BurmaNet News, December 19, 2006

[Editor]

December 19, 2006 Issue # 3109


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Burma regime representatives at Karen New Year Festivities
Irrawaddy: KIO asks junta to stop military exercises
DVB: Rangoon law students form justice group

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Myanmar-China border trade fair opens in Myanmar
Kuwait News Agency: Burma keen on boosting economic, commercial relations
with Kuwait

ASEAN
AFP: ASEAN lags Europe, Africa in tackling human rights: Indonesia

REGIONAL
Xinhua: Most Thais don't welcome more migrant workers: poll

INTERNATIONAL
DVB: NCGUB marks 16th anniversary

OPINION / OTHER
Nation: Humane approach to migrant labour

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 19, Irrawaddy
Burma regime representatives at Karen New Year Festivities - Shah Paung

Shwe Kokko village, Karen State: High ranking military and police
officials attended for the first time on Tuesday Karen New Year
celebrations organized in territory controlled by the Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army’s battalion 999.

The DKBA signed a ceasefire with the regime after breaking away from the
Karen National Union in 1995. One year later, construction began of the
village of Shwe Kokko, near the border town of Myawaddy, where Tuesday’s
celebrations were held.

About 5,000 people attended, including the police chief of Myawaddy and
the commander of the Burmese army’s 22nd Division. Two well-known Karen
doctors, Dr Simon Thar and Dr Paw Paw, who attended to the KNU leader, Gen
Bo Mya, in July 2006, were also present.

In a speech to the crowd, the commander of the DKBA battalion 999, Col
Chit Thu, urged the Karen people to unite and continue their “unfinished
duty.” The course to follow was clear, he said.

“We hold the arms in our hand are not mean to kill good people,” he said.
“But it is clear which way they [Karen people] have to go in the future.”

Several foreigners attended the celebrations. Burmese personalities who
turned up included film actor Wai Lu Kyaw, pop singers R Zani and Sone
Thin Par.

The Karen New Year—2746 in the Karen calendar—was also being celebrated on
Tuesday in KNU-controlled areas, in the Karen State capital, Pa-an, in
border refugee camps and in Karen communities around the world.

____________________________________

December 19, Irrawaddy
KIO asks junta to stop military exercises - Khun Sam

The Kachin Independence Organization, an ethnic ceasefire group, has
called on the Burmese junta to halt military exercises near its
headquarters on Laisin Mountain near the China-Burma border.

The request came during a meeting between the KIO and junta officers at
Myitkyina, the Kachin State capital, last week. The Burmese army has been
conducting exercises in Samar Region near Wai Maw Township of Kachin
State, about 20 miles from the KIO's army wing of the Kachin Independence
Army headquarters.

Lt-Col Nuk Gan, a KIO central committee member, told The Irrawaddy on
Tuesday that the group’s general secretary Dr La Ja and Vice
General-Secretary Sumlut Gun Maw met with the Burmese deputy northern
commander, Brig-Gen San Tun.

“He told us that the case would be considered,” Nuk Gan said. “It was a
big concern for us and the local people.”

The Kachin community in-country and abroad, including the London-based
Kachin National Organization, have also raised their concerns, saying the
exercises threaten all Kachin ceasefire groups and peace in the region.

The KNO said the junta is toying with ethnic ceasefire groups instead of
finding solutions through peaceful and political means. The Burmese
military has dramatically increased its presence in Kachin State and often
enters into Kachin ceasefire-group controlled areas, creating instability
in the region, the KNO said.

KNO also said the junta often claims the military exercises are conducted
“to prevent an invasion from abroad,” but their real mission is “to crush
all ethnic armed groups in the country.”

The junta has recently intensified military operations against ethnic
insurgent groups in Karen, Mon and Shan States. Critics says the KIO
became a target of the regime following the biggest Kachin ceasefire
group’s refusal to join the regime-led condemnation of the inclusion of
Burma on the UN Security Council agenda in September this year.

Sources close to the KIO said the recent military pressure increased after
the KIO held secret security meetings with other ethnic armed groups in
which they discussed solidarity issues, should the regime-led national
convention not achieve ethnic-group goals.

____________________________________

December 19, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rangoon law students form justice group

Thirty law students from Rangoon have formed a ‘justice validation
organisation’ with the aim of helping Burmese people understand their
responsibilities and rights under the legal system.

A founding member of the group, who declined to be publicly named, said
members were firm believers in democratic ideals and the importance of a
just legal system.

“. . . the people of Burma have been deprived of justice for a long time.
Therefore, it is still necessary to bring up people who can steadfastly
work, based on fairness,” the student said.

The group reportedly plans to monitor Burmese administrative and legal
procedures and inform the public of their findings starting early next
year.

“We will basically collect data regarding the responsibilities of the
authorities . . . we will give the public basic (information) on who their
ward and township authorities are . . . We will start from the level the
public could accept so that the public could demand their legal rights
bravely,” the student said.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

December 19, Xinhua General News Service
Myanmar-China border trade fair opens in Myanmar

Muse: A Myanmar-China border trade exhibition involving three other
neighboring countries of Thailand, India and Bangladesh opened on Monday
in Myanmar's border trade zone of Muse linking China's Ruili.

It is the first time for an annual Myanmar-China border trade fair to be
participated by other neighboring countries.

The three-day Myanmar-China border trade exhibition, which runs from
Monday to Wednesday, comprises over 200 booths set up on a 1.2-hectare
land plot.

During the border trade exhibition, a joint committee meeting for
Myanmar-China border trade, a coordination meeting on economic affairs, a
signing ceremony on trade and a talk on rules and regulations of
investment at the Muse trade zone will also be attached.

Since 2001, Myanmar-China border trade exhibitions have been held annually
and alternately in Muse and Ruili and the last event was in Ruili in
December 2005.

Myanmar has been taking a series of measures to boost border  trade with
neighboring countries, establishing the 150-hectare  Muse border trade
zone, the first largest of its kind in the  country, and transforming its
border trade with China into normal  trade as an initial step for the move
since early 2005.

Myanmar has a total of 13 main border trade points with its  four
neighbors, namely Muse, Lwejei, Laizar, Chinshwehaw and  Kambaiti
established with China since 1998, Tachilek, Kawthoung,  Myawaddy and
Myeik with Thailand since 1996, Tamu and Reedkhawdhar with India since
1995 and Maungtaw and Sittway with Bangladesh  also since 1995.

In the second half of this year, as part of its bid in the move, Myanmar
liberalized some trade procedures dealing with the border trade carried
out in the Muse trade zone with China to facilitate exporters and boost
bilateral trade between the two countries.

The liberalization was made in line with the norms prescribed by the World
Trade Organization so as to reduce the hindrance of red tape and smooth
the regional flow of commodities, according to the Directorate of Trade
under the Commerce Ministry.

Government statistics indicate that daily trade volume in Muse ranges
between 500,000 U.S. dollars and one million dollars with 505 million
dollars being registered in the fiscal year of 2005-06 and 207 million
dollars in the first quarter of 2006-07. It is predicted that the total
trade volume in 2006-07 will be higher than the previous year.

According to Chinese official statistics, China-Myanmar bilateral trade
hit 1.209 billion dollars in 2005, up 5.6 percent from 2004. Of the total,
China's exports to Myanmar took 935 million dollars, while its import from
Myanmar stood 274 million dollars.

Of the bilateral trade, trade between China's Yunnan province and Myanmar,
including the border trade, amounted to 630 million dollars during the
year, up 14.6 percent from the previous year.  Yunnan's exports to Myanmar
represented 400 million dollars, while its import from Myanmar was valued
at 230 million dollars.

A latest figures of the Chinese Customs Department indicated that
China-Myanmar bilateral trade in the first half of 2006 amounted to 662
million dollars, a 10.8-percent rise compared with the same period of
2005. Of the total, China's export to Myanmar took 549 million dollars, up
30.5 percent, while China's import from Myanmar 114 million dollars, down
35.9 percent. China realized a trade surplus of 434 million dollars.

Myanmar official figures also revealed that the border trade volume of
Myanmar and China transacting at the Muse trade point amounted to 311
million U.S. dollars in the first half of 2006, up correspondingly from
257 million dollars in 2005.

The two countries have set a target for their annual bilateral trade to
increase to 1.5 billion dollars.

____________________________________

December 19, Kuwait News Agency
Burma keen on boosting economic, commercial relations with Kuwait - Khalid
Al-Enizi

New Delhi: Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister U Maung Myint asserted his
country's keenness for boosting relations with Kuwait in all fields,
especially in economy and commerce.

Kuwait's Ambassador to Bangladesh and Non-Resident Ambassador to Burma
Abdullatif Al-Mawwash told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in a telephone call
that this came during a meeting he had with the official of Burma, also
known as Myanmar.

Al-Mawwash quoted the deputy foreign minister as saying there were many
investment opportunities in his country, especially in the energy, mining,
tourism, forestry, and fishing sectors.

Moreover, Myint hoped Kuwait would sign an agreement with Burma for the
recruitment of workers, saying a delegation from the Burman Labor Ministry
would be visiting Kuwait soon to discuss these issues.

For his part, the Kuwaiti ambassador stressed the importance of
cooperation in all fields and facilitating investment procedures to
encourage Kuwaiti investors to come to Burma, noting the foreign
investments that were already in place in Burma.

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 19, Agence France Presse
ASEAN lags Europe, Africa in tackling human rights: Indonesia

Jakarta: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations lags behind other
international regional groupings in addressing human rights issues,
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said.

Wirayuda pointed out that the European Union, African Union and the
Organisation of American States had their own rights bodies, the official
Antara news agency said late Monday.

"We know that ASEAN lags behind other regional groupings in addressing
human rights concerns," Wirayuda said at a discussion with ASEAN
representatives.

But he admitted it would not be easy as not all ASEAN members were happy
at the idea of an empowered regional human rights body.

"So we have to catch up. Perhaps not today or next month. But in the
foreseeable future we have to advance far enough to catch up," Wirayuda
said.

Wirayuda said rights concerns had to be addressed and warned that
neglecting the issue could impede ASEAN's efforts to become a community
and have an economic cost on the grouping, Antara reported.
Malaysia in June also called for a regional mechanism for Southeast Asian
countries to address human rights issues.

Southeast Asian experts and the European Union in April had urged the
creation of a regional rights mechanism, saying it would help to address
human rights in the face of Myanmar's continued detention of democracy
icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

ASEAN first mulled a regional rights mechanism in 1993, but progress has
been slow, with rights issues remaining a sensitive topic for many of the
grouping's members. Officials have said a mechanism would give ASEAN a
stronger collective voice in dealing with human rights issues.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 18, Xinhua General News Service
Most Thais don't welcome more migrant workers: poll

Bangkok: Most Thais queried in a recent  poll believe there is no need for
the Kingdom to accept more  migrant workers to work in the agricultural
and industrial sectors, according to a poll released to media here Monday
to coincide with the International Migrants Day.

Commissioned by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and  the United
Nations Development Fund for Women, the Assumption  University's ABAC
Poll, randomly surveyed 4,148 Thais nationwide  between November 25 and
December 1 to find Thai attitudes towards  the increasing number of
foreign migrant workers in the country.

The survey found that despite a rising local demand for foreign migrant
workers, 58.6 percent of respondents did not think the Thai government
should allow more migrants to work in the country, while only 9.7 percent
approved the idea.

Those opposed believed that hiring more migrants would impair job
opportunities and lower wages for Thai workers.

Although most respondents agreed that migrant workers are diligent at
work, they believed that migrant workers are neither honest nor loyal to
their employers.

The poll also revealed that most Thais -- more than 75 percent - -
believed that migrant workers should enjoy both equal working hours and
equal holidays as the local workers, but only 40 percent agreed on equal
pay, citing in part that the wages migrants received in Thailand, though
lower than Thai workers, were still better than what they earned in their
home countries.

About 67.3 percent of respondents said migrant workers should not be
accepted for any job in all sectors, and 50.3 percent said migrants should
not be entitled with equal legal working  conditions as Thais. About 77.3
percent believed migrant workers should not have the right to form unions.
A recently released survey by ILO and Thailand's Mahidol University also
found that most Thai employers believed that migrant workers should not
enjoy same rights with Thais.

Figures from Thailand's Ministry of Labor shows rising local demand for
migrant workers. In 2005, local employers had demanded 1.8 million
unskilled migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, leading the
Thai government to approve importing 200,000 low-skilled workers from the
three countries.

The ABAC poll indicated that as the market for low-skilled migrant workers
in Asia is likely to become increasing competitive, Thais need to change
the negative public attitudes towards migrant workers to improve itself as
an attractive employment destination.

To start with, the government should provide protection of basic rights
and equal working conditions and pays for migrant workers as locals
receive under its labor law. The poll also suggested media plays an
important role in shaping public views about migrant workers.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 19, Democratic Voice of Burma
NCGUB marks 16th anniversary

The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma marked its 16th
anniversary yesterday with calls for national reconciliation and increased
humanitarian aid.

In a statement NCGUB prime minister Dr Sein Win said conditions in Burma
remained dire.

“In this kind of situation, Burma needs to be free. Being free will not be
possible without national reconciliation. Everything is deteriorating
gradually,” Sein Win said.

“We are encouraging humanitarian aid to reach the hands of people who
really need it. This is our policy . . . we need to have unity among the
people for all to have the national spirit in order to try to build
democracy and a federal union.”

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 17, The Nation
Humane approach to migrant labour

Thailand is making slow but steady progress towards better protection of
its hundreds of thousands of migrant workers while also combating human
trafficking and the worst forms of exploitation against the men, women and
children who come to this country in search of economic opportunity. But
there is still much room for improvement in all respects to make sure that
migrant workers, who provide valuable service to Thai society and make a
positive contribution to the country's economy, enjoy the basic human
rights and are accorded with the adequate protection that they deserve.

Earlier this year, the Labour Ministry introduced a quota system to try to
regulate the employment of immigrant workers. Industrial employers are
required to submit a quota of foreign workers they already employ or
intend to hire. Once approved by the ministry, employers are then asked to
register immigrant workers and have them undergo health screening and pay
for their health insurance so that labour officials can monitor their
working and living conditions.

Many employers have come forward to register migrant workers while other,
unscrupulous business operators have refused to come forward, probably
because they want to continue to take unfair advantage of foreign workers,
most of whom are unskilled or semi-skilled labourers from neighbouring
countries. The ministry should make good on its threat to crack down on
these exploitative employers, who not only pay these workers way below the
minimum daily wage but also force them to live and work under appalling
conditions.

The findings of a recent study commissioned by the National Security
Council on Thailand's need for foreign manual workers show that the
country's reliance on imported labour has become a fact of life. Thailand
needs an input of some 500,000 workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos to
keep its economy functioning smoothly, the report says. The number of
registered foreign workers in the country at the moment is about 400,000,
while the estimated number of undocumented immigrant workers may be more
than 800,000.
Despite limited success in its registration drive, the government's move
was considered a marked departure from years of neglect. In the past, the
government could not care less about lax immigration control or monitoring
of labour standards. Instead of regulation, control and the protection of
immigrant workers, corruption-prone Thai authorities used to turn a blind
eye to human trafficking - one of today's most despicable crimes against
humanity.

But the Thai government's attitude towards human trafficking has also
changed. Thailand is now working a lot harder to try to remove the stigma
associated with being identified as a source, transit point and
destination for human trafficking. Women, men and children from
neighbouring countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Laos and China, are
brought into Thailand by organised criminal groups and pressed into bonded
labour and prostitution. Or they pass through the country to other
destinations.

Creating a specialised body to lead and coordinate anti-human trafficking
operations may be a good start, but unless the government follows through
with sustained forceful action, Thailand's image as a responsible member
of the international community will remain very much in doubt.

It must be said the change for the better thus far has been achieved
largely through international pressure. But the Thai government needs to
do much more. However, the next big push towards a lasting solution to
promote fair treatment of immigrant workers and to eliminate human
trafficking will require strong domestic public pressure. The problem is
that the majority of Thais continue to be either too insensitive or too
ignorant to care about the plight of immigrant workers, who deserve to be
treated better and with respect for their human rights.

The Thai public needs to be educated that as a society we cannot ignore
the suffering of any man, woman or child, regardless of their origin or
ethnicity, at the hands of modern-day slave traders or exploitative
employers, without compromising our public conscience and the moral values
that we as a society claim to possess.