BurmaNet News, October 17, 2007

[Editor]

October 17, 2007 Issue # 3322

INSIDE BURMA
AP: Crackdown to continue says Myanmar junta
Reuters: Myanmar protest monk jailed for seven years
AFP: Four activists sentenced in secret trials: Myanmar opposition
DVB: 88 generation students call for more decisive UN action
Irrawaddy: People oppose junta in staged rallies to support National
Convention
DVB: Arakan NLD members jailed
Irrawaddy: Junta bans foreign media from book stores
DVB: NLD member denied permission to attend wife's funeral

BUSINESS / TRADE
Spiegel Online: Bloodstained rubies fund Burmese regime
Irrawaddy: Burmese economy has hit bottom; people are suffering

ASEAN
The Straits Times: Asean 'won't agree to sanctions or suspension'; No
mechanism for such action, Syed Hamid says after meeting Gambari
Jakarta Post: Proposed ASEAN rights body unlikely to get tough on
violators like Myanmar, officials say

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Bangladesh backs UN efforts to resolve Burma crisis
AFP: Asian journalists face coups, wars, military regimes
AFP: Myanmar men seek refugee status in Japan

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: Honorary citizenship for Suu Kyi
VOA News: Dalai Lama speaks out in support of Burmese democracy movement
Mizzima News: New Zealand to step up pressure on Burma
Irrawaddy: US wants UN to investigate reports of rape by Burmese army
Reuters: Brown threatens Myanmar investment sanctions

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Keep up the pressure on Than Shwe's cronies [Editorial]
FT: China faces a tricky balancing act in Burma - Priscilla Clapp
SCMP: The empty debate on Myanmar sanctions - Shyamali Puvimanasinghe

PRESS RELEASE
Amnesty International releases new video and audio testimony of Myanmar
'Witch Hunt' and brutal repression

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 17, Associated Press
Crackdown to continue says Myanmar junta

Myanmar's military junta said on Wednesday it was still hunting for
protesters who took part in a recent pro-democracy uprising, noting that
nearly 3,000 had been detained since their crackdown started and hundreds
remained in custody.

The official statement from the junta was published on the front-page of
The New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, as a U.N. envoy pressed
Asian nations to take the lead in resolving the Myanmar crisis.

``Those who led, got involved in and supported the unrest which broke out
in September were called in and are being interrogated,'' the junta said
in its statement. ``Some are still being called in for questioning and
those who should be released will be.''

The statement said that 2,927 people had been arrested since the crackdown
started and nearly 500 were still in custody.

In their last tally of arrests, released on Oct. 8, the junta said that
nearly 2,100 had been arrested.

Everyone released from custody was required to sign ``pledges'' the
statement said, without elaborating.

Protesters freed from custody have said in interviews that they had to
sign statements saying they would not take part in protests or support the
pro-democracy movement.

The junta has said 10 people were killed when troops fired into crowds of
peaceful protesters during the Sept. 26-27 crackdown.

Diplomats and dissidents say they believe the death toll is higher and
that up to 6,000 people were seized, including thousands of monks who led
the rallies.

Myanmar was under increasing international pressure to call off its
crackdown, as Japan canceled a multimillion dollar grant and China threw
its weight behind a U.N. envoy's efforts to ease the crisis.

But ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is
a member, said it would not support any sanctions against the military
regime.

China - a longtime ally of Myanmar - said it backed U.N. special envoy
Ibrahim Gambari's mission to the region. Gambari is seeking to rally Asian
countries to take the lead in pressing Myanmar to reconcile with
pro-democracy groups, which have seen hundreds of their members detained
and beaten following last month's protests.

He was to leave Malaysia for Indonesia on Wednesday, and also make stops
in Japan, India and China before traveling on to Myanmar. He started his
six-nation tour in Thailand.

Japan, Malaysia's biggest aid donor, had already said it would suspend
some assistance in response to the death of Japanese video journalist
Kenji Nagai, who was among those killed during the crackdown.

In addition, the government would cancel a grant worth 552 million yen
(US$4.7 million; euro3.3 million) for a business education center, slated
for the Yangon University campus, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka
Machimura said in Tokyo.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Yang told reporters
Tuesday that Myanmar's recent calm after last month's violence was ``the
result of hard work and cooperation from all sides.''

China is considered a key country in the effort to persuade the junta to
open talks with the pro-democracy movement, because of its close
relationship with the military regime. It also is a permanent member of
the U.N. Security Council, giving it veto power over any U.N. action. It
has been uncooperative in past efforts to pressure the junta.

The U.N. Security Council issued its first-ever statement on Myanmar last
week, condemning the clampdown and calling for the release of all
political prisoners.

The opposition National League for Democracy party of detained Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi said Tuesday that more than 300 party members
had been detained since August, including 60 within the past week.

Myanmar's military leaders have rebuffed calls for reforms, saying the
only way to bring change is to follow the junta's seven-step ``road map''
to democracy, which is supposed to culminate with elections at an
unspecified date.

So far, only the plan's first stage - drawing up guidelines for a new
constitution - has been completed, and that took more than a decade.
Critics say the road map is a ruse to allow the military to stay in power.

____________________________________

October 17, Reuters
Myanmar protest monk jailed for seven years

A Buddhist monk has been jailed for seven and a half years for taking part
in mass protests against Myanmar's military junta which the army put down
ruthlessly, a monastic source said on Wednesday.

Eik Darea, 26, was the first monk known to have been sentenced for his
part in protests led by monks in several cities around the former Burma,
the source said. He was also defrocked and could end up in a labor camp.

Eik Darea was sentenced by a district court in Sittwe, the capital of the
northwestern state of Rakhine where there was a spate of protests,
although on a smaller scale than in Yangon, where thousands of monks led
the demonstrations, the source said.

"He was arrested in Maungdaw, on the Bangladesh border. He was forced to
leave holy orders and sent up for trial at a closed court in Sittwe," the
source said.

"He was charged with inciting public unrest and illegal association. I'm
so sorry he might be sent to a labor camp."

Other sources said there were other monks in Rakhine jails who were also
expected to face trial.

"Manhunts are still going on in Rakhine State. Some are still on the run.
Some are missing," one said.

Official media said nearly 3,000 people had been arrested since the army
ended the protests earlier this month and all but 468 were released.

Critics of the junta, the latest in 45 years of military rule, say the
real figure is likely to be much higher.

There has been no word yet of closed trials in Yangon, where soldiers
raided more than 20 monasteries, taking most of their monks into custody,
in the early stages of the crackdown.

But nighttime raids are still going on despite United Nations special
envoy Ibrahim Gambari, now touring Asia in search of support for a united
front to persuade the generals to talk to the opposition, urging an end to
raids and arrest "at once".

He issued that plea on Monday, the same day the New Light of Myanmar, the
junta's main mouthpiece, declared the generals would not be moved from
their policies.

On Tuesday, relatives said five members of detained democracy icon Aung
San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy were jailed for up to seven
and a half years on similar charges to Eik Darea, also in trials closed to
the public.

____________________________________

October 17, Agence France Presse
Four activists sentenced in secret trials: Myanmar opposition

Four members of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party have been sentenced to
more than seven years in prison in secret trials in western Myanmar, a
spokesman said Wednesday.

The four were arrested near the western port city of Sittwe, one of
several places around the country where Buddhist monks led marches against
the military government in the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20
years.

"So far we have confirmation that four people were each sentenced to seven
and a half years in prison. They were accused of taking a leading role in
the monks' protests" in Sittwe, said Han Thar Myint, spokesman for the
National League for Democracy (NLD).

Among those sentenced was 85-year-old Kyaw Khine, the head of the NLD
chapter in Taunggok township outside Sittwe, the spokesman said.

The three others were identified as Than Pe, Tun Kyi and Sein Kyaw.

Myanmar has admitted to arresting nearly 3,000 people over the protests,
which were violently put down by soldiers and riot police in late
September.

State media said Wednesday that 468 remain behind bars, but the four
convicted in Sittwe are believed to be among the first formally sentenced
to prison time.

"We will give them legal support," Han Thar Myint said, adding that the
NLD believes about 280 of its members are still detained.

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have voiced fears that
the detainees could be tortured or suffer other abuses.

The United Nations has called for the release of all political prisoners.
Most prominent among them is Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace laureate
who has spent more than 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest.

____________________________________

October 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
88 generation students call for more decisive UN action

The 88 Generation Students group has called for “more decisive measures”
from the United Nations to counter the Burmese authorities’ continued
suppression of pro-democracy protestors.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the members
of the Security Council, the group welcomed the recent presidential
statement adopted by the Council, but claimed that it had had little
impact on the military regime.

“While the regime announces to the world that it is willing to meet with
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on the other hand, it is trying to eliminate
democracy forces by using violence and arbitrary arrest,” the letter said.

The letter draws attention to ill-treatment of detainees and the “climate
of fear” created by the government’s crackdown.

“Thousands of protestors, including monks and students, continue to suffer
ill-treatment and severe torture in detention centres and some have passed
away in custody. Many monks in detention are forcibly disrobed and sent to
prison labour camps,” it reads.

The group calls for the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution on
Burma with targeted sanctions, including an investment ban and an arms
embargo, and requests the continued presence of UN Special Envoy Ibrahim
Gambari in Burma to ensure that genuine dialogue takes place.

The group emphasises the need for repercussions for the military regime if
they do not comply with UN demands.

“We seriously stress that lack of an international enforcement action in
Burma grants the Burmese military junta a licence to kill,” the letter
concludes.

____________________________________

October 17, Irrawaddy
People oppose junta in staged rallies to support National Convention - Saw
Yan Naing

People forced to attend state-run rallies in support of the National
Convention and the proposed draft constitution openly opposed the rally
organizers by shouting anti-government messages, according to sources who
attended the rallies.

In Rangoon, state media reported 120,000 people attended a rally, but
sources said officials used coercion, threatening those who didn't want to
attend with paying a compensation fee to those who participated. Similar
rallies were staged throughout the country.

Sources say authorities threatened people in Sittwe with a 1.000 kyat fine
if they did not support the National Convention ceremony. Many people
chose to pay the fine, sources said, but the government said they must
attend anyway.

The government held similar ceremonies in Shan, Arakan, Kachin and Karenni
states, and in Pegu, Mandalay and Rangoon divisions, according to The New
Light of Myanmar.

It reported 110,000 people attended in Pegu division; 138,000 in Mandalay
division; 71,000 in Sittwe; and 13,000 in Mongnai Township in southern
Shan State.

A Rangoon resident told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday, “People gathered in fear
of military threats, not for what they believe. It is not their real will,
and they are not interested in it. It is regime propaganda.”

In Myitkyina in Kachin State in upper Burma, a resident said authorities
forced three people from each house to attend the ceremony.

“During the ceremony, people didn’t care what the organizers were talking
about," he said. "They were just going around and talking with each
other.”

During the rallies, organizers asked the crowds to shout “Oppose” each
time a speaker read off one of the "four desires of the people." one item
read, "Eliminate foreign elements that threaten the stability of the
nation." Instead of "Oppose," the crowd responded by shouting, “Our cause,
Our cause” said one source, laughing.

“It showed people participate in opposing the government as much as they
can," said the source.

A resident in Sittwe in western Burma said that during the ceremony there,
when organizers asked people to shout "Oppose," some in the crowd shouted,
“Release the detainees."

"It was very funny,” he said.

____________________________________

October 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
Arakan NLD members jailed

Members of the National League for Democracy in Arakan state have been
sentenced by the authorities for their involvement in last month's
protests, according to their colleagues.

Party chairman U Kyaw Khine, 85, and secretary Ko Min Aung, 40, were each
sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment by the township court on
Monday, NLD party members in Taunggok told DVB.

Party members in Sandoway township, also in Arakan state, reported that
two members of the township's NLD organising committee, U Htun Kyi and U
Than Pe, had each been sentenced to four and half years by Sandoway court,
Another party member from Gwa township, U Sein Kyaw, is also standing
trial at this court.

According to NLD information officer U Han Tha Myint, around 280 NLD
members have so far been arrested, including 50 party members in Kyaukse
township in Mandalay division alone. Many more have been on the run from
authorities since the government’s crackdown on protestors began.

____________________________________

October 17, Irrawaddy
Junta bans foreign media from book stores - Violet Cho

Burma’s military regime has apparently slapped a ban on the sale of
foreign publications that carry coverage of the violent crackdown on the
demonstrations by the country’s monks and other protesters.

A Rangoon journalist told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the city’s main
book store, Inn Wa, and other retail outlets no longer sold publications
like Time, Newsweek, Reader’s Digest and the Bangkok English-language
press.

“They [the Burmese authorities] banned all overseas magazines, newspapers
and journals that published anything related to the recent demonstrations
and pictures of Burmese Buddhist monks,” he said.

Another Rangoon journalist said the ban would hit local publications that
depended on news gleaned from foreign magazines and newspapers.

Universities are also likely to suffer from the ban because students need
foreign publications for their research.

Access to online media run by the Burmese exile media groups has long been
banned by the regime. One journalist said anyone found reading The
Irrawaddy online faced a 20-year prison sentence.

____________________________________

October 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD member denied permission to attend wife's funeral

A member of the National League for Democracy serving a long-term sentence
in Insein prison has been denied permission to attend his late wife's
funeral.

U Aung Thein, 77, an accountant from the NLD's social welfare department,
is currently serving a 20-year jail term for illegally possessing a
satellite phone and making contact with democracy activists outside Burma.

Daw Aye Aye Thein, U Aung Thein’s wife, died of a lung disease on Sunday
at the couple’s house in Tharkayta township in Rangoon.

U Aung Thein’s daughter Ma Khin Khin told DVB that a request for
permission to attend the funeral was denied.

"My older sister went to Insein prison and asked permission for our father
to be allowed out to attend her funeral.... The officials made several
phone calls to their seniors before turning down the application," Ma Khin
Khin Win said.

"They said it's impossible to let him go out with the situation as it is."

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 16, Spiegel Online
Bloodstained rubies fund Burmese regime - Beat Balzli

Most of the world's finished rubies originate in Burma, where the junta
earns millions by mining them. Jewelers in Europe and Asia rake in
handsome profits from the stones and believe they're helping rebels -- as
long as the stones come through middlemen. They are probably wrong.

Rubies command tens of thousands of euros per carat on world markets. This
18.28 carat ruby and diamond ring was auctioned by Sotheby's in Geneva in
2006.
Everyone was in the mood for a party a week ago Saturday at the Kristall
mountain lodge and restaurant in Idar-Oberstein, a picturesque small town
known as Germany's "Gemstone City." After an elaborate laser show, hotel
guests attending the Intergem trade convention danced late into the night.
At two in the morning, the insiders of this discreet industry were still
celebrating "extremely good business deals," according to one participant.

Buyers for Europe's top jewelers come to Idar-Oberstein to purchase
precious stones, gems and diamonds -- and they hit pay dirt again this
year, with rare merchandise from Southeast Asia. Large, deep red rubies
from Burma command prices of tens of thousands of euros per carat, making
them the most exclusive stones a gemstone dealer can offer. "We sold
various Burmese rubies at the show," confirms Konrad Henn from gemstone
trading company Karl Faller. He says the rubies his company buys and sells
come almost exclusively from the regions of Mogok and Mong Hsu. But Henn
has never ventured to visit the mines there. "The risk would be too great,
and the prices we could get directly on location wouldn't be any better
than what we pay our longstanding Thai suppliers," he says.

In fact, the gem dealers might risk losing their appetite for rubies if
they visited restricted areas in Burma. In addition to cracking down on
uprisings led by defiant monks and the opposition, the Burmese military
regime forces workers to extract the precious stones under brutal
conditions in its heavily guarded mines.

Roughly 90 percent of the global supply of rubies comes from Burma.
According to eyewitness accounts, mining bosses mix amphetamines into the
workers' drinking water to boost productivity. Sometimes children also
work in the muddy mines. "Alongside teak, gas and oil, gems are the fourth
financial mainstay of the junta," says Ulrich Delius from the German-based
Society for Threatened Peoples.

There are no exact figures for the junta's gem trade. Estimates of the
amount of income generated by the business range as high as hundreds of
millions of dollars per year. At the state-organized gem auction in
Yangon, where only middling quality stones come under the hammer, the
regime has taken in some $300 million so far in 2007.

Chinese, Thais and Indians are the main customers of the Burmese generals.
These big buyers also control the trade with Europe and the US. They don't
ask awkward questions.

And their German customers are not about to rock the boat. According to
customs statistics, which only reflect part of the trade, rubies and
sapphires worth up to €1 million are annually imported from Burma straight
to Germany. The state-owned Myanmar Gem Enterprise also exports tons of
jade every year, and a large number of Buddha statues in German living
rooms originate from the area controlled by the Burmese military regime.

'Fiery Gems' From a Fairytale World
As for indirect trade, a far greater number of Burmese stones are smuggled
by dealers via Bangkok to vaults in Germany -- and virtually no one
involved seems to have a guilty conscience. In contrast to unregistered
blood diamonds from African regions ravaged by civil war, which have been
internationally banned from sale under the Kimberly Process Certification
Scheme, Burma's gems are highly presentable and respectable, even among
the finest jewelers in Germany. The management of the renowned
Hamburg-based jeweler Wempe, for example, has no ethical qualms
whatsoever. The German jeweler praises the "pigeon-blood red rubies" from
Burma in its catalog as "fiery gems" from a fairytale world.

Every year, the upscale international retailer sells five to eight
expensive pieces of jewelry "with top-quality rubies from Myanmar." The
gems are supplied by German dealers like Karl Faller or competitors in
Switzerland. "According to our dealers," the company explains in a
statement, "the gems are brought by prospectors across the border to
Thailand, where they are purchased by our dealers."

Michael Hahn is a Düsseldorf gem dealer and president of the German
gemstone importers association. He goes one step further, saying the
high-quality gems are smuggled by Burmese rebels from oppressed minorities
across the jungle border into Thailand. Hahn is one of the dealers who
then buy the gems in Bangkok. He feels a boycott would only have negative
consequences for the people, not for the regime. He says this opinion is
shared by leading figures in the German gem industry.

Could buying rubies be a charitable act? Ulrich Delius, from the Society
for Threatened Peoples, doesn't think so. "It is cynical," he says, "to
maintain that opposition forces and minorities finance their operations
with rubies."

The American jeweler Brian Leber is quite familiar with the Robin Hood
theory as a justification in the gem trade -- and as a myth. He's urged a
boycott of Burmese rubies for years.

Leber says the Karen people, an oppressed ethnic minority in Burma, were
"involved to a certain extent in the smuggling 20 years ago." But after an
ethnic-cleansing offensive by the government and the expulsion of over a
million people, it would be "absurd to maintain that (the Karen) control
the gem trade." He adds that the Burmese regime has dramatically stepped
up patrols along the country's borders. Corrupt members of the government
cash in on profits from smuggling, according to Leber.

His fight has just begun. Although the US has banned direct imports of
Burmese gemstones, America has allowed the trade to continue via Bangkok,
following an intervention by the powerful jewelers' lobby. Politicians in
Brussels have just started to consider a similar tightening of current EU
sanctions.

Meanwhile, Burma was decidedly not an issue at the gem trade show or at
the party in the mountain lodge in Idar-Oberstein, according to one dealer
who still raves about a terrific set there by a jazz trio called "The
Crooks."

URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,511710,00.html

____________________________________

October 17, Irrawaddy
Burmese economy has hit bottom; people are suffering - Wai Moe

Two of Rangoon's biggest hotels have closed their doors in what business
owners say is a drastic downturn in the tourist industry and the overall
economy following the pro-democracy demonstrations.

Signs of a failed economy are everywhere, say business people. Teashops
have fewer customers, day workers are relying on rice handouts from their
employers and prostitutes are walking the streets in daylight—
unembarrassed—trying to survive.

Business sources told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the Kandawgyi Hotel
and the Hotel Nikko have closed their doors for lack of customers.

Many hotels in Rangoon are reportedly empty, and business has dried up at
tourist agencies and airline offices.

A shop owner in Rangoon said on Tuesday that business is suffering,
following the demonstrations and the government's increase in fuel prices
on August 15, which raised the cost of public transportation and increased
food prices.

“This situation really hit our pocket,” said the shop owner. “We keep
going with our business because we do not want to close. Rice shop owners
keep running their shops not because the economy is good but because
people need rice. All pockets are empty.”

Most businesses made only a small profit before fuel prices were
increased, said the shop owner, but since then, profits have gone to pay
for increased fuel prices.

“There is inflation in Burma and the currency is losing more of its
value,” he said.

After August 15, gasoline and diesel fuel prices more than doubled, while
the cost of compressed gas, used to power buses, increased five-fold,
driving up ticket prices for those who depend on public transportation.

In 1988, the unofficial exchange rate for 25 kyat was US $1; in the early
1990s, 100 kyat equaled $1; currently, 1,300 kyat equal $1 on the
unofficial market.

People have even cut back on going to the ever-popular tea shops, the
traditional place for friends to gather, said one Rangoon resident. Now,
he said, people try to save money any way they can.

“If I go with my family to a tea shop and have food there, it will cost
about 6,000 kyat," he said. "When my income was good, it was no problem
for me. But now my income is not good, and I have to use this money for
food.”

“Most people cannot eat meat because the price is skyrocketing," he said.
"Meat prices increase about 200 kyat every week. Poor people now buy only
vegetables because they are cheaper."

Workers who rely on temporary day work are sometimes given rice by their
employers, he said, which helps the very poor survive. The poorest
families buy food one day at a time, he said.

Even younger people with educations who have jobs with large companies are
feeling the strain. "All jobs are insecure,” he said.

Rangoon sources said women who rely on prostitution to earn money can now
be seen on Rangoon streets even in daylight.

“Women are at the 10-mile highway bus station, around RC-2 (Regional
College 2) and on Waizayanter Road trying to find customers," he said.

"They are not embarrassed to be seen in the daytime. They are trying to
survive too, and it's hard to find customers. People now only think about
daily food.”

A taxi owner in Rangoon said before the rise in fuel prices he could save
a little money each month, and he could pick and choose when to drive
during the day. Now he drives all day searching for customers, and it's
hard to pay the monthly rental fee for his taxi.

A Burmese economist who lives in Thailand said a UN survey found that the
average Burmese citizen used 70 percent of their income for food.

“It is difficult to find a real money-making business in Burma at the
moment," he said. "So many people are poorer. It's the sign of a failed
economy.”

____________________________________
ASEAN

October 17, The Straits Times (Singapore)
Asean 'won't agree to sanctions or suspension'; No mechanism for such
action, Syed Hamid says after meeting Gambari - Carolyn Hong

ASEAN will not agree to sanctions or a suspension of Myanmar from the
grouping even after its violent crackdown on protesters, Malaysia's
Foreign Minister said yesterday.

Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said Malaysia and Asean have pledged full
support for UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari's mission to resolve the
conflict.

'If you want Myanmar to continue to engage, we should not be talking about
suspension. No one will talk if they are threatened with all sorts of
things.

'And there is no mechanism for suspension in Asean. Asean will never take
that route,' he said after meeting Professor Gambari.

The UN envoy is on the second leg of a six-nation regional tour aimed at
producing a concerted approach to the Myanmar issue.

He flew in yesterday from Bangkok, where he met Thai leaders, including
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on Monday. General Surayud proposed that
Asean, China and India hold multi-party discussions modelled on the North
Korean nuclear talks to resolve the stalemate in Myanmar.

But Datuk Seri Syed Hamid said Malaysia preferred to allow the UN to take
the leading role as it has the support of the international community, and
especially as Myanmar has shown positive response.

He said Malaysia believed that Prof Gambari's efforts have resulted in
some tangible progress, and thus preferred the UN to continue to lead the
efforts.

'These are all positive developments. Let us allow for this to come up
successfully as the momentum is there already.

'Talk about other mechanisms may complicate the current mechanism.'

He also said Malaysia believed in dialogue, rather than sanctions, which
will hurt the people of Myanmar.

He said Asean must give encouragement to Myanmar to work with the United
Nations, and to allow Prof Gambari to return to the country soon.

Prof Gambari will meet Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi today, to
whom he will pass a message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on how
Asean could help with the crisis.

He leaves for Indonesia today before going to India, China and Japan.

Malaysia's stand FOREIGN MINISTER Syed Hamid Albar outlined Malaysia's
position.

No to sanctions

'The action must produce results. We must know who we are targeting. We do
not want anything to happen that will cause difficulties to the people of
Myanmar.'

No to suspension from Asean

'If you want Myanmar to continue to engage, we should not be talking about
suspension. No one will talk if they are threatened with all sorts of
things. And there is no mechanism for suspension in Asean.'

No need for multi-party talks

'Talk about other mechanisms may complicate the current mechanism. I think
Gambari has gone this far, under very difficult circumstances, we must
allow him to continue his work.'

____________________________________

October 17, Jakarta Post
Proposed ASEAN rights body unlikely to get tough on violators like
Myanmar, officials say

A proposed Southeast Asian human rights body is unlikely to be empowered
to impose sanctions or take a tough approach to violators like Myanmar,
human rights officials said Wednesday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes military-ruled
Myanmar, has been hailed for recently deciding to create a regional human
rights body under a landmark charter that its heads of state were expected
to sign in Singapore next month.
But ASEAN, noted for deciding issues by consensus and for not intervening
in member countries' domestic affairs, would not likely empower the rights
body to take punitive actions on any erring member, Southeast Asian human
rights officials said.

However, they stressed that ASEAN's decision to set up the body after
years of deliberations was a milestone worth praising.

"It has taken more than 10 years just to put it on paper - that's already
very positive," said Simon Sipaun, vice chairman of Malaysia's Human
Rights Commission, on the sidelines of a regional human rights forum in
Manila.

Sipaun said he was not optimistic that the proposed body could be
established rapidly, or take tough actions against violators, considering
many governments in the region "are not human rights friendly."

In the 10-nation ASEAN, only Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Thailand have established human rights commission to deal with concerns,
with the rest seemingly not prioritizing such an important institution, he
said.

Existing human rights institutions were at best advisory bodies. ASEAN's
proposed rights body would not likely have greater powers given the
consensus that has to be reached by its diverse members, including
Myanmar.

An official of Thailand's Human Rights Commission, Khunying Ambhorn
Meesok, doubted whether the proposed ASEAN body could even entertain
complaints, saying it would likely be tasked mainly to set up policies,
act as an advocate and initiate regional projects to promote human rights.

Philippine Human Rights Commissioner Purificacion Quisumbing said
promoting human rights in a diverse region like Southeast Asia is a slow
process that should not be rushed.

"Are you going to attack and intervene and send an army there? That's not
possible," Quisumbing said.

Myanmar's military junta said Wednesday it detained nearly 3,000 people
during a crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, adding that hundreds
remain in custody and that it is still hunting for others.

At least 10 people were killed when troops fired into crowds of peaceful
protesters last month.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

October 17, Mizzima News
Bangladesh backs UN efforts to resolve Burma crisis - Siddique Islam

Bangladesh fully backs the initiatives of the United Nations Special Envoy
Ibrahim Gambari to amicably resolve the current imbroglio in Burma,
Foreign Adviser of Bangladesh Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said in Dhaka on
Tuesday.

Gambari, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General in Burma, is currently
on a diplomatic mission in the region.

"We are pleased Gambari has been able to engage all sides in his
dialogues. He is currently consulting with Myanmar's neighbours," the
Foreign Adviser told the media in the capital, Dhaka.

Dr Chowdhury, who had discussed the Myanmar situation with the UN special
envoy in New York recently, said he has confidence in Gambari's
capabilities and wished his mission all success.

The adviser also said peaceful efforts should receive the highest
international priority in stabilizing the unrest in Burma.

The Nigerian diplomat has urged the Burmese regime to put a halt to the
use of force against dissidents, describing recent reports of arrests,
interrogations and intimidation "extremely disturbing."

The reports "run counter to the spirit of mutual engagement between the
United Nations and Myanmar," Gambari said on Tuesday at a joint press
conference in Bangkok with Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram.
"These actions must stop at once."

Thailand is the first stop on a six-nation tour of the Special Envoy, who
was despatched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to meet Burma's regional
partners about the situation in the troubled South-East Asian nation.

The envoy reiterated the UN's call on the Burmese junta to release all
political detainees, including those arrested during the demonstrations,
and to allow access to Red Cross officials for those in detention.

Gambari's current diplomatic mission aims to achieve this ahead of his
return to Burma next month. "The sustained and active support of the
region, through the strong voice and engagement of regional partners, has
to be there in order for Myanmar to move forward," he stated.

Following his visit to Thailand, the Special Envoy will head for Malaysia,
Indonesia, India, China and Japan.

____________________________________

October 17, Agence France Presse
Asian journalists face coups, wars, military regimes - Miranda Leitsinger

A new survey says many journalists plying their craft in Asia must cope
with war, coups and repressive regimes to report the news, making the
region one of the toughest for reporters to work in.

Out of 169 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, seven Asian nations
-- Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, China, Myanmar and North Korea --
were in the bottom 20.

Altogether, 20 Asian countries were in the bottom half of the poll
compiled by the Paris-based campaigning group, Reporters Without Borders,
and eight in the top half.

"We are particularly disturbed by the situation in Burma," the
organisation said, using the former name for Myanmar whose junta violently
suppressed mass protests last month.

"The military junta's crackdown on demonstrations bodes ill for the future
of basic freedoms in this country. Journalists continue to work under the
yoke of harsh censorship from which nothing escapes, not even small ads,"
it said.

Newspapers print only under strict censorship, private broadcasting is not
allowed and most websites carrying news about the country are blocked.

"There is no press freedom in Burma," Sein Win, managing editor of Mizzima
News, an India-based news group run by dissidents, told AFP. "The
government uses the media as a tool to spread its propaganda and lies."

At least 13 journalists and writers are believed to be in jail, Reporters
Without Borders said, while a Japanese video journalist was shot dead
while he covered the crackdown.

Myanmar ranked 164th out of the 169 countries in the survey -- one ranking
below China.

Reporters Without Borders said it regretted China's low standing.

"With less than a year to go to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the reforms and
the releases of imprisoned journalists so often promised by the
authorities seem to be a vain hope," it said.

The press freedom body said that of at least 64 people currently
imprisoned worldwide because of what they posted on the Internet, a total
of 50 were in China.

Li Datong, a former editor of Bingdian, a weekly supplement to the China
Youth Daily, said there was no press freedom there.

"In China we have a one party dictatorship where the ruling party controls
everything," said Li, who was fired after his weekly ran articles on
sensitive social issues.

"This system controls and suppresses the media," he said. "I can't see
this system changing in the short term."

Another eight detained cyber-dissidents were in Vietnam, Reporters Without
Borders said, adding that Malaysia and Thailand were also noted for
cracking down on Internet journalism, arresting bloggers and shutting down
or blocking news websites.

Meanwhile, military coups in Thailand and Fiji led to a worsening of press
freedoms, it added, while in Pakistan, whose President Pervez Musharraf
seized power in 1999, dozens of journalists were beaten and arrested
during a crisis set off by his dismissal of the Supreme Court's chief
justice.

Repressive restrictions also silenced the press in communist North Korea,
which ranked second from bottom in the survey.

Kim Yong-Hyun of Dongkuk University, a professor on North Korea, told AFP
that "nearly all journalists there are regarded as civil servants armed
with communist ideology."

The fog of war has also choked press freedoms in Afghanistan and Sri
Lanka, Reporters Without Borders said.

At least seven media workers have been killed during the past year in Sri
Lanka's besieged northern Jaffna peninsula while others have been
kidnapped or threatened, said the Free Media Movement, a Sri Lankan press
watchdog.

Despite the bleak picture of journalism in Asia, some countries have
turned their practices around.

In Nepal, an end to the civil war and return to democratic rule has
revived basic freedoms, Reporters Without Borders said, while the Cambodia
government had decriminalised press offences.

____________________________________

October 17, Agence France Presse
Myanmar men seek refugee status in Japan

Eight men from Myanmar applied Wednesday for refugee status in Japan,
saying they could not return home after the junta's crackdown on
pro-democracy protests, officials said.

The eight, aged between 23 and 44 years old, include four men working and
living here illegally already.

Japan, which admits few immigrants or refugees, will look at their cases
on an individual basis, said Michio Kato, an official at the immigration
office in the central city of Nagoya where the men applied.

"Because they are new applicants for refugee status -- not family members
of refugee-status holders -- it will probably take a certain period of
time for us to complete the investigation," Kato said.

"Months or a year, I don't know, it depends on each case."

Besides the four illegal residents, three applicants are trainees
dispatched by Myanmar firms and another is in Japan on a tourist visa, a
supporter said.

"The trainees were dispatched from a firm that is associated with the
junta but they want to quit their jobs as they don't want to be in work
supporting the military government," said Khinmaunghla, a Myanmar refugee
in Japan who is assisting the eight, and uses only one name.

"Also, the fact that they participated in pro-democracy demonstrations in
Japan means that they can't return to Burma," he said, calling Myanmar by
its former name.

Some 30 people from Myanmar demonstrated Wednesday outside the Chinese
embassy in Tokyo, accusing Beijing of strengthening the junta through its
close ties.

Japan last year accepted only 34 foreigners as political refugees out of
954 applications. More than 80 percent of those accepted were from
Myanmar.

Unlike Western nations, Tokyo has kept political and economic ties with
the junta.

But Japan on Tuesday it cancelled some of its aid due to the regime's
bloody crackdown on the pro-democracy rallies, in which at least 13 people
were killed including a Japanese video journalist covering the protests.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 17, Mizzima News
Honorary citizenship for Suu Kyi - Mungpi

The Canadian government on Tuesday said it will confer honorary
citizenship on the Burmese democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has
been held under house for 18 of the past two decades.

During a parliamentary address in what is called 'Throne Speech', Canadian
Governor General Michaëlle Jean said, "Our government will immediately
call on Parliament to confer honorary citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi."

"Her long struggle to bring freedom and democracy to the people of Burma
has made her the embodiment of these ideals and an inspiration to all of
us," said Jean.

The idea of nominating the Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate 'Honorary
Citizenship' was first discussed among members of Parliamentary Friends of
Burma and was mooted six months ago.

Canadian Friends of Burma, a campaign group that has been lobbying for the
nomination said the government's initiative is a welcome move and expects
Canada to do more for Burma.

Tin Maung Htoo, executive director of the CFOB in a statement released on
Tuesday said, "Now the government appears to be putting more emphasis on
Burma, given the appalling situation in Burma."

"We expect Burma will become a priority of Canadian foreign policy," Tin
added.

The group, however, called on the Canadian government to implement the
"Burma Motion", which was passed in the House of Commons in May 2005.

"We also urge the government to implement 'Burma Motion' passed in the
House of Commons in May, 2005 for concrete support to Burma and toughen
the stance on the repressive Burmese military junta," Tin added.

So far 'Honorary Citizenship,' so far has been conferred on only two
people - former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama,
the spiritual leader of Tibet.

____________________________________

October 17, Agence France Presse
UN envoy to visit Myanmar in November - Romen Bose

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari said Wednesday he would visit military-run
Myanmar again next month, as he attempts to halt a violent crackdown on
dissent and kickstart democratic reforms.

"I have confirmed an invitation to Myanmar, to visit by the third week of
November. And I intend to honour that invitation. But there is a
possibility of going earlier," he told a press conference.

Gambari indicated it was vital to see both the regime's leader Senior
General Than Shwe and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel peace
laureate who is under house arrest in Myanmar's main city Yangon.

"It is important to meet the senior general as it gives an authoritative
response to any of the queries made," he said.

Asked whether he would see Aung San Suu Kyi, he said: "I hope so."

Gambari met both figures last month when he visited Myanmar to convey
international outrage over the regime's violent suppression of
anti-government rallies led by Buddhist monks, which left at least 13
people dead.

He is currently on an Asian tour aimed at increasing pressure on the
ruling junta to halt its crackdown, release political detainees and launch
talks with Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy opposition.

Asked what his goals would be during the November mission, he said he
would focus on "how best to... accelerate the democratic process and
respect for human rights."

He also called on the regime to grant the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) access to those detained and injured during the
crackdown.

The envoy stressed the importance of establishing a dialogue between the
ruling generals and Aung San Suu Kyi, who have been at loggerheads since
her party won 1990 elections that were disallowed by the regime.

"There is no dialogue," he said. "Efforts should be made to remove that
obstacle. It is important to start that dialogue without any delay. It is
the only way to address the challenges."

Gambari is believed to be exerting pressure on the 10-member Association
of Southeast Asian Nations to do more to bring about democratic reforms in
Myanmar, which is a member of the bloc.

The envoy was discreet Wednesday, saying that ASEAN had an "important"
role to play in bringing peace and stability to Myanmar, but that it was
up to the Southeast Asian powers to decide how to do that.

However, a diplomatic source who was briefed by Gambari in Malaysia said
the UN troubleshooter wanted the region -- which has been criticised in
the past for failing to take action -- to step up to a new level of
engagement on Myanmar.

"It is not enough for ASEAN countries to make statements expressing
concern. They must now work together with the UN, China and India," the
source told AFP.

"Gambari wants ASEAN to be really involved in monitoring what is happening
in Myanmar, not just statements from conference to conference," he said.
"ASEAN countries must be willing to take real action."

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Tuesday after meeting
with Gambari that the envoy had the full support of ASEAN, but that the
bloc would never suspend Myanmar.

The reclusive state indicated Tuesday it would continue to be impervious
to outside pressure, even as Japan cut aid and European nations widened
sanctions.

And on Wednesday it stepped up its rhetoric, blaming Buddhist monks for
the crackdown on anti-government protesters as it admitted nearly 3,000
people had been detained over the rallies.

Gambari is due to fly on to Indonesia, India, China and Japan. Indonesia
said he would meet with Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta late
Thursday morning.

____________________________________

October 17, VOA News
Dalai Lama speaks out in support of Burmese democracy movement

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has appealed to Buddhist members
of the Burmese military government to act in accordance with Buddhist
teachings when faced with pro-democracy protests.

The Dalai Lama told VOA Tuesday he recognizes the Burmese democracy
movement, led by Buddhist monks, as a just cause and said he supports it.
He appealed to members of the military regime who believe in Buddhism to
act in a spirit of compassion and non-violence.

Earlier Tuesday, President Bush met for about 30 minutes with the exiled
spiritual leader on Tuesday, despite warnings from Beijing that the
meeting will seriously damage U.S.-Chinese relations.

China has consistently challenged attempts by the Dalai Lama to meet with
world leaders, accusing him of secretly promoting separatism.

Wednesday, President Bush will attend a ceremony at the Capitol Building
in which the Dalai Lama is given the Congressional Gold Medal -- the
highest civilian award given by the U.S. Congress. China's foreign
minister says China asked Congress not to give him the award.

The Dalai Lama denies he is promoting separatism. Since the late-1980s, he
has been calling on Beijing to hold talks to negotiate an autonomous
status for Tibet.

In protest of the United States' high-profile treatment of him, China has
already pulled out of this week's international talks in Germany on Iran's
nuclear program.

China made similar protests when German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with
the Dalai Lama last month. Beijing later canceled annual human rights
talks with Germany that were to be held in December.

____________________________________

October 17, Mizzima News
New Zealand to step up pressure on Burma

Members of Parliament in New Zealand today decided to form a parliamentary
caucus on Burma to exert pressure on the military junta for a peaceful
transition to democracy in the Southeast Asian nation.

During a meeting with Burmese activists in New Zealand on Tuesday, Hon
Chris Carter, MP of the Conservative Party and Minister of Housing said
they would work in the parliament to form a caucus on Burma.

Naing Ko Ko, an activist living in New Zealand said, they held the meeting
to seek the support of the New Zealand government by inviting members of
Parliament, where the activists placed three requests.

The MP's complied to their request – to send an envoy to Burma bordering
areas, to form a parliamentary caucus, and to pass a bill in Parliament to
support Burmese democracy movement, said Naing Ko Ko.

"The MP told us that he will follow it up with a discussion at the
parliament," Htike Htike, another Burmese activist attending the meeting,
told mizzima.

New Zealand, maintaining its stance on the Burmese junta, has never
allowed the junta to send a diplomatic mission to the country.

Earlier, New Zealand, a dialogue partner of the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), refused talks with the grouping as a
protest against the Burmese junta, which is a member of group.

Meanwhile, Parliamentarians from the Southeast Asian nations have called
for greater international sanctions including an arms embargo.

In a press statement released today, the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar
Caucus (AIPMC) said, "a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution
on an arms embargo will serve to protect civilians in conflict-stricken
country [Burma]."

The group also urged the ASEAN governments to support a UNSC resolution
that will call for an arms embargo to military-ruled Burma.

"Myanmar [Burma] military junta has shown, on numerous occasions during
its reign, that it does not use its weapons for defence of the country but
to suppress its own people and in recent times against foreigners,
including a Japanese photo journalist," AIPMC said.

____________________________________

October 17, Irrawaddy
US wants UN to investigate reports of rape by Burmese army - Lalit K Jha

Saying the Burmese military is using rape as an instrument of systematic
repression against ethnic minorities, the US on Tuesday urged the UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to conduct an investigation into such cases.

“We want the UN secretary-general to do a very thorough investigation into
the cases (of rape by the Burmese army) we receive and report back to the
general assembly so that we can be prepared to take action,” Kristen
Silverberg, assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs,
told The Irrawaddy after a panel discussion on the issue at the UN.

“We have documented evidence of little girls in Burma as little as eight
years old, ten years old being subject to rape by Burmese soldiers. So we
want the international community to focus on this issue,” Silverberg said.

The United States plans to introduce a resolution during the current
session of the UN General Assembly “condemning the use of rape as an
instrument of state policy.” The draft of the proposed resolution does not
name any nation, but it targets countries like Burma and Sudan where the
US says there is strong evidence of their security forces using rape as a
tool of repression against targeted communities.

Referring to the panel discussion on “Rape as an Instrument of State
policy,” Silverberg said:  “We have seen in Burma as these experts
described today the systematic use of rape and sexual violence against
ethnic minorities as a way of intimidating the communities as a part of
the government’s campaign of violence against them.”

Silverberg said the US has also urged Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Envoy on
Burma, to raise this issue with the Burmese military junta during his
upcoming visit to the country.

In the panel discussion, L. Dwelling, the joint general secretary of the
Women’s League of Burma, alleged that there was a pattern of sexual and
gender-based violence against women dissidents in central Burma during the
recent crackdown.

“We have reached a conclusion that it is state policy in Burma to allow
soldiers to commit rapes against women and girls. The government is fully
aware of the numerous reports about this issue.”

Urging the international community to protect the women and children of
Burma, Dwelling said: “Our reports show that sexual and gender-based
violence are happening across the country—in Shan, Karen, Mon, Chin and
other ethnic areas—and that the circumstances under which they take place
are disturbingly similar from one area to another.”

Lway Aye Nang, a presidium board member of the Women’s League of Burma, in
her presentation reminded the international community about security
council resolution No.
1325 on women, peace and security.

“We at the Women’s League of Burma believe that it is time that the
international community lives up to its responsibilities towards the
people of Burma. We call for the full implementation of Resolution 1325 in
all efforts to promote peace and reconciliation, democracy and respect for
human rights in Burma.”

____________________________________

October 17, Reuters
Brown threatens Myanmar investment sanctions

Prime Minister Gordon Brown held out the threat of investment sanctions
against Myanmar on Wednesday but said he was also ready to offer economic
aid to a new government.

Brown said sanctions agreed by the European Union against Myanmar (Burma)
this week were important. "We must move forward and look at investment
sanctions as well," he added.

"The Burmese regime must know that unless they change we will step up the
sanctions against their regime."

EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to strengthen sanctions against
Myanmar's military rulers in response to a crackdown on pro-democracy
protests last month.

They agreed to broaden sanctions that include visa bans and asset freezes
on generals, government officials and their relatives, and to take new
steps targeting the country's key timber, metals and gemstone sectors.

The ministers also asked experts to look at further steps that could
include a ban on all new investment in the country.

Calling the Myanmar government "repressive and illegal and undemocratic",
Brown told parliament: "Our strategy is not only to push the regime to
change but to offer for a new regime, a new government, support in
economic development and social improvement.

"I believe that all countries around the world, including China and the
Asian countries, will be prepared to support this initiative."

On Monday, Brown said aid from Britain and other countries would depend on
Myanmar moving towards democracy and reconciliation but he made no mention
of a "new government".

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 17, Irrawaddy
Keep up the pressure on Than Shwe's cronies [Editorial]

To keep up the momentum on the Burma issue and to persuade the military
leaders to sit at the negotiating table, the international community and
individual governments need to put pressure on the cronies who prop up the
regime leadership.

One of the principal targets would be Tay Za, CEO of Htoo Trading Group
and founder of Air Bagan, which recently launched services to Singapore
and Thailand.

The young tycoon in his early 40s is Burma’s wealthiest business man,
thanks largely to his close friendship with the country’s top leaders,
including Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Gen Thura Shwe Mann, number three man in
the regime.

Tay Za was recently in the hot seat, however.  During the September
demonstrations, he left Burma in a hurry to seek refuge elsewhere. News
reports suggested that he left Burma on September 27.

Than Shwe’s wife Kyaing Kyaing and members of her family also left Burma
the day before, on September 26, apparently for reasons of personal
safety.

When street demonstrations started, Tay Za asked his staff to keep an
aircraft on standby at Rangoon airport.

It has been suggested that he, Kyaing Kyaing and her party flew to Dubai.
Diplomatic sources in Bangkok believe they went first of all to Singapore
and then flew on to Laos on a chartered flight. From there they reportedly
flew to Dubai, although some reports also suggest that they flew to Macau.

More troubles loom on the horizon for tycoon Tay Za because of his strong
ties to the Than Shwe family.

Since the crackdown, people have been avoiding flying on Tay Za’s Air
Bagan, and the airline’s planes have been reportedly grounded because of a
shortage of passengers.

Public anger at Tay Za and the Htoo Trading Company is on the rise. The
Htoo Trading Company was temporarily closed down during the
demonstrations, and staff had to wait until now for their delayed
salaries.

Air Bagan, which began operations in 2004, has a fleet of five aircraft,
including A-310 airbus planes. It expanded its international network this
year with the start of direct flights to Singapore and plans to fly later
in 2007 to Kunming and Seoul.

Kyaing Kyaing and members of her family have shares in Air Bagan. More
importantly, Tay Za and Kyaing Kyaing keep assets and savings in
Singapore, where Tay Za has bought luxury apartments.

In 1990, while still in his twenties, Tay Za set up his company with an
initial capital investment of US $333,333, concentrating on the export of
timber and gaining access over the years to large areas of virgin forest.

Three years into the life of the Htoo Trading Company, Tay Za expanded his
dealings with the regime by supplying the military with aircraft parts. He
created Myanmar Avia Export, Burma’s sole representative of Russia’s
Export Military Industrial Group, known as MAPO, and of the Russian
helicopter company Rostvertol.

Military analysts say he was instrumental in the junta’s purchase of
advanced MiG-29 fighter-bombers and helicopters from Russia.

Despite the presence of Russian arms dealers in Rangoon—confirmed by
western diplomats—Htoo denies involvement in arms trading, although
admitting that it does sell helicopters to the regime.

Tay Za’s close connection to the regime is undoubtedly one of the keys to
his success. Ties to the top are vitally important when doing business in
Burma, and Tay Za has no shortage of friends in high places.

He cleverly recruited the children of powerful generals in order to take
them on board his company, which appears to be one of Tay Za’s business
strategies. Aung Thet Mann, son of the junta’s number three, Gen Thura
Shwe Mann, who is tipped to take over the leadership when Than Shwe goes,
is on Tay Za’s executive business board.

Aung Thet Mann’s company, Ayer Shwe Wah, is now part of Htoo, and the
general’s son is reaping big cash rewards from the arrangement. When the
regime relaxed its ban on rice exports, Aung Thet Mann’s company was
awarded the first rice export licence, providing for the delivery of
11,000 tons to Bangladesh and Singapore.

The US and the EU imposed visa bans on Tay Za and businessmen who are
closely associated with the Than Shwe regime. But it is important to take
further steps to freeze assets Tay Za holds overseas, possibly in
Singapore.

The US government should talk to one of its strongest allies in the region
about the possibility of taking action against Tay Za. Rumor has it that
Tay Za is considering moving his bank accounts and other assets in
Singapore to Macau.

Tay Za and the Than Shwe regime are tightly linked–if Tay Za and his
empire begin to feel shaky, we’ll see Than Shwe make more political
concessions with the opposition and show readiness to bend to
international pressure.

____________________________________

October 17, Financial Times
China faces a tricky balancing act in Burma - Priscilla Clapp

T he world is looking to Burma’s neighbours, the Association of
South East Asian Nations, India and China to take the lead in pressing the
insular, defiant Burmese military regime to accept the United Nations’
call for genuine dialogue with its political opposition. Any talks should
begin with Aung San Suu Kyi, the detained opposition leader, and should
address the underlying economic and social conditions that triggered the
Saffron Revolution of August and September.

The greatest expectations, however, ride on China, which shares a
1,400-mile border with Burma, has growing economic interests in the
country and has until now shielded its regime from international action.
Does China really have leverage over Burma’s generals and, if so, will
Beijing use it to press for political trans­ition and reform in the
country?

To answer that question we must first bear in mind that China and Burma
have a troubled history, most recently during the Cultural Revolution when
China supported serious communist insurgencies in Burma. The generals who
rule Burma today cut their teeth fighting against these insurgencies and
are still deeply suspicious of Chinese designs on their country. Thus
Beijing must tread very carefully in presuming to advise the Burmese
generals on how to manage their internal affairs, for fear that it could
only make them more intransigent.

Second, China must also consider its interests in harnessing Burmese
energy and raw materials to the development of its economically backward
province of Yunnan, for which they have a development programme stretching
out at least 30 years.

To protect these interests over the long term, Beijing must balance its
support for the current regime with the prospects for maintaining good
relations with a future civilian democratic government in Burma. It must
be careful not to foster resentment among the Burmese public that might
turn into violence against the large Chinese immigrant population in
Burma, as it has in the past. Thus Beijing must find ways to reach out to
opposition democracy forces in Burma and help the international community
to protect them.

Third, Beijing must be mindful of how its support for democratic
transition and dialogue with the opposition in Burma will be perceived by
its own dissidents. Can Chinese officials rationalise their
dissatisfaction with incompetent military governance in Burma to justify
support for democratisation in Burma without inviting questions about
supporting democratisation in China? In other words, can they argue
convincingly to a Chinese audience that political transition in the
Burmese context is necessary not for the sake of democratisation, but to
prevent the military government from destroying the country?

And finally, Beijing must consider China’s image as a rising world power,
where it will be increasingly expected to act responsibly. If China can
take a more politically responsible role in Sudan, it cannot afford to
ignore the behaviour of its close neighbour to the south west. The Burmese
regime’s latest travesties, carried out in memorable colour as the world
watched, appear to have left Beijing with no alternative but to join the
world in condemning the generals and supporting UN calls for dialogue and
political transition in Burma. This is a big step for China and a
calculated risk at home.

While Beijing is undoubtedly disgusted with the generals’ performance both
politically and economically, it is unlikely to act unilaterally to bring
them into line. Rather, Chinese leaders will find it more attractive to
keep the UN in the lead, supporting its efforts to press the Burmese
regime into genuine dialogue and political reform, but working at the same
time to moderate the language of UN statements and resolutions, as they
have recently in the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council.

They will also work to facilitate UN access to the generals, as they did
with Ibrahim Gambari, the UN secretary-general’s special adviser, in
September. But they will not support harsh action against the regime and
will carefully modulate their own public pronouncements, as much to
protect themselves at home as to save face for their Burmese clients.

The human tragedy the generals have created in Burma is a true conundrum
for China that will seriously test its diplomacy over the coming months.
If the UN effort bears fruit and a negotiated transition gets under way in
Burma, China can legitimately expect to share the rewards.

However, if the UN fails to move the generals into dialogue with the
opposition and the Burmese regime proceeds defiantly to force its own
military constitution on the country, China will inevitably share the
blame, both inside Burma and in the eyes of the international community.

The writer was US chargé d’affaires in Burma from 1999 to 2002.

____________________________________

October 17, South China Morning Post
The empty debate on Myanmar sanctions - Shyamali Puvimanasinghe

For over a decade, arguments have raged about imposing sanctions against
Myanmar's military regime. Some favour sanctions as a way of sending a
message to the generals, while others say they have little practical
significance, given that the country has few direct economic ties with the
west.

These arguments have found their way back into the press in the aftermath
of last month's bloody crackdown on the monk-led protests. The choice
between sanctions or economic engagement is important, but the problem is
that there is not enough meaningful discussion on the topic. The argument
continues to get Myanmar nowhere while taking up precious time and space
that could be used for better purposes. Here are three alternatives.

First, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) must have
access to Myanmar's prisons, police stations and unconventional places of
detention. Thousands of people, including monks, were taken away during
and after the protests, and most are at risk of torture and abuse.

The ICRC has a mandate, an office and staff in Myanmar for monitoring such
conditions and reporting in confidence to the government. But it has been
locked out since 2005, after demands were imposed on it that would have
breached the terms of its work under the Geneva Conventions. If the prison
doors were reopened to it, that would create a channel for direct contact
between the government and the outside world.

Second, humanitarian work must also be secured and redoubled. Agencies
already operating in the country must be given guarantees, such as that
obtained by the World Food Programme, that they will not be hampered.
International groups need more strategies to strengthen and expand their
work, particularly on health, schooling and labour issues. They face a lot
of obstacles, but have staff and know-how. The involvement of informed
people and organisations can produce results, as it has in the past.

Third, the United Nations must propose a special monitoring group to
operate in the country. Just sending in an envoy now and then is not
sufficient. A clear vision for work on the ground is vital if outside
efforts are to be worth anything; the persistent lack of any such plan is
one of the reasons that so many people have wasted time falling back into
the to-and-fro about sanctions.

The chances of setting up a mission in Myanmar immediately may seem
remote. That is in part because of the self-reinforcing belief that it is
somehow beyond the reach of the outside world. But Myanmar is not North
Korea: even if its generals are isolated, the country certainly is not. In
this gap there exists room to make headway. And after the events of last
month, there is new international and regional resolve to do so.

No more time or energy should be wasted in either proposing or opposing
sanctions. Those who are serious about effecting change in Myanmar would
be wise to apply themselves elsewhere.

Shyamali Puvimanasinghe is a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission,
a regional human rights non-governmental organisation based in Hong Kong

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

October 17, Amnesty International USA
Amnesty International releases new video and audio testimony of Myanmar
'Witch Hunt' and brutal repression

"We have seen police asking money from families of detainees if they want
their family members to be released. Young people who are on their way to
offices and schools are not only stopped and checked but also robbed."
Testimony from prominent activist Mie Mie recorded shortly before her
arrest on October 13

Amnesty International today released new video and audio testimony of
ongoing night raids, arbitrary arrests and appalling detention conditions
in Myanmar as well as audio statements from two prominent activists
shortly before their arrest last weekend.

The release of audio statements from inside Myanmar and filmed interviews
with a number of Burmese people forced to flee to Thailand in the last few
days comes after last weekend's detention of six people. Prominent
activists Htay Kywe, Mie Mie and Aung Thu, all members of the 1988
Generation Students group, were among the detained.

"These accounts of homes being raided at night, family members seized as
hostages and people herded into overcrowded and unsanitary detention
centers flies in the face of the authorities' persistent claims that
normality has returned to Myanmar. Last weekend's arrests also contradict
the authorities' assertions that no political prisoners are being held,"
said Catherine Baber, Head of Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific
Program.

The latest testimonies, gathered on film and by phone by a team of Amnesty
International researchers on the Thai-Myanmar border, also include
eye-witness accounts of the indiscriminate beating of demonstrators and
on-lookers, including children and monks during last month's protests.

"Some of the injured were so bloody that you couldn't tell where blood was
coming from. Some of the monks lost the top part of their robes. I saw
civilians trying to help an injured monk. Most of their injuries were head
injuries. The riot police were aiming for the head," said a 31 year-old
monk who witnessed a violent confrontation between protesters and police
at Shwe Dagon pagoda on September 26.

The video footage, shot in the Thai border town of Mae Sod, also features
first-hand testimony from a former detainee of the torture he previously
suffered at the hands of the Myanmar security forces including beatings,
prolonged suspension by the hands and use of electro-shock.

"They put a hood over my head and kept me in a kneeling position. If I
fell down then one of the five guards would kick me. They interrogated me
as a group. They kicked me in the back and in the chest and they hit me on
my head. And they used an electric wire to whip me," said Nay Tin Myint,
who fled from Myanmar after fifteen years of detention and torture.

Since the crackdown there have been an increasing number of reports of
death in custody as well as beatings, ill-treatment, lack of food, water
or medical treatment in overcrowded unsanitary detention facilities across
the country.

"The world needs to know now what is happening in Myanmar's detention
centers. If the authorities have nothing to hide, why are they still
refusing to grant even the International Committee of the Red Cross full
and unfettered access to all those detained?" said Baber.

Visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been
suspended since January 2006 after the ICRC refused to accede to
conditions that they be accompanied by members of government affiliated
agencies.

"The current arbitrary arrests, secret detention and widespread reports of
ill-treatment and torture make a mockery of promises made by the Myanmar
authorities to cooperate with the United Nations, when the Security
Council last week called for early release of all political prisoners. The
international community must act with greater urgency to increase the
pressure on Myanmar's authorities to immediately halt arrests of peaceful
protesters, open up detention centers to independent observers and release
all prisoners of conscience," said Baber.

"On behalf of the Burmese citizens, we need the sympathy of the
international people and the international community and we are still
doing as much as we can in here to fight for the freedom and justice in
Burma. So I call for the international community to help as much as you
can to stop the atrocities in Burma," said Htay Kywe, speaking shortly
before his arrest on October 13.

Note to editors:

All interviews were conducted on October 12 and 13 in Mae Sod, Thailand.