BurmaNet News, October 31, 2007

[Editor]

October 31, 2007 Issue # 3332

INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy and AP: Pakokku monks march again
DPA: Monks demand release of Aung San Suu Kyi - Norwegian report
Mizzima News: Junta release famous comedian, seven political leaders
DVB: Charity chair resigns after false claims
Narinjara News: Sittwe students 'attack' military junta with cartoons
DVB: NLD member jailed for USDA claims
Kaladan News: Junta adopts new strategic in northern Arakan

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Thai police net more than 1,000 migrants, many Burmese

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Salween river dam project essential for Thai energy security,
says minister
Narinjara News: Power imports from Burma impossible
Bangkok Post: ASC: Thaksin proposed increasing Burma loan

REGIONAL
AFP: China key to reform in Myanmar: French FM
AP: Myanmar OKs new North Korean ambassador after 24 years of diplomatic
rupture
AFP: Myanmar children, adults held in Malaysia

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: UN's Gambari in Myanmar on Saturday
New York Times: Report says army buys boy soldiers In Myanmar
VOA News: President Bush and Ban Ki-moon talk ahead of envoy's return to
Burma

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Than Shwe: The man in the iron mask – Aung Zaw
Christian Science Monitor: Stumbling through Burma's new capital - Anuj
Chopra

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 31, Irrawaddy and AP
Pakokku monks march again

More than 100 monks in Pakokku Township in Burma’s Magwe Division marched
in a peaceful demonstration through the town on Wednesday morning. The
monks paraded through the streets chanting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s
words on loving kindness).

The peaceful march was the first public demonstration since the
government's deadly crackdown last month on pro-democracy protesters.

Up to 100,000 people, led by monks, took part in demonstrations in Rangoon
last month that were crushed when troops fired on protesters on September
26-27 in a crackdown that left at least 10 people dead by the military
government's count, drawing international condemnation. Opposition groups
say as many as 200 people may have been killed.

Pakokku, a center for Buddhist learning with more than 80 monasteries
about 630 kilometers (390 miles) northwest of Rangoon, was the site of the
first march last month by monks as they joined—and then spearheaded—the
biggest anti-government protests in nearly two decades.

The first protests started on August 19, when ordinary citizens took to
the streets to vent anger after the government hiked fuel prices as much
as 500 percent. The rallies gained momentum when the Buddhist monks in
Pakokku joined the protests in early September.

Reports that troops had beaten protesting monks in Pakokku on September 6
rallied monks around the country to join the burgeoning marches.

On Wednesday, the monks started out at Pakokku's Shwegu Pagoda, marching
for nearly an hour and chanting Buddhist prayers without incident, and
then returned to their respective monasteries. Sources said many residents
bowed before the protesting monks. The authorities did not intervene.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy by telephone from his hiding place last week, U
Obhasa, a leading monk and one of four being hunted by the junta, said
monk-led demonstrations could resume in Burma in late October. It could
not be confirmed, however, whether Wednesday’s march in Pakokku was
organized by the underground network of monks who describe themselves as
the “Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks.”

The march followed a pro-junta rally in Pakokku. Sources reported that
military authorities are now investigating from which monasteries the
demonstrating monks came.

____________________________________

October 31, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Monks demand release of Aung San Suu Kyi - Norwegian report

Buddhist monks Wednesday staged a protest in Myanmar calling for the
release of political prisoners including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi, reports said.

A monk interviewed by the Oslo-based opposition radio station Democratic
Voice of Burma was quoted as saying that the monks also called for "lower
commodity prices, national reconciliation and the immediate release of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners."

Suu Kyi was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize but was uanble to attend
the award ceremony since she was held in house arrest. Her sons accepted
the award on her behalf.

Some 200 monks reportedly took part in the protest held in the small town
Pokokku, the report said.

In September, the military regime cracked down on peaceful monk- led
demonstrations in the former capital Yangon and other cities.

"We are not afraid of getting arrested or being tortured," the unnamed
monk said, adding that the monks planned more demonstrations in the
future.

____________________________________

October 31, Mizzima News
Junta release famous comedian, seven political leaders

After more than a month at Mandalay's Ohbo prison, Par Par Lay is a free
man again. Burmese authorities released the prominent comedian on Tuesday.

The eldest among the three famous 'Moustache Brothers', known widely for
their criticism of the ruling junta, was arrested on September 25. The
60-year old had been blindfolded and taken from his residence to Shwe San
Yar No. (4) police station in Mandalay.

The regarded comedian spent his first day in freedom welcoming friends and
supporters at his residence, and giving interviews to the media.

Par Par Lay said that authorities explained his arrest with the suspicion
of links with the protesting monks and some kind of involvement with the
organization of the protests. According to the comedian, he had simply
been an onlooker during the marches in his
hometown. Nonetheless, he was transferred from Shwe San Yar police station
to Ohnbo prison where he was kept until his release.

"Every time I tried to sleep they [the soldiers] would come and call me.
They mostly asked me about whether I had any connections with the monks,"
a tired but happy sounding Par Par Lay told Mizzima over the phone. When
finally released, he was told that the suspicions had proofed wrong, he
added.

"I was released at four in the evening yesterday but because they made me
sign papers, took photographs and finger prints and all, I didn't arrive
at home until nine. I had to sign about fifteen times. But none of it was
a pledge," he added.

The Burmese junta has banned the Moustache Brothers, famous for comedic
acts which do not shy away from poking fun at the government, from
performing publicly. However, the artists are allowed to entertain
tourists at their residence.

"We are only re-discovering the Burmese arts which are diminishing," said
Par Par Lay.

During a prior detention in 1996, Par Par Lay was sentenced to seven years
of imprisonment with hard labor for entertaining at pro-democracy leader
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's residence.

Meanwhile, the Burmese junta last night released seven opposition
political leaders including spokesperson of National League for Democracy
in Rangoon and independent politician U Win Naing.

Four NLD leaders, among them party spokespersons Myint Thein and Hla Pe as
well as two ethnic nationality leaders – Cin Sian Thang and Thawng Kho
Thang – were released on late Tuesday also, family members said.

"He [Cin Sian Thang] arrived home at about 10 p.m (local time) yesterday.
We were informed by the township authorities and went to collect him from
the township office. But we had to sign that he was dropped at home," said
the daughter of Cin Sian Thang, Chairman of the
Zomi National Congress.

Cin Sian Thang, Thawng Kho Thang, Myint Thein, Hla Pe, Win Naing and
several other political leaders were arrested on September 25 as part of
the junta's early crackdowns on protestors in Rangoon and other parts of
Burma.

"They were not forced to sign any pledges," Cin Sian Thang's daughter added.

____________________________________

October 31, Democratic Voice of Burma
Charity chair resigns after false claims

Free Funeral Service Society chairman Aye Than resigned on Monday after
wrongly announcing two weeks ago that actor Kyaw Thu and other respected
members had been expelled from the charity.

Aye Than left his position soon after it was revealed that he had given
inaccurate information to the Rangoon-published Snapshot weekly journal
nearly two weeks ago.

He told the journal that the Free Funeral Service Society had expelled
actor Kyaw Thu, his wife She Zee Gwat and high-profile writer Than Myint
Aung when they were detained by the Burmese authorities in connection with
last month’s protests.

It later turned out that Aye Than had misunderstood a decision by the
charity to suspend the three members temporarily, which was taken at a
meeting he had not attended.

The group secretary said that this decision was taken to avoid
jeopardising the charity’s operations by having links with the detained
activists.

“They only decided to suspend them because they were worried it might
threaten the group’s existence,” he said.

Free Funeral Service Society work coordinator Soe Myint told DVB yesterday
that Aye Than had told the group he could not continue working with them
as he was suffering from eye related problem and had just had a surgical
procedure.

Kyaw Thu will take over Aye Than’s position as chairman.
____________________________________


October 31, Narinjara News
Sittwe students 'attack' military junta with cartoons

Sittwe: Cartoons are being used to hit out at the Burmese military junta
for its crackdown on Buddhist monk-led demonstrations. Students in Sittwe,
capital of Arakan state in Burma are creating cartoon posters and hanging
them in the entrance wells of famous Buddhist temples and monasteries,
said a student from Sittwe.

The students carried out their protest, drawing and hanging posters,
during the night of 29 October. The students pasted many cartoon posters
in the entrances of temples and monasteries throughout Arakan State
capital.

The posters feature images of such things as the Burma Army killing
demonstrating monks, while also including some text written in Burmese.

The students said the writing included in the cartoon posters read,
"Buddhaan Tranan Dai Dai," "Danman Tranan Dai Dai," and "Thinga Tharanan
Dai Dai." Translated into English, the phrases mean, "Kill all Buddha,"
"Kill all Dharma," and "Kill all Monks."

The cartoon poster protest surfaced in Sittwe after plans for
demonstrations were shelved on 26 and 28 October, when authorities
deployed police reinforcements around the city.

People from Sittwe had plans to stage demonstrations on the day of the
full moon religious festival, 26 October, but they did not get the chance
to hold a demonstration that day, the student said.

Townspeople had also tried to stage a demonstration on 28 October, but
that plan was also kept in abeyance.

Authorities in Sittwe have been closely watching some temples and
monasteries, including Atula Marazin temple and Aye Zaydi monastery, since
the poster protest against the junta.

It was learnt that General Myint Shwe, from the Defence Department in
Rangoon, has been given authority over the Burmese Army in Arakan State
and is currently staying in Sittwe to monitor and control the situation in
the city and other towns of Arakan State.

____________________________________

October 31, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD member jailed for USDA claims

A National League for Democracy member from Mandalay division has been
given a six-year prison sentence for making accusations against Union
Solidarity and Development Association officials.

Aye Cho, an NLD member from Pyaw Bwe township, was arrested on 30
September after he reportedly went to a local USDA office and accused them
of planning the assassination of NLD members.

He was brought before Yamethin prison court the following day and
sentenced to six years’ imprisonment under section 505 (b) of the penal
code, which covers the making of any statement which could cause public
alarm or incite an offence.

After sentencing, Aye Cho was moved from Yamethin prison, which is in
Mandalay division, to Myin Chan prison in Magwe. He was transferred two
further times, first to Monywa prison in Sagaing division and then to
Kalay prison.

No prison visits have been allowed and Aye Cho’s family have said they are
worried about him because he suffers from heart problems and hypertension.

____________________________________

October 31, Kaladan News
Junta adopts new strategic in northern Arakan

Maungdaw, Burma: The junta authorities of Arakan State have  ordered the
administration of northern Arakan on October 29 to check family lists,
tighten security on the border and watch the movement of monks, said a
local in Maungdaw.

The Tactical Operation Command (TOC) in Buthidaung has ordered the
concerned authorities in Maungdaw, especially Burma ’s Border Security
Force (Nasaka) to check family lists in villages. The Nasaka has also been
asked to check anyone leaving their village or entering with or without
permission, he added.

TOC also told the administration to check villages twice or thrice a
month. If anyone stays without permission or overstays with permission, he
will be punished according to the law. The authorities ordered the Village
Peace and Development Council (VPDC) not to permit anyone to stay in the
villages for more than three days, said a member of the VPDC.

According to a villager, VPDC gives permission to villagers to go to
another village for only three days. If anyone does not come back within
the time frame, he will be fined by the authorities.

So, the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) and Head Quarters
(HQS) of Burma's border security forces (Nasaka) has ordered the
administration to watch the movement of monks and to arrest monks if they
see new faces in northern Arakan. The authorities have information that
monks involved in the recent uprising are trying to cross the
Burma-Bangladesh border and were coming from outside northern Arakan.

The authorities have ordered security to be tightened on the
Burma-Bangladesh border, according an elder from Maungdaw.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

October 31, Irrawaddy
Thai police net more than 1,000 migrants, many burmese - Violet Cho

Thai police arrested about 1,200 migrant workers, most of them Burmese, in
a raid on a market area in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province early on
Wednesday, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

TNA said the police raid followed reports of an influx of 70,000 illegal
Burmese migrants to the Gulf of Thailand province, where many seafood
businesses are located.

The TNA report said a 700-man police force raided a shrimp market, seafood
processing and frozen seafood factories and nearby homes, all within a 5
km radius.

The official in charge of the operation, Police Maj-Gen Suchart Muenkaew,
said the raids had been launched in response to a report in a local
newspaper of an influx of illegal alien workers to the area.

Thirty infants and two Burmese monks were among those detained by the
police. The monks said they were visiting relatives and administering to
local Burmese residents.

TNA said that although Thailand’s Department of Employment had registered
70,000 migrant workers with employment licenses, the police believed the
number to be “suspiciously high,” leading the authorities to believe that
documents had been forged.

Raids and arrests were also reported from Mahachai province and the
Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot. Thai labor rights workers said more
than 100 migrants, including monks, had been arrested in Mahachai
province. Many others had escaped into the surrounding countryside, they
said.

A source in Mae Sot said more than 200 illegal migrants had been caught
there and sent back to Burma. Police checkpoints had been set up in Mae
Sot and on main roads leading to the town.

Moe Swe, of the Mae Sot-based Yaung Chi Oo Burmese migrants’ organization,
said the arrests were a cause of “big concern.”

A Burmese researcher at the Labor Rights Promotion Network said his
organization was particularly concerned about the plight of children who
faced being deported to Burma. “They might not know where to go and how to
survive,” he said.

The current crackdown follows a recent claim by Thailand’s former army
chief, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, now a deputy minister of national
security, that the country’s 2-3 million illegal migrant workers
represented a social problem and a threat that needed to be addressed,
particularly in the province’s Mahachai district. He said he would be
going to the area to inspect the situation at firsthand and seek a
solution.

Apart from his government responsibilities, Gen Sonthi is chairman of
Thailand’s National Foreign Workers Administrative Committee.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

October 31, Irrawaddy
Salween river dam project essential for Thai energy security, says
minister - Sai Silp

The Salween River dam hydroelectric project in Burma should continue
because it is important for energy stability in Thailand, according to a
high-level Energy Ministry official.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Human Rights Organization has agreed to ask the
government to cancel the project, according to an environmental activist.

Pornchai Rujiprapha, the secretary-general of the Energy Ministry who is
also the chairman of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand,
told a press conference on Tuesday that the electricity generating project
is essential to stability because Thailand now mainly uses natural gas to
produce electricity.

“Natural gas supply in the country is decreasing and the cost is
increasing...so other sources and kinds of energy are needed from both
Laos and Burma,” he said, according to a report in the Thai News Agency on
Wednesday.

He said Egat has designated 120 million baht (US $3.6 million) to assist
in public health, education and employment for local villagers in the
Salween dam area. The project was temporarily suspended following the
death of an Egat employee at a construction site and the recent
pro-democracy uprising in Burma.

Meanwhile, the Thailand Human Rights Commission organized a public forum
on Hat Gyi Dam that included people from the effected area.

Pianporn Deetes, a staff member of the Southeast Asian Rivers Network,
told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday that the commissioners have agreed to ask
the government to stop the project because of its negative impact on
villagers and the environment in both Thailand and Burma.

Thaweewong Sriburi of the Environmental Research Institute of
Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok told the forum that a survey of the
construction sites in Karen State, Burma, found it is a conflict zone
between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the Karen National Union.

“The leaders of these groups support the construction, but they urge
assistance for quality of life developments for the villagers," he said.
An impact survey on the Thai side of the border has not been completed, he
said, according to the report in Thai News Agency.

Two Egat staffers were killed by an unidentified group while working on
construction sites in the dam area. In the most recent incident, an
employee died when a mortal shell fell on a construction site.

The dam project has drawn strong protests from environmentalists and
ethnic groups, who say that three proposed dams in the area would
dislocate villagers and lead to human rights abuses by Burmese soldiers.
Some observers say the dams would affect the livelihood of more than 10
million people from 13 ethnic groups in Burma.

The dam project is a joint undertaking of the Burmese, Thai and Chinese
governments.

____________________________________

October 31, Narinjara News
Power imports from Burma impossible

Dhaka:Bangladesh is likely to give up the idea of developing and importing
power from Burma given the high cost and security concerns, according to a
report of Bangladesh press.

"Bangladesh may drop the idea to import power from Myanmar due to security
[in the] region," the press report stated.

Experts in Bangladesh also feel that the estimated price tag of two
billion US dollars to set up hydroelectric power plants in Burma may be
too high.

"It would be difficult to set up a power grid through the hills and forest
areas. More difficult would be the job of monitoring and maintenance of
the grid in difficult terrain," an expert said.

Many also believe that the money that would be required for the project
would bring more benefit to Bangladesh if it is utilized within the
country.

Bangladesh agreed to invest in hydroelectric power plants in Burma's
Arakan State two months ago, after the Burmese military government had
invited Bangladesh to develop a hydropower plant in the country.

The two neighbouring countries also agreed to look into the possibility of
carrying out a feasibility study on developing hydropower plants in Arakan
State, but the plan has been dropped for unknown reasons.

Burma's military regime has invited Bangladesh to invest in potential
hydroelectricity development on some rivers in Arakan State near the
Bangladesh border, but the rivers have been found to have low potential.
The Mi-Chung could produce an estimated 100 megawatts of power, while the
Sang-Don has a potential for just 80 megawatts, according to the press
report.

According to a study, the Lemro River has potential for up to 400 to 600
MW, but the location is very far from Bangladesh .

During the last visit to Burma , a Bangladesh delegation discussed with
Burmese power officials the possibility of conducting a feasibility study
on setting up hydropower plants in western Burma and importing electricity
from there.

Bangladesh and Burmese teams will meet on November 12 2007, to discuss
several bilateral issues, but there is no information yet as to whether
the teams will again be discussing the development of hydropower plants.

____________________________________

October 31, Bangkok Post
ASC: Thaksin proposed increasing Burma loan - Ampa Santimatanedol

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra proposed increasing an
Export-Import Bank of Thailand loan to Burma by one billion baht,
according to the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC). The former Thaksin
administration is being investigated for improprieties over the loan,
which was increased to four billion baht from three billion.

Sak Korsaengruang, chairman of the ASC's sub-panel investigating the case
said Mr Thaksin, then prime minister, proposed the one-billion-baht
extension himself. The cabinet had nothing to do with the proposal, Mr Sak
said after meeting with former cabinet secretary-general Borwornsak
Uwanno, now a National Legislative Assembly member, who was asked to
testify in the case.

Mr Sak said Mr Borwornsak verified some documents that had been forwarded
to the cabinet, bringing about the resolution to approve the
four-billion-baht soft loan to Burma by the bank, also known as Exim Bank.

The deal requires the Finance Ministry to subsidise interest on the loan,
provided to Burma at 3% while the true cost to Exim Bank was 4-5%.

The ministry was also required to cover any losses by Exim Bank from the
loan extension, Mr Sak said.

In another development, an ASC source said the panel would today file
criminal charges against Mr Thaksin's eldest daughter, Pinthongta, for
refusing to testify on the Shin Corp share transaction and on those who
were behind the deal.

On Oct 9, Ms Pinthongta submitted a letter refusing to give a statement to
the ASC's sub-panel investigating the Shin Corp deal with Singapore's
Temasek Holdings. She had asked the ASC three times to postpone her
testimony before she submitted the letter.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

October 31, Agence France Presse
China key to reform in Myanmar: French FM - Rene Slama

China is pivotal to strengthening UN efforts to bring about reform in
Myanmar and must push the military junta to talk with the democratic
opposition, France's foreign minister told AFP.

In an interview before leaving here for China, where he was to meet
Premier Wen Jiabao, Bernard Kouchner urged Beijing to use its influence to
create real dialogue between the regime and detained democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi.

He said the international community must support UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari,
who has been tasked with dealing with Myanmar, to ensure there is a
sustained contact with the reclusive regime.

"A national dialogue must be established," Kouchner insisted, adding it
was "illusory" to imagine there could be an immediate regime change.

Kouchner, sitting in the teak panelled offices of the French ambassador in
downtown Bangkok, said he would push China to press for more talks after
Aung San Suu Kyi met briefly last week with a junta official.

At first tense, Kouchner -- co-founder of medical aid group Medicins Sans
Frontieres and a former UN administrator of Kosovo -- relaxed in the
interview as he talked about what he would be doing in Beijing, the last
leg of a short Asian tour to rally support for UN efforts to bring reform.

China, a major supplier of weapons to Myanmar, has been criticised for not
taking tougher action after the generals' bloody crackdown on September's
mass protests, the biggest challenge to the regime in 20 years.

At least 13 people were killed and thousands were detained, including many
Buddhist monks who led the protests.

Beijing backed a UN Security Council statement that "strongly deplored"
the junta's use of force, although it successfully pushed for a tougher
version of the text to be watered down.

It was largely due to China's influence that Gambari was able to travel to
Myanmar at the end of last month to meet with the generals, Kouchner said.

The UN mission "is already a small miracle, which must continue," he said.

"We have to give some sense of permanence to this mission. I say this with
caution, and it will be possible only with the support of the ASEAN
countries and also, of course, China and India."

Genuine talks, he added, are "within our reach. A national dialogue must
be imposed and our ASEAN friends... are going to propose that to Myanmar's
envoy. We must support them in their determination."

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping
which includes Myanmar, meet November 20 for a summit in Singapore.

ASEAN is under pressure to take a harder line against its most troublesome
member and has said it supports Gambari's efforts.

China has pledged to assist Gambari in his mediation, but must now help
"to expand and give him some new possibilities," Kouchner said.

The French minister said that if Gambari visited Myanmar in early November
as planned, "we already have a concrete result. But it is necessary that
this mission continue."

The UN envoy will be followed into Myanmar by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the
UN special rapporteur on human rights.

____________________________________

October 31, Associated Press
Myanmar OKs new North Korean ambassador after 24 years of diplomatic rupture

Myanmar endorsed the appointment of the first North Korean ambassador to
the country after a 24-year diplomatic rupture, officials said Tuesday.

Myanmar's government agreed to the appointment of Kim Sok Chol, 52, as
Pyongyang's ambassador, foreign ministry officials said.

Myanmar and North Korea, which have two of Asia's most repressive regimes,
agreed to resume diplomatic ties during an April visit by North Korean
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il.

Myanmar appointed its ambassador to China, Thein Lwin, in August to serve
concurrently as ambassador to North Korea.

Myanmar severed diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1983 following a
fatal bombing in Yangon by North Korean secret agents that targeted
then-South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan. Chun was unhurt but 21 people
were killed, including four South Korean cabinet ministers.

Investigations found that three North Korean commandos were involved in
the bombing. One blew himself up during an attempt to capture him, and a
second was hanged after a trial. The third remains in a Myanmar prison.

The two countries had been quietly working to normalize relations for the
past few years. Myanmar, which face an arms embargo by the United States
and European Union countries, has reportedly bought weapons from North
Korea.

____________________________________

October 31, Agence France Presse
Myanmar children, adults held in Malaysia

Malaysian security forces have detained 15 children from Myanmar, some as
young as six months old, and six adults along the porous border with
Thailand, according to a report Wednesday.

They were caught after officials from an anti-smuggling unit pursued a van
in a rubber estate in northeastern Kelantan state.

The vehicle hit a ditch and the driver bolted under cover of darkness.

Mazlan Che Hamid, the state anti-smuggling chief, said his officials could
have stumbled on a child-smuggling syndicate.

He predicted more illegals would try to escape the harshness of life in
Myanmar, making their way down through the southernmost part of Thailand
to seek work in Malaysia.

"We are suspicious over the number of children. Usually, illegals are
those in the working adult range," he was quoted as saying by the Star
newspaper.

Mazlan said the adults admitted they were all from Myanmar. They are being
held by immigration authorities along with the children, although there is
no indication if they are related.

Malaysia is one of the largest importers of foreign labour in Asia.
Foreign workers, both legal and illegal, number around 2.6 million of its
10.5 million workforce, officials say.

Government figures show at least 26,000 illegals but unofficially it could
be double that figure, and there are periodic operations to locate them.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 31, Agence France Presse
UN's Gambari in Myanmar on Saturday

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari will arrive in Myanmar on Saturday for his second
visit to push for democratic reforms since the junta's bloody crackdown on
protests last month, a diplomat said Wednesday.

Gambari's return to the military-run country comes as US lawmakers
consider the expansion of sanctions against the ruling generals, whose
suppression of mass anti-government rallies led by Buddhist monks left at
least 13 dead.

The UN envoy "will be in Myanmar from November 3 to November 8," the
Western diplomat said.

A Myanmar official who asked not to be named told AFP that Gambari would
visit the country's new capital of Naypyidaw on Sunday.

UN officials in Bangkok could not immediately confirm the precise dates of
Gambari's visit, saying only that he would be in Myanmar during the first
week of November.

Gambari last visited Myanmar from September 29 to October 2, just days
after security forces confronted protesters with batons and tear gas,
killed at least 13 and detaining thousands in the biggest anti-government
protests in 20 years.

During his four-day trip, Gambari met with junta chief General Than Shwe
and detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The discussions that started then with his first mission will continue,
and that is a good thing," the diplomat said.

Gambari has since been on a six-nation Asia tour to step up pressure on
the ruling generals amid global condemnation of the junta's actions. His
mission has gained wide international support, including from key Myanmar
ally China.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the 10-nation regional
grouping that includes Myanmar and whose members have the most contact
with the reclusive state, has also backed his efforts.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday that regional powers
must push for sustained contact between Gambari and the junta if Myanmar
is to gradually embrace democracy.

"We have to give some sense of permanence to this mission. I say this with
caution, and it will be possible only with the support of the ASEAN
countries and also, of course, China and India," he said.

Gambari was originally invited to return to Myanmar in the third week of
November, but the junta agreed to push up the date after the United States
and its European allies made it clear they wanted him back as soon as
possible.

The Nigerian diplomat's visit comes as US lawmakers consider a new bid to
punish Myanmar's military rulers by targeting the country's multi-million
dollar gems trade.

A bill introduced Tuesday in the US Senate would tighten sanctions by
imposing a travel ban on top generals and associates, and outlaw the
import into the US of gems and timber from Myanmar.

"We need to bring pressure to bear on the Burmese generals directly
responsible for the violence against the peaceful protesters last month,"
said Democratic Senator and 2008 presidential candidate Joseph Biden.

"But unilateral sanctions alone will not get the job done," he added.

____________________________________

October 31, New York Times
Report says army buys boy soldiers In Myanmar - Seth Mydans

Add to the many hardships in Myanmar today one more danger: being a boy.
According to a report to be released Wednesday, the military, struggling
to meet recruiting quotas, is buying, kidnapping and terrorizing boys as
young as 10 to fill its ranks.

The report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group, says military
recruiters and civilian brokers scour train and bus stations, markets and
other public places for boys and coerce them to serve.

Some may simply disappear without their families' knowledge and spend
years on the front lines of a brutal war against ethnic insurgencies.

''In recent years the military has continued to expand while at the same
time losing large numbers of soldiers to desertion,'' a co-author of the
report, Jo Becker, said in an interview. ''Recruiters and civilian agents
are sweeping boys as young as 11 and 12 off the streets. Children are
literally being bought and sold by recruiters.'' Ms. Becker is the
director of children's rights advocacy for Human Rights Watch.

The recruiters and agents receive cash payments and other incentives for
recruits, even those who fail to meet basic health and age requirements,
said the report, which was based on interviews in Myanmar, Thailand and
China.

The large number of child soldiers in Myanmar's army -- and in the ranks
of some 30 armed ethnic groups -- has been known for years, and Human
Rights Watch has published earlier reports on it. The new report, coming
at a moment of crisis in Myanmar, illustrates the kind of abuses that gave
rise, along with economic hardships, to the huge anti-government protests
in August and September that were crushed by the military junta a month
ago.

''Even before the recent crackdown, many young adults rejected military
service because of grueling conditions, low pay and mistreatment by
superior officers,'' the report said.

In response to criticism, the government formed a high-level committee in
2004 to prevent the impressment of under-age soldiers. ''In fact, the
committee is a sham,'' Ms. Becker said.

She said it was impossible to say how many child soldiers serve in
Myanmar, or to be certain of the full strength of the armed forces, which
is generally put at roughly 400,000.

But the report said that in interviews with 20 former soldiers, all but
one estimated that at least 30 percent of their fellow trainees were boys
under 18. Particularly in newly formed units, as many as half were under
age.

The legal age for military service is 18, but the report said recruiters
and unit commanders often falsified new soldiers' ages.

One of the report's case studies was of a boy who was made a soldier at
age 11, even though he was only 4 feet 3 inches tall and weighed less than
70 pounds. The boy, no longer a soldier, told Human Rights Watch that his
recruiter bribed the medical officer to certify his eligibility.

The report quoted some former child soldiers as saying they and others had
been detained in cells, handcuffed, beaten, and bought and sold from one
recruiter or battalion to another.

Once in the ranks, the report said, child soldiers are subject to
mistreatment by officers and are sometimes forced to participate in the
human rights abuses that have been widely documented among the Tatmadaw,
or armed forces. They include battlefield atrocities, the burning down of
villages and the sexual abuse of women.

''One thing that is interesting is that many child soldiers say their
first experience in combat is terrifying,'' Ms. Becker said. ''They are
scared of being shot and often would hide or shoot their gun in the air.
But they acclimatized very quickly, so often by the second or third
encounter they were no longer afraid.''

Some of those interviewed went on to serve 12 or 13 years in the army, she
said.

Desertion is punished harshly, according to the report, with arrests and
beatings.

The report told of a 16-year-old boy, Maung Zaw Oo, who had been forcibly
mustered into the army at age 14, escaped and forced to join again soon
afterward.

He told researchers that the corporal who had brought him in received some
money, a sack of rice and a big tin of cooking oil. When his relatives
tracked him down, they were told he would be released only if they brought
in five new recruits.

____________________________________

October 31, VOA News
President Bush and Ban Ki-moon talk ahead of envoy's return to Burma

The White House says President Bush called UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon ahead of the return of a UN envoy to Burma.

Press secretary Dana Perino said President Bush today - Tuesday emphasized
the need to maintain a clear message to Burma's military government.

Mr. Bush said the message should be that real political change aimed at
the restoration of human rights and democracy is required to end the
crisis.

The White House says Ban and Mr. Bush agreed on the importance of serious
dialogue between the military government and the opposition - particularly
pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ban said UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari will return to Burma on Thursday.

Gambari has said he hopes to meet again with Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's
top military leader, General Than Shwe.

____________________________________

October 31, Bangkok Post
In the Burma bullseye

Washington - US lawmakers are considering a widely supported new bid to
punish the Burmese military rulers by banning gems and timber, most of
which are exported to Thailand.

The bill would tighten sanctions by imposing a travel ban on top generals
and associates and outlaw the import into the United States of gems and
timber from Burma.

It would create a new position of special representative and policy
coordinator for Burma, tasked with working with European and Southeast
Asian powers on humanitarian relief and international sanctions.

The bill expanding sanctions was introduced Tuesday, targetting the
country's multi-million dollar gemstone exports.

Democratic Senator and 2008 presidential candidate Joseph Biden's Burma
Democracy Promotion Act would ratchet up a sanctions regime already twice
tightened by Washington since the junta's crackdown on peaceful protests.

"We need to bring pressure to bear on the Burmese generals directly
responsible for the violence against the peaceful protesters last month,
but unilateral sanctions alone will not get the job done," Biden said.

"We need a coordinated, international diplomatic strategy that combines
pressure with dialogue."

The legislation was co-sponsored by Republican Senate Minority leader
Mitch McConnell, who was behind previous Burma sanctions laws, as well as
senators Barbara Boxer, Chris Dodd, Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein.

The bill specifically states that the Burmese regime successfully sends
millions of dollars in gems to the United States, after concealing their
origin.

Burma's state-run mining firms are responsible for exports of rubies,
sapphires, pearls, jade and precious stones worth tens of millions of
dollars, according to the legislation.

Much or most of that trade occurs through Thailand, where jewellers buy,
polish and add value to the Burmese gemstones. Often, jewellery buyers are
told as a positive selling point that gemstones come from Burma.

The US government has twice tightened sanctions on Burma since the
clampdown on protests in September, which killed at least 13 people and
jailed about 3,000.

As well as imposing an asset freeze on key junta figures, Washington this
month blacklisted seven companies and five individuals allegedly linked to
those companies and the regime.

The seven firms included Burma's privately owned Air Bagan, which recently
launched daily flights to Singapore, the airline's second international
destination after Thailand.

Anti-junta rallies began in August following a massive hike in fuel prices
and snowballed into the biggest challenge to the iron-fisted regime in
nearly two decades.

The suppression sparked global outrage against the junta and Europe also
tightened sanctions

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 31, Irrawaddy
Than Shwe: The man in the iron mask - Aung Zaw

In order to see positive political change in Burma it’s clearly necessary
to understand the psyche of Than Shwe and his men.

Various informed sources close to the armed forces and the military
government have disclosed to me that Than Shwe told his generals at an
emergency meeting that they have to prepare for the worst and hope for the
best.

He asked his men to launch a diplomatic, “damage control” offensive after
the brutal crackdown in September. But he is not prepared to surrender his
seven step “road map”.

The sources also said that the regime’s propaganda machine is running well
at the higher level and among the soldiers. The regime’s spin on events is
that the US and exiled media were behind the September uprising. Officers
said the strength of American staff at the newly built US embassy in
Rangoon had been increased just before the uprising.

During the uprising, soldiers and officers were instructed to beat and
kill monks and to raid monasteries, where they were told “bogus monks” had
infiltrated the Sangha community with the aim of destabilizing the state.

Soldiers and their families were also ordered to watch state-run Myanmar
television and to avoid popular foreign TV broadcasters like the BBC, CNN
and Al Jazeera during the uprising in September.

This clearly indicates that soldiers and their families, who are Buddhist,
are not happy with the crackdown on the monks. Rangoon’s Ngwe Kyaw Yan
monastery, a prime target of army raids, was frequently visited by the
families of some army officers.

Some high ranking generals reportedly received angry phone calls and
complaints from family members who regularly visit Ngwe Kyaw Yan monastery
and other temples.

This increasing dissent and unhappiness within the armed forces is a
serious problem that Than Shwe will have to tackle as a matter of urgency.
He may have to reshuffle his cabinet and top leadership of the armed
forces in order to quell dissent and possible schisms.

This isn’t new, however. After the Depayin massacre, when Aung San Suu Kyi
and her supporters were violently attacked, he introduced a “road map” and
appointed Gen Khin Nyunt to head the cabinet as prime minister. One year
later Khin Nyunt was ousted and replaced by Than Shwe’s trusted man, Gen
Soe Win.

Last week’s reshuffle indicated that Than Shwe is still in control and has
tightened his grip on power. After Soe Win’s death, Lt Gen Thein Sein,
Secretary one of the ruling council, was appointed prime minister.

The hardliner Lt-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo, bearer of the Thiha Thura title,
became Secretary one.

The appointment of Labor Minister Aung Kyi to be “liaison minister”
between Suu Kyi and the regime is seen as a ploy to buy more time and to
create more breathing space for the regime.

Indeed, Aung Kyi’s recent meeting with Suu Kyi was clearly intended to
deflect international criticism. Some government sources suggested that it
was aimed at appeasing China and Russia, the regime’s allies.

Inside the army, top generals are restless amid persistent rumors that
Than Shwe’s deputy, Gen Maung Aye, who is currently army chief and deputy
commander in chief of the armed forces, has been increasingly sidelined.
During the uprising, there was a rumor of a possible countercoup by Maung
Aye against Than Shwe.

The example of Gen Ne Win, who resigned as head of the armed forces after
reaching the retirement age of 60, paving way for a younger generation to
take over, is being raised. Of course, Ne Win left his trusted men in top
positions in the armed forces.

Than Shwe—whose age has been officially given as 74— doesn’t dare
relinquish his powerful position in the Tatmadaw. He trusts no one.

Enter Gen Shwe Mann, who bears the Thura title, and who is now the
regime’s number 3 man and is joint coordinator of the army, navy and air
force. He rose quite rapidly to the top ranks, and Than Shwe might now
want to make him commander in chief, bypassing Maung Aye.

Informed sources told The Irrawaddy that Than Shwe now closely works with
Gen Shwe Mann and Thein Sein. They are both known to be good listeners and
get on with each other. Thein Sein is from Defense Services Academy 9 and
Shwe Mann is from 11.

Faced with fresh sanctions and increasing international pressure, Than
Shwe, the former psychological warfare officer, is expected to bring more
dynamics to the political landscape in Burma.

With changes and a reshuffle, more cosmetic changes can be expected to
emerge on the horizon. This is a survival game for him and his regime.

A former army officer told me generals have a simple approach—take over
the high ground in a battle and retain it. Than Shwe has the high ground,
and he’s not likely to give it up.

____________________________________

October 31, Christian Science Monitor
Stumbling through Burma's new capital - Anuj Chopra

When the deeply-rutted village tracks morphed into wide, paved, six-lane
roads, I knew I was nearing Burma's new jungle capital.

A long and bumpy overnight bus ride, traversing 250 miles from Rangoon,
has brought me to Naypyidaw - the country's administrative capital since
2005, and a secluded, secretive sanctuary for Burma's military generals.
In Rangoon, two private bus services refused to sell me a ticket, fearing
retribution from the military junta for ferrying a foreigner to the
generals' nerve center. One owner of a rickety bus agreed to take me after
I offered to pay double - with the caveat that he'd offload me the minute
he sensed trouble with military authorities.

Fortunately, it was a smooth ride (but for the rutted roads) and I was
dropped at the hotel zone. I asked for a room at the Myat Taw Win hotel,
one of many plush hotels, nervous I might be turned away. The receptionist
gave me a cold stare, noted down my passport details in a mammoth
register, and for $60 a night, offered me the key to a luxurious,
self-contained villa with foreign cable TV and air conditioning.

After some arguing, the hotel agreed to rent me a $3-an-hour motorbike
with a driver, for a quick tour of Naypyidaw. "No pictures," I was warned.
Two men caught taking pictures a few months ago are now serving time in
the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon, I was reminded.

At first, Naypyidaw feels less like a city and more like a series of
desolate zones, carefully dispersed. It is eerily quiet, unlike Rangoon's
crumbling, colonial-era streets. Due to be completed by 2012, it is
reminiscent of Russia's Potemkin villages, the fake settlements built to
impress visiting dignitaries during the reign of Catherine II.

We ride past behemoth buildings - government offices, diplomatic quarters
with blue and yellow metal roofs glinting in the sun, a parliamentary
building, and a large military complex, the latter strictly out of bounds
for civilians. Their Stalinist feel is heightened by the gigantic statues
of bygone Burmese kings.

Hacked out of a malarial jungle, this 6-square-mile inland fortress is
teeming with an army of 80,000 bedraggled-looking construction workers,
some of whom human rights groups claim are forced laborers.

The military junta has never given any real explanation as to why it chose
to relocate the capital to Naypyidaw. One theory was that Rangoon had
become too congested; another was that it was done on the advice of Gen.
Than Shwe's fortune teller, whom the leader has a habit of consulting on
matters of state.

But the city, hemmed in by mountains and forests, undoubtedly confers the
junta a strategic vantage point over potential threats. When widespread
protests erupted on the streets of Rangoon in September, the ruling
military generals hunkered down here from the enraged crowds in this
outpost. It's their war bunker.

There are unconfirmed reports of extensive tunneling at the main site and
of missile-proof caves in nearby mountains.

Naypyidaw is being built by a handful of Burmese business conglomerates
such as Asia World, Htoo Trading, Eden Group, and Max Myanmar, with close
ties to the junta. Asia World, a Rangoon-based construction giant run by
former drug lord Lo Hsing Han, is believed to be handling over two-thirds
of the construction project.

I was worried I had been spotted clicking pictures, but I wasn't
questioned when I settled the hotel bill. On the bus back to Rangoon,
sitting next to me, was an employee of Asia World. In a casual
conversation, he revealed that the junta was defaulting on payments to the
company.

Despite the losses, Asia World isn't withdrawing from the project because
it was granted a government license to import foreign cars, a favor that
ensures it profits elsewhere.

Last week, democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi met with junta leaders, and
more recently authorities agreed to a visit by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the
UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burma (also known as Myanmar),
despite barring him for years.

In Rangoon, I realize the regime's expenditure on the new capital has
created even more resentment against the junta. "The new capital is an
epic waste of money," says a senior journalist based in Rangoon. "Only a
sliver of the budget goes to healthcare and education."