BurmaNet News, September 26, 2007

[Editor]

September 26, 2007 Issue # 3302

INSIDE BURMA
New York Times: Police clash with monks in Myanmar
DPA: Burma army starts killing
Irrawaddy: Burmese troops fire on Rangoon protestors; unconfirmed reports
say five monks, one woman dead
AFP: Pro-democracy politician arrested in Myanmar
AP: Myanmar confirms death of protester in Yangon
Bangkok Post: Saffron revolt could be 'tipping point'
AFP: At least 17 monks injured in Myanmar crackdown - witnesses
Narinjara News: Akyab Muslim community joins monks protest
AFP: Technology puts Myanmar protests in international eye - Shino Yuasa
SHAN: Ethnic leaders join protest
Mizzima News: Junta blocks popular blogs

ON THE BORDER
The Nation: Thai govt warned of possible influx of Burmese
Irrawaddy: Border NGOs ready for refugees from crackdown

BUSINESS / TRADE
AFP: Asian trade a lifeline for Myanmar's generals - Karl Malakunas

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: At last India voices concern over Burma turmoil

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN Security Council to meet on deadly Myanmar clashes
AFP: World puts Myanmar on notice over protest crackdown
AP: UK PM urges UN Security Council meeting on Myanmar
AFP: EU ready to reinforce Myanmar sanctions following crackdown
Reuters: Russia warns against pressure on Myanmar
Reuters: Myanmar 1988 veterans watch nervously from exile
AFP: Japan warns Myanmar on aid, appeals for calm
AFP: Australia rules out economic sanctions on Myanmar

OPINION / OTHER
Asia Times: Buddha vs the barrel of a gun - Pepe Escobar

STATEMENT
Alternative Asean Network on Burma: Altsean-Burma condemns SPDC crackdown
AIPMC: Stop violence against peaceful protesters immediately
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore: Singapore Statement on the
situation in Myanmar
International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies statement
on Burma

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 26, New York Times
Police clash with monks in Myanmar - Seth Mydans

The government of Myanmar began a violent crackdown today after tolerating
more than a month of ever-larger protests in cities around the country,
clubbing and tear- gassing protesters, firing shots into the air and
arresting hundreds of the monks who are at the heart of the
demonstrations.

The Reuters news agency quoted hospital and monastery sources as saying
two monks and a civilian were killed and several people were wounded in
the crackdown.

Despite threats and warnings by the authorities and despite the beginnings
of a violent response, tens of thousands of chanting, cheering protesters
flooded the streets, witnesses reported. Monks were in the lead, “like
religious storm troopers,” as one foreign observer described the scene.

Though the crowds were large and energetic, they were smaller than on
previous days, apparently in part because of the deployment of armed
soldiers to prevent monks from leaving some of the main temples.

But it appeared that an attempt by the military to halt the protests
through warnings, troop deployments and initial bursts of violence had not
succeeded. Analysts said that the next steps in the crackdown might be yet
more aggressive and widespread.

A foreign diplomat described “an amazing scene” today as a column of 8,000
to 10,000 people flooded past his embassy following a group of about 800
monks.

They were trailed by four truckloads of military men, watching but not
taking action. The diplomat, in keeping with embassy policy, spoke on
condition of anonymity.

According to news reports and telephone interviews from Myanmar, which is
sealed off to foreign reporters, the day began with a confrontation at the
giant, gold-spired Shwedagon Pagoda, which has been one focus of the
demonstrations.

In the first reported violence in nine days of demonstrations by monks in
the country’s main city, Yangon, police with riot shields dispersed up to
100 monks who were trying to enter the temple, firing tear gas and warning
shots and knocking some monks to the ground. As many as 200 monks were
reported to have been arrested at the pagoda.

Several hundred monks then walked through the city to the downtown Sule
Pagoda, another focus of the demonstrations, where truckloads of soldiers
had been seen arriving Tuesday. Another violent confrontation was reported
here, at which more shots were fired and a number of arrests were made.

Tens of thousands of people were reported to be demonstrating in the
streets of Mandalay, the country’s second largest city.

The demonstrations have grown from several hundred people protesting a
fuel price rise in mid-August to as many as 100,000 Sunday, led by tens of
thousands of monks in the largest and most sustained antigovernment
protests since 1988.

That earlier peaceful uprising was crushed by the military, which shot
into crowds, killing an estimated 3,000 people. It was during the turmoil
a decade ago that the current military junta took power in Myanmar, and it
has maintained its grip by arresting dissidents, quashing political
opposition and using force and intimidation to control the population.

Now, emboldened by the presence of the monks, huge crowds have joined the
demonstrations in protests that reflect years of discontent over economic
hardship and political repression.

At first, the government held back as the protests grew. It issued its
first warning Monday night, when the religious affairs minister said the
government was prepared to take action against the protesting monks.

On Tuesday night, the government announced a dawn-to-dusk curfew, banned
gatherings of more than five people and placed the cities of Yangon and
Mandalay under what amounts to martial law. Troops began taking up
positions at strategic locations around Yangon and attempted to seal off
five of the largest and most active monasteries.

As the protests grew, public figures began to come forward, and on Tuesday
the government arrested the first of them, a popular comedian, Zarganar,
who had urged people to join the demonstrations. He had irritated the
government in the past with his veiled political gibes.

The crackdown today came in the face of warnings and pleas from around the
world to refrain from the kind of violence that has made the country’s
ruling generals international pariahs.

At the United Nations, President Bush on Tuesday announced a largely
symbolic tightening of American sanctions against the government. Today,
British prime minister, Gordon Brown, called for a United Nations Security
Council meeting on the situation. The European Union threatened to tighten
its own sanctions if violence was used.

Reuters reported Mr. Brown, who was speaking to reporters in Britain, as
saying:: “I hope the Security Council will meet immediately, meet today,
and discuss this issue and look at what can be done.” He said the first
step should be to send a United Nations envoy to Burma. The Dalai Lama and
Desmond Tutu, the former South African archbishop and anti-apartheid
campaigner, have spoken out in support of their fellow Nobel Peace Prize
laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader, who has
been held under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

The junta was also hearing the message directly from Yangon-based
diplomats. The British ambassador, Mark Canning, said he met with a
government official Tuesday to urge restraint.

“You need to look very carefully at the underlying political and economic
hardships,” he said he told the official. “The government must also
understand what this is about — not fuel prices, but decades of
dissatisfaction.”

____________________________________

September 26, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Burma army starts killing

Rangoon - Police and soldiers at barricades beat monks and laymen back
from the east gate of the Shwedagon Pagoda with batons and tear gas twice
Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least five people dead, including monks, a
former high-level government official said.

At least 30 monks and 50 civilians were beaten and then taken away in
military vehicles to an unknown destination.

Police and soldiers manned barricades erected on the road to the east gate
of the Shwedagon Pagoda, preventing marching monks from using the shrine
as a launch pad for their ninth day of peaceful protests.

About 10,000 monks weaved their way through Rangoon's streets Wednesday
afternoon, heading for the Sule Pagoda, where they were pushed back by
more troops armed with shields and batons, witnesses said.

Soldiers stationed at City Hall, across from the Sule Pagoda, reportedly
fired on the crowd at one point, claiming an unknown number of casualties.

A newly arrived tourist said shots rang out for about 30 seconds as a
crowd of thousands of people, mostly laymen, moved toward a barricade
about 100 metres from the roundabout where the pagoda stands.

Protestors ran in panic down side streets. Some fell and were trampled by
those following them. Fear showed in their faces.

"I'm going home," one monk said.

The tourist said a 26-year-old student warned her: "You shouldn't go any
farther. They are animals," referring to the soldiers.

The Burmese military, after issuing several warnings to the monks for the
past two days, deployed its troops against the protest for the first time
in nine days of protest marches in Rangoon.

At least 12 truckloads, each carrying about 40 police and soldiers, were
dispatched Tuesday night to City Hall after tens of thousands of monks
defied a government order to end their protest marches and return to their
temples.

Dozens of military trucks and jeeps were seen parked outside the City Hall
compound, but the troops were out of sight Wednesday morning. Police and
military personnel were guarding the four gates of the Sule Pagoda, which
sits in the centre of a traffic circle in front of City Hall.

The pagoda in the centre of downtown Rangoon has been where the monks have
congregated, joined by thousands of laymen, over the past four days in a
show of defiance against the military junta.

The marching monks appeared determined to take to the streets again
Wednesday despite signs that a confrontation is looming. As on past days,
they were to first meet about noon at the Shwedagon Pagoda and then march
on Sule Pagoda.

"We are even ready to die," one Rangoon temple abbot told Deutsche
Presse-Agentur dpa.

Various human rights groups and crisis-management organizations have
called on Burmese allies such as China, India and South-East Asian nations
to intervene to prevent a bloodbath in Rangoon.

"The Burmese military has shown in the past a willingness to kill peaceful
protestors to end demonstrations," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human
Rights Watch. "If the military government is going to listen to anyone, it
will be countries with which it has close military and economic ties. Now
is the time for these countries to show that they care about the health
and welfare of the Burmese people."

Rangoon's barefoot rebellion, which started September 18, drew up to
100,000 followers Monday and Tuesday and have proceeded so far without
reprisals from the regime.

But signs indicated that the junta is ready to spill blood as it did in
September 1988 when the army unleashed its fury on pro-democracy mass
demonstrations, killing up to 3,000 people, including hundreds of
protesting monks.

Around midnight, the government announced via public loudspeakers that a
60-day curfew had been imposed in the city from 9 pm to 5 am.

Rangoon General Hospital has been instructed to clear wards in preparation
for an influx of patients, hospital sources said.

In 1988, Burma was rocked by nationwide rallies against the military
regime's incompetent rule, which had dragged the country down from one of
the wealthiest in Asia prior to World War II to an economic basket case by
1987.

Economic hardships are partly behind the latest protests.

Without warning or consultations, the government more than doubled fuel
prices on August 15, exacerbating overnight the plight of their
impoverished people. The country has suffered double-digit inflation since
2006.

Anti-inflation protests started building on August 19 in Rangoon, led by
former student activists and opposition politicians. Last week, the
movement was taken up by the monks.

Burma's 400,000-member Buddhist monkhood has a long history of political
activism in Burma, having played a pivotal role in the independence
struggle against Great Britain in 1947 and the anti- military
demonstrations of 1988.

____________________________________

September 26, Irrawaddy
Burmese troops fire on Rangoon protestors; unconfirmed reports say five
monks, one woman dead - Saw Yan Naing

Burmese security forces fired directly on protesting monks and other
demonstrators in Rangoon on Wednesday, reportedly killing five monks and
one woman in separate Rangoon clashes, according to unconfirmed reports.

Monks praying in front of armed troops in Rangoon, September 26, 2007
[Photo: Reuters]

On-the-scene reports to The Irrawaddy said the monks died when troops and
security forces opened fire on at least two separate demonstrations.
Troops reportedly fired over the heads of protesters on some occasions and
fired directly at protestors on other occasions.

The reports of deaths and injuries were impossible to confirm on Wednesday.

The deaths reportedly occurred as different columns of monks walked
through the city on Wednesday.

Nyan Win, a National League for Democracy spokesperson, said he heard
reports that three monks and one woman had been killed by gunfire.

AFP, the French news agency, reported Wednesday night that at least two
Burmese officials said three monks were dead. The AFP report said one monk
died as he tried to take a weapon away from a soldier, and two others were
beaten to death.

In the military-ruled government of Burma, information is severely
restricted and accurate reports of the number of dead and injured are
difficult to verify.

Witnesses said the military government fired at protesters, hurled tear
gas and wielded batons to break up protests in Rangoon. In Mandalay, shots
were fired over the heads of protestors.

In both cities, security forces rounded up and arrested many protest
leaders and others, according to sources on the scene.

During Wednesday morning, military forces and police in Rangoon blocked
the road to Shwedagon Pagoda and confronted thousands of monks and
civilians who gathered outside the pagoda, one of the holiest sites in
Burma.

On Wednesday afternoon, protesters and security forces also clashed again
near Shwedagon Pagoda and later on a road leading to Sule Pagoda.

Dozens of protesters and activists including members of the NLD,
protesting Buddhist monks and other protest leaders were arrested
throughout the day at different areas in Rangoon, in Mandalay and in
Kachin state.

In Rangoon, two well-known activists, the veteran politician Amyotheryei
Win Naing and the popular Burmese comedian Zarganar, were arrested
overnight on Tuesday.

The well-known Burmese actor Kyaw Thu and the poet Aung Win are being
sought by authorities for their role in aiding monks in recent days,
according to sources.

In Mandalay, security forces fired warning shots and used teargas to break
up an estimated 10,000 protesting monks who marched through the city,
according to local residents.  one source said that after troops fired
warning shots over the heads of the monks, they continued on with their
march.

Also in Mandalay, three members of the NLD, Tin Aung, Khin Maung Thaung
and Myo Naing, and well-known comedian Par Par Lay, were arrested on
Wednesday after they offered alms to monks.

In other areas, more than 200 monks in Myitkyina and Bamaw in Kachin state
in northern Burma were arrested in a midnight raid on Tuesday. More monks
in the area were detained on Wednesday morning, while others escaped and
are in hiding. Many phone lines were cut off in the area, residents said.

The junta declared a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Rangoon and Mandalay
on Tuesday and banned any gathering of more than five people. Thousands of
monks and citizens ignored the ban on Wednesday.

Security forces and police took up positions around Rangoon City Hall and
many monasteries on Wednesday. Security was also increased in Pegu and
Mandalay, in Sagaing Division and in Arakan, Mon and Kachin states.

The phone lines of many pro-democracy activists and many members of a
volunteer medical team that has followed Rangoon demonstrations also have
been cut off by the military government.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
Pro-democracy politician arrested in Myanmar

Noted pro-democracy politician Win Naing was arrested overnight at his
home in Yangon, a friend and a western diplomat said Wednesday, as
Myanmar's junta tightened security around the country.

"He was arrested around 2:30am," a friend told AFP.

A western diplomat said Win Naing was arrested after he was seen providing
food and water to Buddhist monks who have spearheaded the largest
anti-junta protests seen in the country in nearly 20 years.

Win Naing had been arrested on March 8 for organising a press conference
for activists who staged a small protest in February against the crippling
economic hardships faced by Myanmar's people.

The septuagenarian politician was then released after one night in jail.

"He has always placed the economy before politics," the diplomat told AFP.

One of Myanmar's top comedians, Zaganar, was also arrested during the
night. He had also brought food and water to monks who had led 100,000
people in the streets on Monday and Tuesday.

____________________________________

September 26, Associated Press
Myanmar confirms death of protester in Yangon

Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar's government said security forces opened fire
Wednesday on demonstrators who failed to disperse, killing one person, and
witnesses said police beat and dragged away dozens of Buddhist monks in
the most violent crackdown against the protests that began last month in
Myanmar.

While dissident groups reported as many as five dead, including monks, the
military junta's announcement on state radio and television was the first
acknowledgment that force has been used to suppress the protests and the
first admission that blood had been shed. The dissidents also said about
300 monks and activists were arrested.

Responding to calls by world leaders, the United Nations Security Council
will hold closed consultations on Myanmar later Wednesday. The session
will be briefed by Ibrahim Gambari, the secretary-general's special envoy
on Myanmar, said U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe.

Myanmar's government said the security forces fired after the crowd of
10,000 people, including "so-called monks," failed to disperse at Yangon's
Sule Pagoda. It said the police used minimum force.

The dead man, aged 30, was apparently hit by a ricocheting shell, the
announcement said. It said the wounded, two men and a woman, were not hurt
by gunshots but rather from being caught in a melee. Witnesses said they
had seen two women and one young man with gunshot wounds in the chaotic
confrontations.

Zin Linn, information minister for the Washington-based National Coalition
Government of the Union of Burma, which is Myanmar's self-styled
government-in-exile, said at least five monks were killed, while an
organization of exiled political activists in Thailand, the National
League for Democracy-Liberated Area said three monks had been confirmed
dead, and about 17 wounded.

About 300 monks and activists were arrested across Yangon after defying
government orders to stay home, according to an exile dissident group, and
reporters saw a number of cinnamon-robed monks, who are highly revered in
Myanmar, being dragged into military trucks.

"If these stories are accurate, the U.S. is very troubled that the regime
would treat the Burmese people this way," said National Security Council
spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in Washington. "We call on the junta to
proceed in a peaceful transition to democracy."

President Bush announced new U.S. sanctions against Myanmar on Tuesday,
accusing the military dictatorship of imposing "a 19-year reign of fear"
that denies basic freedoms of speech, assembly and worship. Mr. Bush said
the U.S. would tighten economic sanctions on leaders of the regime and
their financial backers, and impose an expanded visa ban on those
responsible for human-rights violations and their families.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the military regime to be
restrained in reacting to protests. "The whole world is now watching," Mr.
Brown said. "I hope the Security Council will meet immediately, meet today
and discuss this issue and look at what can be done."

In Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city, more than 800 monks, nuns and
laymen played a cat-and-mouse game with some 100 soldiers who tried to
stop them marching from the Mahamuni Paya Pagoda, which they had tried to
enter earlier. "We are so afraid, the soldiers are ready to fire on
civilians at any time," a man near the pagoda said, asking that his name
not be used for fear of reprisals.

The junta had banned all public gatherings of more than five people and
imposed a nighttime curfew following eight days of anti-government marches
led by monks across the country in the largest protests in nearly 20
years.

____________________________________

September 26, Bangkok Post
Saffron revolt could be 'tipping point'

The monks' massive protest marches across Burma are now openly challenging
the generals in power - Larry Jagan

Nearly 20 years after mass pro-democracy demonstrations forced the former
dictator General Ne Win to resign, thousands of people have been taking to
the streets again to protest against the country's military rulers. In the
past two days, more than 10,000 people have joined the biggest protest
marches in the former capital Rangoon since 1988.

Powerless to stop them, Burma's military authorities are increasingly
worried that they are losing control of the country as monks, students and
ordinary people are courageously joining the street protests against the
military government.

Throughout Burma, thousands of Buddhist monks have led these protest
marches in what is fast becoming a saffron revolt _ because of the colour
of the monks' robes _ to vent their anger at the military government's
disregard for the plight of the people.

For more than a week now the revered monks have been marching in protest.
These protests are snowballing and are now seriously threatening the
generals' grasp on power.


>From a few hundred monks, these demonstrations have grown dramatically to

more than a hundred thousand.

''We may have reached the tipping point,'' said the independent Burmese
analyst, Win Min, based at Chiang Mai University. ''The movement is
growing and it's developing a momentum all of its own.''

The regime is so worried that they have ordered all monks back to their
monasteries and off the streets. It is not clear whether the monks will
obey these instructions.

After a meeting with Buddhist religious leaders on Monday, the Minister
for Religion Thura Myint Maung warned young monks and novices not to break
Buddhist ''rules and regulations'' in a televised interview on the
state-run television. The monks were warned that if they continued their
protests they would face legal action.

The country's top generals have discussed the current unrest in an
emergency meeting in the new capital, Naypidaw. So far the military is
only threatening to come down hard on the monks. But there are growing
fears that the generals may be about to move against them. More than 3,000
people died when the military took action against the massive
pro-democracy movement some 20 years ago.

Every day the marches get bigger and bigger, involving monks in more and
more towns and cities across the country. On Monday more than 100,000
people marched, led by thousands of barefoot monks, to the renowned
Shwedagon Pagoda in central Rangoon. On the same day, there reportedly
were monk-led marches in more than 30 cities and towns across the country,
including Mandalay, Moulmein, Pegu, Mytikyina near the Chinese border and
Sittwe in the west of the country. These protests are set to grow.

''We want the people to join us,'' the monks chanted as they walked
through Rangoon on the weekend. And on Monday thousands heeded their call
and joined the march.

This public defiance is the first serious show of anti-government feeling
for more than 19 years. More marches are planned for later this week,
according to a senior Buddhist monk who did not want to be identified.

The monks of Rangoon have continued to call on ordinary people to support
the protests; they have also asked the students to join the major protest
rally planned for today _ a Buddhist holy day. This protest march is
expected to be the biggest so far and could match the huge crowds that
came out onto the streets nearly 20 years ago and helped topple the
dictator Ne Win.

The last few days have also marked a turning point in the monks' movement
for justice. Up until a few days ago the monks had been primarily
protesting against the local authorities' use of violence to quell an
earlier march near Mandalay, where several monks were badly beaten by
violent vigilantes wielding sticks. All along, though, the monks have also
been calling on the government to reduce prices, supporting the first of
the public protests that broke out more than a month ago after the
government raised fuel charges by up to 500%.

The monks are motivated by their concern for the deteriorating condition
in which most people have to live. The monks are close to the people and
understand their hardship.

''They know better than anyone the impact the rising fuel and food prices
is having on the people at the grassroots,'' said the Burmese analyst,
Aung Naing Oo, who himself lived in a monastery for some time.

Monks rely on daily alms from the public for their survival. They
understand that this has become harder and harder, especially over the
last two years. ''What they used to collect from four or five houses, now
takes more than 30,'' said Aung Naing Oo.

The increasing economic hardship has also boosted the population of monks
and novices in the monasteries. There has also been a dramatic increase
the number of students from poor families.

But now the monks' marches have clearly turned political.

''We want national reconciliation, we want dialogue with the military, we
want freedom for Aung San Sun Kyi and other political prisoners,'' a
protest leader shouted through a microphone during Sunday's protests in
Rangoon.

Most importantly, the monks are also calling for dialogue and national
reconciliation with all parties _ another way of advocating the start of
genuine political talks between the military and the pro-democracy
parties, particularly the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San
Suu Kyi who is currently under house arrest in Rangoon. She has spent more
than 12 of the last 18 years in detention.

In a very important symbolic act, more than 2,000 marched to her home on
Saturday and she came out to the gate to pay her respects.

Burma's monks do not see themselves as political. They usually only come
out of their monasteries to defend the Sangha _ their faith and their
elders and to support the people on social and economic issues.

''Normally monks are not political,'' said Win Min. ''They focus on their
individual enlightenment according to traditional Buddhism. What is
happening now shows that the situation has reached the point where they
can no longer tolerate it.''

In the coming days and weeks much will depend on how the military decides
to handle the demonstrations. So far, apart from a couple of nasty
incidents earlier, the authorities have been relatively restrained and not
interfered with the marching monks.

But there were hints on Sunday that the government may been considering
more dramatic action against the protesters in future, when they prevented
the monks from visiting Aung San Suu Kyi on the second successive day by
using water cannons fired from fire-engines.

It remains unclear though how they will react when the demonstrations grow
and involve students and ordinary citizens.

''The military will find it hard to suppress the monks' movement as monks
are sacred symbols in this Buddhist society. They will draw wide public
support, as monks have a great influence over the people, that could lead
to significant change,'' said Win Min.

The next few days will be crucial as students and ordinary people join the
demonstrations which have clearly turned political and are directly
challenging the military.

A group calling itself the All Burma Monks Alliance, which represents the
younger, more radical Buddhist clergy recently urged ordinary people ''to
struggle peacefully against the evil military dictatorship until it is
banished from the land''.

''We pronounce the evil military despotism, which is impoverishing and
pauperising our people of all walks including the clergy, as the 'common
enemy' of all our citizens,'' the alliance said in a statement.

The monks are now discussing joint action with former student leaders from
the 1988 protests in secret, according to sources close to the 88
generation group. The monks have asked the students to unfurl the fighting
peacock flag _ the students' symbol which dominated the 1988 protests _ at
future demonstrations. The military will see this as a very provocative
act, but the monks have promised to protect the students.

''We are going for it, this is our time. We have to take this chance now
as there may never be another one,'' a senior former student leader told
the Bangkok Post from hiding inside the country.

''The students will support the monks' peaceful protests,'' he said. The
monks and the students are clearly concerned that the movement remains
peaceful.

''The monks are the country's moral authority and Aung San Suu Kyi has the
political authority, both are promoting peaceful change,'' according to
Soe Aung, a prominent Burmese activist based in Thailand. The monks' visit
to Aung San Suu Kyi's home over the weekend reflects the new political
nature of the protests. A very devout Buddhist, she has always promoted
change through non-violent means.

''The monks and the students are beginning to join forces in what will be
a potent force for change,'' said a Western diplomat based in Rangoon.

''Unless the military are prepared to shoot the monks, which is highly
unlikely because of their revered position in Burmese society, the
government may have no other option but to concede to the demonstrators'
demands and at least start a dialogue with the opposition,'' he added.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
At least 17 monks injured in Myanmar crackdown - witnesses

At least 17 Buddhist monks were injured when Myanmar security forces
violently dispersed their peaceful anti-junta protest Wednesday, witnesses
said.

All 17 were injured around midday when police baton-charged a group of
monks and mainly young protesters near the Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar's
holiest shrine, the witnesses said.

Among the wounded was an 80-year-old monk who witnesses said was beaten
about the head by security forces. The elderly monk has participated in
the daily anti-junta protests in Yangon although he cannot walk and has to
be carried.

Hospital officials have refused to comment on any injuries stemming from
the crackdown.

Despite the violence, tens of thousands of people remained on the streets
of Yangon, scattered across the city, witnesses said.

In the outlying township of Ahlone, about 300 monks protested but were
blocked by armed soldiers who began firing over their heads, witnesses
said.

The monks urged the people to stay away from the protest, but when the
bullets started whizzing overhead, hundreds of people sat on the ground
around the monks in a show of solidarity, the witnesses said.

"I felt so sorry when I saw this scene. I've never seen this kind of
violence. I feel so sorry for the monks," one woman said by telephone from
Ahlone.

At the Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon, security forces tried to use tear
gas and warning shots to disperse the crowd, but thousands kept returning
to taunt the soldiers.

As the day wore on, some protesters began to throw stones at the soldiers,
who responded with more warning shots, witnesses said.

At least one man was seen being carried away after he was injured when
thousands of people began running from the tear gas.

____________________________________

September 26, Narinjara News
Akyab Muslim community joins monks protest

Akyab: For the first time yesterday, the Muslim community joined a protest
led by monks in Akyab after five major demonstrations broke out in the
Arakan State's capital, Burma since August 28, said a resident.

"I saw over 1000 Muslims march the streets of Akyab along with several
monks and Buddhist people forming human chains," the resident said.

There were not only Muslim men but women participating in the
demonstration that was staged by monks, despite the military authorities
warning to monks not to protest any further on the streets, a source said.

The Burmese military junta on Monday warned monks not to continue their
demonstrations in the streets, but many monks in Akyab led over 5000
people in staging a protest defying the warnings.

Many people in Akyab were worried about yesterday's demonstration as the
authorities had threatened a crack down on demonstrators, the source
added.

Many townspeople welcomed the Muslim community joining the protests along
with the Buddhist community to show unity among the Arakanese people.

"We are a family and we are travelers in the same boat. We are all
suffering from economic hardship during this present military regime so we
Burmese citizens need to be united without regard to religion, class, or
race," a town elder said.

The demonstration started at 1 p.m. and over 5000 people in ma
participated. The protesters shouted anti-junta slogans. The regime
increased prices of fuel disregarding the difficulties faced by the
people.

The demonstration ended peacefully at 3:30 p.m. without any intervention
by the military authorities.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
Technology puts Myanmar protests in international eye - Shino Yuasa

Myanmar's swelling protests are in the global spotlight with the help of
hi-tech gadgets in the era of YouTube -- a stark contrast to the 1988
uprising in the pre-Internet age.

The peaceful protests, led by Buddhist monks, have turned into the biggest
mass movement since the military regime violently quelled student-led
protests in 1988, killing at least 3,000 people.

Those massacres happened far from the world's view because Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma, was then sealed off from the outside world before
the age of the Internet and cell phones.

But 20 years later, monk-led rallies have received wide coverage in the
international media thanks to the Internet, mobile phones and digital
cameras, which have proved more powerful than the junta's censors.

"The technology is making a huge difference. Now everyone in the world can
know what is happening in Burma via the Internet," said Sein Win, managing
editor of Mizzima News, an India-based news group run by exiled
dissidents,

"It is a reality of globalization. Whether the junta likes it or not, the
government cannot isolate itself from the international community," Sein
Win said.

Since the protest broke out in Yangon on August 19 after a massive hike in
fuel prices, the government has tightened Internet access across the
nation that has been under military rule since 1962.

But some 200 Internet cafes in Yangon have continued to operate, drawing
tech-savvy university students who have transmitted pictures and video
clips taken on mobile phones and digital cameras around the clock.

"Young people know how to get around Internet controls. Not just from
Yangon, we received pictures and video clips from Mandalay," said Aung
Din, policy director of US Campaign for Burma, a Washington-based
democracy lobbying group. Mandalay is the second largest city after
Yangon.

Aung Din, who joined the 1988 uprising, said he was overwhelmed by the
difference between now and then.

"In 1988, we did not have the Internet or even phones to get our message
out of Burma. Nobody in the international community knew about the 1988
uprising. But the world knows about the current protests. It's just
amazing," Aung Din said.

The California-based Mandalay Gazette said it has received dozens of
pictures and video clips every day from Myanmar.

"Students and even monks are using mobile phones and digital cameras.
Everyone can send us pictures. In a way, the Internet makes everybody
equal," said one US-based editor who declined to be named.

The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders has called Myanmar a "paradise
for censors" and listed the military-ruled nation as one of the world's
most restrictive for press freedoms.

The military government attempts to block almost every website that
carries news or information about the Southeast Asian country, and even
bars access to web-based email.

____________________________________

September 26, Shan Herald Agency for News
Ethnic leaders join protest

Spurning criticism that the non-Burmans are merely watching while the
confrontation between Burma's ruling generals and the Buddhist monk's
snowballs, the Burma-based Ethnic Youth Network Group (EYNG) said it has
been involved in the protests since the beginning.

Actual participation by individual leader of the United Nationalities
Alliance (UNA) and United Nationalities League for Democracy (UNLD) in the
march took place on September 22.

On 24 September, the ethnic leaders joined the march starting from
Rangoon's city hall, holding aloft  placards calling for the release of
political prisoners, political dialogue and relief to people's sufferings.

Photographs sent by EYNG show Aye Tha Aung and Thaung Ko Thang, two of the
most prominent ethnic leaders in demonstration.

Karen and Shan leaders on the Thai-Burma border have also declared their
support for the ongoing demonstrations that began mid August following the
100-500 percent fuel price hike by the military regime.

____________________________________

September 26, Mizzima News
Junta blocks popular blogs Nam Davies

The Burmese military junta is now desperate to stop information of the
turmoil in the country filtering out to the rest of the world. It has
blocked some domestic blogs today at about 6 p.m. to restrict and stop
free flow of information.

The authorities blocked popular blogs http://www.kohtike.blogspot.com,
http://niknayman.blogspot.com and http://soneseyar.blogspot.com which
continuously posted news and photographs of ongoing protests against the
fuel price hike and economic hardship.

"Curbs of freedom of expression by the people and restricting the free
media are a blatant violation of fundamental human rights. We condemn the
SPDC vehemently," A Niknayman blogger said.

"Access Denied" notice appeared when they tried to log on to these banned
websites and blogs. These blogs posted the protest march news and pictures
in which monks, students, artists and ethnic people vent their grievances,
a blogger said.

Similarly the authorities recently banned popular the 'You Tube' website
where video clips of Burmese democratic movements were posted. They also
disconnected the mobile and landline phones of leading politicians,
reporters of domestic and foreign media and wire agencies and 88
generation student activists.

The Government owned MPT and Bagan Cyber Tech blocked the websites and
blogs to restrict and ban the free flow of information in and out of
Burma. Niknayman said that even though the government blocked their
websites and blogs, the readers can still visit their blogs and websites
through proxy servers.

"The readers can visit our blogs through proxy. But we worry about the
difficulty in locating our websites through these proxy servers", the
Niknayman blog owner said.

Just before the recent blog ban, a rumour spread that the authorities were
planning to block internet connections also.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

September 26, The Nation
Thai govt warned of possible influx of Burmese - Subhatra Bhumiprabhas

Leading Burmese dissidents urged on Wednesday the Thai government and the
international community to prepare for the possible influx of refugees in
case of bloody clashes between authorities and prodemocracy demonstrators
in Burma.


Charm Thong, a member of the Shan Women Action Network (Swan), said a
clear policy is Thailand needed in order to avoid any confusion if and the
Thai border is flooded with Burmese fleeing crackdown.

Cham Thong pressure from the world community is welcomed but added that
all eyes are on China, a member of the UN Security Council and Rangoon's
closest allies.

The international community has urged the UNSC to pass a binding
resolution to "put an end to the suffering of our people".

Dr. Cynthia Maung, an ethnic Karen refugee who runs a border clinic in Mae
Sot district, said she is also preparing for the worst case scenario.

There are already about 150,000 refugees in Mae Sot district. Most are
ethnic Karens who came with stories of rape and torture.

Meanwhile, the Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) has ordered its
regional commander along the ThaiBurmese border to keep a close watch on
the development inside Burma.

Colonel Thanathip Sawangsaeng, Isoc's spokesman, said situation along the
major crossing, including Mae Sai, Mae Sot and Hua Muang, were normal but
authorities have been instructed not to be complacent.

____________________________________

September 26, Irrawaddy
Border NGOs ready for refugees from crackdown - Yeni

Humanitarian workers at the Thai-Burmese border are preparing themselves
for a flow of refugees from the violent government crackdown on
demonstrations in Rangoon and Mandalay.

When clashes broke out between security forces and demonstrators in the
1988 nationwide popular uprising thousands of students and pro-democracy
activists fled to Thailand.

An NGO worker in Chiang Mai told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that if a
similar exodus occurred humanitarian organizations would be prepared to
receive the refugees.

Dr Sann Aung, a Burmese elected member of parliament living in exile, told
Thailand’s English language daily The Nation that he hoped Burmese who
fled the oppression in their country would not face another crackdown in
Thailand.

Kitty McKinsey, senior regional public information officer of UN High
Commissioner for Refugees Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok,
explained in an email message to The Irrawaddy: "Regarding anyone from
Myanmar [Burma] who might flee fighting or political persecution, in
Thailand they would follow the normal procedure and apply to the
Provincial Admissions Boards for registration in one of the nine refugee
camps along the Thai-Myanmar [Burma] border."

According to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, the biggest
humanitarian relief and development agency that supports Burmese refugees,
about 160,000 Burmese are living in the nine refugee camps in Thailand.
The majority are Karen and Karenni people.

NGOs are concerned about the closure of 19 border crossings between
Thailand and Burma’s Karen State as a result of an agreement between Thai
and Burmese officials to co-operate in controlling illegal immigration and
boost economic activity in the area.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

September 26, Agence France Presse
Asian trade a lifeline for Myanmar's generals - Karl Malakunas

While the United States has hit the generals ruling Myanmar with fresh
sanctions, the junta can confidently look to their Asian neighbours for
financial support as they hold on to power, analysts said.

China has long been the Myanmar government's most loyal and lucrative
friend, enabling the impoverished Southeast Asian nation's military to
grow increasingly powerful and its elite to fatten their own wallets, they
said.

India, Thailand and Singapore are other nations to have provided a
lifeline to the junta, and they appear certain to continue placing trade
ahead of human rights abuses when determining their priorities in dealing
with Myanmar.

"There's a strong opposition across the board in Asia to sanctions," the
International Crisis Group's Asia director, Robert Templer, said when
talking about the importance of regional trade to propping up Myanmar's
government.

"It's unlikely that there will be any dramatic change in that position. I
can't see any shift in (Asian governments' policies) of economic
engagement."

Highlighting this stance, India this week ignored the anti-government
protests that have engulfed Myanmar and signed a deal in which it pledged
to invest 150 million dollars for gas exploration there.

Meanwhile trade between China and Myanmar has climbed nearly 50 percent in
the first eight months of this year to be worth 1.08 billion dollars,
according to official Chinese data.

However bilateral trade is widely assumed to be far higher, as undeclared
timber, gems and other goods from Myanmar stream across the border into
China's southern Yunnan province.

Thailand has also in recent years sought to compete with the bigger
regional powers in securing Myanmar's rich gas reserves and other natural
resources.

Bilateral trade between Myanmar and Thailand reached 117.5 billion baht
(3.7 billion dollars) in 2006, up 17.5 percent year-on-year, according to
the Thai commerce ministry, with more than half of that in natural gas
deals.

Myanmar's generals may still be in power even without the Asian trade, but
they would be more vulnerable and likely to listen to the democratic
voices from inside and outside the country, according to some observers.

"This money is going straight to the generals, that's why they have been
able to survive," said Aung Thu Nyein, a Thai-based senior associate at
Vahu Institute, a private think tank specialising in Myanmar issues.

Templer also described the Asian trade as of tremendous importance to the
junta.

"It has sustained the budget for what is quite a large military and
provided the opportunity for the elite to enrich themselves," he said.

Seizing on the protests in Myanmar to pressure the junta, US President
George W. Bush announced on Tuesday that his nation's sanctions on the
regime would be tightened, while the European Union warned of similar
action.

However Templer said even if all trade with Myanmar stopped, the generals
would continue to cling on to power.

"The Burmese military would sacrifice economic gain in order to remain in
power," he said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

"That's been a consistent pattern. It's not a government that focuses on
development."

Equally, Asian nations will undoubtedly continue to focus on Myanmar's
energy reserves and other natural resources, regardless of political
events there, according to Bangkok University vice president Supong
Limtanakool.

"If Thai companies ignored Myanmar, we would lose our business
opportunities to China, India and Singapore," he said.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

September 26, Mizzima News
At last India voices concern over Burma turmoil - Mungpi

Waking up from its slumber, India, for the first time, has expressed
concern over the ongoing Buddhist monk-led protests in Burma which the
military junta is ruthlessly trying to suppress as of today by unleashing
its army.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs in a written reply to a question
by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) today said, it is closely
monitoring the situation in Burma and hopes all parties will resolve the
problems through a meaningful dialogue.

"The Government of India is concerned at and is closely monitoring the
situation in Myanmar [Burma ]. It is our hope that all sides will resolve
their issues peacefully through dialogue," the MEA said.

"India has always believed that Myanmar's [Burma ] process of political
return and national reconciliation should be more inclusive and broad
based," the MEA added.

The MEA's response came after more than a month of sporadic protests in
Burma that began following the government's decision to hike fuel prices
last month.

The Burmese junta resorted to a violent crackdown on Wednesday amidst
reports that at least one monk and a woman were killed after riot police
fired teargas shells and charged the protesting crowd with batons.

India, as the largest democracy in the world and a neighbour, attracted
criticism by activists for maintaining a silence over the ongoing protests
and the repressive measures by the junta in Burma on peaceful protesters.

Meanwhile, international communities including the US, UK, France,
Australia, Japan and the United Nations have voiced concern and urged the
ruling junta to exercise restraint in the face of growing protests by the
monks.

India, ironically was the first country to have voiced concern when the
Burmese junta mercilessly cracked down on protesters, who similarly took
to the streets of Rangoon, in 1988. The Indian Embassy in Rangoon even
went to the extent of providing assistance to student activists, when the
junta started hunting them down after the coup in September 1988.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 26, Agence France Presse
UN Security Council to meet on deadly Myanmar clashes

The UN Security Council is to meet Wednesday over deadly clashes in
Myanmar between anti-government protesters and the military junta, French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.

The meeting was to take place at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT), according to
Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Security
Council.

"We decided to call a meeting of the Security Council," said Kouchner,
adding that the emergency meeting had been decided at the request of
European members of the 15-member council.

Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for an
urgent UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar, saying
"the whole world is now watching Burma."

Brown, whose country is the former colonial power in the reclusive Asian
state, added that a UN envoy should be sent to the country to make the
seriousness of the situation to the "illegitimate and repressive regime."

"I hope the Security Council will meet immediately, meet today and discuss
this issue and look at what can be done," he said.

At least four people, including three Buddhist monks, have been killed in
a security forces crackdown on protesters who have been leading the
largest movement against the military junta in 20 years.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
World puts Myanmar on notice over protest crackdown

World governments Wednesday warned Myanmar's military rulers they would be
held to account for blood spilled in cracking down on mass street
protests, with the European Union threatening tougher sanctions.

But there were divisions over the effectiveness of punitive measures with
China refusing to put overt pressure on its neighbour and close ally, and
even Australia saying it will not order new action.

With witnesses reporting troops firing on protestors and police using tear
gas and baton charges, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for an
urgent UN Security Council meeting and the immediate despatch of a UN
envoy to the country still widely known as Burma.

"The whole world is now watching Burma and its illegitimate and repressive
regime should know that the whole world is going to hold it to account,"
Brown said.

"The age of impunity in neglecting and overriding human rights is over."

Witnesses in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, said at least 17 Buddhist
monks had been injured in the violence.

Rights groups called on the UN Security Council to impose its own arms
embargo and to stop China and India providing weapons to the junta, while
the European Union threatened to "reinforce and strengthen" an existing
sanctions regime.

Spain urged "maximum restraint" from Myanmar authorities, with the foreign
ministry warning in a statement that any extended crackdown "could have
very serious consequences".

A political solution "can only be found through dialogue and never through
the use of force," the statement said.

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy was to meet exiled Myanmar activists on
Wednesday and Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the junior minister for European
affairs, called the military crackdown "unacceptable".

"I will show France's support. We do not accept violent repression,"
Sarkozy said at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, where President George
W. Bush unveiled new US measures and called for global action to end what
he called the junta's "reign of fear."

Bush said the US administration would tighten economic sanctions on the
junta leaders and their "financial backers".

The European Union and United States have for years imposed trade and
investment sanctions over the junta's repression of democratic opposition,
but the military has shaken off all pressure to change.

Experts said any new sanctions would have to be swiftly followed by
vigorous international diplomacy to press the junta to bow to
unprecedented public demands for freedom.

Singapore, which chairs the regional ASEAN bloc, said it was "deeply
concerned" by the reports of clashes with the protestors and called for
"utmost restraint".

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his country would not
follow the US move in imposing economic sanctions because they "would have
absolutely no impact."

Downer said China was the only country with a hope of convincing Myanmar's
rulers to speed up moves towards political reform.

"I don't think what Western countries do is likely to lead to sudden
changes of direction," he added.

China and Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution in January urging
Myanmar's rulers to free all political detainees.

Amnesty International said the UN Security Council must send a mission to
Myanmar to head off violence.

Human Rights Watch called on Myanmar's allies, including China, Thailand,
Russia and India, to urge the regime to address the non-violent protests.

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said: "If the military
government is going to listen to anyone, it will be countries with which
it has close military and economic ties. Now is the time for these
countries to show that they care about the health and welfare of the
Burmese people."

Japan, a leading donor to Myanmar, was pressing the junta to "take a calm
response" to the protests, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said
Wednesday, promising only to "carefully monitor developments".

____________________________________

September 26, Reuters
Russia warns against pressure on Myanmar

Russia, a veto-holding permanent member of the U.N Security Council,
warned on Tuesday against exerting pressure on the Myanmar military
government over its actions to quell the strongest anti-junta protests in
20 years.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was closely watching
protest marches by Buddhist monks and the Myanmar opposition in Yangon and
several other cities.

"We consider any attempts to use the latest developments to exercise
outside pressure or interference in the domestic affairs of this sovereign
state to be counterproductive," the statement said.

It called on both the government and the opposition to "exercise
restraint", but added: "We still believe that the processes under way in
Myanmar do not threaten international and regional peace and security."

Russia's reaction to the Myanmar protests contrasted strongly to that of
Western nations, which strongly condemned the military junta.

The U.N. Security Council was called to meet later on Wednesday to consult
on the situation in Myanmar.

____________________________________

September 26, Associated Press
UK PM urges UN Security Council meeting on Myanmar

U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday called for an urgent U.N.
Security Council meeting on Myanmar, or Burma, and urged the military
regime there to be restrained in reacting to protests.

"The whole world is now watching," Brown told reporters at the Labour
Party's annual conference. "I hope the Security Council will meet
immediately, meet today and discuss this issue and look at what can be
done."

"The first thing that should be done is the U.N. envoy should be sent to
Burma to make them directly aware that any trampling of human rights that
takes place is unacceptable."

Brown said European Union ministers would meet to discuss an extension of
sanctions.

"I think the international pressure that can be made to be felt in the
next few days is incredibly important. I want to see the whole of the
world getting together on this. Each continent of the world can come
together," Brown said.

"The whole world is now watching Burma and its illegitimate and repressive
regime should know that the whole world is going to hold it to account,"
Brown added.

"The age of impunity in neglecting and overriding human rights is over."

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who was flying to New York later
Wednesday, also urged restraint in Myanmar.

The U.K.'s ambassador in Yangon, Mark Canning, believes that "the
international community's voice is a factor in the discussions that are
going on there," Miliband told reporters.

"It's very important that we continue to maintain this unanimous
international call for restraint, and also an international message that
there will be accountability in respect of any decisions that are taken,
but restraint must be the order of the day," Miliband told reporters.

"In all of our discussions we are emphasizing the need for restraint, and
clearly there is a degree of caution being exercised...in the minds of the
regime, but it's clearly important that they continue to understand that
restraint must be the order of the day," he added.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
EU ready to reinforce Myanmar sanctions following crackdown -Catherine
Triomphe

The European Union on Wednesday began drawing up new sanctions against the
Myanmar regime, following a police and military crackdown on peaceful
protests led by Buddhist monks in Yangon.

After the Myanmar authorities imposed a curfew in Yangon late Tuesday, the
EU, spurred by a tough line from Britain, said it would "reinforce and
strengthen the existing sanctions" should the Myanmar authorities crack
down on the "unarmed and peaceful demonstrators."

However Myanmar security forces fired tear gas and warning shots and beat
protesters with batons Wednesday, hoping to crush the mass rallies that
have erupted nationwide against the military regime.

Asia experts from the 27 EU nations began meeting in the morning to see
how the already extensive EU sanctions against the Myanmar regime could be
further toughened up, a spokesman for the Portuguese EU presidency said.

Under the existing sanctions, 375 members of the junta and their families
are banned from entering the European Union and are subject to an asset
freeze.

"We could always add the names of people linked to the ongoing repression
and who are not already on the lists," a European diplomat said.

While European countries are already banned from financing Myanmar state
firms and an arms bans is in place but "one could impose further trade
sanctions," he added.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reacted to the crackdown by saying:
"The whole world is now watching Burma and its illegitimate and repressive
regime should know that the whole world is going to hold it to account."

Brown called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting on the situation in
Myanmar, while acknowledging the limits on what the outside world can do.

"The direct support that the monks and the students and the people of
Burma can have is obviously limited by the fact that it's an extremely
repressive regime that's held the country in a very tight noose for so
long."

On Tuesday he said the EU should beef up its sanctions if the Myanmar
authorities resorted to violence.

The Europeans realize that whatever actions they take will not have
spectacular, immediate effects on what is already one of the most isolated
nations in the world.

"The sanctions are already pretty strong," said one European official.

"We can't expect that sanction changes alone are going to persuade the
authorities not to use force," he added.

"There need to be other elements, and notably some serious diplomatic work
needs to be done with countries in the region, starting with China and
India," Myanmar's two large trading partners, said Cristina Gallach,
spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

However the diplomatic path takes time and, in the meantime, the
announcement of beefed-up sanctions is the only tool available to EU
member states to the police oppression.

"Faced with a bloody repression you can't just do nothing," one diplomat
said.

"The only way to express our dismay is through sanctions."

By the afternoon the European Union had not officially reacted to the
violent dispersal of the demonstrators, which left an unknown number
injured.

However the Portuguese EU presidency was expected to intervene in a debate
on Myanmar starting at 1300 GMT Wednesday at the European parliament in
Strasbourg.

"We condemned the repression in advance and called for non-violent methods
to be used," a Portuguese spokesman said.

"We can only regret that the Myanmar regime ignored these statements."

____________________________________

September 26, Reuters
Myanmar 1988 veterans watch nervously from exile - Mark Trevelyan

Exiled veterans of Myanmar's doomed mass protests of 1988 urged the
international community on Wednesday to intervene urgently to prevent the
latest pro-democracy demonstrations from turning into a bloodbath.

"It's deeply concerning, very chaotic, and the regime is going to do
everything to keep power. There will be bloodshed and massacre," said Win
Naing, a provincial strike leader who took part in the ill-fated uprising
of two decades ago, when soldiers killed an estimated 3,000 people.

Speaking at a rally outside the Myanmar embassy in London, Naing told
Reuters he was "outraged" by reports that demonstrators had been killed on
Wednesday in the main city of Yangon.

Two Buddhist monks and a civilian were killed when the security forces
moved in to break up the biggest demonstrations against Myanmar's ruling
military junta for 20 years, hospital and monastery sources said.

"I did not think they would gun down the monks," said Naing, who fled the
country in 1991 to escape harassment by the military intelligence agency.

The military has ruled for 45 years after taking power in a coup.

"We need urgent and immediate concrete action. The U.N. Security Council
should send U.N. troops into Burma (Myanmar) to settle the situation as
soon as possible."

About 100 demonstrators protested for an hour outside the embassy, bearing
placards with slogans like "We want freedom in Burma"

Ko Aung, a student leader in 1988 who said he was later arrested and
sentenced to seven years' hard labor, criticized the international
community for being "already too late" to stand up to Myanmar's military
rulers.

But with footage from the mass street protests leading news bulletins
around the world, he voiced hope that the government would pull back from
the brink.

"The difference with 1988 is the international community and the media are
closely monitoring what's going on inside. The regime should realize
that's not like 1988," he said.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
Japan warns Myanmar on aid, appeals for calm

Japan, a leading donor to Myanmar, Wednesday warned it would continue to
refrain from major aid projects and appealed for calm as the military
regime clamped down on protests.

"The Japanese government is currently encouraging the Myanmar government
to take a calm response," Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura told a news
conference.

Japan, in a rare break with the United States and European Union,
continues to provide aid to Myanmar, although it says it is only for
humanitarian purposes.

"We're not in a situation to launch any big economic cooperation
projects," chief government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura said separately.

However, Machimura rejected US calls for full-fledged sanctions, saying
Japan preferred "constructive measures through our diplomatic ties."

"America is very strict in dealing with Myanmar," Machimura said. "I've
always questioned whether it would make good diplomatic sense to
needlessly join the Western countries to slap people around."

"However, considering the current situation in Myanmar, where the pace of
political reform is very slow -- for example they're taking more than 10
years in the writing of the constitution -- we cannot fully cooperate in
their economic development without any provisions."

US President George W. Bush on Tuesday unveiled new sanctions on Myanmar's
military rulers and urged the world to side with the demonstrators.

Myanmar's security forces on Wednesday beat protesters, fired tear gas and
fired warning shots into the air as they moved to crush nine days of
massive anti-government rallies.

Japan suspended major projects such as infrastructure in 2003 in protest
at the continued detention of pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi.

____________________________________

September 26, Agence France Presse
Australia rules out economic sanctions on Myanmar

Australia will not follow the United States and impose economic sanctions
on Myanmar because doing so "would have absolutely no impact," Foreign
Minister Alexander Downer said.

Downer, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said
Tuesday that China was the only country with a hope of convincing
Myanmar's ruling junta to speed up moves towards political reform.

The minister welcomed US President George W. Bush's concern about human
rights abuses in the Asian nation but said the situation was different for
Australia which had "minuscule" trade with the country.

Bush on Tuesday announced a tightening of economic sanctions on the
military regime and its financial backers and sought global pressure to
end the junta's "reign of fear."

Downer said Australia had had visa restrictions and a ban on defence
exports in place against Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for some time.

"I think economic sanctions as such would have absolutely no impact except
perhaps on the living standards of a number of ordinary Burmese, although
we have virtually no, or minuscule, trade with Burma," he told reporters.


>From Australia's point of view, diplomacy with ASEAN (Association of South

East Asian Nations) was the best course of action, he said.

"My view is that China is the country that at least has the potential to
have the most leverage over the regime there and whether of course they
will be able to exercise great influence is a bit of an unknown," he said.

"I don't think what Western countries do is likely to lead to sudden
changes of direction."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 26, Asia Times
Buddha vs the barrel of a gun - Pepe Escobar

Somewhere in imponderable nirvana, the Buddha may be exhibiting the
faintest of smiles. Or is he? What a heavenly sight - the discreet,
barefooted, crimson- and maroon-clad Buddhist monks of Myanmar, formerly
Burma, able to affirm publicly their supreme moral authority and
righteousness, supported by an exhausted, abused population, against the
ravages of a pitiless, pitiful, 45-year-old military junta.

But the Buddha, whose infinite wisdom also includes knowledge about energy
wars, would say that as everything is impermanent, the crackdown will
come. The question is how.

Few can fail to be intensely moved by the exhilarating images of the
"crimson revolution" - thousands of monks chanting "democracy, democracy"
or reciting the Metta Sutta - the Buddha sermon on loving kindness, while
civilian demonstrators, on a practical level, also call for the release of
hundreds of political prisoners and a reduction in the price of fuel
(raised 500% last month, the root cause of the protests).

The Asian Human Rights Commission has reported how the monks, in a
pre-rally ceremony on Monday, have solemnly refused to accept donations
from anyone junta-connected, people they have dubbed "pitiless soldier
kings". This very serious act amounts to nothing less than a Buddhist form
of excommunication.

But fear now looms. The 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy icon
Aung San Suu Kyi - lovingly referred to all over the country as The Lady -
has been transferred from her lakeside home on University Avenue in Yangon
to sinister Insein prison, according to a Reuters report. The junta has
imposed a dusk-till-dawn curfew in Yangon and Mandalay.

Anti-riot troops in full battle gear now surround the six biggest
monasteries in Yangon. Monks run the risk of at least being attacked with
tear gas - some reports indicate this has already happened. Internet
access (there's only one state-owned provider) has been cut off. Activists
- and even some monks - have been arrested. During the 1988 protest
movement - Myanmar's predecessor of China's Tiananmen - the regime is said
to have killed more than 3,000 unarmed people.

Bush's Burmese day
The mystery of why US President George W Bush took center stage at the
United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday but did not promote
the next neo-con war on Iran was solved when it became evident that the
job has fallen to his new European poodle, French President Nicolas
Sarkozy, who in his speech once again assumed the inevitability of an
Iranian nuclear bomb.

Bush instead announced new economic sanctions against the junta in Myanmar
and urged the world to apply "diplomatic leverage to help the Burmese
people regain their freedom". Here is Bush engaging in another "liberation
from tyranny and violence", this time in Asia, while trying to start yet
another war, as usual, in the Middle East.

The connection is clear: the Bush conception of "human rights" means "oil
and gas". Bush also claimed at the UN that Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq
had "asked for our help". Given the precedents, even the isolated people
in Myanmar should be afraid, very afraid.

Myanmar has been in effect off the radar of the international community
for years. Why this new, sudden, Bush administration interest in regime
change in Myanmar? If the US and the West are so obsessed with "human
rights", why not put pressure on the ghastly practices of the House of
Saud? Or the barely disguised repression under the glitz in Persian Gulf
petromonarchies? Or the bloody Islam Karimov dictatorship in Uzbekistan?

A vast drug-money-laundering operation, plus full Asian cooperation - to
the tune of billions of dollars - helped the Myanmar junta to build its
new capital, Naypyidaw, in the middle of the jungle, almost 350 kilometers
north of Yangon, in essence using slave labor. The 10-country Association
of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, has been very
lenient, to say the least, with the unsavory generals, in the name of a
policy of "non-interference". Thailand - for complex historical reasons -
would rather co-exist with a weak neighbor. India coddles the generals to
get natural-gas deals - like a recent agreement to invest US$150 million
in gas exploitation in the west of the country.

Enter the dragon
But Myanmar is above all a key strategic pawn for China. Not only as a
captive market for civilian goods in addition to weapons, but as a pawn to
keep India in check and assure China of key strategic access to the Indian
Ocean. Just like Britain - which twice invaded Burma, as Myanmar was known
until 1989 - China's utmost interest is natural resources. Oil and gas, of
course, but also gems and timber: the once-pristine forests at the
Myanmar-China border have been practically wiped out. According to the
rights group Global Witness, Myanmar exported no less than $350 million in
timber to China in 2005 alone, and the bulk of it was illegal.

According to EarthRights International, a crucial project of Chinese
multinationals established in Myanmar has been the construction of a
2,380-kilometer oil-and-gas pipeline from the Arakan coast to Yunnan
province in China. China needs this pipeline and a vital port in Myanmar
for its growing energy imports from the Middle East, Africa and Venezuela.

Myanmar and China are also intimately linked by a $1.5 billion, high-tech
electronic-warfare pet project of the junta's leader,
psychological-warfare specialist General Than Shwe, 74, very much
appreciated in Beijing. It deals with surveillance of ethnic-minority
guerrillas in Myanmar - the Karen, the Chan, the Wa, among others. It
deals with surveillance of strategic competitor India. And it deals with
surveillance of all naval traffic in the Indian Ocean, US warships
included, not to mention the crucial Strait of Malacca. Precious
information on the matter can be found in Australian Desmond Ball's book
Burma's Military Secrets (White Lotus Press, Bangkok).

US sanctions are just for internal American consumption; they will have
absolutely no impact. For starters, Myanmar is not under a military
embargo. A really different story, for instance, would be the Bush
administration telling the Chinese to drop the junta, otherwise no US
athletes will be seen at the Beijing Summer Olympics next year. London
bookies wouldn't even start a bet on it. The French for their part now say
they fear a terrible crackdown - but in fact they fear what happens to
substantial oil business by French energy giant Total. The European Union
should have a unified position, but for the moment that is hazier than
sunrise at the sublime Shwedagon Pagoda in the heart of Yangon.

Sleepless in Beijing
This year China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the
junta's human-rights record. It's virtually impossible that the collective
leadership in Beijing will let one of its neighbors, a key pawn in the
21st-century energy wars, be swamped by non-violent Buddhists and
pro-democracy students - as this would constitute a daring precedent for
the aspirations of Tibetans, the Uighurs in Xinjiang and, most of all,
Falungong militants all over China, the embryo of a true
rainbow-revolution push defying the monopoly of the Chinese Communist
Party.

So this seems to be the trillion-yuan question: Will Chinese President Hu
Jintao sanction a Tiananmen remix - with Buddhist subtitles - less than
one year before the Olympics that will signal to the whole world the
renewed power and glory of the Middle Kingdom? If only the Buddha would
contemplate direct intervention.

Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is
Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007). He may be reached at
pepeasia at yahoo.com.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

September 26, ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus
Stop violence against peaceful protesters immediately

“The Myanmar military have really crossed the line now” – AIPMC President

Media reports of Myanmar’s military regime using brutal force to break-up
peaceful protests in Burma today is being received with sheer
disappointment and concern by members of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary
Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC).

Reports have surfaced of baton-wielding and tear-gas-firing Myanmar police
personnel against crowds of protesters, including students and Buddhist
monks, in the capital Yangon.

“The reaction of Myanmar’s authorities towards the peaceful protesters is
totally unacceptable. The junta have really crossed the line now and AIPMC
strongly calls on the regime to immediately stop the use of harmful means
to disperse the crowds,” said Zaid Ibrahim, AIPMC President from Kuala
Lumpur.

According to the Reuters news agency, armed soldiers have used barbed
wires to cordon off the area around the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon where
about 500 monks were believed to be inside.

AIPMC parliamentarians from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia,
Thailand and Singapore condemn the actions of the junta and strongly urge
them to initiate peaceful discussions with the monks as well as political
and ethnic leaders to resolve the conflict.

AIPMC also calls on ASEAN leaders to immediately intervene in the
situation to prevent further untoward incidents in one of its member
countries.

For immediate reactions from AIPMC or Parliamentarians, please contact
Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Director) at +6-012-3750974 or the numbers
above.

____________________________________

September 26, Alternative Asean Network on Burma
Altsean-Burma condemns SPDC crackdown

Altsean-Burma strongly condemns the SPDC's brutal crackdown against
peaceful demonstrators and urges the UN Security Council (UNSC) to convene
an emergency meeting to examine the deteriorating political situation in
Burma.

We also call on the international community, particularly China, India,
and ASEAN countries to increase pressure on the SPDC to immediately cease
its violence against unarmed peaceful protesters and to commence political
dialogue focused on genuine reforms. We believe that the region's muted
response on Burma for the past few weeks has emboldened the regime to be
violent.

Today, on 26 September 2007, the State Peace and Development Council
(SPDC) violently reacted to the thousands of Burmese citizens and members
of the Buddhist clergy that have peacefully gathered for the ninth
consecutive day to protest the military regime's oppressive rule. Riot
police fired shots and beat monks and protesters, reportedly killing one
and injuring many others.

The harsh crackdown follows multiple arrests of NLD members and activists,
including two elected members of parliament, over the past two days.

The SPDC's actions once again display blatant disregard for the basic
rights of the Burmese people. In addition, the military regime has
exhibited contempt for the country's most revered spiritual authority by
reacting to the monks' prayers with violence.

The international community, currently represented at the UN General
Assembly which opened this week in New York, should no longer tolerate the
junta's misrule. The UN Security Council as the UN's most influential and
powerful body, with the endorsement of the UNGA, must demonstrate its
political will to address this violence before it escalates further and
leads to further killings of unarmed civilians. A violent and bloody
crackdown, on the heels of severe economic deterioration, will have
serious impacts on regional security. Millions will be forced to flee
Burma as political and economic refugees, with many becoming vulnerable to
trafficking and transnational crime.

The SPDC must immediately cease all acts of violence against civilians.
Further, it must engage in dialogue with Burma's political forces,
including the National League for Democracy (NLD) and all ethnic groups in
Burma, in order to negotiate a political settlement to address the
problems besieging the country.

The people of Burma have not given up their struggle for a peaceful
settlement in their country despite the SPDC's reign of terror. The
international community has a responsibility and imperative to ensure that
their courage and sacrifice is not in vain.

Enquiries:
Tel+ 6681 850 9008 / +6681 686 1652

____________________________________

September 26, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
Singapore Statement on the situation in Myanmar

"Singapore   is  deeply  concerned  by  reports  of  clashes Between
protestors  and  security  forces  in  Yangon.  We urge the Myanmar
authorities to exercise utmost restraint.  We call upon all parties To
avoid provocative actions and to work towards reconciliation and a
peaceful resolution of the situation."

____________________________________

September 26, International Steering Committee of the Community of
Democracies
Statement on Burma

The International Steering Committee (ISC) of the Community of Democracies
notes with deep alarm the violent response of the Government of Burma to
peaceful and democratic protests. The ISC calls upon the Government of
Burma urgently to stop all attacks upon and arrests of protesters and
respect the internationally recognized human and political rights of Burma
citizens and to release Aung San Suu Kyi as well as all other political
prisoners immediately.

The ISC also calls upon the United Nations to take emergency action on the
crisis in Burma through all of its principal organs in order to persuade
the Government of Burma to take the actions demanded above. The ISC
applauds the Security Council’s current attention to the crisis in Burma
and urges the Security Council to adopt and enforce a strong resolution.
In addition, the Human Rights Council should be convened in a special
session to address Burma.

The International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies is a
board of civil society organizations from around the world which support
democracy and human rights.