BurmaNet News, May 9, 2007

[Editor]

May 9, 2007 Issue # 3200


INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima: India's Naval Chief embarks on Burma visit
Irrawaddy: Prison aid group faces shortage of funds
DVB: Detained rights activist Myint Naing denied medical treatment

ON THE BORDER
Narinjara News: Smuggled Burmese teak seized in Bangladesh

HEALTH / AIDS
AFP: Polio virus detected in Myanmar

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Indian SME exhibition to be held in Myanmar

REGIONAL
AP: Human Rights Watch urges Malaysia to disband volunteer corps, citing
abuse

INTERNATIONAL
Press Association Newsfile: Lords warning on economic sanctions use

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima: Moving beyond rhetoric - May Ng

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 9, Mizzima News
India's Naval Chief embarks on Burma visit - Syed Ali Mujtaba

India's Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehra has embarked on a nine-day tour
of Burma and Singapore to give a leg up to bilateral ties and military
cooperation with the neighbouring countries. His visit begins on
Wednesday.

Heading a high level naval delegation, the Navy Chief delegation will hold
talks with top leaders of the ruling Burmese military junta during his
stay in Rangoon.

"The issue of arms transfer to Myanmar is likely to figure prominently
during the Naval Chief's parleys with SDPC members," a former naval
officer and currently director of India's leading think tank told Mizzima
News on condition of anonymity.

India recently supplied Burma with two Islander Naval surveillance
aircraft as well as small naval gun boats and light artillery guns as part
of its effort to strengthen military ties with Burma.

The strategic importance of Burma in the Indian Ocean has made India look
towards naval cooperation with Burma. A number of Indian naval personnel
have been visiting Burma off late. Former Indian Naval Chief Admiral
Madhvendera Singh had visited the key Burma naval base of Coco Islands in
2003. His successor former Admiral Arun Prakash had visited Burma in
January 2006 where he presented a consignment of communication equipment
to his counterpart.

Admiral Mehra is the second Indian Navy Chief to visit Burma in a year's
time. He will tour Singapore after his visit to Burma , to attend the
International Maritime exhibition. The Indian Navy has sent two warships
to take part in the exhibition.

Cooperation between India and Burmese navies seems to be forgoing ahead.
Two Indian warships, INS Ranjit and ISN Kuthar did joint naval maneuvers
with the Burmese Navy in December 2005. The Indian warships' visit to
Burma ports was the third, in the past three years.

In December 2002, an Indian naval fleet, comprising a submarine and two
destroyers, berthed at the Rangoon Port. Then in September 2003, two more
Indian warships carried out four-day joint naval maneuvers with the
Burmese Navy. In exchange, a Burmese corvette docked at Port Blair to take
part in "Milan 2006." This was the first time in four decades that a
Burmese ship had visited a foreign port.

____________________________________

May 9, Irrawaddy
Prison aid group faces shortage of funds - Htet Aung

A local aid group which mainly provides financial support for political
prisoners in Burma’s prisons is badly in need of funding, according to a
group member.

The group, the opposition National League for Democracy’s Social
Supporting Committee, spends 1.1 million kyat (US $900) monthly on food
and medicines for more than 200 political prisoners.

But increases in transport costs and commodity prices mean that the group
“is facing funding difficulty,” said Aung San Myint, a member of the
committee who won the popular vote in the 1990 election to represent
Myaing Township, Magwe Division.

More than 1,100 political prisoners remain in Burma’s prisons, according
to rights groups. The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) reports that since 1988, 130 political prisoners have
died in prisons owing to lack of proper medical treatment.

Funds are raised by the committee at events organized at NLD headquarters,
art exhibitions and through the sale of paintings. “Although some
businessmen are willing to donate to the committee, they are afraid of
falling victim to the repressive military government,” said another member
of the committee.

“Our committee is now trying to survive mainly with the support of NLD
members,” said Aung San Myint.

AAPP assistant secretary Bo Kyi said the already low standard of health
care in Burma’s prisons had further deteriorated after the International
Committee of the Red Cross suspended visits in 2005.

The official practice of transferring political prisoners to jails in
remote areas of the country was also a major blow for their families and
friends, making it difficult for them to provide food and medical
assistance, said Aung San Myint.

He cited the case of Myo Min Zaw, who was transferred from Mandalay prison
to Putao, north of  Myikyina in Kachin State, removing him still further
from his family in Rangoon.

Two of the founders of the committee are themselves in jail or detention.
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who instructed the NLD to found the
committee in 1989, is under house arrest, while its chairman, Tin Oo, is
in prison. The committee is currently led by NLD chairman Aung Shwe.

____________________________________

May 8, Democratic Voice of Burma
Detained rights activist Myint Naing denied medical treatment

Detained rights activist Ko Myint Naing and five villagers of Oak Pon in
lower Burma’s Henzada township, have been denied medical treatments and
meetings with their family members, according to a source close to them.

Ko Myint Naing, a member of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters and the
villagers were charged with Act 505/B for ‘showing disrespect to the
state’ and ordered to appear in the local court on 2 May where they were
sneakily arrested and detained.

“Today Ko Myint Naing has to see the doctor,” a member of HRDP who doesn’t
want to be identified told DVB. “He is not allowed to see his family. No
medicines, clothes or food are allowed in
No one is allowed to see him. He
is being detained in Henzada Jail by the order of the prison governor and
kept separately from other five people.”

The HRDP today issued a statement saying the action of the authorities is
an act of the violation of human rights, its leader U Myint Aye told DVB.

“We are the people who were beaten up. It was done lawlessly. Our group
members were sent to jail although we were right. And essential food and
medicines were not allowed to be sent. This time we also lost the rights
of prisoners.”

He added that the authorities concerned still haven’t taken any action
against those who perpetrated the brutal attack.

Ko Myint Naing and Ko Maung Maung Lay, from Rangoon, were in Oak Pon on 18
April with several other activists as part of a human rights
awareness-raising campaign when they were brutally bashed by a large group
of people wielding sticks and slingshots filled with metal bolts. They
were saved by a passing car carrying a monk, scaring the attackers away,
and taken to a local hospital by a group of villagers before being
transferred to the neurological wing of Rangoon General the same night.
Subsequently, the village authority chairman sued Ko Myint Naing the
villagers who saved his life.

“I’m still suffering a terrible headache and chest pains due to the sling
shot wounds. Other parts of my body where I was beaten are also still
painful,” said Ko Myint Naing during an interview with DVB soon after he
was discharged from the hospital.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 9, Narinjara News
Smuggled Burmese teak seized in Bangladesh

Smuggled Burmese teak worth about 400,000 taka was seized in the border
town Teknaf by Bangladesh law enforcement as the teak was being
transported on a lorry to Cox's Bazar district town from Teknaf.

A report of a local newspaper on 8 May said the authorities arrested on
Monday a smuggler who is a Bangladeshi national, along with several tons
of teak harvested from Burma.

During the arrest, the smuggler showed a legal permit to carry teak but
the authorities identified the permit as counterfeit and rejected it.

Bangladesh authorities do not usually arrest people who are working in the
timber business in the border area, and many businessmen are involved in
timber in partnership with their Burmese counterparts.

Even though several tons of timber from Burma is exported daily to
Bangladesh by local businessmen, the Burmese military government does not
permit anyone to export timber from Burma to Bangladesh.

However, many local army authorities in Arakan State are involved in the
smuggling of timber in cooperation with local businessmen from Arakan.

During the last few months in the southern Arakanese township Taungup,
three army officials have been suspended by the high army authorities for
their involvement in timber smuggling to Bangladesh.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

May 9, Agence France Presse
Polio virus detected in Myanmar

Yangon: Myanmar has reported a new outbreak of polio near the border with
Bangladesh, the second time the disease has been detected in this
impoverished country in one year, state media reported Wednesday.

Tests by the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the existence of
the virus in western Rakhine state, the New Light of Myanmar said, but the
paper did not reveal how many people had contracted the crippling disease.

The newspaper blamed the reemergence on "certain neighbouring countries
which still have the virus."

There is no cure for polio, which can cause permanent disability or death,
but it has been largely eradicated by a comprehensive vaccine program,
with worldwide cases dropping from 350,000 in 1988 to 1,912 in 2006.

Polio remain endemic in just four countries -- India, Nigeria, Pakistan
and Afghanistan -- according to WHO.

Myanmar was officially declared polio-free in 2000, but in June last year
an 18-month-old boy was diagnosed with the virus near the central city of
Mandalay.

WHO and UNICEF officials met Health Minister Kyaw Myint on Tuesday to
discuss how to curb the spread of polio, the New Light of Myanmar said.

Children under five-years-old living in Rakhine state would be given a
course of the polio vaccine, it said, while the government would work with
Bangladesh on containing the virus.

The fight against polio has been a rare success by Myanmar's dilapidated
health care system.

The country has one of the world's highest caseloads of tuberculosis, with
97,000 new cases detected each year, while malaria is the nation's leading
cause of illness and death

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

May 9, Xinhua General News Service
Indian SME exhibition to be held in Myanmar

Yangon: An Indian small and medium entrepreneurs (SME) exhibition will be
held in Yangon, Myanmar's former capital, late this year, aimed at
boosting bilateral trade and cooperation, the local Newsweek journal
reported Wednesday.

The SME India 2007 exhibition, set on Nov. 25, is also aimed at absorbing
Indian SMEs to invest in Myanmar, the Indo-Myanmar Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (CCI) was quoted as saying.

Myanmar wishes Indian entrepreneurs to invest in such industries as
pharmacy, cement, steel, fertilizer, information and communications
technology and food production, the sources said.

The exhibition will be another Indian event in Yangon after the
Confederation of Indian Industry held a "Made in India" industrial show in
February 2004, in which iron and steel products, construction materials,
medicine and medical equipment, cosmetics, garment, handicraft, leather
ware, farming equipment, electronic products and kitchen ware were
displayed.

The plan of sponsoring the 2007 SME Exhibition India was discussed between
a visiting business delegation of the Indo- Myanmar CCI and its Myanmar
counterpart in September last year.

Relations between Myanmar and India have been growing during the past few
years with cooperation in all sectors, particularly in those of trade and
economy.

The Indian statistics show that Myanmar-India bilateral trade reached 650
million U.S. dollars in the fiscal year 2006-07 which ended in March, up
from 557.68 million dollars in 2005-06.

India stands as Myanmar's 4th largest trading partner after Thailand,
China and Singapore and also Myanmar's second largest export market after
Thailand, absorbing 25 percent of its total exports.

Myanmar figures also show that India's investment in Myanmar had reached
35.08 million dollars in three projects as of September last year, out of
Myanmar's total foreign investment of 14.4 billion dollars since late
1988.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 9, Associated Press
Human Rights Watch urges Malaysia to disband volunteer corps, citing abuse
- Vijay Joshi

Kuala Lumpur: Human Rights Watch has urged the Malaysian government to
disband a feared volunteer force, saying its members are responsible for
violence and numerous cases of illegal detentions, mainly against migrant
workers.

The Ikatan Relawan Rakyat, known by its Malay acronym RELA, has almost
half a million uniformed and armed volunteers working for it. It was set
up in 1972 to maintain public order, but in recent years has primarily
been used to round up illegal migrant workers who fill a severe shortage
of low-income workers in the country.

"Fully uniformed, armed, and unaccompanied by police or immigration
officers, they break into migrant lodgings in the middle of the night
without warrants," Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday.

By law, RELA is allowed to make arrests or enter and search any premises
without a search or arrest warrant. RELA volunteers also have the right to
bear and use firearms, and have effective legal immunity from prosecution.

Human Rights Watch said RELA members "brutalize inhabitants, extort money,
and confiscate cell phones, clothing, jewelry, and household goods, before
handcuffing migrants and transporting them to detention camps for 'illegal
immigrants.'"

"The government has set up what's little more than a vigilante force to
target foreigners," Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, was
quoted as saying. "Given RELA's repeated abuses, it should be disbanded
right away."

The government did not immediately respond to the accusations, and RELA
officials were not available for comment before office hours Wednesday.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said RELA members are known to have
detained refugees, asylum seekers and legal workers, deliberately
destroying their identification cards to legitimize their own behavior.

It cited an April 5 case when RELA members arrested some 20 refugees and
asylum seekers from Myanmar, including at least five who had been
recognized as refugees by the office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees.

In late March, eight members of a RELA team took belongings worth 1,800
ringgit (US$525) from a house. After an investigation, the entire team was
detained on robbery charges.

Also in March, an Indian immigrant was detained and held in custody for
four days, even though he was in the country legally, the statement said.
In another incident, RELA volunteers raided a factory, injuring two
Nepalese workers.

"The Malaysian government fans xenophobia through its use of RELA," said
Adams. "By targeting all foreign migrants, Malaysia undermines its
espoused pan-Asian ethic."

Following a public outcry over reported abuses by RELA, authorities
announced last month that a RELA raiding team leader has to body search
team members to make sure they do not steal or plant evidence. They are
also not allowed to carry mobile phones anymore.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 9, Press Association Newsfile
Lords warning on economic sanctions use - Amanda Brown

Economic sanctions should not be relied on to resolve ongoing disputes
with Iran and North Korea, an all-party House of Lords committee warned
today.

A report by the Economic Affairs committee made clear that previous
attempts by the UK and America to apply sanctions against other countries
have backfired.

Sanctions isolated from other forms of diplomatic pressure are unlikely to
force major policy change and may even be counterproductive, it said.

The measures against Iraq had a major economic impact and generally
weakened the regime. However, the threat of potential invasion and the
continuation of targeted bombing in the 1990s were also important factors
in Iraq's disarmament.

The Committee stressed the immense human cost of sanctions in Iraq. The
use of comprehensive sanctions forced the population to rely on food
rations distributed by the government.

The Committee said this not only caused terrible hardship for the
population but actually strengthened the regime in terms of domestic
control by giving it a new instrument of political pressure and control.

The Committee also criticised the UK's use of sanctions against Burma. It
argued that the policy of discouraging trade, investment and tourism hit
the economy generally and harmed ordinary Burmese people and so could not
accurately be described as targeted sanctions.

Sanctions against Burma achieved no progress towards democratisation or
respect for human rights there. And neither the UK Government nor the EU,
while both desire democratic change, expected the current sanctions to
bring this about.

Sanctions were instead used to demonstrate disapproval of the regime.

The Committee pointed out that this directly contradicted the Government's
principle that sanctions should have ``clear objectives, including well
defined and realistic demands against which compliance can be judged and a
clear exit strategy''.

Peers recommended that the Government undertook an urgent assessment of
the effects of sanctions against Burma, as they could be causing
significant hardship to the Burmese people, without clear goals or ways of
measuring the impact on the targeted regime.

And the operation of sanctions needed to be examined more rigorously.

The committee argued that comprehensive sanctions hurt the population of
the affected country more than the targeted regime; they doubted
humanitarian exemptions could correct that.

Peers also argued that the Government should now ensure that any sanctions
it is involved in are subject to the UN's humanitarian assessment
procedures. The results of this assessment should be made public, as
should the objectives the sanctions are intended to achieve.

The Committee also called for a regular Parliamentary review of sanctions
so that MPs and Peers could consider whether they are achieving their
intended goals.

The report also cast doubt on the effectiveness of sanctions against North
Korea in persuading it to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

It pointed out that North Korea's plutonium facilities, which had been
frozen, were unfrozen and mobilised following the introduction of American
sanctions by President Bush.

The report endorsed the Government's support for a package of measures for
North Korea, including the phasing out of sanctions, in return for it
renouncing nuclear weapons. They state that, however distasteful the
regime, such a deal is preferable to the dangers of a nuclear armed
confrontation.

On Iran, the Lords support the EU's Framework Agreement and its incentive
rather than sanction based approach. They argue its only weakness is the
lack of US support and urge the Government to make very effort to secure
US backing.

Reliance on economic sanctions to resolve the disputes with Iran and North
Korea would be a recipe for failure. They argue for a pragmatic approach
combining a lifting of sanctions, economic incentives, diplomatic
recognition and security guarantees in return for verifiable reciprocal
steps from North Korea and Iran.

Chairman of the committee Lord Wakeham said: ``It is clear that economic
sanctions used in isolation are unlikely to work.

``Sanctions can have a major economic impact. However, the effect of
poorly targeted sanctions can often be to strengthen the position of the
regime in power as they assume closer control over the national resources
diminished by the sanctions. This was the case in Iraq in the early 1990s
and the effect was disastrous for the Iraqi people.

``Even so-called ``targeted'' sanctions have been relatively ineffective.
The Government must now look again at all sanctions in which it is
involved to ensure they are achieving their aims.

``It is important Parliament is involved in this process to provide an
adequate scrutiny of how sanction regimes are performing.

``Our report has made clear that economic sanctions cannot be relied on in
the ongoing disputes with Iran and North Korea. We need a more
sophisticated approach that combines carrot and stick. The EU's framework
agreement on Iran provides a model for this and the British Government
should use its influence to persuade America to give the initiative its
support.''

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 9, Mizzima News
Moving beyond rhetoric - May Ng

In the spring of 2006, Chinese President Hu Juntao told President George
Bush that for Kim Jong II of North Korea to consider Chinese style reform,
he will need to be reassured by a guarantor such as the United States.
Soon after, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi also repeated the same
sentiment, because, even though China is a supporter of Kim Jong II, these
two countries also share mutual suspicion.

China clearly plays a crucial role in the United States' efforts, in
combating terrorism, limiting nuclear proliferation, confronting North
Korea and Iran nuclear crisis, energy security, and global environment.

Similar to the political stand off in Iran and North Korea, the UNSC
resolution calling for political reconciliation in Burma was defeated by a
dual veto by China and Russia in January.

The alliance between China and Russia, however, is not permanent and
secure as it seems. Russia is once again arming itself with petro dollars
and will assert its power close to China 's territory. And many leaders in
the world are still unsure of the implication of the China's fast rise in
economic and military power.

Recently, Singapore 's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong asked President
George Bush to strengthen ties with Association of South-East Asian
Nations because ASEAN does not want to take sides but maintain friendship
with both China and U.S.

President George W Bush has agreed for the first time to attend Asia
Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in Sydney, in a sign that Washington
is taking an alternate path to a bilateral approach, with multilateral
engagement, to advance US agendas abroad. This will enhance the leverage
for the United States in persuading China to behave according to
international norms, concerning various issues, including its relationship
with Burma.

While China maintains a stable bilateral relationship with the U.S., at
the same time it has advanced its global interest with multi-polarity.
China 's diplomacy of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence by Zhou
Enlai is moving toward a 'harmonious, world' on its own term. China's
influence is growing and emerging into an engaged and assertive power.
China is developing economic and political ties with all its neighbours
and more or less has developed a peaceful zone to pursue its economic and
political agendas, globally.

But, even in Asia , China's political influence is still limited to
counterbalancing U.S. power and building a network of Global-China
political, economic, and security links. Domestically, Communist Party
leaders depend on sustained economic growth and nationalism, to justify
their hold on political power, for their claim on the party's past
political legitimacy is weakening.

When it comes to Burma , western intellectuals tend to approach it like
the tourists, who visit Burma and return home with romantic notions of
rustic antiquated tranquility but their own sense of personal security
'intact'. They are unable to comprehend the spirit of revolt in the hearts
of most Burmese living under a brutal military regime, daily.

Martin Moorland, the former British ambassador to Burma said that "there
was a degree of repression in the Burmese system which I thought the
Burmese people took for granted and I discovered in 1988 they did nothing
of the kind. My assumptions had been wrong. They wanted the same human
rights, broadly speaking, as we want in the West."

Some scholars have argued for cooperation with the military, instead of
relying on punitive sanctions, to open up Burma. They based their
rationale on successful past experiences with authoritarian regimes in
countries such as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, where outside engagements
have played important roles in bringing them out of isolation, repression
and poverty.

The argument that sanctions drive totalitarian government, like the
Burmese junta, inward and prolong the suffering of its people, though may
be valid, is only part of the reason for the crisis in Burma.

Unlike other nations, including North Korea, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, and
China, where a more accommodating approach by the US and the western
nations have produced favourable outcomes, the argument for engaging with
the military in Burma, has not gained popular support. Major parties to
this proposal, the political oppositions in Burma, and the US and EU, are
not persuaded that accommodating brutal military government in Myanmar is
a good idea.

The junta's fear of advancing the education of possible challengers to
their power, and their fear for enhancing the coffers of political
opposition, guarantees that engagement alone, with Myanmar military, is
going to be futile.

Even though downplayed by some, the question of Myanmar military regime's
lack of political legitimacy cannot be erased or forgotten. No other
government, including North Korea's Kim Jong II, has lost control of its
political legitimacy, the way the Myanmar military junta did, in 1988, and
1990. Political oppression in Burma is aimed at erasing the memory of 1990
election and the 1988 mandate for democracy.

Lawmakers in United States as well as lawmakers from Cambodia, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, maintain that as elected
representatives they offer unequivocal support to the elected
representatives of Burma.

Zaid Ibrahim, chairman of the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Myanmar Caucus
formed in 2004 to push for democratic reforms in Myanmar, said that, "we
have made our position clear and repeatedly urged Myanmar authorities to
free Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Burmese political opposition. This is
a common ASEAN position." Zaid urged ASEAN, especially members with close
economic ties with Myanmar, to press their leaders to listen to their
appeals.

Southeast Asian nations and the European Union reached a breakthrough last
Friday to begin a free trade talk after more than two years of wrangling
over military-ruled Myanmar's poor human rights record. If United States
engages China while ASEAN, EU, India and Japan are paying attention, China
might agree to behave responsibly as a major political stake holder.

As China achieves staggering economic progress it also faces an immense
domestic and international challenge to become a responsible power. United
States as the most powerful nation can play a role of firm and confident
partner, to ensure that China succeeds in this endeavour.

Since China 's destruction of its weather satellites in space, the
advances made recently in Chinese and US strategic cooperation has cooled
and the pressure on China to play the role of a responsible stake holder
in global power is mounting. But as Bates Gill and Martin Kleiber said,
"Washington and Beijing's futures seem destined to become more deeply
entwined and their relations to profoundly affect global security and
prosperity for decades to come. And China 's growing weight in world
affairs means that Beijing must do more to demonstrate its stated
intentions."

Because present Chinese leadership depends on sustained economic growth to
justify their hold on power, China maintains economic and military ties
with other governments regardless of their records.

Diplomacy of Peaceful Coexistence and 'One World, One Dream' slogan rings
hollow without China's show of concern for humanity around the world, in
places like Darfur and Burma. Blood stains on the 2008 Olympics, in
Beijing, will not be glossed over by gleaming sidewalks and correct
English language street-signs alone. The whole world will be watching
China beyond its façade.

While there is still opportunity, United States must ask China to be
accountable for its role in supporting the brutal government in Myanmar.
With China's cooperation, United States might be able to convince the
military junta in Myanmar to finally come out of their bunkers.