwe Mann met General Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Lieutenant General Arvind Sharma at
the Command HQ in Fort William .

Sources said the Burmese delegation discussed issues including border
security and military activities.

Sources said that the parleys are expected to culminate in an Indo-Burmese
'joint military exercise' soon in Virangtee in Mizoram state.

It is believed that the Burmese General assured India, it would launch an
operation to flush out India's north-east rebels sheltering in Burma. And
it could be a "co-coordinated operation".

Indian insurgent groups such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
and the United Liberation Front of Asom have bases in Burma.

The Burmese military junta has generally accepted India 's demands for
strikes against Indian rebels in their territory. In return, India will
supply armaments to Burma.

According to Human Rights Watch, Indian Air Force chief, S P Tyagi,
offered a multimillion dollar aid package to Burma's military in a meeting
with the leaders of the junta when he visited Burma's new administrative
capital at Naypyitaw on November 22.

This aid package includes counterinsurgency helicopters, avionics upgrades
of Burma's Russian and Chinese-made fighter planes, and naval surveillance
aircraft.

This followed a pledge in early November by Indian Army Chief of Staff,
Gen J.J.Singh, to help train Burmese troops in special warfare.

In New Delhi, Shwe Mann attended the flagging off, of the India-Burma
Friendship Car Rally.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 11, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Indiana, US)
City Burmese honor imprisoned patriot - Angela Mapes

A Burmese human rights leader was honored Sunday at Indiana
University-Purdue University Fort Wayne for promoting freedom and opposing
military rule in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Min Ko Naing, presumably in a prison in Myanmar for the very actions for
which he was being honored, was not present.

But many of his compatriots were, eager to honor him and leagues of others
who have supported his cause.

Naing led Burmese students in calling for democracy and human rights in
the 1980s. He led a nationwide uprising in which millions of people
marched in the streets to demand democracy and thousands were killed.

He was imprisoned in 1989 and released in 2004.

After less than two years of freedom, he was again arrested in September
for his leadership of the democracy movement.

It’s that commitment to the movement despite years of solitary confinement
and torture in prison that inspires his followers, said IPFW student Chit
Kyi, a member of the event’s organizing committee.

“He never changed his mind,” Kyi said. “He never surrendered.”

Many Burmese citizens have fled the country since the military regime came
into power. About 3,000 Burmese live in Fort Wayne, which has one of the
largest Burmese populations in the United States.

Sunday’s event was meant not only to honor the courage of Naing, but also
all the Burmese who have fought for democracy, Kyi said.

That’s something that surely would please Naing, fellow student leader
That Tun, who also was tortured in prison, said through a translator.

Naing’s absence should serve as a reminder that the freedom movement must
carry on, said Sein Win, who was introduced as the nation’s exiled prime
minister.

“Our noble desires must be brought forth through peaceful means,” Win
said, quoting Naing.

A lack of democracy in Myanmar directly affects a lack of democracy in
Asia because of the country’s proximity to superpowers China and India,
activist Nay Min Tar said.

Tar, 29, spent time in prison in Burma and Thailand for supporting
Myanmar’s freedom movement, he said.

Tar hopes the United Nations Security Council and the United States will
take action against Myanmar’s military regime. The U.N. should distribute
copies of its Universal Declaration of Human Rights to every person in
Myanmar so that the people know what rights have been stripped from them,
he said.

“It’s been 18 years, and nothing has changed,” Tar said.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 11, The Nation
Thailand's cynical ploy on Burmese migrant workers - Kavi Chongkittavorn

Thailand should stop exploiting cheap labour from Burma, Laos and
Cambodia. The ethical government of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanond must
find ways to provide these workers with reasonable wages and adequate
social protection.

This is the single most important thing this government can do to make a
difference within a year. But to do so, Surayud must be brave in exposing
Thai exploiters - whoever they are - and the system that treats migrant
workers as slaves.

Last week, the long-awaited plan to legalise these foreign workers hit a
snag when the Rangoon junta insisted that all unregistered Burmese workers
must first be sent back to Burma for nationality verification before
returning to work legally in Thailand.

On the surface, the plan sounds simple enough, as it provides work permits
for migrants to take up unskilled jobs. But upon close scrutiny, this
turns out to be a cynical scheme concocted by the Thaksin government and
the Burmese junta to help each other.
During Thaksin's last visit to Burma in August, he concluded a memorandum
of understanding with General Than Shwe on migrant workers. In it,
Thailand agreed to send back illegal Burmese workers for verification of
their nationality. These workers would be subject to the control of the
Burmese junta, which would issue travel documents to certified workers to
return to Thailand.

If this myopic approach is implemented by the Surayud government, it would
be tantamount to sending Burmese workers to the gallows. The procedure
will enable the junta's supporters, especially those related to the
pro-government paramilitary group, the USDA, to dispatch their own members
and affiliates to work and spy in Thailand. Fortunately, senior Thai
government officials are now having second thoughts on the issue.

Over the years, the Thai industrial sector has exploited and benefited
from cheap Burmese labour, paying one-third to one-fifth of the standard
wage. Currently, a total of 668,576 illegal workers from Laos, Cambodia
and Burma are in Thailand. More than 80 per cent are Burmese. They crossed
the border in search of a better life. At a recent policy meeting on
foreign labour at Government House, the contentious issue remained
unresolved on how to deal with them.

Thaksin's agreement to the scheme demonstrated how gullible he was - and
how he was willing to risk the lives of Burmese workers residing in
Thailand.

When the ex-junta leader, General Saw Maung came to power, it was former
army chief, General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who went to Rangoon to end the
international isolation imposed on Burma following the slaughter of
pro-democracy demonstrators in 1988. Chavalit returned to Bangkok with fat
concessions on fisheries and timber. In exchange, he pushed Burmese
migrants in exile in Thailand back across the border. The result was that
hundreds of them were either murdered or jailed by the Burmese regime.

Under the disguise of workers' registration, the Burmese generals hope
they can further check the number of workers fleeing to Thailand. Almost
70 per cent of the Burmese workers are in fact non-Burmans belonging to
various minority groups such as the Karen, Kachin and Shan. If the Thai
government pushes these people back, the majority of them will be either
detained or executed because of their activities inside Thailand.

Over the past few months, Laos and Cambodia have dispatched officials to
Bangkok to register and verify the nationality of their workers. This
method proved practical, effective and inexpensive. Now, the registration
of Lao and Cambodian workers has been completed. So far, over 10,000
Burmese workers have been registered and granted work permits.

It seems the Surayud government is losing its way in the labyrinth of
Thai-Burmese relations. He has followed the Foreign Ministry's guidelines,
which aim to win back trust and support from the junta. Knowingly or not,
he earlier gave support to the junta by saying the UN Security Council
should not be discussing Burma's internal issues.

The Thai government continues to pursue the wrong policy. It's a reminder
of the three million Indochinese refugees who took refuge here in the
1970s and 80s. Almost all have been resettled in third countries or have
gone home. None expressed gratitude for Thailand's role during that
difficult period. Indeed, they do not have reason to do so, because they
were treated inhumanely during their transit here.

If Surayud does not change this Burmese policy, it will tarnish both his
image and Thailand's reputation. More than the officials like to admit,
these Burmese workers will eventually reside and work in Thailand because
they work on jobs that Thais refuse to do. The proper way to document
these workers is through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and
specialised agencies.

It is about time we supported the hard-working Burmese and those who have
aspirations for democratic development.

____________________________________
INTERVIEW

December 9, National Public Radio (NPR)
Getting Burmese atrocities on camera

SCOTT SIMON, host: Aung San Suu Kyi is certainly Burma's best-known
political prisoner. But the Nobel Peace Prize winner is just one of more
than a thousand human rights activist who are imprisoned in that country.
And international human rights groups say the Burmese army has displaced
more than a million people within Burma, forcing a massive influx of
refugees into neighboring countries.

(Soundbite of gunfire)

SIMON: Some human rights groups are trying to struggle against the
military dictatorship there with a new weapon, the video camera. Kweh Say
is a refugee from eastern Burma whose been working with the group Burma
Issues to video-tape human rights abuses there. Kweh Say joins us from our
studios in New York City. Kweh Say, thanks very much for being with us.

Mr. KWEH SAY (Human Rights Activist): Thank you.

SIMON: This must be dangerous work, to take a video camera and turn it on
things that people there don't want the world to see.

Mr. SAY: Yes, it's true. It's really dangerous, because Burma's government
does not allow any human rights organization or any media to enter Burma.

SIMON: What sort of things have you captured on your camera? What have you
seen and been able to show to the world?

Mr. SAY: A village burned down by the Burma army, and village people
displaced and hide in the deep jungle without enough food and security and
without medical care.

SIMON: May I ask about your personal story and that of your family? You
left Burma, as I understand, in 1975.

Mr. SAY: Yes, that's true. I left in my home village from 1975, and
wandering around inside Burma until 1984. And I came to border and take
refuge in Thailand in the refugee camp in April 1984.

SIMON: And your family is ethnic Karen, right?

Mr. SAY: Yes, ethnic Karen.

SIMON: Why was your family forced to leave?

Mr. SAY: Because Burma military dictatorship began a strong offensive
towards Karen people in that area and moved many villagers down to the low
land area to the relocation site and moved people to the refugee camp. So
my family stayed there for a while and we found out there's not enough
security, enough food for us, so our family decided to move to the border,
to refugee camp.

SIMON: Do you find that people react to video more strongly than they do
the spate of official reports that we've read over the past 20 years about
the situation in Burma?

Mr. SAY: I would say that I personally feel that a video works better than
written reports, as it tells story very clear and very shortly, because if
you'll read - like the whole offensive report will take you a few hours.
But with a video document, with only a few minutes, you can see the
picture, you can hear the voice of the people suffering, and you can see
their faces of suffering. That can tell a story deeper than a written
report.

SIMON: Kweh Say, thank you very much.

Mr. SAY: Thank you very much.

SIMON: Kweh Say is a Burmese human rights activist with Burma Issues,
speaking with us from New York. And this is NPR News.