BurmaNet News, June 19, 2007

[Editor]

June 19, 2007 Issue # 3229

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi celebrates birthday under house arrest
Irrawaddy: Possible reshuffles in Naypyidaw’s quarterly meeting
Irrawaddy: Burmese authorities confiscate unlicensed cars

DRUGS
SHAN: Poppy areas swell in Shan south

REGIONAL
Jakarta Post: India hopes military-ruled Myanmar will keep its democracy
promises
Mizzima News: Eminent Indians call for release of 34 Burmese rebels
Bangkok Post: In support of the Lady of Burma: Suu Kyi marks her 62nd
birthday today, still under house arrest

INTERNATIONAL
Japan Economic: Japanese peace boat passengers call for release of
Myanmar's Suu Kyi
BBC Burmese Service: British PM call on release of Burmese democratic leader
Mizzima News: Burma continues to sink on Failed States Index

OPINION / OTHER
Wall Street Journal: A Burmese birthday - Laura Bush
Irrawaddy: It’s time to free Suu Kyi
Boston Globe: Aid and sanctions in Burma - Chris Beyrer and Eric Stover
The Nation: Aung San Suu Kyi fights on

STATEMENT
People’s Justice Party: ASEAN must take stronger measures against Burma
Taiwan female politicians: Free Aung San Suu Kyi

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

June 19, Irrawaddy
Suu Kyi celebrates birthday under house arrest - Saw Yan Naing

Burma's most well-know pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, celebrated
her 62nd birthday under house arrest o­n Tuesday while her supporters
celebrated in her National League for Democracy’s headquarters in Rangoon.

According to Myint Thein, a spokesman for NLD, about 100 people—most
likely from the government-backed Union Solidarity and Development
Association and the “Swan Arr Shin,” a paramilitary group—were gathered
outside NLD’s headquarters when Suu Kyi’s birthday was celebrated.

He said: “A military truck monitored the area and gave orders to the group
around NLD’s headquarters. About 100 people were around the area with
batons. We saw many threats. If they don’t stop actions like this, it’s
not a good sign for the country's national reconciliation.”

Three NLD’s members who attended the celebration were arrested by
authorities, he added.

Sources in Rangoon said that authorities began reinforcing security near
Suu Kyi’s Inya lakeside residence and extended barbed wire barricades o­n
her street since Monday night.

Other NLD members in Shwebo in Mandalay Division also were threatened by a
military-backed mob that threw stones at the Mandalay NLD office and
placed sharp rivets that can puncture a motorbike's tire o­n a road near
the building, according to Tint Tint, an NLD member.

Suu Kyi has spent more than 11 of the past 17 years under house arrest.
The latest round of house arrest began o­n May 30, 2003, when her
motorcade was ambushed by a government-orchestrated mob in Depayin, in
Burma’s northwest Sagaing Division.

However, an article written on Tuesday in state-run newspaper The New
Light of Myanmar criticized the democracy leader: “Daw Suu Kyi destroys
the country and breaks up the unity of ethnic minorities inside the
country. She is also a main factor in the murder of her father. She
married a foreigner. She is a destroyer.”

Despite calls from the leaders of various countries and activists
worldwide, there is no sign of Burma’s military government will release
her, according to Aung Naing Oo, an exiled Burmese political analyst.

“The military sees Aung San Suu Kyi as a main rival for political power,"
he said. "Yet there is no hope for her release.”

____________________________________

June 19, Irrawaddy
Possible reshuffles in Naypyidaw’s quarterly meeting - Khun Sam

Burma’s top generals have been holding a quarterly military meeting in
Naypyidaw and have sparked speculation among Burmese military analysts of
a possible major reshuffle in the regime.

“We heard this round of the quarterly meeting will probably have
significant changes,” Htay Aung, a Burmese military researcher for the
Network for Democracy and Development based in exile told The Irrawaddy
o­n Tuesday.

The meetings, which began o­n June 12, include about 80 high-raking
military leaders including members of the State Peace and Development
Council, regional commanders, top military brass from the War Office and
cabinet members.

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese military analyst based o­n the China-Burma
border, said he expects that among the 13 regional military commanders
some four or five will be replaced with new successors. Regional
commanders are in a "second tier" following SPDC members.

“Some of them will go to the cabinet and some to the defense ministry,” he
said.

Analysts also speculated the junta might appoint a new prime minister to
fill the absence of ailing premier Gen Soe Win who reportedly suffers from
leukemia and is now in Singapore for medical treatment. Last month,
state-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar for the first time described
the regime’s secretary 1 Lt-Gen Thein Sein who is in charge of the
government-sponsored National Convention as “acting premier.”

There has been no official announcement of the transfer of positions so far.

“I suppose Thein Sein is likely to be prime minister,” Htay Aung speculated.

Usually quarterly meetings last for weeks and often produce major
reshuffles in the cabinet and military hierarchy. After the last quarterly
meeting in Naypyidaw which took place in September last year, the junta
announced changes in the structure of the administrative bodies at the
local level.

____________________________________

June 19, Irrawaddy
Burmese authorities confiscate unlicensed cars - Shah Paung

The Burmese authorities in Karen State are confiscating unlicensed cars
and issuing ultimatums to local car owners to hand over their unregistered
car to the police, according to car owners and residents.

“This weekend the authorities began ordering us to hand over our
unlicensed vehicles to them by the end of this month,” said a car owner in
Myawaddy, the Thailand-Burma border town opposite Mae Sot said. “No o­ne
likes to give their car to them.”

Now unlicensed car owners in Myawaddy are afraid to use their cars. Some
cars have already been confiscated.

A car owner whose car was confiscated said, “I know more than 10 cars have
been confiscated by authorities in Myawaddy alone, including my car.”

He said he tried to get his car back but failed. He said he was told the
confiscated cars have been taken to a police station in Pa-an, the capital
of Karen State.

According to a car owner at Three Pagoda Pass, opposite Thailand's
Sangkhlaburi District in Kanchanaburi Province, car owners there are
hiding their cars, but the confiscation operation has apparently not yet
started in that area.

The Thailand-Burma border at Mae Sot-Myawaddy and Three Pagoda Pass are
the main gateways in the black market for importing unlicensed cars to
Burma. Most import cars are Nissan, Toyota, Suzuki and Honda.

The border price of a Nissan car is between 60,000 baht (US $1,700) to
70,000 baht ($2,000); a Toyota Hilux Tiger Extra-Cab sells for more than
100,000 baht ($2,900). For Suzuki and Honda is prices are between 30,000
($800) to 40,000 baht ($1,100).

According to a car trader in Rangoon, an unlicensed Toyota brand is priced
between 5,000,000 kyat ($4,000) to 6,000,000 kyat ($4,700) while a
licensed car sells for between 130 million kyat ($103,000) and 140 million
kyat ($110,000).

The authorities are also reportedly searching car garages in Rangoon that
are suspected of buying unlicensed cars and supplying them with rebuilt
engines and improved exteriors.

A Myawaddy source close to Karen ceasefire groups and the Burmese
authorities said many cars have been confiscated in areas such as Kyaikto,
Thaton and Moulmein of Mon State and Kawkareik, Myawaddy and Pa-an of
Karen State.

He said the cars were sent to Naypyidaw, the junta's new capital, to
provide transportation to government staff in the police force, the Bureau
of Special Investigation, the Crime Department, the Special Branch and the
Anti- Narcotic Task Force.

The Burmese military government started cracking down o­n unlicensed cars
after the dismantling of the military intelligence department o­nce headed
by the former Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt who was ousted in October,
2004.

____________________________________
DRUGS

June 19, Shan Herald Agency for News
Poppy areas swell in Shan south

As the 26 June deadline drew near, farmers in southern Shan State under
the sway of two allied ceasefire groups had appeared to have increased the
size of their fields during the last poppy season that ended in March,
according to a recent report filed by Ethnic Youth Network Group.

More than 6,000 acres of land in Hsihseng, Mawkmai and Faikhun (Pekhon)
townships had been grown, compared to an estimated 4,000 acres during the
2005-06 season. "This was in spite of stern warnings by the PaO National
Organization (PNO) and Shan State Nationalities Peoples Liberation
Organization (SNPLO) forbidding farmers to grow, unlike previous years
within public view," said a member of the EYNG who is active inside Burma.

The PNO areas, officially Shan State Special Region #6, has been declared
to be opium-free beginning this year, according to UN World Food Program
(WFP) which is granting food assistance to ex-poppy farming communities in
Shan State.

Apart from the PNO, SNPLO and KNG (Kayan National Guard, another ceasefire
group), farmers were required to pay "appropriate kickbacks" to Light
Infantry Battalions (LIBs) 423, 424, 425, 426 and other units under
Faikhun-based Military Operations Command (MOC) # 7, says the report.

At least 4 heroin refineries are also believed to be located in the areas.
Further details however are yet to be uncovered by the group. "We will
need more time and resources," said the member.

The EYNG findings were in line with SHAN report Ceasefire group poised
between quitting and continuation, 24 April 2007.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

June 19, Jakarta Post
India hopes military-ruled Myanmar will keep its democracy promises

India says it has no ambition to export ideologies and values to other
countries, including Myanmar, saying that the people of each country
should decide what type of government they want

Responding to a question about India's stance on the human rights
situation in Myanmar, Indian Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee
said India would continue to develop a stronger relationship with Myanmar
as it believes shortcomings in some sectors should not hinder cooperation
in others

Mukherjee was speaking at a program organized by the Indonesian Council on
World Affairs on Monday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jakarta

His speech was titled "India's Growing Engagement with East Asia"

Mukherjee said that as Myanmar is the only Southeast Asian country to
share a land border with India, several Indian insurgent groups operate
out of Myanmar

"That is why we need Myanmar's cooperation to deal with these insurgents,"
Mukherjee, who was in Indonesia on a two-day official visit, said

He said India has cooperated with Myanmar in many areas, including
building infrastructure such as roads and ports and oil and gas
exploration

"We have strong economic relations with Myanmar and we should consider all
aspects of the relationship. However, we hope that Myanmar keeps its own
promise of moving toward a democratic path," he said

Many experts have said India's increasing involvement in Myanmar has been
driven by fear that if it leaves the country, the junta will lean closer
to China

While India may have a stable political system with democratic credentials
and a burgeoning economy, it is surrounded by countries with serious
problems

After explaining the current situations in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,
Mukherjee said India wanted its neighbors to resolve their problems
peacefully as it would never interfere in the domestic affairs of
sovereign states or force its own values on them

However, he said India has been helping Sri Lanka in the area of defense
by providing training to Sri Lankan troops in Indian defense institutions

Mukherjee said although India has had long-running problems in relation to
its border with China, the two countries have agreed to foster economic
relations

"While we remain fully conscious of our outstanding differences with
China, including on the boundary question, the basic paradigm of our
approach is to seek development ties, without allowing these differences
to define the agenda of our relationship," Mukherjee said

He said that while some degree of healthy competition between the two
countries was inevitable, particularly in the area of trade and commerce,
India believed there was enough space and opportunity in the region and
beyond for both India and China to grow together

"In our view, the India-China partnership is an important determinant for
regional and global peace and development and for Asia's emergence as the
political and economic center of the new international order," Mukherjee
said

The two countries established a strategic and cooperative partnership for
peace and prosperity during the visit of China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao
to India in 2005

Mukherjee also said India wants to establish close ties between regional
organizations

"We would like to have institutional linkages between SAARC (South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations)," Mukherjee said

____________________________________

June 19, Mizzima News
Eminent Indians call for release of 34 Burmese rebels - Nem Davies

A group of eminent Indians yesterday called on the government of India to
release 34 Burmese ethnic rebels, arrested and detained for the past nine
years.

The Solidarity Committee for Burma's Freedom Fighters, headed by Dr (Col)
Lakshmi Sehgal, of the former Indian National Army, on Monday said the
rebels, currently lodged in Kolkata's Presidency jail, are freedom
fighters of Burma, whose rulers are infamous for repression against its
citizens.

Surendra Mohan, prominent socialist politician and also member of the
committee, speaking to reporters at a press conference organized by the
Committee in New Delhi, said the Burmese rebels were "victims of the shift
in India's policy towards the Myanmar [Burmese] military junta."

He along with other panelist, Sumit Chakravarty, a senior journalist,
called on the government of India to release the Burmese nationals.

The 34 Burmese rebels, who were members of National Unity Party of Arakan
and Karen National Union, ethnic armed resistant groups fighting against
the Burmese military regime, were arrested by Indian security forces at
Andaman and Nicobars Island in February 1998.

The Indian defense establishment claims that the rebels were caught during
a joint military exercise codenamed 'Operation Leech' which involved the
army, navy, air force and the coastguard.

The Defence Ministry also claimed that a huge cache of arms and
ammunitions were seized from the rebels and alleged that they were
'gunrunners'. The group was arrested and detained without proper trial in
Andaman and Nicobars islands for the past eight years.

However, following appeals by human rights activists, the Supreme Court in
October 2006 ordered the case to be transferred to a court in Kolkata. The
trial is in the City Sessions court in Kolkata since early this year.

Mohan, said, "Our appeal is that democracy should be restored in Burma and
the cases of these freedom fighters must be expeditiously decided."

According to the panelists, speaking at the launch of the Solidarity
Committee's second publication titled "Celebrating Solidarity" in New
Delhi, the trial of the Burmese nationals began at the City Sessions Court
in Kolkata and is currently at the stage of examining the prosecutor's
witnesses.

Akshay Kumar Sharma, the defense counsel for the rebels, told Mizzima that
the allegations made by the prosecutors comes with little evidence as
several key witnesses failed to show up to testify in court.

"No important witnesses but only formal witnesses came. Important
witnesses like the defence officer, who was actually said to have
participated in the so-called operation, are not coming to the court,"
Sharma said.

The next court examination of prosecutor's witnesses has been fixed for
July 2, 3 and 4. Judge Ashim Kumar Roy, has, ordered the prosecutors to
bring the arms and ammunitions, allegedly seized from the rebels, and also
to summon main witnesses to the court.

According to the rebels, they were promised that they could set up a base
on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in exchange for the several years that
the Indian defence establishment had used them to monitor Chinese naval
activities.

The rebels claimed that they were betrayed by the Indian defenxe
establishment, who brutally murdered six of their key leaders in Landfall
Island , prior to their arrest.

The solidarity committee, formed early this year to secure the release of
the Burmese nationals, in its booklet said, "We believe that our struggle
for the release of the Myanmarese [Burmese] freedom fighters is an
integral part of our own struggle for a more meaningful democracy in our
country."

Mohan, urging the Indian government to take a positive role towards
Burma's democracy movement said, "we believe that our support for Aung San
Suu Kyi and other freedom fighters is important not as an act of
solidarity but also in our own national interest."

____________________________________

June 19, Bangkok Post
In support of the Lady of Burma:
Suu Kyi marks her 62nd birthday today, still under house arrest - Achara
Ashayagachat

Today, Thais join people in 16 other countries in commemorating the 62nd
birthday of the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Aung
San Suu Kyi, by demanding that China modify its unquestioning support for
the Burmese junta.

Beijing, as usual, will turn a deaf ear to such a request saying the
"lady" is an internal issue for neighbouring Burma and China has no room
to intervene.

Such a reaction will again leave activists fuming around the globe.

Burmese dissidents and democracy advocates firmly believe that only China,
one of the five veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security
Council, can secure the release of all Burmese political prisoners,
including Mrs Suu Kyi, head of the National League for Democracy (NLD), if
it really wants to.

Earlier this year, hopes for a constructive change in Burma were raised
when the UN Security Council held its first-ever vote on Burma _ a US
sponsored resolution which garnered enough votes to pass but was vetoed by
China, the Burmese military regime's primary benefactor, selling it
weaponry and importing massive quantities of natural resources, and
Russia.

Naturally, the gigantic country is unlikely to do anything to upset the
Burmese dictatorship just for the sake of the "Gandhi of Southeast Asia".

"Chinese diplomacy is very subtle. We are hearing, and will continue to
hear, more harsh words against Burma in response to international calls
for China to convince its next-door neighbour that what it was doing was
unacceptable. But, in return, we only see some piecemeal collaboration on
HIV/Aids and other human security issues, not on Suu Kyi or other touchy
political subjects," said Burma expert Pornpimon Trichot from
Chulalongkorn University's Institute of East Asian Studies.

"This is because Burma is now also an important strategic energy ally of
Beijing as it has abundant oil and gas reserves. An economic free-port is
also being created in Rangoon by Beijing, Pornpimon Trichot said.

Mrs Suu Kyi has devoted her life to a peaceful struggle against the
Burmese junta that ignored her landslide victory in the general election
of May 1990. She was first placed under house arrest in 1989 and confined
without charges for six years. Her second house arrest began in September
2000 and lasted for 18 months. She was then re-arrested in 2003.

Prior to the fourth yearly house-arrest extension last month, the world
had seen an unprecedented appeal for Suu Kyi's release by 59 former
presidents and prime ministers from around the world, including Chuan
Leekpai. The appeal was also supported by every single living US president
and those throughout Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

Yet, China and Burma remain unperturbed. Burma has said its "road map to
democracy" laid out in 2003 by former prime minister Khin Nyunt was still
on. The constitution-drafting session on July 18 will be the fifth one.
With its leaders in detention, the NLD has boycotted the convention since
its May 2004 resumption. The party instead insists on the convening of a
parliamentary session involving those who were elected in the 1990 general
election, in which the NLD won 392 out of the 485 seats but was barred
from assuming power.

Still, Sann Aung, a 1990-elected MP in exile, remains hopeful that change
is in the making.

"China has gradually opened lines of communications with Burmese
dissidents and is receptive to their voices. China cannot stay isolated
for decades where Burma is concerned.

"They also want to put things in order along the border to curb the
illicit trade of goods, logging and drugs, not to mention humans," said
Sann Aung.

Night prayers for a peaceful transition to democracy, gatherings to call
for Mrs Suu Kyi's release in Burma's major cities, and the release of
statements from the 88 Generation, middle-aged and older Burmese who
played a key role in democratic protests in 1988 have gradually become a
real challenge to the military regime in Burma.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

June 19, Japan Economic Newswire
Japanese peace boat passengers call for release of Myanmar's Suu Kyi

Passengers traveling on the Japanese peace boat called Tuesday for the
release of detained Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi after
hanging a huge banner with birthday wishes for her on the side of the
ship.

The Peace Boat, which set sail from Yokohama and Kobe earlier this month,
arrived in Singapore early Tuesday from Danang, Vietnam with more than
1,000 mainly Japanese passengers.

It is on the second leg of a three-month voyage to 20 countries to promote
peace in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 30-meter banner on the side of the vessel berthed beside the harbor in
central Singapore carried the slogan "Happy Birthday Aung San Suu Kyi."

The display of banners with political overtones is generally not allowed
in the tightly regulated city-state except during election season.

The police are known to order anyone who displays politically, racially or
religiously provocative posters outside shops or buildings to remove them.

Street demonstrations and politically-motivated public assembly of five
people or more, without police permits, are illegal.

A petition calling for Suu Kyi's release has been signed by about 650
passengers, passengers said at a press conference at a corner of a public
area in the Singapore Cruise Center.

Her posters were prominently displayed on the wall behind them, and at the
end of the conference, about a dozen people from Japan and other Asian
countries unfurled a large banner with her picture on it, and loudly
chanted, "Free Burma, Free Aung San Suu Kyi" three times.

The lack of democracy and human rights in Myanmar was one of the main
issues discussed in a forum on board the ship over the last five days.

A young pro-democracy Myanmar supporter living in self-exile was also on
board the ship.

Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of Peace Boat, urged the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations to press more for Suu Kyi's release this year
in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of its establishment and its
plans to adopt an ASEAN charter this year.

"I really hope that as soon as possible she will be released and we can
achieve a free and democratic Asia-Pacific society," he said.

He also warned of the dangers of a remilitarized Japan as he expressed
concern about any attempt to revise Article 9 of the Japanese
Constitution, which renounces war and Japan's right to maintain armed
forces.

Khin Ohmar, a 38-year-old Burmese who is chair for the Network for
Democracy and Development that has been pushing for democracy in Myanmar,
said, "The Burmese problem is not only internal anymore. ASEAN, if we are
going to stand together as a region, needs to solve those existing
problems. Burma stands as a major block for the region to move forward as
a democratic region. It's an illegitimate military regime."

Suu Kyi, under house arrest since 2003, turned 62 on Tuesday.

____________________________________

June 19, BBC Burmese Service
British PM call on release of Burmese democratic leader

More than 11 years of past 17 years, Daw Suu has been detained. A day
before Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair
called on the Burmese generals to release her.

The British foreign office minister Ian McCartey told BBC that the PM
believed that, only by releasing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political
prisoners, could Burma move towards inclusive national reconciliation, the
restoration of democracy and full respect of human rights.

Mr. McCartey also told that Britain can work together with international
community to see democratic change in Burma.

____________________________________

June 19, Mizzima News
Burma continues to sink on Failed States Index - Christopher Smith

For the third year running Burma's position on the annual Failed States
Index rose, indicating declining conditions inside the country and
strengthening claims that Burma is, in fact, a failed state.

Burma's cumulative score in the 2007 rankings worsened by 2.6 percent,
boosting its positional ranking from 18 to 14, just one position behind
North Korea. In 2005 Burma polled 23.

The country received exceptionally poor scores in the categories of Group
Grievance and Delegitimization of the State, acknowledging the plight of
ethnic and fringe communities and focusing attention on the undemocratic
nature of governance by the military junta.

However its lowest score was reserved for Human Rights, receiving a mark
of 9.8 out of 10 and bested only by Sudan.

Of the 60 worst countries on the list of 177, Burma did receive the best
score in terms of External Intervention. Yet this only further signifies
that Burma's current dire position is largely of its own making.

Foreign Policy magazine, distributor of the Index, lays a good portion of
the blame for failure at the doorstep of the poor government. "Though many
events—natural disasters, economic shocks, an influx of refugees from a
neighboring country—can lead to state failure, few are as decisive or as
deadly as bad leadership."

"In order for the country's situation to improve, the junta will have to
follow through with the promised political reforms, including opening up
the political system and freeing Aung San Suu Kyi. It must also institute
sweeping economic reforms, including reduced government and military
intervention in the economy," according to the Fund for Peace, conductor
of the survey.

Sudan topped the list for the second consecutive year.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

June 19, Wall Street Journal
A Burmese birthday - Laura Bush

Today in Rangoon, Burma, a national hero celebrates her 62nd birthday --
alone. She is separated from her children abroad; when her husband was
dying from cancer, he was forbidden to be near her. Her only well-wishers
today are armed guards, who hide her from the rest of the world.

Thus have many of the last 17 birthdays passed for Aung San Suu Kyi. Since
1990, Burma's military junta has held the nation's democratically elected
leader as a captive in her own home -- and in May, Gen. Than Shwe extended
the house arrest by another year. For Burmese who are less well-known, the
treatment can be even worse: The regime's abuses have spawned more than
500,000 internally displaced persons and sent hundreds of thousands
fleeing the country. Children are pressed into service as laborers, and
reports indicate that the rape of girls is commonplace.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reports that detainees
are subject to unspeakable torture: vicious beatings and rapes,
confinement for months with rope and shackles, forced crawls across sharp
metal and glass. Three university students were arrested for possessing
educational CDs on human rights distributed by Amnesty International. A
National League for Democracy member was sentenced to 14 years just for
giving a fellow university student a list of Ms. Suu Kyi's awards.

Yet despite the ongoing horrors, supporters of a free Burma have new
reasons for hope. A new generation of dissidents is advancing the twin
causes of Ms. Suu Kyi's release and Burma's peaceful transition to
democracy. They are led by members of Ms. Suu Kyi's NLD party, and the 88
Generation Students, who first won respect when they challenged military
rule as university students 19 years ago.

Over the last year, dissidents like Su Su Nwe and Phyu Phyu Thinn have
helped bring unprecedented vigor and coordination to the pro-democracy
movement. In 2004 and 2005, the regime released key 88 Generation leaders
it had detained as political prisoners, including Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi
and Htay Kywe. Recently, the 88 Generation launched a month-long
letter-writing drive, in which tens of thousands of people sent complaints
about their daily hardships to Gen. Than Shwe. Last October, 500,000
people signed a petition pleading for the release of Burma's 1,100
political prisoners -- including Ms. Suu Kyi. And on May 27, the
anniversary of Ms. Suu Kyi's electoral victory, more than 1,000 people
assembled for a prayer procession to Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda. When the
regime's mob blocked their way and assaulted the demonstrators, the
activists turned the peaceful march into a massive political rally. It was
the largest pro-democracy gathering in Burma since 1996.

The young opposition's new sense of urgency is well-timed: Gen. Than Shwe
and his aging deputies are becoming obsolete. In their late 70s, they
suffer from ill health -- for which they seek state-of-the-art treatment
in Singapore, even as they deny their own citizens basic health services.
Recently, the junta relocated its capital from Rangoon to the remote
jungle town of Nay Pyi Taw.

President Bush has called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of
Ms. Suu Kyi, most recently at a dissidents' conference in Prague. When I
met last month with the Chargé d'Affaires of our Embassy in Burma, Shari
Villarosa, she told me that she keeps an open door to Burmese dissidents
and activists. And just last week, Sens. Mitch McConnell and Dianne
Feinstein introduced the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, which
reauthorizes U.S. sanctions on the junta. President Bush looks forward to
signing this bill into law.

The international community also keeps vigil. The Burmese regime poses an
increasing threat to the security of all nations. Within a few weeks in
April, the generals restored diplomatic relations with North Korea and
signed a compact with Russia to build a nuclear reactor. Members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations have become active critics of the
regime. And today, I'll meet with the U.N. Special Envoy for Burma,
Ibrahim Gambari, to discuss how the international community can hold the
generals to account.

In Burma, as in all unfree nations, voices of support from the outside
eventually make their way to the voiceless. Last week, I met at the White
House with traveling representatives of Burma's Ethnic Nationalities
Council Delegation who told me: "When America speaks, it gives us hope."
Today is a chance to speak the names of those who labor for Burma's
freedom -- courageous democrats like Su Su Nwe, Phyu Phyu Thinn, Min Ko
Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, and Htay Kywe. By supporting them, we can help ensure
that a name synonymous with courage the world over, Aung San Suu Kyi,
belongs to a woman who can celebrate her next birthday in freedom.

Mrs. Bush is first lady of the United States.

____________________________________

June 19, Irrawaddy
It’s time to free Suu Kyi

Today is the 62nd birthday of Burma’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu
Kyi. Like so many previous years, she will mark the occasion alone in her
lakeside prison.

Suu Kyi has spent more than 11 of the last 17 years under house arrest. As
most of the world knows by now, her o­nly crime was in trying to restore
democracy to Burma. The international community has, by and large, shown
unanimity in its call for her release. But the voices calling for her
freedom—in and outside the country—continue to fall o­n deaf ears.

And what about those voices? They come from Suu Kyi’s own party, the
National League for Democracy, and other opposition organizations. Year
after year, they make their calls in a strategy that has begun to wear
thin.

What about the international community, led by the US, perhaps the most
vehement critic of Burma’s military rulers? They never miss an opportunity
to blame her captors, though she remains a captive. What about Asean? They
make occasional rumbles more to deflect criticism of their ineffective
“non-interference” policy than out of any sincere effort to pressure
Burma’s ruling junta.

Observers note that since China supplied a crucial veto of a proposed UN
Security Council resolution o­n Burma in January, it might be the o­ne
nation that could potentially wield the most influence o­n Burma. Instead,
China insists o­n staying out of its neighbor’s internal disagreements.

And so the wheel turns.

In the opinion of some dissidents and observers, Burma’s military rulers
hold the key—figuratively and literally—to Suu Kyi’s release, and
opposition groups, including the NLD, must join the government’s
“seven-step roadmap” to democracy. Others see this as a sham solution—one
that concedes all the power to the junta.

Politics in Burma is not a black-and-white affair. Many of Burma’s 57
million people, and millions more around the world, believe that Suu Kyi’s
release is essential to resolve the country’s decade-long political
deadlock.

But to ask for it and wait for sympathy from the country’s stubborn
military leaders has also become a foolish strategy.

Every group or individual—in or outside Burma—that desires the release of
Suu Kyi must review past approaches and rely less o­n calls for freedom
and more o­n acts for freedom.

____________________________________

June 16, Boston Globe
Aid and sanctions in Burma - Chris Beyrer and Eric Stover

Last month the White House confirmed President Bush's support for
continued US sanctions against the Burmese military junta. The United
States supports humanitarian assistance coupled with limits on US
investment, trade, and defense sales to the generals who rule Burma. In
calling for continuation of the sanctions, first imposed by President
Clinton, Bush noted that the Burmese military authorities were responsible
for increasing attacks against ethnic minorities, beatings and harassment
of non violent demonstrators, and the arrest of students at prayer vigils
calling for the release of Burma's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi,
who has been who has been incarcerated for most of the past 17 years by
the generals who control the country.

The statement also noted ongoing human rights violations of the junta,
including the use of rape as a weapon of war and the conscription of child
soldiers. Given such atrocities, the case for continued economic and
political sanctions seems clear.

Yet there have been calls for lifting these sanctions from various groups,
including USA Engage, primarily on the grounds that limits on US
investment have not succeeded in pressuring the junta and have added to
the suffering of the Burmese people.

The humanitarian impact of sanctions is by far the most difficult issue in
this debate. There is little disagreement about the needs of Burma's
people: Close to a third of children under age 5 are malnourished; the
country accounts for more than half of all malaria deaths across Asia; TB
and HIV/AIDS are widespread.

In January, we convened an international conference on infectious diseases
in Burma to discuss these issues and improve responses. What we found was
clear and consistent: While the health situation deteriorates, the junta
continues to limit the ability of international humanitarian organization
to reach those most in need.

These restrictions have prompted the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Medecins sans Frontieres in France to
withdraw their programs and the International Committee of the Red Cross
to shutter some of their field offices. All have cited restrictions on
travel to project sites, and some have cited the insistence by the junta
that its puppet organization, the Union Solidarity and Development
Association, or USDA, be a partner in their programs.

It was the USDA, founded by junta leader Than Shwe and charged with a role
similar to Nazi Germany's notorious Brown Shirts, that is responsible for
the May 30, 2003, attack on Aung San Suu Kyi where at least 80 democracy
supporters were massacred. The Red Cross suspended its highly valued
program for visiting political prisoners in 2005 when the junta insisted
that USDA members accompany all Red Cross visits.

Burma's generals continue to grossly under fund healthcare: National
funding for health is 3 percent, while the military, now at more than
400,000 troops, consumes 40 percent.

HIV/AIDS gets a pitiful $137,000 per year for 52 million people. UNICEF
reports that government spending on healthcare in Burma amounts to 40
cents per citizen per year, compared to $61 in Thailand.

While junta supporters argue that Burma is too poor to provide more, the
generals found the funds to build a new capitol in the jungles of central
Burma, Naypyidaw, with annual running costs estimated by the International
Monetary Fund at $122 million to $244 million, and signed contracts worth
more than $3 billion for state-of-the-art military arms from China,
Ukraine, Russia, and others. Moreover, the regime recently signed an
agreement with Russia for a nuclear reactor. The generals are spending the
resources of Burma lavishly, but not on its people.

What can those who care about the suffering of Burma's people do?
Increases in humanitarian assistance are clearly necessary -- but so are
increases in political pressure.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ibrahim Gambari, a Nigerian
diplomat, as his special envoy to Burma, and Gambari will need to make
progress on both political and humanitarian fronts.

Aid can be delivered through international and local non-governmental
organizations and through cross-border approaches. But now is not the time
to reward the generals for their brutality, mismanagement, and extended
detention of Suu Kyi, who retains the support of the people of Burma, who
handed her party an overwhelming electoral victory the only time (1990)
they had an opportunity to vote.

Bush is right to continue sanctions against the generals, and Congress
should support this position. Increased aid can help the Burmese people,
but it must not be allowed to slip into the coffers of junta-backed
organizations. Those risking their lives for democratic change in Burma
deserve our support, not the generals who continue to tyrannize their
citizens.

Dr. Chris Beyrer is a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health. Eric Stover is faculty director of the Human
Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley.

____________________________________

June 18, The Nation
Aung San Suu Kyi fights on

Despite incarceration and abuse by the Burmese junta, the opposition
leader shows no sign of defeat

A week after the popular student uprising against the Burmese dictatorship
on August 15 1988, Burmese opposition leader Aung Suu Kyi wrote an open
letter to the Burmese military government asking for the formation of an
independent consultative committee to prepare for multi-party elections.
It was her first political act since her return to Burma earlier that year
after being abroad to take care of her sick and bed-ridden mother. A few
days later, in her first public speech in Burma, with her British husband
and two children by her side, Aung San addressed several hundred thousand
people outside Rangoon's famous Shewedagon Pagoda, calling for the return
of elections and a democratic government. A month later in September, the
notorious State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) was formed by
the generals in the ruling junta. Since then, the struggle between her,
the democratic voice, and the military, the dictatorial force, has
continued unabated.

Nearly two decades have elapsed since Suu Kyi, the daughter of
independence hero Aung San, took a stand against the Rangoon generals. She
still remains the symbol and hope of the democratic voices inside Burma.

The junta leaders headed by General Than Shwe rule with an iron fist in a
land that was once considered to have the greatest potential in Southeast
Asia. Aung San Suu Kyi, now a Nobel Peace laureate, has been in detention
for more than 11 of the last 17 years. A government-sponsored plan to kill
her was revealed three years ago during a rare occasion when she was
briefly released from detention.

The military's actions against her and her supporters have toughened her,
but the junta has reportedly resolved never to yield or allow Burma to
become a democracy. Internationally, this has brought Suu Kyi much
support, plus a flood of calls for the Burmese junta to free her.
Recently, nearly 60 former leaders from around the world signed a letter
of appeal, urging the junta to free her. Never before has a female
political prisoner's plight become a cause taken up by so many world
leaders.

Today is Suu Kyi's 62nd birthday. It is a good time to take stock of what
has transpired in Burma, once the rice bowl of Southeast Asia. The
military leaders have spent billions of dollars creating a Disney-like
capital at Naipidaw, deep inside the countryside, to avoid scrutiny from
locals and foreigners. In one of the world's poorest countries, the
Burmese people continue to suffer from economic underdevelopment, lack of
proper education and basic healthcare. Instead of going to school,
thousands of young children are forced either to fight against numerous
rebel groups or are taken for forced labour.

In the past few years, the junta has earned huge amounts of foreign
revenue from oil and gas exports, with prices jacked up many times over.
With rich mineral resources, energy hungry countries have been attracted
to Burma despite the repressive nature of the junta. Just a few weeks ago,
the military leaders announced plans to build a nuclear-power plant with
assistance from Russia. At this point, it is hard to say whether the
Burmese junta has a more sinister plan in mind - perhaps taking the first
steps to arm itself with nuclear weapons. This is a cause for great
concern for the region and it could set off a regional race to acquire
nuclear technology in the near future.

As long as Aung San Suu Kyi remains incarcerated, Asean's reputation and
the group's international standing will be tarnished. Asean leaders have
repeatedly appealed to the Burmese junta to free her, but to no avail.
Indeed, since it was admitted to Asean a decade ago, Burma has failed to
integrate fully with the group. The overall goodwill and family-like
atmosphere of the organisation have failed to strike a chord in the minds
of the Burmese leaders.

Today, Burma is the black sheep of Asean. Without any current provisions
for sanctions, Burma will remain as intransigent in the future as it is
today. The draft of the Asean Charter has failed to incorporate various
measures for sanctions, suggested by some in Asean. We, and the
democratic-minded people of the region, wish Aung San Suu Kyi a happy and
healthy birthday, and offer her our support in her continuing fight for
democracy on behalf of the Burmese people.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

June 19, People’s Justice Party
ASEAN must take stronger measures against Burma

On behalf of the People’s Justice Party (KeADILan), I would like to wish
Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - “Happy Birthday, despite the
outrageous circumstances of her being under indefinite house arrest.

Once again, I wish to reaffirm KeDILan’s commitment to campaigning for her
release and for the liberation of Burma from the hands of the military
junta.

Despite the rhetoric of the ASEAN governments who speak often of democracy
and freedom, we continue to turn a blind eye to the people in Burma who
live under military dictatorship.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Burma’s entry into ASEAN,
sponsored by the Malaysian government; and it is without doubt our biggest
shame.

Constructive engagement has proven to be a total failure. Chastising, even
denying the Burmese military junta the chairmanship of ASEAN, has only
produced marginal results. Everyday, more refugees arrive at the borders
of Malaysia to escape political persecution.

 It is time ASEAN takes stronger measures against Burma and ASEAN
governments must lead the way on international sanctions against Burma.
There appears to be no other way in resolving this conundrum.

We expect nothing less than to see a free Suu Kyi, celebrating her next
birthday in a free Burma.

Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail
President, People’s Justice Party (KeADILan)
Member of Parliament, Malaysia
Vice-Chair, Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus for Democracy in Myanmar (Burma)

____________________________________

June 19, Taiwan female politicians
Free Aung San Suu Kyi

On May 25, the military junta of Burma ("Myanmar"), in defiance of the
will of the international community expressed for years, extended the
house arrest of democracy fighter Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which was due to
expire, for another year. This decision immediately brought condemnation
from governments and NGOs around the world, including UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon, the German EU Presidency, and many human rights
organizations. This year, United States First Lady Laura Bush joined all
16 female Senators from both sides of the aisle, who set aside their
political differences to appeal to the UN to request the release of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi.

Continuing the actions of Taiwanese NGOs to participate in international
campaigns for democracy in Burma, we hope that all women politicians in
Taiwan can jointly engage in this democratic and humanitarian effort to
call on the government of Burma to immediately release Nobel Laureate Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and all the other democrats who have been imprisoned or
repressed, and to give the Burmese people a life of democracy and freedom
without fear.
Ever since Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest, the
international democratic community has made ceaseless efforts with various
approaches to secure the release of this preeminent fighter for democracy
and human rights. These measures have included diplomatic and economic
sanctions, as well as many campaigns by NGOs. Since 19 June 2005 (her
sixtieth birthday), numerous global actions have been undertaken by
international organizations, such as protests or prayer rallies in front
of embassies and offices of the Burmese government, to call on the regime
to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. However, since Burma has no office of any
type in Taiwan, in the past two years Taiwanese NGOs have launched
petitions, to participate in these international campaigns.

Democracy and human rights are universal values that know no boundaries.
We remember particularly how Taiwan received assistance and solidarity
from the international democratic community during its process of
democratization. Therefore, today, we female politicians in Taiwan sign
this joint statement, which will be sent to the Secretary General of the
United Nations, the European Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations, in order to express the concern of Taiwanese people from all
walks of life for democracy and human rights in Burma. We call on the
international community to continue its pressure on the Burmese military
regime to swiftly release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the other Burmese
democracy activists, to restore democracy unconditionally, and allow the
people of Burma to live in an environment of democracy and freedom.

Initiators:
Legislator Huang, Sue-ying (DPP)
Legislator Chao, Liang-Yen (KMT)
Legislator Lai, Shin-Yuan (TSU)
Legislator Hsiao, Bi-Khim (DPP)
Legislator Huang, Chao-Shun (KMT)

Signatories (arranged by category and alphabetic order):
Female Members of the Legislative Yuan

Chang, Ching-Hui (DPP)
Chang, Hwa-Kuan (DPP)
Chang, Li-Shan (Independent)
Chen, Hsiu-Ching (KMT)
Chen, Shui-Hui (DPP)
Chen, Ying (DPP)
Chu, Fong-chi (KMT)
Hsieh, Hsin-ni (DPP)
Hsu, Jung-Shu (DPP)
Hsueh, Ling (DPP)
Huang Ho, Tsai-Feng (KMT)
Hung, Hsiu-Chu (KMT)
Kao Chin, Su-Mei (NPSU)
Kuan, Bi-Ling (DPP)
Ko, Shu-Ming (PFP)
Kuo, Su-Chun (KMT)
Lan, Mei-Chin (DPP)
Lee, Ching-An (KMT)
Lee, Jih-Chu (KMT)
Lei, C. Joanna (KMT)
Liao, Wan-Ju (KMT)
Lin Hsu, Shao-Ping (KMT)
Lin, Shu-Fen (DPP)
Lin, Tai-Hua (DPP)
Lu, Shiow-Yen (KMT)
Pan, Wei-Kang (KMT)
Shen, Chin-hwei (PFP)
Tang, Bi-A (DPP)
Tien, Chiu-Chin (DPP)
Wang, Shu-Hui (DPP)
Wang, Yu-Ting (KMT)
Yang, Chiung-Ying (KMT)
Yang, Fang-Wan (DPP)
Yang, Li-Hung (KMT)
Yang Cheng, Chin-Ling (PFP)
Yeh, Yi-Ching (DPP)
Yen, Sandy (DPP)
Yin, Ling-Ying (TSU)

Male Members of the Legislative Yuan
Chen, Min-Jen (DPP)
Lwo, Shih-Hsiung (KMT)
Marr, Chang-Chi (PFP)

Female City and County Councilors
Chiu, Su-Fen (Taoyuan County, DPP)
Her, Hsin-Chun (Taichung County, DPP)
Hsu, Chia-Ching (Taipei City, DPP)
Hsu, Shu-Hua (Taipei City, DPP)
Huang, Shiou-Fang (Changhua County, DPP)
Liu, Hsiao-Mei (Hualien County, DPP)
Tang, I-Ching (Tainan City, DPP)
Wu, Szu-Yao (Taipei City, DPP)

Other Political Figures
Su, Chih-Fen (Commissioner, Yunlin County, DPP)
Jason Hu (Mayor, Taichung City, KMT)
Shirley Shao (KMT)