BurmaNet News, March 16, 2007

[Editor]

March 16, 2007 Issue # 3163


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: NLD urges appointment of special UN envoy to Burma
Irrawaddy: Land confiscation a problem in Burma, says labor rights lawyer
Irrawaddy: Burmese junta blasts NLD, US and Britain
Mizzima: Junta's propagandist 'Lucky Guy' still lucky

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima: Nearly 400 ethnic Kukis arrested by Burmese soldiers

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Burmese company to enter biofuel boom

ASEAN
AP: EU, ASEAN pledge closer partnership on security, climate change, trade

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Canada urges Burmese junta to allow Red Cross operations

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Another humanitarian mission unravels in Burma

PRESS RELEASE
Burma Lawyers’ Council: Korean Court continued its trial on the case of
Daewoo International

STATEMENT
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada: Statement by Minister
Mackay on closure of ICRC field offices in Burma

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

March 16, Irrawaddy
NLD urges appointment of special UN envoy to Burma

Burma’s opposition party, the National League for Democracy, has urged the
United Nations to appoint a new, highly qualified special envoy to Burma.
The post has been vacant for more than one year.

U Lwin, the party's secretary, told The Irrawaddy he hopes the UN will
soon find a replacement for high profile Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail,
who resigned his post in 2005.

“We hope some one who has a good understanding on Burma and the region
will be appointed and come to Burma,” U Lwin said.  He did not say who the
NLD might support for the position.

Asked whether the NLD preferred a Westerner or Asian, the former deputy
prime minister who served under the late dictator Gen Ne Win said it
didn't matter as long as the envoy had in-depth knowledge of Burma and
knew the heads of the governments in the region.

What matters most, he said, is that a special envoy understands both
Burmese politics and regional politics.

Last year, some Asian diplomats were tipped as possible special UN envoys
to Burma, among them former Philippine president Fidel Ramos, Jose
Ramos-Horta of East Timor and former Indonesian foreign minister Ali
Alatas.

U Lwin said NLD representatives met twice with former UN under
secretary-general for political affairs Ibrahim Gambari, and the UN
diplomat didn't understand politics in Burma well enough. Gambari visited
Burma twice last year and critics said the trips were used by the junta to
deflect strong international pressure on the regime and to forestall calls
for the release of detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Gambari was allowed to meet with the NLD icon in a government guest house.

Former UN envoy Razali Ismail, who took part in negotiations between the
NLD and the regime, was denied access to the military-run nation for
almost two years. He resigned his post when he was denied a visa to enter
Burma.

Gambari was appointed acting envoy by the former UN chief Kofi Annan. He
was replaced as UN under secretary-general for political affairs by
American diplomat B Lynn Pascoe in February.

Gambari, however, is expected to make a return visit to Burma, according
to Thaung Htun, a UN representative of the exiled National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma.

"He has been invited again (by the military government), and he might be
able to go in again," Thaung Htun said.

"There have been considerations at the UN to institutionalize its work in
Burma through regular visits by its envoys and opening relevant offices in
the country," he said.

Observers expect an effort will be made this year in the UN Security
Council to bring up the issue of child soldiers in Burma.

____________________________________

March 16, Irrawaddy
Land confiscation a problem in Burma, says labor rights lawyer

Forced land confiscation and labor rights abuses remain a problem in
Burma, according to a leading Burmese labor activist and lawyer.

"I have more than 600 cases on my hands—most of which are land
confiscations by authorities," says Aye Myint, a labor lawyer who was
imprisoned for representing damaged citizens and accused of "spreading
false information."

Aye Myint, who lives in Pegu, said he is only able to file a small number
of cases in Burmese courts. Most of his cases occur in Rangoon, Pegu and
Irrawaddy divisions, where local businesses are mainly agricultural.

"Farmers face takeover of their lands and paddy fields—in some cases
cattle and buffaloes were confiscated," he says.

He said military groups and businessmen, who have close ties to the
authorities, are mainly responsible for the land confiscations.

Labor activist Aye Myint was sentenced to death on a charge of treason for
communicating with the International Labour Organization. He received a
7-year sentence for allegedly “spreading false information” by
representing farmers whose land had been confiscated.

Following the International Labour Organization's appeal for his release,
he was freed in July last year after serving one year in Pegu Prison.

Aye Myint and six other Burmese lawyers recently announced the formation
of a social rights group called "Guiding Star," which monitors and
documents rights abuses in Burma.

He noted that despite the military regime's human rights abuses, the ILO
reached an agreement with the government last month to investigate
complaints of forced labor. Such practices still take place across the
country—particularly in rural areas where locals are unable to file
complaints against the authorities for fear of reprisals.

The ILO launched a website this week that provides information on the
forced labor issue and explains how to make complaints. A Burmese language
version of the site will be available soon.

____________________________________

March 16, Irrawaddy
Burmese junta blasts NLD, US and Britain - Khun Sam

Burma’s military government on Friday lashed out at Burma's main
opposition party, charging it is under Western influence and puts the
country in danger, according to a state-run newspaper.

The National League for Democracy party does not have the support of the
people, because of its misguided views, according to the military regime’s
mouthpiece The New Light of Myanmar. It alleged the NLD relied “two much
on two foreign powers,” referring to the US and British.

Besides failing to recognize the military government’s development
efforts, the newspaper accused the NLD of undermining the country and the
Burmese people while taking money from foreign countries.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy, a NLD spokesperson, Myint Thein said: “The
junta always makes these kinds of accusations as they can write what they
want in their newspaper." he said. "But these claims are groundless
because it is obvious that we don’t have a policy that hurts our
citizens.”

The state-run newspaper on Thursday also accused the US government of
using the UN to try to establish a "puppet government" in Burma.

The spate of accusations follows the release last week of a US State
Department human rights report that singled out Burma as one of the
world’s worst offenders, saying the Burmese junta extensively uses
executions, rape, torture, arbitrary detention and forced relocation of
entire villages, particularly of ethnic minorities, to maintain its hold
on power.

“We are trying to express the real situation of our country and how we are
being oppressed by the junta.” Myint Thein said.

“We’re not looking for support just from the US and Britain. We want
support from the international community, including China and Russia, to
help find a solution to our country's problems.”

The state-run press also has been alleging that opposition party members
are leaving the NLD party.

On Friday, The New Light of Myanmar claimed that two NLD members from
Hlaing Thaya Township in Rangoon, Mya Maung, the chairman of the township
organizing committee of the NLD, and treasurer San Myint submitted their
letters of resignation to party headquarters and local authorities on
Monday.

Myint Thein, said the NLD has received resignation letters from Mya Maung
and San Myint, but denied the article’s claim that the two men criticized
the party’s leadership. “We received resignation letters from them, but
their reasons were based on health and economic hardships,” he said.

____________________________________

March 16, Mizzima News
Junta's propagandist 'Lucky Guy' still lucky

The notorious former propagandist of the Burmese military junta, Po Kan
Kaung is believed to be taking shelter with a Karen splinter group.

Po Kan Kaung (a) Pe Kan Kaung (a) Hla Htay (a) Wai Mhine Nyo, meaning
"Lucky Guy", was recently seen with a ceasefire Karen group led by
Brig-Gen Htay Maung (Htain Maung).

He reportedly took shelter with the rivals of the KNU, the Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army but some journalists who knew him were surprised when
they saw him with the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army
Peace Council led by the break-away commander of KNU's 7th Brigade.

The army major turned writer and film director who played an important
role in the junta's propaganda machinery, wrote articles and stories to
attack opposition groups, including pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi,
the ethnic rebels of the Karen National Union and the armed All Burma
Students' Democratic Front in state-run newspapers and officially
sponsored publications like Myet Khin Thit (New Pasture).

He was heading a unit of the military intelligence's psychological war
department, at least until former head of MI and the Prime Minister
General Khin Nyunt was ousted by his superior Senior General Than Shwe.

Po Kan Kaung reached the Thai-Burma border again last year where he
succeeded in cracking down opposition groups, gathering information in his
first trip in the 1990s. He was involved in one of the biggest successes
of the junta in cheating the exile in opposition.

The MI reportedly cheated Maung Aung, the son of former Prime Minister U
Nu and other rebel groups of more than US $ 3 million. The story goes that
a group of moderate military commanders had agreed to remove the heads of
the then leaders of the State Law and Order Restoration Council for which
money was needed. Finally, leaders in exile lost money and nothing
happened.

Po Kan Kaung was promoted after this operation and his writings vilifying
leaders of opposition groups were made public.

He told Mizzima that he was fired and ran away to escape being jailed
after Khin Nyunt was purged, though there is little reason to believe his
claim.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

March 16, Mizzima News
Nearly 400 ethnic Kukis arrested by Burmese soldiers - Mungpi

Border trade and other activities on the Indo-Burma border town of Moreh
is at a standstill for the third day on Friday, following an indefinite
bandh called by students, women and civil organisations over reports of
abduction of nearly 400 ethnic Kuki villagers.

Activities including trade and business ground to a halt after the Hill
Tribe Council, an umbrella group of tribals in India's northeastern border
town of Moreh, the Kuki Student Organisation and the Kuki Women's Union
called the indefinite bandh.

The three groups, which took out a protest rally this morning and
submitted a petition to the Indian government, called the bandh on March
14, following reports that nearly 400 ethnic Kukis living along the
Indo-Burma border were arrested and taken to Burma by alleged Manipuri
militants and Burmese soldiers on March 13.

Sources at the Indo-Burma border said, about 400 ethnic Kuki villagers,
who were made to stay at Laijang Grouping Centre, about seven kilometers
from Moreh, by Indian security forces – the Assam Rifles - were arrested
and taken to Namunta village in Tamu Township in Burma, by alleged United
Nationalities Liberation Front, a Manipuri militant outfit and Burmese
soldiers.

The Laijang Grouping Centre, where over 400 Kukis from about eight
villages were made to stay, was set up by the Assam Rifles in order to
help identify civilians from insurgents, in its drive to flush out UNLF
militants two months ago, said the source.

An executive committee member of the HTC told Mizzima that the villagers
had been living in the Laijang Grouping Centre because they could not
return to their respective villages for fear of stepping on landmines laid
by militants.

"On March 13, Burmese soldiers along with UNLF cadres stormed into the
grouping centre and after beating and harassing the inmates, took away
about 400 people including children and women," Mang Min Lien, an
executive member of the HTC told Mizzima.

The HTC said, they had filed a petition with the Indian government as well
as the Manipur government to talk to their Burmese counterparts and send
back the 400 villagers to their grouping centre.

"We do not want them [the villagers] to be sent back to their respective
villages, because it will be used as a shelter by the militants [UNLF] and
they are likely to step on landmines," said Mang Min Lien.

He added that the insurgents are taking shelter with the villagers.
"That's why they [insurgents] want the villagers to be back in their
respective villages."

Ethnic Kukis said the UNLF's move to take control of the Indo-Burma border
line, particularly Moreh town, which is an international trade hub, has
created a severe impact on Kuki inhabitants in the region.

On March 5, the Kuki Student Organisation in New Delhi held a protest
rally condemning the activities of the UNLF and demanded that the Indian
government intervene to bring relief to the sufferings of Kuki inhabitants
along the Indo-Burma border.

Sources said the UNLF, an insurgent group fighting against the Indian
government, has reached an agreement with the Burmese junta to allow them
to use Burmese soil as their base.

"They [UNLF] are freely moving around in Burma and are doing whatever they
wish," the source said.

Lu Lun, President of the Kuki Students Democratic Front, an ethnic Kuki
organisation fighting against the Burmese junta, told Mizzima that there
are at least five Manipuri militant groups - UNLF, Peoples Liberation
Army, PREPAK, KYKL and KCP - operating out of Burma.

While the level of agreement between the insurgents and the Burmese junta
is unclear, Lu Lun said the leaders of the groups had a good relationship
with Burmese junta officials and are reportedly travelling freely inside
Burma.

But during the official visit of India's External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee in January, India and Burma agreed to strengthen military
cooperation including flushing out insurgent groups operating along the
two countries international border.

_____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

March 16, Irrawaddy
Burmese company to enter biofuel boom - William Boot

A Burmese company will seek to enter the new and increasingly lucrative
market of biofuel feedstock with a plan to plant up to 100 million
jatropha bushes on 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) of land in the
Irrawaddy valley.

The plants will be cultivated to produce ethanol, the primary ingredient
of biodiesel and other so-called biofuels.

The giant operation is being undertaken by one of Burma’s best known and
connected businessmen, Serge Pun, through a Singapore-listed company Yoma
Strategic Holdings.

Yoma said the scale of its planned operation and Burma's low labor costs
will make its biodiesel feedstock highly competitive with rivals in
Malaysia ands Indonesia.

“In the whole bio-diesel value chain, the critical bottleneck is
feedstock, which is why we are focusing on cultivation of jatropha,” Serge
Pun said in a statement announcing the development.

“We now have an immense opportunity to satisfy what will be a very huge
demand globally. We aim to be amongst the first to successfully cultivate
and harvest Jatropha on a massive scale in Asia.”
Yoma is primarily a property company. It says it has acquired the land
through the purchase of Plantation Resources Limited for US $6 million.

Yoma also intends to venture into carbon-credit trading.  Serge Pun said
he believed growing jatropha would qualify for selling credits under the
Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism which Burma has signed.

The military regime in Burma has been trying to develop a biodiesel
feedstock industry with jatropha. It’s not clear whether Yoma will produce
biodiesel or just ethanol.

____________________________________
ASEAN

March 16, Associated Press
EU, ASEAN pledge closer partnership on security, climate change, trade -
Robert Wielaard

The European Union and 10 Southeast Asian nations pledged to embark on a
closer partnership that calls for better cooperation on such key issues as
security, climate change and trade.

Foreign ministers meeting in Germany for two days of talks cited climate
change as "one of the greatest challenges facing the world today," and the
Europeans and Southeast Asian jointly promised in a five-page declaration
Thursday to combat it.

The EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also pledged more
cooperation on energy and trade.

They committed to the goal of creating a free-trade zone between them
while acknowledging that will likely happen only in phases given vast
economic differences within ASEAN.

EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the
EU-ASEAN free trade drive will not be slowed by paralysis in global trade
negotiations.

The two sides also agreed to launch improved political dialogue and to
cooperate better on global and regional security issues.

The declaration cited the shared democratic norms and values between the
two blocs, which have long been hobbled by discord over human rights and
other sensitive political issues.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the meeting's host, said
that "cooperation between the EU and ASEAN carried strategic
significance."

Over dinner Wednesday, he said the two sides debated international issues
including Iran, Iraq and the Mideast peace process. The EU urged Southeast
Asian nations some of which are predominantly Muslim and have strong ties
with countries in the Middle East to join international efforts to bring
peace to the region.

"These are not easy themes. There are many reasons to intensify" pressure
from countries, not just from the so-called Quartet of Mideast
negotiators, the EU, the U.S., the U.N. and Russia, Steinmeier said.

On trade, the EU is keen to encourage further regional integration in
Southeast Asia after the region's leaders agreed in January to forge a
free-trade zone by 2015, five years earlier than previously proposed.

ASEAN foresees a two-step process: From 2010, a free-trade zone would
involve the group's richer members, such as Singapore and Brunei, with
others following later under agreements reached at the January summit in
the Philippines.

However, ASEAN 10 members Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia make for a region of
very uneven economic development.

In 2005, the last year for which complete figures are available, EU
exports to ASEAN totaled euro45 billion (US$59 billion) and imports euro71
billion (US$94 billion).

The EU also wants ASEAN nations to sign political cooperation agreements
committing both sides to regular consultations on democracy, human rights,
terrorism and other political issues. Indonesia is expected to be the
first to sign such a deal this year.

At the meeting, Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram assured that
democratic rule would return to his country after a military coup last
year with elections likely by year's end, said Steinmeier.

ASEAN's most problematic member is Myanmar, also known as Burma, whose
military rulers are widely criticized for failing to democratize.
Steinmeier said while Thailand was planning to return to democracy,
conditions in Myanmar "are anything but satisfactory."

The country's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been in prison
or under house arrest for 11 of the last 17 years, despite leading her
party to victory in general elections.

Myanmar's military junta regularly calls her a threat to national unity,
and says she and her party are trying to undermine the government by
collaborating with foreign powers.

On climate change, the two blocs pledged to work together to fight global
warming but set no targets. The EU has committed to cutting greenhouse gas
emissions by at least 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

March 16, Irrawaddy
Canada urges Burmese junta to allow Red Cross operations

Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Mackay called on Burma's military
government to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to
operate in the country without restrictions, following an announcement by
the group that it would shut down two field offices this week.

In a statement released on Thursday, Mackay said: “Canada urges the
Burmese Government to allow the ICRC to resume its work in Burma free from
hindrance and to remove the restrictions that have compromised the ICRC’s
effectiveness.

The ICRC is one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations. Its
work in upholding international humanitarian law, and in protecting and
assisting victims of armed conflict, is invaluable,” Mackay said.

_____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

March 16, Irrawaddy
Another humanitarian mission unravels in Burma

Burma’s military rulers show little gratitude to, or understanding of,
international organizations operating inside the country. In spite of
severe restrictions and a crippling bureaucracy, we believe such
organizations have done excellent work in Burma.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross has decided to close down
two of its field offices in Mon and Shan states, and the group is
considering whether to keep open its three remaining offices. One of
these—the ICRC headquarters in Rangoon—continues to function but with
little work to do, as the ruling junta has imposed strict regulations.

ICRC made clear in a statement that their decision to close the two field
offices was due to Burmese government interference—this, despite efforts
by the group to negotiate with the Ministry of Home Affairs in the last
several months.

The negotiations produced little progress, and the ICRC’s humanitarian
work in Burma has been effectively paralyzed.

Pierre Krähenbühl, ICRC director of operations in Geneva, said the group’s
staff remains unable to visit prison inmates anywhere in the country or to
conduct independent field operations in sensitive border regions. “A
recent meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs made no headway,”
Krähenbühl said.

The ICRC has not been able to visit prisoners in Burma for nearly two years.

The regime’s decision to stop the visits has dealt a major blow to inmates
across the country, including Burma’s more than 1,000 political prisoners.
To date, the ICRC has made more than 450 visits to some 90 prisons and
labor camps in Burma.

Without ICRC assistance, Burma’s generals cannot provide adequate
medication a food supplies to prisoners suffering from serious illnesses.

ICRC’s statement indicated the seriousness of conditions inside prison
compounds and in the border regions. "Living and security conditions for
civilians in sensitive border areas remain a real concern for the ICRC,"
Krähenbühl said. "There are also strong indications of a deterioration in
conditions of detention and treatment at several places of detention."

In Burma’s borders in Karen and Shan states, Burmese soldiers continue
their offensive against local villages. Thousands of internally displaced
people have fled to the jungle or to camps near the Thai-Burmese border.

In contrast to its uncompromising stance on the ICRC and other
international NGOs, Burma’s ruling junta has agreed to work with the
International Labour Organization.

In February, the regime signed a “Supplementary Understanding” with the
ILO to establish a mechanism to deal with complaints on forced labor,
which is still widespread in Burma’s rural and ethnic regions.

Last year, the ILO considered referring Burma to the International Court
of Justice in The Hague if the military government refused to abolish
forced labor and to stop prosecuting complainants. Under the new
agreement, victims of forced labor will be able to submit their complaints
without fear of retaliatory action.

Several well-informed sources said that Burma’s more flexible approach to
the ILO came at the suggestion of Chinese authorities. But such actions
reveal a double standard.

The generals can afford to let the ICRC end its operations in Burma. But
doing so with the ILO would have produced grave consequence. With the ICRC
out of the country, who would assume the responsibility of urging the
regime in Naypyidaw to reform its obstructive policies?

The ICRC’s work in Burma is important, and it should be hoped that future
negotiations will allow the organization to resume its operations
unimpeded.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

March 16, Burma Lawyers' Council
Korean Court continued its trial on the case of Daewoo International

14 high-ranking officials from the companies, including Daewoo
International President Lee Tae-yong, were indicted by Korea government on
charge of exporting a number of Korean defense equipment production
facilities and technology of weapons to Myanmar in violation of the law on
exports of strategic goods. According to Kang Shin-who, Staff Reporter of
Korea Times Newspaper, it was known that this is the first time that
Korean companies are indicted on charges of illegal outflow of the
nation's strategic goods and technology in a way to build plants overseas.
The Korean Court continued its trial in a chamber of Supreme Court in
Seoul, at 4:00 p.m, on March 15, 2007.

U Aung Htoo, General Secretary of the Burma Lawyers' Council, Kim Kyoung,
Coordinator of Korean House for International Solidarity and U Zaw Moe
Aung, from National League for Democracy (NLD-LA) Korean Branch, observed
the trial. The court examined the accused one after another, listened to
the argument of defense lawyers and adjourned the trial. It will resume
again at 2:00 p.m, April 12, 2007.

U Aung Htoo commented that an aspect of the question is if the exported
weapons had been used against the Burmese population in a way that
violates international human rights or humanitarian law, whether there
would be state responsibility for Republic of Korea. Under the
international law of state responsibility, a state can be made to answer
for its own actions but also for the actions of its private citizens or
private corporations. A pre-requisite for state responsibility based on
the actions of such private actors is however that the state has been
complicit in some way. It is unlikely that state responsibility would
apply in this case if the exports occurred without the complicity of
Republic of Korea.

He also commented that if the exported weapons to Burma have been used
against the population in a way that violates human rights and/or
humanitarian law, and if the leaders of the S. Korean companies knew or
should have known that the weapons would be used for such purposes, then
perhaps it could be argued that they should answer for their complicity
under international criminal law. Prosecution could in such a case be
lodged before the International Criminal Court or perhaps before the S.
Korean courts themselves (if domestic rules provide for jurisdiction to
prosecute international crimes).

For more information:

Kim Kyoung, Coordinator, Korean House for International Solidarity
Tel: 82- (0)2- 736- 5808,9
U Zaw Moe Aung, National League for Democracy (NLD/LA) Korea Branch
Tel: 82- 032 – 656- 6932
Mobile: 82- (0) 11 – 9722- 4770

____________________________________
STATEMENT

March 15, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Statement by Minister Mackay on closure of ICRC field offices in Burma

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of
the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today issued the following
statement in response to the closure by the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) of two of its field offices in Burma:

“Canada deeply regrets that the International Committee of the Red Cross
was forced to close two of its field offices in Burma as a result of
unacceptable actions by the Government of Burma. These actions include
restricting the ability of ICRC staff to visit detainees and to conduct
independent field operations in sensitive border areas.

“The ICRC is one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations. Its
work in upholding international humanitarian law, and in protecting and
assisting victims of armed conflict, is invaluable.

“Canada urges the Burmese Government to allow the ICRC to resume its work
in Burma free from hindrance and to remove the restrictions that have
compromised the ICRC’s effectiveness.”