BurmaNet News, April 19, 2007

[Editor]

April 19, 2007 Issue # 3187

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: USDA orders attack on human rights activists: Activists
Irrawaddy: Rangoon’s New Year wishes
Irrawaddy: Burmese junta urged to form coalition government
DVB via BBC: Burmese Karen group said using people as "minesweepers"

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: New regulations for migrant workers in Chiang Mai - Shah Paung

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima: Non-bank firms warned to stay clear of financial sector

HEALTH / AIDS
AFP: Myanmar wins rare praise for bird flu action

DRUGS
SHAN: Increased opium production in the north

REGIONAL
Mizzima: CBI produces a few arms as evidence in court, but no witnesses

INTERNATIONAL
Guardian: Brown under pressure to get tough on Burma

STATEMENT
The 88 Generation Students: New Year message from the 88 Generation
Students to all of our citizens

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

April 19, Mizzima News
USDA orders attack on human rights activists: Activists - Ko Dee

Two human rights activists were ruthlessly beaten up by a group of 100
people in Hinthada in lower Burma. The township head of the Union
Solidarity and Development Association masterminded the assault, activists
alleged.

"We are sure that the secretary of Hinthada Township USDA, U Nyunt Oo
ordered the beating. He was holding a walkie-talkie at the time of the
assault. It seems that he was waiting for an order from his superiors,"
said Myint Aye of the self-styled network of human rights promoters.

Two human rights promoters Maung Maung Lay and Myint Naing were beaten up
by a group of people at Oakpon village 10 miles from Hintada yesterday at
about 1 p.m. Myint Naing is also a resident of Hintada.

Activists said they will report the case and go for legal action.

Myint Aye, Maung Maung Lay, Yin Kyi and Tin Maung Oo left Rangoon for
Hintada to promote human rights awareness.

After a training programme in Oakpon village, about 100 people wielding
sticks beat up Maung Maung Lay and Myint Naing. Reportedly, about 300
people were waiting to attack the activists in a monastery and on the
village main road.

Mizzima has learnt that the authorities warned thehost of the trainee not
to allow more training andshot at the house.

"Beating by groups is a criminal offense. So whoever did it or whatever
marginalization masterminded it, it is criminal in nature and action needs
to be taken against the culprits. By doing so, I hope, it would help such
cases not to recur in the future," said Ko
Ko Gyi, a leader of 88 Generation Students.

The two victims of the attack have been admitted to Rangoon general
hospital with serious injuries.

____________________________________

April 19, Irrawaddy
Rangoon’s New Year wishes - Yeni

Burma’s former capital Rangoon celebrated this year’s Thingyan, or water
festival, not only with the predictable rock concerts, DJs, dance music
and chaotic water-throwing events, many of which were sponsored by
commercial interests or the military government.

The country’s democracy movement—comprising activists and family members
of the country’s many political prisoners—also took to the streets to
usher in the traditional New Year.

On April 17, activists led by the 88 Generation Students group carried
fish-pots and bird-cages to Rangoon’s landmark Inya lake near the house of
detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. They held a ceremony during
which they symbolically released the animals into the lake and into the
air.

“The suspicion, hatred, intimidation and fear encountered throughout last
year has obstructed our progress,” the 88 Generation Students said in a
released statement. “We must brush off these evils by ourselves. We must
build up our political, economic and social life. Understanding must be
built among each citizen, among ethnic nationalities and among all
parties. We must have negotiation. This year is a new year of
negotiation.”

Will Burma’s ruling generals take this message to heart? Many doubt they
will. In fact, numerous jokes circulated about Burma’s aging rulers being
fearful of the water during Thingyan because they could catch cold—at
their age, a fearful prospect. Snr-Gen Than Shwe kept a safe distance from
the revelers by attending a Buddhist ceremony in Maymyo, Mandalay
Division, during which he received religious instruction from the chief of
Burma’s revered monks.

____________________________________

April 19, Irrawaddy
Burmese junta urged to form coalition government

Rangoon-based veteran Burmese politicians have urged Burma’s military
government to set up an interim government to help solve the country’s
political and social crises.

The Veteran Politicians Group called on the junta to form a coalition
government for national reconciliation “aiming to avoid crises that the
people and the country face and to prevent unwelcome circumstances.”

The group delivered a letter to the junta’s paramount leader Snr-Gen Than
Shwe on Tuesday, marking the end of the country’s traditional New Year,
according to the group.

Also, in a New Year message on Tuesday, the 88 Generation Students
group—which includes many former political prisoners and student
leaders—called on the nation “to wake up” and to start building a fresh
nation.

Veteran politicians also urged the government to begin talks with ethnic
representatives and to order the unconditional release of all political
prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic Shan
politicians Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin.

Last week, the UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahim
Gambari, reiterated calls on the Burmese junta to implement democratic
reforms which included all parties, including the main opposition National
League for Democracy.

In an interview with Washington-based Radio Free Asia's Burmese Service,
Gambari, who has again been invited to visit Burma, said he will not
return unless the junta shows a commitment to meaningful reforms.

____________________________________

April 19, Democratic Voice of Burma via BBC Monitoring
Burmese Karen group said using people as "minesweepers"

[Newsreader] State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) troops and the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) are still launching offensives in
the territories controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU), and hundreds
of Karen people have crossed over to the Thai side as DKBA soldiers are
forcing them to work as porters.

People who fled the battle zone say DKBA soldiers have also been burning
down villages, farms, and plantations.

Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) correspondent Ko Htet Yarzar filed this
report.

[Begin recording] [DVB] DKBA units entered the areas controlled by the
KNU's 6th Brigade several days ago. Over 100 villagers from Mae Kha Nae,
Htimu Hta, and Nobo villages have fled to Thailand because DKBA troops
have been forcing them to work as porters.

Among these people was a woman from Mae Kha Nae who recounted her
experience this way:

[Unidentified Karen woman] DKBA entered the area and took away our village
chairman and forced him to work as a porter. They also rounded up the
villagers. The chairman and many other villagers, about 60 of them, were
taken away. The DKBA wielding arms went around the village making threats.
They said that if they could not find men in the village, they would force
women to work as porters. Since they also burned down the rice granaries,
it will be difficult to get food.

[DVB] Another villager who was also a witness to the scenes said the DKBA
was not only rounding up porters but also burning farms and plantations
and making the local people serve as human minesweepers.

[Unidentified Karen man] They left a trail of fire along the route they
travelled and also planted mines. They actually burned only a few places
but the fire spread and burned down everything, including homes and rubber
plantations. Two rubber plantations with more than 1,000 trees each, 10
coffee plantations, about 12 durian farms, and more than 20 rice granaries
were destroyed in the fire set by the DKBA. A DKBA soldier would travel
between a villager walking in front and another behind, and another
villager would be carrying his supplies. The person in front is actually
used as a minesweeper because he would be the first to step on the mines
if they were present. (?Three) villagers were hurt by mines and many
cattle died because of them. These happened at Mae Kha Nae, Htimu Hta, and
Nobo villages.

[DVB] KNU General Secretary Phado Mahn Shar had this to say about the
situation of the 7th Brigade and about DKBA entering the territory of the
6th Brigade.

[Phado Mahn Shar] The DKBA is conducting a mopping up campaign in the 6th
Brigade area, which is located south of Thingan Nyi Naung. The campaign is
underway in Mae Kha Nae, Htimu Hta, and Nobo areas. The unit carrying out
the campaign, I believe, is the 907th DKBA unit. During the campaign, they
let people walk in front in the forests and since the local people did not
want to do that, they fled.

[DVB] The SPDC and DKBA joint forces started their offensive on 7 April in
the areas controlled by the 7th Brigade, and during the operation, they
have taken control of four small bases of that brigade. [End recording]

That was a report by Ko Htet Yarzar.

We will now interview Ko Maung Too about the battlefield situation. How is
the situation there, Ko Maung Too?

[Begin recording] [Maung Too] The present situation can be described as
calm. I asked KNU officials about the situation and was told that the SPDC
and DKBA troops have been clearing the areas, forcing people to work as
porters, and some villagers have fled from the area to avoid being used as
porters. I was informed that the number of SPDC and DKBA troops is growing
in the 6th and 7th Brigade areas, and fighting can resume any day now. The
past several days have been quiet because of Thingyan Water Festival but
fighting can resume now.

[DVB] I see. We have been told that the DKBA has been forcing people to
volunteer as porters. Have you contacted the DKBA about the matter?

[Maung Too] Yes, I did make some enquiries, and DKBA officials denied that
they were forcing people to work as porters. But, they admitted that
villagers were being recruited as volunteers and that these volunteers had
been helping them. They confirmed that they were carrying out a mopping-up
campaign in the border areas controlled by the 6th and 7th Brigades.

[DVB] How are the developments affecting the All Burma Students'
Democratic Front (ABSDF) which is operating in the area?

[Maung Too] There are two student army battalions - the 8th and the 9th -
in the areas controlled by the 6th and the 7th KNU Brigades. The 8th
Battalion which had its base in the 7th KNU Brigade area withdrew from the
region even before Bo Htain Maung's group started the peace talks. What I
can say is that the movement of the ABSDF units in Karen territories is
now restricted and none of the ABSDF leaders could predict what would
happen in the future. [End recording]

That was a report by Ko Maung Too, a correspondent who had closely been
monitoring the fight between the KNU and the SPDC.

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 18 Apr 07

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

April 19, Irrawaddy
New regulations for migrant workers in Chiang Mai - Shah Paung

Thai authorities have drafted new regulations for Burmese migrant workers
in Chiang Mai that infringe on their human rights, according to local
migrant advocacy groups.

“Basically, this is like martial law for migrants, restricting human
rights of migrants beyond what is acceptable,” Jackie Pollock, from the
Chiang Mai-based Migrant Assistance Programme Foundation told The
Irrawaddy on Thursday.

According to a report on Wednesday in the English language daily newspaper
Bangkok Post, Chiang Mai Governor Vichai Srikwan said the new regulations
comprise legal measures that would govern local administrative offices,
the police and job placement agencies.

The report added that new regulations include the following measures:
migrant workers will be prohibited from gathering in groups of more than
five people; they will be prohibited from owning or riding motorcycles;
and they will not be allowed to leave their places of employment or
residence after 8 p.m.

The new restrictions make little sense to many workers whose hours of
employment would fall under the new curfew. “Migrant workers who work at
night will have problems,” said Sai Lao, who works in a Chiang Mai fish
market. “I start my work at 2 a.m. and continue until 11 a.m.”

There are an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 undocumented migrants working
illegally in Chiang Mai.

Since last December, Thai authorities have adopted new restrictions on
migrant workers in Phuket Province in southern Thailand, claiming that the
changes are being made for security reasons. Under the new restrictions
there, migrants are prohibited from using mobile phones.

Officials at the department of employment in Phuket have ordered employers
to inform them of mobile numbers used by migrant workers.

In late March seven right groups, including with MAP Foundation and the
Action Network for Migrants (Thailand), released a joint statement
condemning the implementation of the new regulation for migrant workers.

The statement expressed deep concern over “stringent and discriminatory
local legislation” in four southern provinces of Thailand, including
Phuket, Surat Thani, Ranong and Rayong in eastern Thailand.

“These restrictions regarding movement, access to information and freedom
of assembly furthermore hinder migrant workers in exercising their rights
in accordance with Fundamental ILO [International Labour Organization]
standards,” the statement said.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

April 19, Mizzima News
Non-bank firms warned to stay clear of financial sector

The Burmese military junta has warned private companies outside the
banking sector not to accept deposit accounts, according to a local
weekly.

Executives were warned that the acceptance of deposits is in breach of the
Financial Institutions Law, reported Myanmar Times.

The acceptance of deposit accounts is not an uncommon practice, with at
least 30 companies, including several high profile cases, known to partake
in the enterprise. Under the scheme, for which companies advertise in
public media sources, companies accept deposits to raise funds while
promising to cover the deposits at a monthly interest rate, equivalent in
some cases to greater than a 50 percent annual return.

Arrow Paper Services, maker of the exercise books by the same name,
instigated a deposit account acceptance scheme in March 2006. Managing
director U Zaw Min Oo, speaking to the Myanmar Times, denied that the
deposit accounts placed the company in increased financial jeopardy.
However, 2006 saw sales reach a mere 8.3 percent of their intended target.

Already, according to the Myanmar Times, one prominent Mandalay based
trading company has entered liquidation following the accruement of
massive debts resulting from its actions in the financial industry, and
another Rangoon company is said to be in dire financial straights as a
result of similar activities.

The warning was authorized by Minister of Home Affairs Colonel Tin Hlaing
at a meeting attended by senior executives of companies suspected to be in
violation of the Law.

Concurrently, media organizations were warned to cease in accepting
advertisements from companies involved in such fund raising.

Enacted in July, 1990, the Financial Institutions Law states in Chapter
III, that: "Financial institutions, whether State-owned, jointly owned by
State and private or private shall obtain the prior sanction from the
Central Bank to perform the functions," functions being previously defined
as inclusive of the acceptance of deposit accounts.

Penalties for breach of the Financial Institutions Law range from warnings
to fines to cessation of business activities.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

April 19, Agence France Presse
Myanmar wins rare praise for bird flu action

Down a dirt road in a northeastern Yangon suburb, a large barn stands
empty but for white feathers and piles of chicken excrement that hint at
its former occupants.

The owners hide behind a locked red gate, shaking their heads and refusing
to answer questions.

But nearby residents here in Mayangone Township say these farmers lost
everything when officials in protective clothing came and killed all their
chickens.

This is the site of Myanmar's first bird flu outbreak this year, and for
once the secretive junta is winning praise from the international
community for their response to the potential disaster.

Authorities in this military-run country have confirmed five outbreaks of
the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus across Yangon since February 28, and
have killed nearly 45,000 birds in an attempt to contain the disease.

"I think they are handling it quite professionally. It is the only
advantage of this type of regime, if they decide to seal off, they can be
quite efficient," said one Yangon-based diplomat.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation last month hailed the
government's response as "quick and effective," and the United States,
usually quick to criticise Myanmar, gave the regime 600,000 dollars to
help fight bird flu.

The livestock department has set up a strict monitoring system, and banned
the movement of poultry, eggs and animal feed in affected areas.

A resident living near the first outbreak site described how health
officials in protective suits and masks, accompanied by military
personnel, came to the small city farm and took away two truckloads of
chickens.

"They just said 'this is an outbreak area'," the resident told AFP. "At
first I worried that I would be infected, but now nothing has happened."

Since the outbreak, health officials have returned and educated local
residents about prevention of bird flu and kept the area under
surveillance.

"After the outbreak I didn't eat chicken. The authorities closed the
nearby markets. They don't sell chicken anywhere," the resident added.

At nearby Nandawon market, legs of mutton hang from hooks and flies buzz
around piles of offal, but there is not an egg or a chicken to be seen.
Posters at the entrance warn people to beware of chicken excrement.

Myo Myint Aung, a 37-year-old poultry vendor, said that market officials
came to him on March 3 and told him to stop selling chicken.

"Now I just sell fish and other things. My income decreased about 70
percent," he said, adding that he understood why the authorities took the
drastic action.

"It is a natural disaster, so that's why we understand," he said. "We are
the first ones who can die, we are very close with the birds."

-- Military regime can react "quickly and effectively" --

The World Health Organisation website reports that 170 people have died of
the human strain of bird flu since 2003, most of them in Southeast Asia.
No human cases or deaths have yet been reported in Myanmar.

The last avian flu scare here was in March 2006, when more than 100
outbreaks were reported in the central city of Mandalay. After killing
660,000 birds, authorities last September declared the country free of
bird flu.

Kyaw Nyunt Sein, deputy director general of the health ministry, said no
human cases had been discovered since the Yangon outbreaks.

"We started monitoring about 1,137 people who were in contact with birds,"
he said in a recent interview in the administrative capital Naypyidaw.

"About 371 people are still under surveillance. So far we haven't seen any
positive cases," he said.

One UN official in Myanmar said he was impressed with the regime's
transparency over bird flu, but said a human outbreak would be a disaster
in a country where the health system is in tatters after decades of
underfunding.

"If you look at the infrastructure that exists, if human cases broke out
it would be more difficult than in many other countries in the region," he
said. "It would be close to impossible to contain."

Despite some gloomy predictions, people out and about in affected areas
seem unconcerned, with many asking chicken vendors when they will be able
to buy the meat again.

"We have not seen any human cases so we are not afraid at all. For us, we
get upset when we see it -- seeing is believing," said one jewelry seller
perched behind rows of gold at Nandawon market.

____________________________________
DRUGS

April 19, Shan Herald Agency for News
Increased opium production in the north

Contrary to official claims, northern Shan State that has been under
stringent opium ban since the 2001-2002 season is enjoying a bumper crop
during the latest season which ended last month, according to sources
coming to the border.

Most output, they say, took place in areas under the Burma Army and
pro-Burma Army militia control.

Hundreds of poppy farmers from the United Wa State Army controlled
territory along the Chinese border reportedly moved into the Mawfa area
under the Burma Army command, southwest of Panghsang, following the
zero-production declaration by the Wa leadership in June 2005.

West of the Salween, farmers continued cultivation under firm supervision
of pro-junta militia forces. "We had to either acquire permits from the
local authorities or work as joint ventures with them," said a 60 year
ethnic Chinese farmer with 2 adult children from Mongyaw, Lashio township,
who recently returned from "a joint venture" with the Mongha-Mongheng
militia in the neighboring Tangyan township. "We were also required to
grow it in deep forests and mountainous areas".

One of his Shan neighbors meanwhile disclosed he had been working as a
tenant to a local official from the Kachin Defense Army (KDA), a ceasefire
group favored by the Burma Army. The group is active in Namkham, Muse,
Kutkhai, Hsenwi and Lashio townships.

The product is purchased by agents authorized by the local militia groups.
"Due to extra costs and security measures, prices have certainly gone up,"
said a businessman from Lashio.

"Last year, it was 700,000 kyat ($560) per viss (1.6 kg). But now it's
going up to as much as 1 million kyat ($ 800) in some areas."

He refuted official claim that opium in circulation are essentially from
last year's output. "That is simply not true," he said. "Everyone with a
little opium savvy can see that it's from the latest harvest."

Sources also agree that apart from the rising prices, the traders are
facing very little problems conducting their business. "The results of
course are more abuses, addictions and social problems among the
population, especially among the youth, the future of our country",
complained a local resident of Muse on the Sino-Burma border.

In eastern Shan State, the output is said to be as much as the last
season, despite "some show case destructions" in Mongton. However, in
southern Shan State, the output appeared to have dropped in some places.
"Nothing to do with official crackdown, mind you," said a Shan businessman
who has a home in Thailand. "It's the drought. The rain didn't fall when
the fields needed it."

As a result, opium prices have significantly climbed up. In Kunhing,
southern Shan State, it is 800,000 kyat ($650) per viss, while in Mongton,
eastern Shan State, it has already increased from 20,000 baht ($570) per
viss last month to 25,000 baht ($714).

____________________________________
REGIONAL

April 19, Mizzima News
CBI produces a few arms as evidence in court, but no witnesses - Mungpi

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is prosecuting 34 ethnic
Burmese rebels currently lodged in Presidency jail in Kolkata, today
produced before the court only a few arms out of a long list of arms,
ammunition and boats, which were allegedly seized from the rebels nine
years ago.

The CBI produced seven sealed boxes, about four by two feet in size, and
several other arms including a rocket launcher in a dismantled condition.
However, the prosecution failed to bring any witnesses, the rest of the
arms and ammunition and two speed boats, which were claimed to have been
seized from the rebels.

Judge Ashim Kumar Roy of the City Sessions Court last month directed the
Commander-in-chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to produce in court
on April 18, the weapons and ammunition along with the speed boats and
trawlers, which were allegedly seized from the rebels during an operation
in February 1998.

Failing to produce the arms and ammunition on April 18, the CBI promised
to produce it today before the court.

Akshay Kumar Sharma, one of the defence counsels said the few articles
produced today were not even half of what was claimed to have been seized
from the rebels, who were allegedly accused of 'gunrunning'.

"There is no evidence against these freedom fighters and the prosecution
is just playing with the proceedings. Whenever the time comes to produce
any proof against these people they [the prosecution] come up with some
lame excuses," Sharma said.

"We are saying that there are no weapons, no boats and no trawlers with
them. The whole story is cooked up," Sharma added.

The arms produced by the CBI today were examined by Judge Ashim Kumar Roy
of the City Sessions Court along with the defence counsel and the
prosecutors, and were then sent to the District Commissioner
(Headquarters) for custody.

Siddarth Aggarwal, another defence counsel said the arms produced today
have no authenticity. There is no proof that these are the same arms that
were seized from the rebels. A witness will have to explain the evidence
that was produced today.

"These are some of the pieces that must have been lying around, because
there is no verification of the fact that these are the same ones. But
anyway, the witness will have to come and talk about it," Aggarwal said.

The prosecution, however, failed to produce any witnesses claiming that a
witness has gone to the United Kingdom for training and another witness is
appearing for an examination.

The counsel for the prosecution said that the rest of the arms and
ammunition and the explosives that were allegedly seized from the rebels
are in Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Island . He claimed that it is
'dangerous' to bring them to the court in Kolkata.

The prosecutors also claimed that the two boats, which were allegedly used
by the rebels to bring the arms and ammunition were washed away by the
Tsunami and that the army is still looking for them.

Siddarth said the prosecution is making a mere excuse to get out of a
problem situation and does not believe that there are any arms and
ammunition under the army's custody in Port Blair.

He said unless the boats and trawlers are produced, how can the
prosecutors claim that the rebels were carrying these arms.

"If I am being accused of bringing in certain arms and ammunition, where
are the boats in which I came? Without those boats there is no proof
against me. I cannot bring them by putting them on my shoulders or I
cannot swim with these arms," said Siddarth adding that the prosecution is
using tactics to delay the proceedings.

Following the examination of evidences produced by the CBI, the Judge
Ashim Kumar Roy adjourned the court and fixed the next date of hearing of
witnesses from May 21 to 25.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

April 19, The Guardian
Brown under pressure to get tough on Burma

Gordon Brown's strong condemnation of repression in Burma has raised hopes
that Britain will toughen its stance towards the country's military junta
if and when he becomes prime minister. New initiatives are certainly
needed. After a UN security council resolution, demanding a restoration of
democracy, was vetoed by China and Russia in January, the generals are
growing more confident - and aggressive.

In his new book, Courage: Eight Portraits, Mr Brown lauds the detained
National League for Democracy (NLD) opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
as a fearless prisoner of conscience battling a state "with one of the
worst human rights records in the world, with 1,000 political prisoners
and 500,000 political refugees" where "children as young as four are in
prison" and "poets and journalists (are) tortured just for speaking out".

Mark Farmaner, of Burma Campaign UK, said Mr Brown's highlighting of the
issue was welcome. But sympathy was not enough. "World leaders are really
good at praising Suu Kyi. But they're not very good at listening to what
she is actually saying," he said. "She says there must be concerted
pressure at the UN, tougher targeted sanctions, and international action
to end the attacks on ethnic minorities. We hope Gordon Brown will be
different."

The Conservatives have also seized on Mr Brown's remarks, noting that the
Bush administration has imposed more stringent sanctions on the junta than
has Britain or the EU during 10 years of Blair-Brown leadership. "In the
light of the chancellor's sympathies for the NLD, when can we expect
sanctions banning all EU investment?" asked the shadow foreign minister,
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown.

For many Burmese, the issue grows critical. In recent days mortar
bombardments, part of a renewed offensive against ethnic Karen separatists
by renegade militias allied to the junta, have forced hundreds of
civilians to flee across the border into northern Thailand. Human Rights
Watch warned that the militias, pitted against the breakaway Karen
National Union in Karen state, south-east Burma, appeared poised to attack
Mae La camp, in Thailand, home to 45,000 mostly ethnic Karen Burmese
refugees.

A recent report by the Karen Women's Organisation points to a "systematic
reinforcement" of the junta's military infrastructure across Karen state
and other border states populated by ethnic minorities.

The military's tightening grip, it says, has facilitated a "multiplicity
of human rights violations such as forced labour, rape, beating,
mutilation, torture, murder, denial of rights to food, water and shelter,
and denial of the right to legal address . . . as part of a strategy to
terrorise and subjugate . . . it is clear that rather than abating, the
intensity of these attacks has only increased".

A similar investigation by the Women's League of Chinland also tracks an
expanding military presence and accompanying abuses in Chin state, west
Burma. Sexual abuses were rampant, it said. "These troops are using rape
as a weapon to terrorise local communities." In one recent case reported
from Katchin state, in the north, four teenage girls gang-raped by
soldiers were subsequently charged with prostitution and jailed.

Burma's increasing importance as a source of energy and raw materials for
its neighbours, India and China, is reinforcing the regime's sense of
impunity. And Russia is a principal arms supplier.

While Britain and the EU maintain limited sanctions on the regime, they do
not prohibit non-military bilateral trade and investment. Following the
failure of the UN resolution, the prospect of tougher measures aimed at
Burma by the Association of South-East Asian Nations has faded.

The UN's new leadership has failed to replace its Burma envoy who resigned
last year in protest at the lack of action. And EU foreign ministers are
expected to ignore calls for stronger measures when reviewing the existing
EU "common position" next week - unless, of course, Mr Brown intervenes.

As matters stand, Mr Farmaner said, "it's shaping up to be a good year for
the regime".

____________________________________
STATEMENT

April 17, The 88 Generation Students
New Year message from the 88 Generation Students to all of our citizens

(New Year day, 1369 Myanmar era - Unofficial Translation)

Dear all citizens,

This New Year is ours. On this auspicious occasion, we must resolve to
create our glorious future by ourselves. We have natural resources,
strategic geographical location and valuable human resources. Among our
neighbors or among the international community, we should be proud of our
country.

About sixty years ago, our country has a good start among newly
independent states for social, economic and political development.
Difference of opinion is a basic instinct and a human nature. Political
dispute is natural in politics too. The only important thing is to acquire
opportunity or practice of solving those problems within the framework of
the constitution. Because the disputes were not solved democratically by
constitution but instead by military coup in addition to adoption of
political and economic policies unilaterally, our country has become the
world’s poorest country. All of us are ashamed of this state of affairs.
Dignity of our people and our country has reached its lowest.

Almost twenty years ago, we ourselves had tried to change our country. We
were able to get rid of the single-party dictatorship. After the military
coup, the army itself gave promises to practice multi-party democracy and
market economy due to the effectiveness of our demands. If mutual
understanding and cooperation among our ethnic nationalities and between
the military and the democratic forces were achieved, the momentum of 8888
uprising is such that to be the fundamental driving force for rebirth of
our country.

Distrust, hatred, threat and fears we suffered throughout last year
hindered our country from
proper development. We have to eradicate those bad things from the past.
We must build our political, economic and social life. Among each and
every citizen, among ethnic nationalities, among different groups and
parties, understanding and tolerance must be created. Dialogue must be
initiated. Coming New Year shall be the New Year of genuine dialogue! We
must commence dialogue along individual starting points.

People who could solve their problems by means of negotiations are
civilized people. A country which could solve its problems by means of
negotiations is a civilized country.

All citizens,
Arise!

Sovereign power must descend from our citizens.
We are the masters. We are the owners of the supreme power.
We will build our country by our own hands.
We will recover our dignity by ourselves.
New Year is the New Year for all of us.