BurmaNet News, December 13, 2006

[Editor]

December 13, 2006 Issue # 3105


INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: Burmese military using land mines to attack civilians: KNU

ON THE BORDER
World Politics Watch: On Myanmar-China border, tensions escalate between
SPDC, narco-militias
Irrawaddy: Burmese troops clash with SSA near Tachilek
DVB: Burma's army reportedly receives arms from China

ASEAN
AP: Terrorist plots postponed Asian summits

REGIONAL
AFP: Thailand must improve legal protection for migrants: ILO

OPINION / OTHER
The Nation: The big sleep in Burma - Dominic Faulder

PRESS RELEASE
Canadian Friends of Burma: PFOB formed, 25 MPs and Senators joined

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 12, Mizzima News
Burmese military using land mines to attack civilians: KNU - Ko Dee

In blatant violation of international norms the Burmese military has been
planting land mines throughout Karen State to attack civilians, Pado Man
Shar, the General Secretary of the Karen National Union alleged.

"The SPDC has been attacking civilians. They are planting land mines.
Worse the mines used are very strong explosives. This is a very brutal and
inhuman act," said Man Shar to Mizzima.

He said land mines have been planted right thorough Karen State,
especially in Taunggoo, Phyarpon and Thet hton districts.

Every Burmese solider has to carry land mines and plant the mines in
frontal areas, he added.

KNU's accusation came in the wake of a press release by the Free Burma
Ranger a few days ago.

Three people were killed and eight injured after a land mine planted by
the Burma military in Mon Township exploded in Nyaunglaypin district on
December 2, said the FBR news release.

The victims were KNU members who were escorting 5,000 Karen internally
displaced people fleeing the onslaught of the Burmese military, it said.

FBR said the Burma military has been planting land mines and firing on
villages in this area.

According to Nonviolence International (South East Asia) land mine report
in 2006, the Burmese military junta ranks among the highest land mines
users along with Nepal and Russia.

The report said the rebel groups such as Karen National Liberation Army
(KNLA), Karenni Army, Shan State Army (Southern), Chin National Army (CNA)
and United Wa State Army (UWSA) are also using land mines.

"We also use land mines. But not like they do. We use small ones made of
plastic and bamboo. Someone will only be injured if he steps on it. It is
just to discourage them (the Burma military) from travelling freely.
Batteries used in these mines only last four to five months. We plant the
land mines when they (the Burma military) come and defuse them while
withdrawing. We also warn people not to pass through the area," explained
Man Shar.

Paul Sita of the Chin National Army said "We signed an agreement not to
use landmines. We are seriously concerned about people's sufferings due to
land mines so we decided to stop using them. As soon as we signed the
agreement we educated our members."

On November 2005, the Burmese military junta announced that Burma had
banned the use of land mines since 1999 and claimed that 231 people were
injured because of land mines planted by rebels.

"They had lied that the KNU planted the mines when they had done it
themselves. We want everyone to know the truth. Anti-mine organizations
should know the dirty tricks that the SPDC is up to. Moreover, these
organizations should pressure the SPDC to stop using mines," said Man
Shar.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 13, World Politics Watch
On Myanmar-China border, tensions escalate between SPDC, narco-militias -
Michael Black

Eastern Shan State, Myanmar: The divide and conquer tactics employed by
Myanmar's ruling military junta to reign in ethnic insurgent militias on
the Sino-Myanmar border have further agitated delicate ceasefire
agreements with the formerly China-backed rebel groups.

Escalating tensions with the junta, known as the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), have prompted the largest of these players,
the 20,000 strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), to re-supply its forces and
bolster defenses in an apparent bid to deter a Myanmar Armed Forces attack
on their largely autonomous enclave in Myanmar's Eastern Shan State,
dubbed Special Region 2.

Since the ouster of former SPDC strongman Gen. Khin Nyunt in October 2004
on corruption charges, the regime's strong-arm measures aimed at either
disarming the various ceasefire militias or bringing them into the
national fold as an integral part of the Myanmar Armed Forces, known as
the Tatmadaw, are causing these formerly allied groups to close ranks
internally.

Gen. Nyunt, Myanmar's former prime minister and chief of military
intelligence, was credited with negotiating various ceasefire agreements
between formerly China-backed Communist Party of Burma (CPB) militias
between 1989 and 1994. In return for halting resistance against the
self-appointed junta, the militias were granted semi-autonomous zones
known as "Special Regions" in Myanmar's Eastern Shan State. The largest of
these groups, the UWSA, dubbed by the U.S. State Department as "the worlds
largest drug trafficking militia," has further served as a proxy force in
the Tatmadaw's repeated attempts at crushing the estimated 10,000 strong
Shan State Army - South (SSA-S), based along Thailand's northern border.
The present-day SSA-S remains the largest armed resistance faction
combating Myanmar 's authorities in one of the worlds' longest-running
armed conflicts.

UWSA - SPDC Relations

Since January 2005, the SPDC has been increasingly pressing the UWSA to
disarm. Most recently, on March 26, 2006, the border crossing connecting
the Wa capital of Panghsang and Mong-A in China's Southwestern Yunnan
province has been closed for all outbound timber and mineral exports to
China from UWSA-controlled territory. Sources on the ground confirm the
closure, which was negotiated between Myanmar's generals and authorities
in the PRC, remains strictly enforced.

During July 2006 negotiations in Panghsang to re-open the border for
trade, Lt. Gen Thein Sein, SPDC Secretary 1 of the Ruling Military
Council, pressed Panghsang to accept SPDC-run schools teaching the
national curriculum as well as junta-controlled customs and immigration
offices. These requests were flatly rejected by the Wa leadership.
Presently, a Chinese-language curriculum is taught in the Wa Special
Region, following the Yunnanese model, with only six Burmese-language
teachers in Panghsang.

The UWSA is showing signs of frustration with stepped-up measures
targeting it finances, resulting from increased Sino-Myanmar cooperation
on border trade issues. In an unexpected move at an emergency meeting on
July 4, 2006, UWSA leadership appointed Wei Hsue-gang, commander of the
UWSA's 171 Military Region in southeastern Shan State, as chief financial
officer. Wei, an ethnic Sino-Wa fugitive, has proven himself an innovative
financier. He was sentenced to death in absentia by a Thai court in 1998
and is wanted by U.S. authorities on drug trafficking charges, with a $2
million dollar bounty for his capture. In the UWSA's early days, Wei
bankrolled the organization on drug proceeds. Until the recent
appointment, the UWSA had for several years attempted to distance itself
from the image Wei Hsu-gang brought the organization, its leaders
systematically claiming to be unaware of his whereabouts.

Speaking with World Politic Watch, Thai intelligence officials confirmed
Wei is currently operating out of the towns of Panyang and Panghsang in
northeastern Shan State. His southern-based 171 Military Region is
comprised of 20 battalions totaling 3,000 combatants, with a 200-strong
rapid strike commando unit, intelligence sources confirm. The 171 has
repeatedly joined the Tatmadaw in launching dry-season offensives on the
SSA headquartered on a ridge at Loi Taileng straddling the Thai border.
The last joint offensive took place in April 2005 and saw the UWSA sustain
an estimated 560 casualties in a single day of fighting. Much of the
carnage resulted from Tatmadaw mortar rounds repeatedly missing their
mark, instead landing on allied UWSA troops conducting the uphill
offensive.

One of the UWSA's primary incentives in combating the SSA alongside the
Tatmadaw has long been gaining access to lucrative contraband trafficking
routs along the Thai border.

Among Wei's significant accomplishments was the strategic shift from
exclusive reliance on poppy cultivation and heroin production to
mass-scale manufacture of cheap methamphetamines, which have inundated the
Thai marketplace since the mid-nineties and are increasingly penetrating
regional markets. Speaking with World Politics Watch at his Loi Taileng
headquarters, Col. Yawdserk, commander of the SSA - South, noted that
Wei's motive for assaulting the SSA is in part retaliatory. "Wei attacks
us because we raid and destroy his nearby drug labs," he said.

The UWSA's recent move to appoint Wei Hsue-gang as the organization's
chief financier can be seen as either a desperate or miscalculated move by
UWSA leadership, noted a Thailand-based veteran security analyst.

Speaking with World Politics Watch in November, however, one UWSA insider
denied the organization has any interest in fighting the SSA alongside the
Tatmadaw. "The UWSA's fighting force is comprised of various ethnic
minorities, Akha, Lahu, Wa and Shan. The SSA is built from the same
groups. We don't want to see brother-on-brother fighting," he said. While
the source admitted that the UWSA had in the past sided with the Tatmadaw
in repeated assaults against the SSA, he insisted this was not the policy
of UWSA commanders. Reports to that effect are disinformation originating
from Myanmari military intelligence, he insisted. "The Myanmar army has
repeatedly lied to us. They would motivate certain UWSA field commanders
to attack the SSA claiming the Shan army was about to attack our units and
that a preemptive strike was necessary," he said. "We no longer believe
them [SPDC intelligence]." Despite this, Thai intelligence sources confirm
that meetings were held between UWSA leadership and SPDC officials on Nov.
20 in Panyang, Eastern Shan State, aimed at securing a Wa agreement to
launch an SPDC-led dry-season offensive against SSA positions in spring
2007.

Around the time USWA relations began to sour with the SPDC in early 2005,
Bangkok based intelligence sources confirm that an elaborate network of
fortifications designed to absorb aerial attack were constructed near the
Wa capital, Panghsang.

The Chinese Connection

Chinese officials have long been frustrated with UWSA-refined heroin
flooding the Chinese marketplace. As such, they stand little to gain from
economically isolating the UWSA or discouraging the organization's
engagement in legitimate cross-border trade activities. In October, a
Panghsang insider told World Politics Watch that the vast majority of
investments in the Wa Special Region are Chinese-based. These include
rubber plantations and other crop substitution projects aimed at deterring
opium cultivation. Authorities in Yunnan have further provided funding and
advisors to assist these projects.

China remains the UWSA's sole patron and arms supplier, as China has an
interest in maintaining the UWSA as a geostrategic buffer along its border
with Myanmar and as a source of leverage with the junta's unpredictable
ruling generals. Furthermore, a weakened UWSA would potentially invite a
Tatmadaw offensive, which could escalate into an all-out war on the border
with Yunnan. Authorities in Beijing are intent on avoiding such a
confrontation, as it would risk spilling across the Chinese border and
could spark a mass refugee crisis. Intent on maintaining the status quo,
Chinese authorities continue to provide the UWSA with arms to serve as a
deterrent to Myanmar's Armed Forces. Thai intelligence sources said that,
early on Aug. 1, a convoy of five trucks entered Panghsang from a small
border crossing with Yunnan and unloaded a large consignment of munitions
at UWSA's central arsenal. These included 60 mm, 82 mm, and 120 mm
mortars. Additionally, the recent arms delivery included 14.5 mm ZPU heavy
machine guns, a new weapons system in the UWSA's arsenal that is effective
against low altitude aerial assault. The trucks re-entered Yunnan before
dawn, according to the Thai intelligence sources. In addition, in 2001,
the UWSA acquired an unspecified number of HN-5N surface-to-air missiles
(the Chinese version of the Russian-made SA-7), which are said to remain
in good order.

Thai and foreign intelligence sources are convinced that Chinese People's
Liberation Army (PLA) advisers are actively assisting and training the
UWSA. PLA advisers are said to be improving the group's
command-and-control and communications capabilities. Moreover, UWSA
chairman Bao You-xiang, who has in recent years suffered deteriorating
health, repeatedly visits Kunming for medical treatment as well as his
hometown of Kuenma in China's Yunnan province.

Michael Black is a pseudonym for a freelance journalist who has reported
extensively from the region. A pseudonym has been used because the author
plans to return to the region soon for further reporting, and believes his
safety could be at risk if he is identified by name.

____________________________________

December 13, Irrawaddy
Burmese troops clash with SSA near Tachilek - Sai Slip and Khun Sam

Thai officials from Mae Fa Luang District Office have warned villagers
near the Burma-Thailand border of more armed clashes as more Burmese
troops have deployed near Doi Kor Wan, the second largest military base of
the ethnic rebel Shan State Army (SSA).

Fighting broke out in the area over the weekend. Troops from the United Wa
State Army were reportedly fighting alongside Burmese troops.

Six Burmese soldiers were killed, including Capt. Tin Maung Win, 29,
according to sources. One SSA solider was reportedly killed. Dozens of
injured Burmese soldiers were admitted to Tachilek Hospital Sunday night.

Supirat Saengpenchan, a security official from Mae Fa Luang District
Office, near the Shan State, said the Burmese army has reinforced troops
in the area, causing Thai authorities to raise their surveillance level.

“Since early this month, we warned the villagers who have plantations near
the border to be careful and also to report to authorities any results of
fighting across the border,” Supirat told The Irrawaddy.

According to Shan sources, fighting broke out over the weekend near
Tachilek Township in eastern Burma’s Shan State opposite Mae Sai district
in Chiang Rai Province.

Tachilek sources said Burmese troops captured three SSA weapons. The sound
of mortar shells from the fighting could be heard in Tachilek and Mae Sai
District. Clashes increased over the weekend.

Shan source said Burmese soldiers from Infantry Battalion 221 and Light
Infantry battalions 570, 571 and 316 entered the area on Tuesday,
reinforcing three battalions already deployed in the border area near Doi
Kor Wan.

An official from Pha Muang Task Force of the Thai Third Army said the
fighting was 20 to 30 kilometers from Tachilek. The Task Force assigned
the Third Special Battalion to be prepared if fighting spills over the
border.

____________________________________

December 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burma's army reportedly receives arms from China

Dear Listeners: It has been observed that the Chinese government has once
again transferred 10 truckloads of various   war weapons to the Burmese
government. Eye witnesses have told the DVB [Democratic Voice of Burma]
that on the afternoon of 5 December, 10 trucks entered Burmese territory
from China, crossing the border via the bridge over Namwan Creek leading
to Man Se Township.

The eye witnesses said that the trucks remained in the compound of Pankan
Gate until 5 p.m. [local time], and a crew of Burmese soldiers transferred
the weapons onto Burmese army trucks. Just as dusk began, the empty
Chinese army trucks   left Pankan, while the loaded Burmese army trucks
left for Man Wein. It has been learned that from Man Wein the trucks went
via the Mo Meik Road in the direction of the Lashio-Mandalay road.

Military information circles in the region told the DVB that the event was
the fifth instance of cross-border weapons assistance in the last three
months.

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 13, Associated Press
Terrorist plots postponed Asian summits - Jim Gomez

Manila: Security forces tried to disrupt plots by al-Qaida-linked
militants to stage attacks but failed to track them, setting off an alarm
that influenced a decision to postpone a pair of Asian summits, officials
said Wednesday.

The plots may have included a possible car bomb attack in a key city to
embarrass the Philippine government during the Asean and East Asian
summits in central Cebu Province, a security official told The Associated
Press.

The Philippine government has been forced to defend its decision to
postpone the summits, citing a looming typhoon. The meetings had been
scheduled for this week.

The Cambodian prime minister said a possible attack also played a role,
while the Japanese economic minister said the Philippines' handling of the
situation had undermined its credibility.

"We respect the views of other officials in the region, but the
Philippines did the right thing in taking no chances with the safety of
the leaders," said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio
Bunye.

"We all know the fickle nature of typhoons and there was no sense at all
to act in a reckless and wanton manner," Bunye said in a statement. "The
decision to postpone the summit was for the common and collective interest
and we look forward to a safe and constructive meeting in January 2007."

Typhoon Utor swept through the central Philippines' Visayas region over
the weekend, leaving at least 17 dead and another 17 missing. But Cebu,
which forecasters had said was only on the edge of the storm's path, only
got rain and some gusty winds. A week earlier, "super" Typhoon Durian
killed more than 1,000 people.

In comments posted on his blog on Tuesday, Japanese Trade Minister Akira
Amari said Manila's explanation wasn't convincing enough.

"Considering the size of the typhoon and the fact that it would have
passed by Sunday morning, the reason for the postponement is extremely
puzzling," Amari wrote, mentioning news reports that the move was
triggered by terrorism concerns.

Amari added that the postponement "ruined the credibility of the
Philippine government," saying the whole idea of hosting the meetings at
the resort island was ill-conceived.

"Just the idea of gathering the leaders of 16 countries on
tourist-infested Cebu Island poses an extreme security risk," Amari wrote.

In separate advisories last Thursday, the US, UK and Australia warned
terrorists might be in the final stages of plotting attacks.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that "a typhoon on one hand
and the threat of attack on the other" prompted the postponement.

"The terrorists threatened to launch an attack" in the Philippines, he said.

Philippine intelligence agents carried out about 10 covert operations,
including raids on suspected safe houses, in southern Zamboanga city last
month but failed to find the militants, said three security officials, who
had knowledge of the operations and spoke on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Some Abu Sayyaf rebels, along with Indonesian members of the Jemaah
Islamiyah group, were believed to have traveled from their strongholds on
the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan to carry out the attacks,
transiting Zamboanga city, where they could not be located, the officials
said.

The attacks allegedly were ordered by Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy
Janjalani and top Indonesian terror suspect Dulmatin, who have been
targeted by a months-long US-backed offensive on Jolo, they said.

In the absence of concrete evidence, Philippine security officials have
given conflicting assessments of the threats.

The three security officials separately said the terror threats were a
factor in the government's decision to postpone the high-profile meetings.

But National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said he was not consulted
by Arroyo regarding the postponement, indicating security was not a factor
in her decision.

Gonzales acknowledged there was "raw information" about plots by
al-Qaida-linked militants against the meetings but said they were not
substantiated and security officials doubted the militants' capability to
stage a major attack.

"Everything considered, I still give credence to the weather as the cause
of the postponement," he told the AP.

The postponement also came amid fresh rumors of another coup plot against
Arroyo that might have been linked with planned anti-government protests
in Manila at about the same time as the summits.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 13, Agence France Presse
Thailand must improve legal protection for migrants: ILO

Bangkok: The International Labour Organization on Wednesday called on
Thailand to improve legal protection for migrant workers, after its
research found significant abuse of young foreign labourers here.

The report, by the ILO and Bangkok's Mahidol University, uncovered human
rights violations including physical assault, forced labour, children
working in hazardous environments, and routine psychological and verbal
abuse.

Thai employers prefer immigrant workers and child migrants said ILO
consultant Elaine Pearson, who conducted the research. She said this was
"due to availability in the market and (they are) easier to control".

She added: "Our recommendations are improvements of labour protection law
enforcement to end abuses by employers, and a complaint mechanism for
migrants who are abused.

"More than one million migrant workers are thought to be living in
Thailand, with many working in the kingdom illegally.

Most of the migrant workforce comes from Myanmar and the rest from
Cambodia and Laos. About 20 percent are children aged 15 to 17, the report
said.

Pearson said that many Thai employers thought that the migrants should not
have the same rights as Thais, with some foreign labourers being locked up
at night to prevent their escape.

The research also uncovered cases of employers withholding migrants' legal
documents and said most workers were paid below the legal minimum wage.

The findings underline "an urgent need for effective labour inspection",
particularly in work sectors involving children under the age of 18, the
report said.

The ILO called for action by the Thai government, Thai police, workers and
employers' organisations both in Thailand and abroad.

"We need to bring efforts from government, employers and workers
themselves to fight against violations," said Jiyuan Wang, deputy director
of ILO's Bangkok-based subregional office.

"It is also critical to improve the attitude of Thai employers against
migrant workers, who play a vital role in contributing to the Thai
economy," she added.

The ILO/Mahidol University research, conducted from June to October 2005,
sampled about 700 migrants in Bangkok and its suburbs.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 12, The Nation
The big sleep in Burma - Dominic Faulder

Bangkok: CNN might have been airing a pilot programme for a new series
entitled "Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless" when it recently broadcast
the marriage in Burma of Senior General Than Shwe's daughter, Thandar
Shwe.

The opulence was filmed in Than Shwe's 'court' in July, and had already
been publicised by a Burmese magazine, The Irrawaddy, as "Burma's 'Royal'
Wedding".

In the 1990s, the Hong Kong news weekly Asiaweek sometimes ran colourful
yarns about the royal delusions of former Burmese strongman General Ne Win
and Senior General Saw Maung, Than Shwe's predecessor. Not long before his
removal in a 'palace' coup in April 1992, it was said Saw Maung threw a
fit on a golf course, proclaiming himself a reincarnation of an ancient
Burmese warrior king as he chased his minions with a golf club. Burma's
last true king, Thibaw, was shipped off to an ignominious exile by the
British in 1885, and died in Ratnagiri, India, in 1916. His brave and more
astute queen, Suphayu Lat, was rudely nicknamed 'Soup Plate' by the
thuggish incoming colonials.

Although I often filed on Burma for Asiaweek, which in 2001 predeceased Ne
Win, I did not have much to do with its Burma royalty stories. I was
familiar with the Burmese rumour mill, having heard countless exotic
anecdotes about Ne Win flying three times around Shwedagon Pagoda in an
aircraft dressed as a king riding a wooden horse, and so forth. It might
strain credulity to relate more. Ne Win included a minor royal in his
relentless march through wives, and was warm butter in the presence of
Britain's Princess Alexandra. He certainly had a taste for the trappings
of royalty, particularly jewels.

Were the images of Than Shwe's family vacuuming up endless gifts of jewels
and cash really so surprising? To be fair, the society weddings I used to
glimpse in Rangoon's Strand and Inya Lake hotels in the 1980s were
spectacular affairs totally at odds with the poverty outside.

It was not the vulgarity of the recent Than Shwe display that struck me,
nor any concern that the royal delusion stories should have been taken
more seriously earlier. It was confirmation of something else. How could
anybody viewing this seriously believe the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC), which Than Shwe heads, has any higher motive on its agenda
than self enrichment and self perpetuation? This was an unprecedented
glimpse of Burma's current elite at ease.

The international community is being asked to suspend disbelief and accept
that the SPDC is seriously embarked upon a roadmap to democracy. In
October, foreign journalists were allowed to visit in some of the largest
numbers seen since the ignored general election of May 1990. They arrived
to observe the reconvening of the National Convention, the junta-appointed
body supposedly drafting Burma's constitution.

Nobody should hold their breath. This body was first convened in 1993.
When I dropped by in April 1994, I found most delegates (at least those
not reading pornographic Japanese cartoons) fast asleep in the soporific
environment. Nobody was snoring more loudly than the senior officers in
the front row led by General Myo Nyunt. He was charged with convening the
National Constitution and was Minister of Religious Affairs. Lacking
formal education, he had been Rangoon commander in 1988 when pro-democracy
demonstrations were bloodily suppressed.

As far as the constitution is concerned, the generals have been asleep on
duty ever since. The constitution was essentially written in the early
1990s to perpetuate a dominant military role in national politics. Than
Shwe will not become king of Burma; health permitting, he may well be its
first president under the new system.

Ne Win performed an almost identical manoeuvre in the 1970s, but a mere 12
years after seizing power. Than Shwe's junta has just marked its 18th year
in power in its second incarnation. There is still no new constitution,
nor any other sign of political progress in sight.

The generals fret about unfortunate experiences with both previous
constitutions, one bequeathed by the departing British in 1948, and the
other by Ne Win's Revolutionary Council. They never explain why they are
so loath to learn from experience, and march on briskly.

Taking an optimistic view of the current roadmap to democracy, the
constitution 'drafting' will not be completed until next year. It will
then go to national referendum for approval. That process could well take
another year, taking us to 2008. There might then be a new framework in
place for staging national elections, which could also take another year.
This might finally give rise to a new military-dominated government in
2009, in which key portfolios are still held by, at the very least,
retired military men.

Of the four most senior generals from the State Law and Order Restoration
Council founded in September 1988, only Than Shwe survives in power. Saw
Maung and Tin Oo are dead. Khin Nyunt lives under house arrest, as does
Than Shwe's most vocal critic, Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate
and secretary-general of the National League for Democracy.

Suu Kyi's party plays no part in the National Convention despite winning a
landslide victory in the 1990 election. Neither Khin Nyunt nor Suu Kyi is
likely to be released before 2009 if the 'fast track' scenario outlined
here plays out.

Meanwhile reports from Manila indicated that Than Shwe would again miss
the annual leaders' summit of Asean scheduled for this week because he is
"preoccupied with Burma's national convention for the drafting of a new
constitution".

Although the Asean meeting has been postponed until early next year, the
excuse for his absence will probably remain unchanged. Anyone pondering
Than Shwe's sincerity in all this, or indeed his commitment to the greater
national interest, should just run the wedding tapes.

Dominic Faulder was a special correspondent for Asiaweek until 2001, and
contributed this article to the December issue of The Irrawaddy.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

December 12, Canadian Friends of Burma
PFOB formed, 25 MPs and Senators joined

A Statement of Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB)

Ottawa: The Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) was officially launched
on Dec. 7 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa with the membership of 25
MPs and Senators from all political parties in Canada. “This
long-anticipated Parliamentary group was created to encourage dialogue and
raise national as well as international awareness, for the people of Burma
and their long struggle for democracy,” said Liberal MP Larry Bagnell,
elected chair of PFOB.

“PFOB is now the biggest Parliamentary friendship group in the Canadian
Parliament,” said Tin Maung Htoo, Executive Director of the Canadian
Friends of Burma (CFOB), the organization that helped form the group. “We
are also delighted to see influential parliamentarians joining in the
group,” he added.

PFOB membership includes important figures such as Parliamentary Secretary
to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, and the ruling party’s Caucus Chair. The group also consists of
leading political figures such as Mr. Jack Layton, the leader of the New
Democratic Party (NDP), the Chair of Senate Standing Committee on Human
Rights, and the foreign affairs critic from Bloc Quebecois.

“The launch of Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) last week in Ottawa
is a timely and important initiative in the cause of restoring democracy
and the rule of law to 50 million nationals of what should be a peaceful,
important and prosperous member of the international community,” said Hon.
David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and a member of
Advisory Council of the Canadian Friends of Burma. He chaired the official
launch of PFOB on Dec. 7.

To the event, Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister of the Burmese government in
exiled, Mr. Charles Chong, the head of Singaporean Parliamentary Caucus on
Burma and member of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), Dr.
Tint Swe, representative of Members of Parliament Union (MPU-Burma), and
Dr. Thoung Htun, UN representative for the government in exiled, attended,
along with Canadian parliamentarians, government officials,
representatives of civil society and Burmese delegates from across Canada.
Dr. Sein Win delivered a keynote speech during the reception.

On Dec. 8, a series of important meetings took place in the Parliament,
and implementation of ‘Burma Motion’ passed in the House of Commons in
May, 2005 was mainly discussed. The ruling Conservative MPs including Mr.
Jason Kenney, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Mr. Deepak
Obhria, Parliamentary Secretary to Foreign Minister, assured the delegates
that their government that voted in favor of the motion during the
opposition is considering for the implementation of major recommendations
including a provision of tangible support to Burmese democratic
institutions and imposition of tougher measure against the Burmese
military junta.

For further info: Tin Maung Htoo (CFOB) at (613) 297-6835, or Melissa
Delaney (Secretary to PFOB) at (613) 995-9368

Background Information

On the formation of Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB)

Successive Canadian MPs have supported Burmese Democratic Movement since a
nation-wide Democratic Movement broke out in Burma in 1988. The name of
Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) has virtually existed in the
Canadian Parliament since more than 10 years ago with MPs advocating for
Democracy in Burma. The first attempt to officially form the group took
place on Nov. 30, 2005; however, it was postponed due to an early
dissolution of Parliament on Nov. 28, 2006.

Apparently, Canadian MPs’ support for Democracy in Burma has steadily
increased. Notably, 50 MPs added their names and signed on a letter
addressing to UN General Secretary Kofi Anan and members of Security
Council on June 27, 2006, calling for UNSC action on Burma.  This
parliamentarians’ support strengthens the position of the Government of
Canada that expressed the need to have an UNSC action on Burma.
Subsequently, UNSC formally put Burma on its agenda on September 15, 2006.

Moreover, the most significant outcome from the Canadian Parliament is a
passage of the first-ever yet the most comprehensive resolution on Burma.
The majority Members of Parliament voted in favor of the resolution on May
18, 2005 that calls for trade and investment sanctions, UN Security
Council intervention, and the provision of ‘tangible support’ for the
Burmese democratic movement. The existence of PFOB will ensure the
implementation process and represent the interest and spirit of this
resolution.

Overall, the formation of PFOB is to support democratization process in
Burma by promoting Burma issues at Canadian Parliament and among
Canadians. PFOB is to work together with similar parliamentary groups on
Burma around the world in order to help realize the dream of 52 million
Burmese people for the restoration of Democracy and human rights in their
homeland. PFOB is also to raise Burma issues in various international and
regional events, as well as sending fact-finding missions, conducting
research and making recommendations to the Government of Canada.

It will also ensure more parliamentarians support on Burma, more debate,
advocacy, and concerted effort on Burma and the chance to work together
with ASEAN and other international parliamentarians in support of
Democracy and human rights in Burma.

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB)
145 Spruce St. Suite 206
Ottawa, ON   K1R 6P1
Tel: 613.237.8056

Mobile: 613. 297.6835
Fax: 613.563.0017
Email: cfob at cfob.org
Website: http://www.cfob.org