BurmaNet News, August 4-6, 2007

[Editor]

August 4-6, 2007 Issue # 3261

INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima News: Alternative road map by Burmese MPs; urge UN chief to mediate
Irrawaddy: 88 Generation urges Burma to spurn junta’s new constitution
Mizzima News: Life imprisonment for six labour activists likely
Xinhua: Int'l community helps Myanmar implement 126 projects in past four
years
SHAN: 'Wa' headquarters orders battalions to take military preparation
KNG: Burma Army steps up recruitment in Kachin state
Irrawaddy: Detained former PM Khin Nyunt allowed visitors

BUSINESS / TRADE
Kaladan News: Revenue and income tax officers collect money from villagers
The Myanmar Times via BBC Monitoring: Two Turkish firms open first joint
pilot garment factory in Burma

HEALTH / AIDS
Reuters: Dengue kills 98 in Myanmar

REGIONAL
AP: Thailand: Opposition leaders threaten rallies against Myanmar's "sham"
constitution
AP: Myanmar activists call for a halt to refugee crackdown in Malaysia

OPINION / OTHER
Mizzima News: Burma's economy: The junta's Achilles' hell

PRESS RELEASE
NCGUB/NCUB: NCGUB/NCUB express solidarity with Burma's members-elect of
parliament, support their call for reform of constitution drafting process

OBITUARY
Irrawaddy: Burmese novelist Tayar Min Wai dead at 41

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 3, Mizzima News
Alternative road map by Burmese MPs; urge UN chief to mediate - Mungpi

In what is clearly a warning laced in an appeal, Burma's MPs, elected in
1990, have sought the intervention of the United Nations chief to persuade
the ruling military junta to modify its road map to democracy with an
alternative seven point charter. Over 90 MPs submitted the letter of
appeal, which included the seven point alternative clauses, on August 1.

Ninety two Burmese MPs submitted the letter to the world body chief, Ban
Ki-moon, where they have outlined seven alternative steps in place of the
junta's proclaimed seven-point road map to democracy.

The MPs urged the world leader to use his good offices to convince the
junta to modify its road map to avoid a national crisis that will befall
Burma if the ruling State Peace and Development Council continues with its
plan as it goes against the people's desire.

Burma's ruling junta, SPDC, is currently meeting with over 1,000 delegates
in Nyaung Hna Pin, about 25 miles north of Rangoon, for the final session
of the constitutional drafting convention, which is the first step of its
proclaimed road map to democracy.

"We would like to state clearly that we will not accept any solution which
comes of a one-sided action of the SPDC with use of force, threat,
pressure and manipulation," the MPs said in the letter.

The MPs said the junta's orchestrated constitution will be challenged by
the Burmese people including ethnic nationalities if the SPDC continues to
implement its road map without cooperating with the peoples'
representatives and without listening to the Burmese people's desire
despite repeated calls by the international community including the UN.

"We will be joining them to oppose this sham-constitution and lead,
educate and organize the people of Myanmar/Burma to vote against it in the
referendum," the MPs warned.

Meanwhile, the junta in June said it is wrapping up the more than 14-year
old national convention, tasked with drafting a new constitution, and will
go on to the next steps of the road map - referendum and general election.

"We promise to the people of Myanmar/Burma who voted us that we will not
let them down," the MPs added.

The MPs in their letter made seven proposals and urged the World body
chief to persuade the junta to modify its current road map in order to
bring sustainable national reconciliation in Burma.

In its first point the MPs call on the junta to wind-up the national
convention and accept its result as a proposal from the junta and the
convention delegates to be considered in drawing up a state constitution.
The second point calls for a tripartite dialogue between representatives
of the junta, the National League for Democracy and ethnic nationalities
where details of the time frame of the road map will be discussed.

In step three, the MPs urge formation of a constitution drafting committee
with equal number of representatives from the SPDC, the NLD, ethnic
political parties and cease-fire groups. And the constitution should be
drafted as per the results of a national convention and laid down for the
people of Burma.

The fourth step states that a parliamentary meeting of the MPs-elected in
1990 elections be convened, for final approval of the draft constitution
followed by holding of free and fair elections in keeping with the new
constitution as the fifth step, the MPs said.

According to the proposal by the MPs, the sixth point would be convening
the parliament of elected representative and forming the government. And
the final and seventh step will be abolishing of the SPDC and its
associate organs and activating administrative, legislative and judiciary
bodies at every administrative level according to the new constitution.

The MPs further said that unless the junta's road map is modified with
their proposed alternative points, the people of Burma will oppose the
junta's one sided action.

And "the SPDC will be solely responsible for the impending and avoidable
national crisis if it continues to ignore the real desire of the people of
Myanmar/Burma and goodwill of the international community," the MPs
warned.

____________________________________

August 6, Irrawaddy
88 Generation urges Burma to spurn junta’s new constitution - Htet Aung

The pro-democracy 88 Generation Students group urged all Burmese people to
reject a forthcoming constitution based on new guidelines being finalized
by the country’s National Convention, according to a statement released by
the group in advance of the 19th anniversary of the 1988 democracy
uprising on August 8.

“Preventing the negative consequences of another disempowered and
detrimental State Constitution will be the duty of all people of Burma,”
the statement said.

“We are seriously concerned about the new constitution and issued this
statement to urge the people to demand their rights,” Pyone Cho, one of
the 88 Generation student leaders, told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Burma’s National Convention reconvened for its final session on July18 and
is tasked with completing new guidelines for a draft constitution as part
of Burma’s so-called “road map” to democratic reform. The convention will
be followed by a referendum to adopt the constitution, though the junta
has offered no details about when this might happen.

Pyone Cho said that looking back to the past, the 1974 constitution, which
adopted a one-party system and didn’t fulfill the will of the people,
ended in the 1988 democracy uprising. He added that the 88 Generation
Students believe any constitution that grants the rights of the people and
represents their will is going to succeed and endure.

The people of Burma, Pyone Cho said, will show their true desire toward
the new constitution when a referendum is held to ratify it, and their
desire will follow the example of the 1990 election, which saw a landslide
victory for Burma’s opposition party the National League for Democracy.

To mark the anniversary of the 1988 uprising, the 88 Generation Students
will participate in a wazo robe offering at the Tharthana Theippan
monastery in Chauk Htat Kyi (Six Stories) Pagoda in Bahan Township to
honor the students, monks and citizens who lost their lives when Burma’s
ruling junta brutally suppressed the uprising.

The group urged all Burmese to join the ceremony, regardless of whether
they received a formal invitation.

Meanwhile, a group of unidentified individuals riding motorbikes with no
license plates have begun harassing members of the 88 Generation Students
in the last few weeks. The harassers are thought to comprise police
intelligence agents and members of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and
Development Association

Pyone Cho said the harassment has decreased since the opposition group
threatened to stage a public speech to residents in areas where they have
been harassed if the motorbike thugs did not stop troubling them.

____________________________________

August 5, Mizzima News
Life imprisonment for six labour activists likely: Defense Counsel

Six Burmese labour activists, facing trial at a secret tribunal in
Rangoon's notorious Insein prison, could face life terms in prison, their
defence lawyer said.

Aung Thein, who recently resigned from being their defence lawyer for the
activists, citing severe restrictions by authorities, said the activists
could end up serving a long-term or life imprisonment and the situation
has worsened following the absence of defence lawyers. Aung Thein and Khin
Maung Shein, the two lawyers resigned on August 2, after severe
restrictions were imposed on them.

"We were closely checked and scrutinized by the authorities thrice before
entering the court. The checking seem to be designed to humiliate us and a
lot of restrictions were imposed on us. So, we stopped being their defence
counsel," Aung Thein told Mizzima.

Aung Thein said, the activists arrested in May for talking on labour
rights in American Centre in Rangoon, and were charged with a number of
cases including inciting public riots, unlawful association and
disrespectful acts against the government. And they could face a long term
in prison, even life imprisonment, said Aung Thein.

He, however, declined to comment or give details of the court procedure.
Tate Naing, secretary of the Thailand based Association Assistance for
Political Prisoners Burma (AAPP-B), said, "It is clearly the act of the
government to pressurize the defence counsel."

The Burmese junta since May has rampantly cracked down on activists
arresting and detaining them. However, many including those taking part in
prayer vigils for the release of Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi
and those protesting against the high prices of essential commodities,
have been released.

The six activists – Thurein Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Wai Linn, Nyi Nyi Zaw, Kyaw
Min, and Myo Min – were arrested following a meeting they held on labour
rights in Burma on May Day.

____________________________________

August 6, Xinhua General News Service
Int'l community helps Myanmar implement 126 projects in past four years

A total of 67 international organizations helped Myanmar implement 126
projects in the past four years between 2003 and 2006, local Weekly Eleven
News reported Monday.

Of the 126 projects, 55 were carried out with the aid of 14 United Nations
agencies, 15 by nine other international organizations and 56 by 44
international non-governmental organizations (NGO), the Ministry of
National Planning and Economic Development (NPED) was quoted as saying.

To work with UN agencies operating in the country with their aid projects,
Myanmar formed a Central Coordination Committee (CCC) last year, headed by
Minister of NPED U Soe Tha with Minister of Home Affairs Major-General
Maung Oo and Minister of Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win as deputy heads.

Besides the UN agencies, other international non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and domestic NGOs are also governed by regulations of
the CCC.

The CCC designates that all NGOs assisting Myanmar are to be registered
with the government for their operations and the traveling in the country
of their project staff is so limited that they must be accompanied by at
least a responsible official of the government.

According to official statistics, there are also about 300 domestic NGOs.

Meanwhile, Myanmar reaffirmed its commitment to the millennium development
goals set by the UN. in 2000, pledging to fully cooperate with the
organization in the implementation.

The national development plan of Myanmar, which covers some of the major
aspects of the UN goals, is underway in an effort to achieve economic
growth and social progress and raise the living standard of the people.

____________________________________

August 6, Shan Herald Agency for News
'Wa' headquarters orders battalions to take military preparation

The Wa army battlions based on the Thai-Burma border have been ordered to
train for simulated battles and artillery firing by the UWSA (United Wa
State Army) headquartered in Pansan, The battalions have also been storing
food and weapons, said a border source.

On the orders of Pansan HQ, Lt. Col Yan Kaw Kyon, the commander of Huay
Aww battalion, 171 military region, ordered Wa' battalions based in BP 1/
BP 2, Ho Yut, Ho Pan, Kyu Zan Kap, Mueng Kyut, Huay Aww, Nam Hu Khun, and
Wa villages to store dry rations and keep weapons and ammunitions at hand.

"We have to make rice powder, dried pork and meat, and shrink fried. We
have to pack them and keep ready for use, said a local 'Wa'."

"It was not true that four 'Wa' army camps based in the mountain range of
Kyu Hu Lon and Loi Khilake have been asked to move back. We heard that
they were giving artillery training in Khy Hu Lon camp from July 24 to 31.
We heard that six Chinese officials came to train them," said locals.

After Major General Kyaw Win, commander of the special military operation
in Shan and Kayah state went back in late July, Major Gen Min Aung Hlaing,
the commander of triangle command, and Maj. Gen Mya Win, commander of
heavy artilleries, went to Mueng Ton and Mueng Serk.  The reason for their
trip was to attend the opening ceremony of a sports ground in Mueng Serk
on July 31. They arrived in Nar Kaung Muu on August 1 and left for
TarKhilek  on August 2. According to locals, both of them  went back to
Kuen Ton on August 3. A military analyst found it hard to believe that the
commander of heavy artilleries went to attend the opening ceremony of a
sports ground. It was possible that he went to check military operation in
the area because 'Wa' army refused to go back to their companies.

In August 1, Col. Than Tin Aung,commander of Ponpar Kheng strategic
command, explained to the head men of villages that the news concerning
the movement of the 'Wa' army  has been broadcast from the media in exile.
The idea was create disunity..After the conslusion of the Nyaung Napin
convention, there would be five townships inlcluded in  the new
constitution as 'Wa' self-administerd areas Then the ('Wa') will go back
to their area, said local source.

After the Nuang Napin convention, 'Wa' families, who has been living in
Thai-Burma border, will have their family data checked. If they don't have
any documents, they must  move to northern 'Wa' region, said a local close
to Tarchilek authorities.

In 1995 Da Nu representatives proposed in the national convention that
eastern Salween area of Mueng Mai, Pan Wai, Wam Phant, Nar Phan and Pan
Yam townships  be recognized as 'Wa' self-administrative areas.

Besides, after the battle with Khun Sar Led MTA (Mueng Tai Army) in 1990,
they came down to southern region for survival of the 'Wa' people. In
northern 'Wa' region, only poppy can be grown because of the weather and
soil. If they cannot plant poppy, they cannot live in the region.
Therefore, they came to southern region for growing rubber, tea-leaf, and
vegetables. They won't move to northern region. There will be no danger
for the nation because 'Wa' army will continue to keep peace, U Khun Thein
said to Radio Free Asia in a July 29 interview. U Khun Thein is an officer
of the agricultural and forest department in UWSP (United Wa State Party).

Even though SPDC pressurized 'Wa' army to step back, the 'Wa' army refused
and began giving training to new soldiers, simulating battle, storing food
and weaponry. According to a local, "they set up a platoon with 10
villagers and gave them training. They also provided M 21, M 22, and M 23
machine guns."

At the end of July after SPDC ordered the 'Wa' army in Mueng Ton-Mueng
Serk area to go back to 'Wa' northern region, 'Wa' leaders held an
emergency meeting in UWSA headquarter in Pansan between July 19 and 22.
The meeting decided that they would not obey the SPDC's order.

____________________________________

August 6, Kachin News Group
Burma Army steps up recruitment in Kachin state

Even as the final session of the National Convention is underway in
Rangoon, Burma's ruling junta has kicked off a fresh recruitment drive for
the military around Kachin State in northern Burma, said local sources.

Nearly 600 people from Kachin tribes have been recruited over the past
month in Putao District, 140 miles north of Myitkyina, capital of Kachin
State by a locally based unit of the Burma Army, a resident told KNG
today.

On the orders of the army, Rawang and Lisu youths have been recruited by a
local Rawang leader who is a former central committee member and
representative of Putao under Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP). The
Hkawng Lang Hpu based Rawang armed group and the  Rebellion Resistance
Force (RRF) led by Tanggu Dang (Ahdang), which was formed in early 2006
with the help of the junta, also have a hand in the recruitment, residents
said.

Some local young people were detained on the roads at night by the army
and sent to military recruitment camp, added local residents.

Military training will be imparted in Putao this month. Thee Burma Army
seems to be strengthening its presence in the district by recruiting local
youths.

The junta has increased one military base to five bases in Putao District
after the junta and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) signed a
ceasefire agreement in 1994, said locals.

On the other hand, forcible recruitment of young people in Phakant Jade
mining areas, 68 miles west of Myitkyina started last month by the army,
residents said.

Currently, over 200 people in the Phakant jade mining areas, including
drug users and unpaid jade collectors of jade mine residues have been
recruited by the Burma  Army, a resident of Myitkyina who ran away from
Phakant last weekend told KNG today.

Late last month, the army forcibly recruited local Kachins and Shan youth
in Hopin, a township between Myitkyina and Mandalay railway stations.

Now both the Burma Army and the KIO are competing with each other
regarding recruitment to their respective armies around Kachin State
before the conclusion of the junta's National Convention.

____________________________________

August 6, Irrawaddy
Detained former PM Khin Nyunt allowed visitors

Relatives and close friends of Burma’s former Prime Minister Gen Khin
Nyunt, kept under house arrest since his ouster in 2004, were recently
allowed to visit him at his home in the former capital, according to
Rangoon-based diplomats and former intelligence officers.

The disgraced spy master is said to have been well and to have told his
guests that he has been meditating. He greeted his visitors with a polite
gesture and wished them well.

Khin Nyunt’s health in the last few years had been a matter of
considerable speculation, fueled in part by the junta’s refusal to allow
him any visitors.

Rangoon sources said the decision to allow Khin Nyunt to have visitors was
based on humanitarian reasons.

In October 2004, Khin Nyunt was ousted from power and placed under house
arrest on charges of insubordination and corruption. He was convicted o­n
all charges and given a 44-year suspended sentence in 2005.

The former premier, now 68, his wife Dr Khin Win Shwe and other family
members remain under house arrest, where they endure heavy surveillance
and security around their home in an elite housing compound in Rangoon.

The Office of the Chief of Military Intelligence, over which Khin Nyunt
presided, was subsequently dismantled and several of its mid- and
high-ranking officials were arrested and given long prison terms.

In September 2006, Khin Nyunt was permitted a short reprieve to attend the
funeral of a famous abbot, Sumangala Lankara, who was imprisoned by the
junta in 1990 after he and several other abbots and monks in Mandalay
decided to boycott the regime by not receiving alms, Washington-based
Radio Free Asia reported. The venerated Sumangala Lankara died in Bangkok
last year, and his funeral was held in Rangoon.

Sources in the former capital said that only two former top-ranking OCMI
officials—Maj-Gen Kyaw Win and Brig-Gen Kyaw Thein—escaped the purge in
2004 and continue to live in Rangoon.

Kyaw Thein, the former head of the Ethnic Nationalities and Ceasefire
Groups, Drugs Suppression and Naval and Air Intelligence, is known to have
been a devout Buddhist and has begun practicing meditation.

Kyaw Win, the former second-in-command at the OCMI and now in his early
60s, spends most of his time pursuing a hobby in photography.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 6, Kaladan News
Revenue and income tax officers collect money from villagers

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The head of the Department of Revenue and Income
tax in Maungdaw collected money from villagers in Padaung track, 12 miles
from Maungdaw as house tax, said a villager from Alaythankyaw.

The head of the department and officials of the Revenue and Income tax
paid visited to Padaung village track between July 28 and 29.

The officials surveyed Padaung village track and listed some villagers who
own houses of middle class standards.

The officers ordered the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC)
members to summon the villagers listed, said a source close to the VPDC.

When the villagers met the officers, they ordered them to pay cash as tax
for the houses or their homes would be sealed. The villagers tried to
explain that they had already paid tax. But the officers turned a deaf
ear.

Threatened with the sealing some village gave money to the officers. Eman
Hussin, son of Adul Lallee and Bashir Ahmed son of Wass Karim, paid Kyat
50,000 and 55,000 respectively on the spot.

On July 29, the officers collected Kyat 120,000 and Kyat 100,000 from
Mohamed Sultan son of Kaseim and Lawtima Khatun wife of Mohamed Hussin,
hailing from Kayaungdan village under Padaung village track, said sources.

____________________________________

August 6, The Myanmar Times via BBC Monitoring
Two Turkish firms open first joint pilot garment factory in Burma

Text of report in English by Burmese newspaper The Myanmar Times on 6 August

[Report by Htin Kyaw from "Business" section: "Turkish investors offer
lifeline to Myanmar garment industry"]

Many Myanmar garment manufacturers were forced to close shop in 2003 when
the US and European Union agreed to ban imports. Almost overnight,
thousands were made redundant.

But now a glimmer of light is appearing at the end of the tunnel: Two
Turkish companies have started a joint-venture pilot factory in Myanmar to
evaluate the country's feasibility as a production base.

The Yangon operation will be the first Turkish garment factory in the
country.

"Our atac brand is well-recognized in Turkey and the textile markets of
Central Asia. We sell up to one million pieces of clothing every month.

"We are also planning to extend our market into the Middle East in the
future," said Murat Atadinc, managing director of Atac Dis Tic Ltd, which
has linked up with Altundas Textile Co., Ltd to set up the Yangon factory.

Atadinc said political factors in Europe and cheap labour here made
Myanmar an attractive destination for Turkish investors.

Turkey, meanwhile enjoys a political advantage over many Western nations
in manufacturing. "Turkey is not an EU member yet so we do not have to
comply with sanctions against Myanmar," Atadinc said.

"Atac was once manufactured in Turkey but rising production costs forced
us to shift all of our factories to China, where nearly all of our
clothing is now made.

"But with China's economic growth, production costs have begun rising and
we have started to look for places where our costs will be lower," he
said.

Queue the Myanmar connection.

Atadinc said he first considered Myanmar as a potential site during the
Turkey-pacific trade bridge meeting in April this year, which was
organized by Turkey's Confederation of Turkish Businessmen and
Industrialists (TUSKON).

"We see Myanmar as a place where both parties can benefit from us setting
up factories. We can offer many jobs to skilled workers in Myanmar, while
we get our products made at a reasonable price," he explained.

There is another reason that Myanmar is an attractive site: "Turkey limits
the quota of goods that are allowed to be imported from China. So we
cannot import as many of our garments as we would like from there,
"Atadinc said, adding that the same rules do not apply to Myanmar.

Atadinc was one of three Turkish businessmen to return to Yangon from the
April meeting with the Myanmar delegation.

The focus of his visit was the establishment of a clothing factory at the
Dagon Seikkan Industrial Zone outside Yangon. The first factory, now being
set up, will employ 700 and produce 30, 000 articles a month - output that
Atadinc said is "far behind our demand".

"If we have efficient work here, we intend to build big garment factories
in Myanmar and shift to Myanmar as our main production base in the
future," he said during a recent second visit to Yangon.

"We have already analysed Myanmar's garment products; we believe garment
makers in Myanmar are skilful enough for the work we want done. In fact,
we can't help praising their work."

Low wages in Myanmar are also providing tempting.

"Turkey is trying to enter the European Union and so the uniform laws and
codes of the EU are being put in place. The lowest flat pay rate for a
labourer in Turkey is US$600 a month. Even sanitation workers must be paid
that $600," Atadinc said.

"There are also other laws relating to workers' rights that must be
obeyed, which all cost money. For these reasons production costs in Turkey
are incomparably higher than in Asia."

But Atadinc said that Myanmar, like all developing nations, has a number
of challenges that must be overcome for anyone trying to do business here.

Garments exports reached a high of $850 million in 2001, he said. Garment
exports have continued to Japan, south Africa and latin America.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

August 6, Reuters
Dengue kills 98 in Myanmar

Dengue fever has killed nearly 100 people in military-ruled Myanmar so far
this year, amid a surge in cases of the mosquito-borne disease across
Southeast Asia, officials said on Monday.

"Since January, there have been over 8,000 dengue fever cases in the whole
country and 98 people have died. In July alone there were 32 deaths," a
senior Health Ministry official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

By comparison, in the whole of 2006 the former Burma had 11,000 cases and
130 deaths, the official said.

The World Health Organization said last month the Western Pacific region
could be at risk from a major dengue outbreak unless governments improved
efforts to stamp out the virus.

About 40 percent of the world's population is at risk from dengue, which
has spread rapidly across Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam,
Malaysia and Thailand this year due to warmer weather, heavy rain and
crowded cities.

The virus, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes severe fever,
headaches, rashes and muscle and joint pain. Severe forms can cause
haemorrhagic fever. There is no vaccine.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 6, Associated Press
Thailand: Opposition leaders threaten rallies against Myanmar's "sham"
constitution - michael casey

Nearly 100 opposition leaders warned Saturday (Aug 4th) that they would
urge Myanmar's citizens to vote against a "sham" constitution being
drafted unless they were allowed to take part in the process.

In a letter to United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the 92
leaders also called on the international body to urge the junta to enter
talks with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League
for Democracy and ethnic political parties on bringing democracy to the
country.

"If the (junta) continues to implement its seven-step road map without
cooperating with the peoples' representatives and without listening to the
real desire of the people of Myanmar and repeated requests from the
international community, (its) orchestrated constitution would be surely
challenged by the people," according to the letter sent to The Associated
Press Saturday.

"We will be joining with them to oppose this sham-constitution and leading
to educate and organize the people to vote against it in the referendum,"
the leaders said. "We promise to the people who voted for us that we will
not let them down."

The 92 signers were elected to parliament in 1990, a vote which the
National League For Democracy, or NLD, won in a landslide. But the junta,
which took power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy demonstrations,
refused to hand over power. Eight-four of the 92 are members of the NLD.

Amid international pressure to swiftly restore democracy, the junta
launched what it said was a seven-step "road map" to democracy that is
supposed to culminate in free elections, although no timetable has been
announced. Last month, the military junta started what it said would be
the final session of the national convention which is tasked with drawing
up guidelines for a new constitution. It is expected to be finished by
September.

Critics say the proceedings are flawed because the junta hand-picked most
of the delegates and because Suu Kyi _ currently under house arrest _
cannot attend.

Acting Prime Minister Thein Sein, also the chairman of the National
Convention Convening Commission, said the majority of the population
supports the ongoing convention, but that a small "negative-looking group"
opposes it.

He warned legal action would be taken against anyone who tries to derail
the process. Violators face up to 20 years in jail.

In their letter, the opposition leaders proposed a series of measures they
said were necessary to avoid "a national crisis."

Among them are finishing the convention as soon as possible, and then
entering talks with the NLD and other opposition parties on a timetable
for completion of the democracy process and the role of parliament members
during the transition to elections.

They also called for the NLD and other political parties to be given a
central role in drafting the constitution, which then would lead to fresh
elections and the abolishment of the junta which is also known as the
State Peace and Development Council.

Neither the United Nations nor a spokesperson for the government of
Myanmar, also known as Burma, could be reached for comment.

____________________________________

August 6, Associated Press
Myanmar activists call for a halt to refugee crackdown in Malaysia

Some 150 U.N.-certified Myanmar refugees have been detained during weekend
raids on illegal immigrants in Malaysia, a rights group said Monday, as it
called for a a halt to the indiscriminate arrest of refugees.

The Myanmar refugees were among 550 immigrants hauled up in separate
crackdowns by immigration officials and the volunteer security corps RELA
in central Selangor state, said the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights
Organization in Malaysia.

Children and pregnant women were among the 150 detained, all of whom were
recognized by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the group's
president, Zafar Ahmad, said in a statement.

He said an increasing number of Myanmar refugees have been detained in
raids this year.

"We urge the Malaysian government to immediately stop the crackdown on
refugees and give us a chance to live. Every moment we live in fear. We
had gone through enough pain and suffering in our life and we had nobody
to turn to," Zafar said.

Malaysia is not a member to a U.N. convention on refugees, and classifies
refugees as illegal immigrants who can be detained and deported. However,
the government lets the UNHCR operate in the country.

Khairi Mohamad Alwee, RELA director in Selangor, confirmed the raids but
couldn't say whether Myanmar refugees were among those detained. All of
them have been handed over to the immigration department, which will
decide whether to release or deport them, he said.

Immigration officials could not be reached for comments.

Yante Ismail, a UNHCR spokeswoman, said the agency is trying to verify the
number of Myanmar refugees being detained but could not give further
details.

Some 36,000 mostly Myanmar refugees, who are registered with the UNHCR,
are currently living in Malaysia, according to the U.N. agency. This
included 12,000 ethnic Rohingyas from Myanmar, it said.

The UNHCR earlier this year voiced concerns over the arrests of
asylum-seekers and refugees, in particular women and children, saying it
marked a "departure from normal practice" and has urged Malaysia to uphold
its humanitarian commitment to refugees.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 6, Mizzima News
Burma's economy: The junta's Achilles' hell - Larry Jagan

Burma's economy remains the military regime's Achilles' heal. Over the
past nineteen years the majority of people have got poorer and poorer, as
a select few with strong links to the generals, have successfully
accumulated substantial wealth. But the deteriorating economic situation
and the rising poverty have fuelled increased anger and even recently
occasional public protests.

The government's new found wealth in gas and oil reserves is only likely
to exacerbate the situation as Burma's military rulers care little for the
plight of the country's civilian population. There is a real danger of
Burma becoming another authoritarian Petro-dollar regime like Nigeria, a
UN economist told Mizzima on condition of anonymity.

As yet there are few signs of conspicuous consumption amongst the Burmese
elite, with the exception of the lavish wedding party, the country's top
general Than Shwe throw for his daughter more than a year ago. But as the
wealth from the country's energy resources begins to roll in this is
likely to change and the isible divide between rich and poor stimulate
increased social and economic unrest.

This is what Burma's military rulers fear most. It was the
demonetarisation of the kyat and subsequent food shortages some two
decades ago that fuelled the strikes and political protests and demands
for democracy that brought the country to a complete standstill nineteen
years The regime fears a repeat of this and tries to ensure that there is
no shortages of rice in the domestic market.

"The people can judge us on our deeds," a senior subordinates of the
former intelligence chief General Khin Nyunt told me more than ten years
ago -- on one of the rare occasions I was allowed to visit Burma. "They
will see that we have produced real economic development and made their
lives better," he said. "That will be the litmus test of our success." But
on this score the regime has certainly failed miserably. True there have
been massive developments of sorts. Major cities like Rangoon and Mandalay
have been ransformed. New homes, condominiums, tower blocks, modern
shopping complexes, plush office buildings, luxury restaurants and hotels
have all sprung up.

There has, over the last fifteen years or so, been a continuous
construction boom that has seldom slowed, even during the Asian economic
crisis of ten years ago. The government has also pursued a vigorous mega
infrastructure plan – building roads, bridges and dams throughout the
country. But much of this construction was designed to improve the
country's communications and transport links.

"These infrastructure projects also improved the military's access to the
country's remote areas and significantly enhanced the speed with which the
army could deploy troops," according to a senior Thai military source.
These new roads should also have benefited the farmers, allowing them
greater and speedier access to local markets – but the country's farmers
have not benefited as they found themselves under increased economic
pressure from government actions and the lack of investment in the
agricultural sector.

"More than ninety percent of the country's population live in dire
poverty," a Burmese economist told Mizzima on condition of anonymity. "It
is not so much a case of food shortages as families' incomes being
insufficient to purchase their daily needs," he added.

UN country-wide surveys in last few years have revealed this trend of
increased poverty in Burma and the growing income gap. "More than ninety
percent of the population live on less than 300, 000 kyat (around $300) a
year," a senior UN official told Mizzima, but declined to be named. This
is far greater than in the neighbouring countries with the possible
exception of Laos.

"Food security has become a significant issue in many parts of the
country, especially in the remote and border areas," he said. The worst
areas are in Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and Shan states, according to a recent
UN report seen by Mizzima.

By far the worst area is Chin state, according to the UN surveys, where 40
percent of the population just do not get enough food to live on. In Chin
state nearly three in five people live below the poverty line, according
to the UN's resident humanitarian co-ordinator in Burma, Charles Petrie.
This situation is expected to worse further as there have been recent
reports from various parts of Chin state of potential crop failures.

In eastern and northern Shan state more than half the population live
under the poverty line. "They just do not have sufficient income to ensure
food security, let alone provide a balance or varied diet," according to
one of the UN researchers.

The UN research has documented a deteriorating situation, with poverty
levels in the country growing with no attempt by the Burmese government to
counter it. A crucial sign of food insecurity and poverty is the level of
household income devoted to purchasing food – in Burma the average
household expenditure on food is nearly 70 percent. "This is reflection of
a very low income level of the population," said a UN report. This
compares unfavourably with its neighbours, where it is 59 percent in
Indonesia, 57 percent in Bangladesh and 32 percent in Thailand.

What is more over the last ten years these neighbouring countries have
reduced poverty levels significantly and improved food security whereas in
Burma poverty levels have increased and food insecurity become critical,
especially in the border areas. Government action in these countries has
led to the improvement there, whereas in Burma the military government's
lack of interest in these issues has allowed poverty levels to escalate
alarmingly.

In fact some government policies have even exacerbated the situation.
Poorer farmers have not been able to afford the high costs of agricultural
inputs –fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, irrigation pumps and diesel as a
result of price and market liberalisation.

"Farmers are using less and less fertilisers, and as yields drop, families
are abandoning agriculture and becoming landless," according to a former
senior Rangoon-based western diplomat, who did not want to be named.

"This has led, over the past few years, to an alarming increase in
voluntary migration throughout the country, as these families go in search
of paid work."

This lack of sustainable agriculture and the decline in some manufacturing
sectors, especially the textile and garment industries which were crippled
by the imposition f US sanctions several ears ago, has fuelled a growing
movement of people across the country and abroad in search of employment.
There as been a massive increase in the number of women and children
entering the sex trade or working in slave-like conditions in the textile
factories in Thailand's border regions.

The UN estimates that at least 10,000 girls every year are trafficked
across the border to work in Thailand's brothels, according to a recent
report prepared by the UN head in Rangoon, Charles Petrie.

But the grim economic situation for most Burmese does not end there.
Infant mortality rates are increasing and much higher than in the
neighbouring countries. This reflects the growing problem of malnutrition
across the country. The UN estimates that more than thirty percent of the
country's children under the age of five are severely malnourished. In the
ethnic minority areas and conflict zone this can be as high as three out
of four children are malnourished, according to a recent UN report.

It is also now reporting an alarming increase in Beri Beri (caused by a
vitamin deficiency). Burma is the only country in the world where this
disease is a major factor in infant mortality. The list goes on and on –
the increase in drug resistant tuberculosis. In 2004, multi-drug resistant
TB was as 4% among newly diagnosed TB patients and over 15% in previously
treated sufferers. This is more than double that in most of the countries
in the region, for example Thailand's reported rate is 1.5% amongst new
cases.

The deteriorating economic and social conditions that the Burmese people
have suffered over the last nineteen years also has longer term adverse
affects for a developing economy hoping to eliminate poverty in the
future. As farmers are displaced, either by economic conditions or the
forced seizure and confiscation of their land, and poverty levels increase
so does the number of children dropping out of school.

More than forty percent of children enrolled in primary school are now
able to complete their studies. This, not only denies them education and
employment possibilities, but limits the country's potential to develop.
One of the most stark indicators that the government is failing its people
is the fact that the Burmese military regime spends far less on health and
education than any other government in the region. Burma spends a paltry
1.4 percent of its Gross National Product (or National Income) on health
and education – 0.5 percent and 0.9 percent respectively. This is less
than half the next lowest spender in the region – Indonesia. Even two of
the poorest counties in the region Cambodia (3.5%) and Laos (3.3%) spend
considerably more.

Burma is unique in the region for spending more on the military than
health and education combined. That is a clear indicator of the regime's
priorities. It is little wonder that many people in Burma are convinced
that poverty, health and education will only be tackled once the military
junta is no longer in power.

Larry Jagan is a freelance journalist and Burma specialist based in
Bangkok. He was formerly the News and Current Affairs editor for Asia and
the Pacific at the BBC World Service.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

August 5, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma & National
Council of the Union of Burma: NCGUB/NCUB express solidarity with Burma's
members-elect of parliament, support their call for reform of constitution
drafting process

We warmly welcome the initiative taken by the Members-Elect of Parliament
in Burma asking the UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon to help bring
about true and lasting national reconciliation and democratization in the
country.

As leading institutions of the democracy movement for Burma in the
international arena, we, the National Coalition Government of the Union of
Burma (NCGUB) and the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), have
stated time and again that unless reforms are introduced, the military
regime's "National Convention" will only aggravate public dissent and
worsen the overall socioeconomic and political situation in the country. 
The "road map" process of the regime is only a sham, designed to
legitimize military tyranny and its illegitimate rule in Burma.

In accordance with international law and the regime's electoral law, the
Members-Elect of Parliament are the true and legitimate representatives of
the Burmese people.  The NCGUB and NCUB, therefore, wholeheartedly support
the initiative of the Members-Elect of Parliament who as rightful
representatives of the Burmese people are seeking to take their due place
in the constitution-drafting process.  Their initiative is also in line
with the demands of the United Nations and the international community
which want the Burmese generals to transform the process to determine the
future of Burma into a more inclusive, transparent, and democratic one.

We, the NCGUB and NCUB take this opportunity to express our solidarity
with the Members of Parliament-Elect and call on all international
institutions and the international community, including member governments
of the ASEAN, China, India, Japan, Russia, and the Western democracies, to
step up their demands on the generals to stop their flagrant attempt to
unilaterally impose on the people a so-called constitution which is
illegally drafted by the military under a process it has strictly
controlled  and to engage in a true, transparent, and all-inclusive
democratization process in Burma.

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ABITUARY

August 6, Irrawaddy
Burmese novelist Tayar Min Wai dead at 41 - Aye Lae

Celebrated Burmese novelist Tayar Min Wai, who wrote under the names Shwe
Phone Lu and Maung Yaw, died on Saturday at North Okkalapa Hospital in
Rangoon. He was 41.

The prolific novelist earned wide critical praise in Burma for his
unconventional novels and stories, which resonated with aspiring authors
and readers alike.

“Tayar Min Wai introduced in Burma postmodern writing with a satirical
approach,” Khin Maung Soe, a Burmese writer living in Thailand, told The
Irrawaddy on Monday. “He was a role model for young Burmese.”

An activist during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, Tayar Min Wai was
arrested in 1991 and served sentences in Insein, Thayawaddy and Thayet
prisons.

He was released in 1995 and went on to publish nearly 40 books, including
novels, poetry and short story collections—all of which sold well
throughout Burma.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Yayway Cemetery in
Rangoon. Tayar Min Wai is survived by his parents, three brothers and a
sister. His eldest brother, Aung Din, serves as policy director for the
Washington, DC-based lobby group US Campaign for Burma.

“Even though he has died, his name will live on forever,” said Min Ko
Naing, a friend and former colleague of the author.