BurmaNet News, January 26 - 28, 2008

[Editor]

January 26 – 28, 2008 Issue # 3389

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: 88 student leaders charged under press law
DVB: NLD youth member appears in court
DVB: Meikhtila electricity board overcharges residents
DVB: School pressured to dismiss NLD teacher
DVB: Detained students ask to sit exams in jail
Irrawaddy: Three monks died in demonstrations, says Sanga group
Irrawaddy: Anti-regime poster campaign in Arakan State
Irrawaddy: Poets braced for censorship
Irrawaddy: Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink
Shan Herald Agency for News: Fight leaves 8 dead
Mizzima News: Nam Khan residents forced to contribute for VIP tour

ON THE BORDER
Mizzima News: Artist to donate 16,000 NZD to Burmese refugee children
Narinjara News: Six woodcutters handed over to Bangladesh

BUSINESS/TRADE
Bangkok Post: Crackdown on Thai loggers

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: EU envoy commences latest Burmese initiative
Irrawaddy: Thee Lay Thee show a smash in Chiang Mai
DVB: Malaysian police arrest 46 Chin refugees

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima News: Gambari to revisit New Delhi to garner support for Burma
AlterNet: It's a long way from Myanmar for Karen refugees
Hertfordshire News: Beyond Burma...
New America Media: A waiver from Homeland Security allows a surge of Burmese

PRESS RELEASE
Chin Human Rights Organization: RELA burns down refugee shelters in Malaysia

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
88 student leaders charged under press law – Aye Aye Mon and Maung Too

88 generation student leaders Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi have been charged
with offences under the press law, according to lawyer U Aung Thein.

The two leaders, who have been detained without charge since August 2007
due to their involvement in protests over commodity prices, were charged
under section 17/20 of the Printers and Publishers Registration Law.

Their families found out about the charges when they visited them in prison.

88 generation student leader Ko Soe Htun said that eight others had also
been charged under the press law.

Ko Jimmy, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Marki, Ko Aung Thu, Ko Min Zeya, Zaw Htet Ko Ko,
Ko Aung Naing and Ko Tin Htoo Aung were also charged under section 17/20
and remain on remand in Insein prison.

____________________________________

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD youth member appears in court

A National League for Democracy youth member, who was shot and injured
during the protests last September, appeared before Kyauktada magistrates’
court on 22 January, according to lawyer U Aung Thein.

Thingangyun NLD youth member Mya Than Htike was charged with unlawful
assembly and offences against the public tranquility under sections 145
and 505(b) of the penal code.

Kyauktada police inspector Soe Naing claimed that troops had been sent in
during the protests to prevent riots and had had to use force when
demonstrators refused to obey orders to disperse.

Soe Naing told the court that Mya Than Htike was at the front of the
demonstrations when the troops began to use force.

U Aung Thein, Mya Than Htike’s defence lawyer, challenged Soe Naing’s
version of events, saying that Mya Than Htike was walking away from the
scene when he was shot.

"Were you aware that Ko Mya Than Htike was shot at when he had his back
turned to the soldiers and was walking away from them?” U Aung Thain asked
Soe Naing.

“He was not at the front, he was not facing the soldiers. He had turned
his back to the soldiers and was walking away from them while the security
forces shot him from the military truck. Did you know that?” he asked.

Soe Naing responded only that he “knew that [Mya Than Htike] was in
hospital”.

The trial will resume on 29 January when U Aung Thein will question
prosecution witnesses.

U Aung Thein is handling at least four cases representing defendants who
were charged in connection with the September protests.

____________________________________

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
Meikhtila electricity board overcharges residents – Naw Say Phaw

Residents of Meikhtila township, Mandalay division, have complained that
the township Electric Power Corporation has been demanding extra money for
late-payment fines and exaggerated bills.

One Meikhtila resident said he went to the EPC office on 16 September 2007
to pay his electricity bill, which should have cost 3500 kyat, but EPC
clerk Min Win Soe told him he had to pay an extra 1500 kyat and did not
give him a receipt.

When he returned to pay his bill this month, the officials said he had not
paid his earlier bill and demanded more money.

“They accused me of not paying the bill in September and charged me 6800
kyat, which included a fine," the resident said.

“I told them I would report this to the senior authorities, but every time
I demanded to speak to their superiors, they said they were not
available,” he said.

The resident claimed he was not the only person to have complained about
the clerk.

“It’s not only me who has been cheated that way; there are about seven
other people, and they can testify to what has happened,” he said.

Another local said that residents were being charged for electricity they
had not used.

“We don’t have regular electricity in the township, and they also charge
us for more units of electricity on our bills than we have actually used,”
the local said.

The EPC was unavailable for comment.

____________________________________

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
School pressured to dismiss NLD teacher

A National League for Democracy member has lost his job as a teacher after
local authorities in Pwint Phyu, Magwe division, pressured the school
where he was working to dismiss him.

U Sein Win, a member of the NLD communications committee, was working at a
private boarding school in Nga Chauk Kyun, run by U Tun Win Naing.

Pwint Phyu NLD member Dr Aung Moe Nyo said the school was pressured by the
authorities to dismiss U Sein Win after he attended independence day
celebrations in Chauk.

“He has lost his job and the school has lost an excellent teacher, Dr Aung
Moe Nyo said.

“He went there to teach because the school desperately needed a teacher,
and it will be a great loss for the children who are sitting their
end-of-year exams soon," he said.

U Sein Win has been a previous target of government harassment, having
been imprisoned in 1969 for his involvement in student protests.

He also co-wrote a song which the regime tried to ban during the 1990
general election campaign and subsequently lost his job.

Dr Aung Moe Nyo condemned the junta’s strategy of trying to isolate NLD
members from society.

"It is a deliberate and systematic attack. They are trying desperately to
destroy us, our party’s campaign and our self-respect,” Dr Aung Moe Nyo
said.

____________________________________

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
Detained students ask to sit exams in jail – Yee May Aung

The families of two students held at Insein prison have written a letter
to the prison administration department requesting that they be allowed to
sit their exams in detention.

The families sent their letter on 16 January to the director of the
department, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

First-year mathematics student Ye Myat Hein and De Nyein Linn, a
final-year geology student, were studying at Rangoon Western University
and had taken exams in September 2007 before being arrested later that
month for their involvement in public demonstrations.

They were due to resit examinations today in subjects where they needed
more marks.

Their families said that the students should be given the opportunity to
resit their exams as they have not been convicted of any offence yet.

U Khin Maung Cho, Ye Myat Hein’s father, said the opportunity was
important for all students who had been arrested.

“I want my son to be given permission to resit the exam; in fact, I want
this permission to be granted to all students in detention,” U Khin Maung
Cho said.

“They just peacefully followed the monks during the protests, they didn’t
do anything wrong, so I want them to be released, I don’t want their
futures to be ruined.”

De Nyein Linn’s mother Daw Htay Htay Win was also worried about her son.

“My son needs to resit four subjects, and I don’t know yet if he will be
given this permission or not,” she said.

Copies of the letter were also sent to the minister of home affairs,
major-general Maung Oo, and to the minister of education, a professor at
Rangoon Western University, the International Committee of the Red Cross
and the Insein prison administrator.

The mother of final-year law student Honey Oo also sent a letter to the
authorities about the examinations.

The students have been charged with disrupting the stability of the state,
along with fellow students Sithu Maung, Ye Min Oo and Ko Kyi Phyu.

De Nyein Linn has also been charged with causing public alarm.

____________________________________

January 28, Irrawaddy
Three monks died in demonstrations, says Sanga group – Shah Paung

Three monks died in last September’s demonstrations and nine are still
missing, according to the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks (AABBM).

Only one of the dead monks was identified—U Thilavantha, of Yuzana
Kyaunghtai Monastery, Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State. The other two,
unidentified monks, were from Ngwe Kyar Yan monastery in Rangoon’s South
Okkalapa Township and Thar Du Monastery in Rangoon’s Kyeemyindine
Township.

U Thilavantha was a teacher at the Myitkina monastery, which was raided by
security forces on September 25. He was beaten and tortured and died in
Myitkyina Hospital

The Alliance said 54 monks and seven nuns were arrested by Burmese
authorities during last September’s demonstrations. The list of those
killed, missing or arrested is not complete, however, the Alliance
stressed.

Figures collated by the exile-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) state that 95 monks and 10 nuns were arrested.

During September’s demonstrations, more than 50 monasteries across the
country were raided and searched by Burmese troops and security forces,
who often plundered the premises. Two Rangoon monasteries were closed
down, the Alliance said.

Apart for the arrests, about 10 monks were dismissed from their university
studies. Some 15 fled the country.

One of the arrested monks, 29-year-old U Gambira, a leader of the AABBM
group, has been charged with high treason, a capital offence carrying the
death sentence or life imprisonment. He was seized from his hiding place
in Kyaukse, central Burma, in early November.

____________________________________

January 28, Irrawaddy
Anti-regime poster campaign in Arakan State – Saw Yan Naing

Despite tightened security, dissident activists in Arakan State’s Taunggok
Township launched an anti-government poster campaign early on Monday,
according to local sources.

A pro-democracy activist told The Irrawaddy that the campaigners affixed
posters in the city’s downtown hospitals, markets and crowded places,
calling for the release of all political prisoners, Buddhist monks and
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The posters also urged the military junta to stop arresting dissidents and
to start a dialogue with opposition groups for national reconciliation in
Burma, according to the activist. They also demanded respect for human
rights.

The authorities were now busy removing the posters, the activist said.

The poster campaign was launched despite the presence over the past week
of about 30 armed security guards around pagodas and markets.

Moe Naing Soe, a member of the National League for Democracy, said
security forces had also been reinforced near highways and city tea shops.

Uniformed police and security forces equipped with batons and other
weapons were also being beefed up in Sittwe, capital of Arakan State, a
local resident reported. The security presence was particularly strong
around the city’s monasteries.

Thousands of Buddhist monks demonstrated in Sittwe in September against
the sharp increases in the price of fuel and other commodities.

Two men arrested in Taunggok Township on January 22 for holding a
demonstration calling for democracy and the release of Suu Kyi will go on
trial on February 5, local sources said. The two were identified as Kalar
Shwe, aka Than Htay, and Zaw Naing.

____________________________________

January 28, Irrawaddy
Poets braced for censorship – Min Lwin

Since the September 2007 uprising, authorities at the Burmese Press
Scrutiny Board (PSB) have been constantly applying pressure and monitoring
the work of Burmese writers and journalists.

In Burma, all printed material has to be submitted to the censorship board
for approval before publishing.

And now, writers of poetry are in the firing line following the appearance
of a poem titled “February 14,” in reference to St Valentine’s Day, which
was published in the A-Chit (“The Love”) weekly journal.

The short verse was written by poet Saw Wai. However, the poem contained a
hidden message—the first word of each line spelled out “Senior General
Than Shwe is power crazy.” Snr-Gen Than Shwe is chairman of the ruling
Burmese junta.

Poet Saw Wai was subsequently arrested and is currently being detained.

Interestingly, the publisher of “A-Chit” is Myat Khine, who is also
believed to be close to Minister for Information Kyaw Hsan, recently
nicknamed “Comical Ali.”

Kyaw Hsan and Myat Khine are known to have a cordial relationship and,
during the uprising, Myat Khine was accused of sharing photos of
protesting monks and providing information to minister Kyaw Hsan.

Rangoon-based poets and writers were highly suspicious of the intentions
behind publishing the poem in the controversial journal as it’s no secret
that Myat Khine enjoys a shady relationship with the authorities.

Saw Wai, who is in his early 40s and known to be somewhat eccentric, is
reputed to be an attention seeker and a name-dropper. However, one poet in
Rangoon said, “He is also afraid of the authorities.”

Overnight, Saw Wai became famous and his arrest attracted the attention of
the international press.

According to several sources, any poem has to be submitted several months
ahead of publishing. So several critics are wondering why Myat Khine
waited until now to publish it. Myat Khine has not been arrested.

“Poetry is the best way to describe the suffering of people and the
current situation in Burma with symbols and metaphors,” said a
Rangoon-based magazine editor, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Well-known Burmese poet Aung Way fled into exile after the uprising.
Recalling his experiences with the notorious PSB, he said, “If the
censorship board didn’t understand the meaning of a poem, they would
censor it. The censorship broad has the authority to reject, cancel,
delete and delay permission to publish any poem without any reason.”

____________________________________

January 28, Irrawaddy
Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink – Aye Chan Myae

The Joe Phyu Reservoir used to provide all the water that residents of
Rangoon required. Piped in to almost every household in the city, families
kept their daily water in large open water urns beside their kitchens and
bathrooms for drinking, cooking and washing.

However, for more than a decade now a social culture of drinking bottled
water has become rooted in Rangoon due to changing consumer tastes. It has
become an integral part of society: bottled water is drunk pure or boiled
with noodles, rice and tea. Donations of bottled water find their way to
temples, as do water-distillation machines.

Executive director of Oasis Drinking Water Co, Dr Thein Myint, is one of
the entrepreneurs who introduced pure bottled drinking water to Burma.
"There were a lot of people who told me I was crazy doing this business,”
he said. “They laughed at me when I came back from abroad and started
selling drinking water.”

Thein Myint frequently says that he is selling health, not just water.
Nowadays, there are five popular brands of pure bottled water in Rangoon
and several water distilling plants.

However, not everyone is convinced as to the properties of the water they
are drinking. One company operating from an office in downtown Rangoon
orders about 10 bottles of drinking water every day for its staff.
According to one employee, there is residue in the water, no seals on the
bottle necks and even algae floating in the bottles. “I think the delivery
men mix pure water with unclean water,” he said.

"In summertime, we must talk nicely to the water delivery men,” a local
resident said. “In the old day the water seller was the poorest and most
downtrodden man around; now in Rangoon, bottled water salesmen are the
elite."

Consumers must pay 3,000 kyat (US $2.4) deposit for 20-liter plastic water
jugs and then 350 kyat ($0.28) for 20 liters of water. A one-liter bottle
of “pure” drinking water costs 300 kyat ($0.24).

"Nowadays most people drink bottled water and the plastic bottles have
replaced traditional water urns at home," a drinking water delivery agent
in Rangoon said. He claimed that the company made only 50 kyat ($0.04)
profit in selling a 20-liter bottle of water bottle; however, their supply
still cannot meet the demand for drinking water.

He said residents of Rangoon have to rely on bottled drinking water for
cooking as well as piped water because of frequent breakdowns at the Joe
Phyu reservoir due to renovations and constant electricity black outs,
which prevents water being pumped up to higher floors.

Almost all Rangoon residents pump water while they have electricity and
reserve it for dry days. However, if there is a black-out for several
successive days, bottled water is the only choice.

In the past the Joe Phyu Reservoir was the sole water source for Rangoon,
but in 2007 the Nga Moe Yeik Reservoir Project (1) was completed.
According to Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), the two sources
provide some 45 millions gallons of water to Rangoon. The second Nga Moe
Yeik project is due to be finished by the end of 2008.

At present YCDC provides the downtown area of Rangoon and certain
prominent neighborhoods with piped water; however, the suburbs and
satellite towns are not on the grid and must rely on local ponds and
wells.

"No matter how much water is available to Rangoon, we can't access it if
we have no electricity,” a resident of Kyauk Myaung Township said. “The
summertime is worst. When there are constant electrical black-outs, we
have to hire contractors who own Chinese-made generators to pump water to
higher floors.”

In low-income areas such as North Dagon Township and Hlaing Tha-yar
Township, locals have no access whatsoever to piped water and they must
rely on wells. However, according to several residents, the drained water
from these wells is rusty and unfit for drinking or cooking.

"If we cook rice with the deep-well water, it changes a reddish color,” a
resident of Hlaing Tha-Yar said. “We can't afford to buy bottled drinking
water at 300~400 kyat either; so we have to buy water at 100 kyat a bucket
from the people who have access to piped water."

However, the re-selling of piped water enraged the vendors of bottled
water and they took up a complaint with local ward officials who, along
with the muscle of the United Solidarity and Development Association
(USDA) membership, threatened and blocked any citizens selling piped water
for profit.

Water shortages have long been a problem for residents living in the
outskirts of Rangoon—in dry season there isn’t enough and in rainy season
the flooding contaminates the water, resulting in cases of diarrhea and
dysentery.

A doctor who practices at a private clinic in the area said, "The flooding
in the rainy season contaminates the deep wells. Locals have to cook and
drink with this water and it makes them sick.”

It is reported that a Rangoon-based non-government organization (NGO),
Population Services International (PSI) has distributed water purification
pills (named “Water Guard”) to people in Irrawaddy and Tenasserim
divisions and Arakan State.

"We focus the distribution of these pills on low-income families,” said an
official from PSI. “The treated water can be used not only for drinking,
but also for washing plates, washing hands and vegetables. The pills can
kill germs that cause acute diarrhea and liver diseases.

Unfortunately, the pills are unpopular due to the smell and taste of
chlorine. Rangoon residents who are used to drinking bottled water show
little interest in these pills, the PSI official said.

Yet in Rangoon, it seems, clean water is still a luxury commodity for most
people, as an advertisement on Burmese TV confirms.

In the advertisement, eights Burmese models find a treasure chest that is
buried in ice. They try to open it with their keys until, finally, they
crack open the chest and there inside is
 a bottle of water.

A treasure indeed, but only in Burma.

____________________________________

January 28, Shan Herald Agency for News
Fight leaves 8 dead – Kwarn Lake

40 soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 517 guarding Major-General
Thaung Aye Commander of Taunggyi, the capital city of Shan State, had a
clash with Shan State Army and 7 soldiers of SPDC and 1 fighter from SSA
were killed in the fight, according to sources from Southern Shan State.

On 21st of this month, two soldiers from Loi Tai Leng based Shan State
Army (SSA), came into Mu Nao village, Mong Nang tract in Kehsi Township
for information gathering. While they were walking through the village
with a walkie-talkie and with no weapons, they were shot by the bodyguards
of Major-General Thaung Aye who were patrolling the village while he was
inspecting the coal fields.

A soldier from SSA died on the spot and another one escaped to the south
of the village. One of the villagers said, "The SPDC soldiers followed the
one who was escaping and fell into the trap of SSA.  They ran into over 20
SSA soldiers. The shooting started from 6:30 am to 11 am. Five SPDC
soldiers died on the spot and two died at the hospital from fatal wounds."

It is unknown how many guns have been seized from both sides.  After more
than 4 hours of fighting, both side retreated their troops and the sound
of shooting guns became quiet, said the villager.

Guided by 8 soldiers from Mongzeun military group, (formally from Brigade
758 of SSA  that surrendered in July 2006) Maj-Gen Thaung Aye, Commander
of Taunggyi-based Burma Army's Eastern Region Command was in the area to
inspect the excavation of coal.

____________________________________

January 28, Mizzima News
Nam Khan residents forced to contribute for VIP tour – Myo Gyi

The Burmese military junta functionaries stop at nothing to fleece people.
Authorities are coercing residents in Nam Khan to contribute money at the
rate of Kyat 2,000 per household to spend in the inaugural ceremony of Nam
Khan suspension bridge across the Shweli River. The ceremony will be
attended by SPDC brass from Naypyidaw.

The new bridge will be opened on February 12 by SPDC brass. The local
authorities collected money from the residents forcibly to spend in
welcoming and entertaining the VIPs and for the inaugural ceremony.

"The Township Peace and Development Council Chairman said Kyatt. 2,000
must be collected per household. They said the Prime Minister will come
and open the bridge. The local authorities and local organizations will
welcome the VIPs and they need money for dresses to be used for the
function," a resident told Mizzima.

Nam Khan PDC Chairman said at the meeting with Ward and Village level PDC
Chairmen that the required fund is at the rate of Ks. 2,000 per household.
It must be collected from their respective administrative zones to be used
for the bridge inaugural ceremony, sources close to local authorities
said.

The local authorities have arranged to summon 50 USDA members, 30 women
from pro-junta Federation of Women and Maternity and Child welfare, 30
members from fire brigade and Shan and Lisaw ethnic races from each ward
and village to the Shweli suspension bridge opening ceremony, this local
resident added.

"Yes, they are collecting money for USDA uniforms. But they haven't yet
said anything to the people in the township to welcome the VIPs. I think
they will summon and inform the people from wards and village at short
notice just before the function," another resident said.

The news has been circulated among the local people saying that SPDC
Chairman Thein Sein will come to the opening ceremony and about 10,000
people will be summoned to attend the function.

The new Shweli suspension bridge is 600 feet long, 24 feet wide and 35
feet high. It is situated on Nam Khan – Bahmo highway, built near Mang
Wing village in 2003, three miles from Nam Khan.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 28, Mizzima News
Artist to donate 16,000 NZD to Burmese refugee children – Nay Thwin

A Burmese artist in exile will donate 16,000 New Zealand Dollars (NZD),
which he raised from the sales of his paintings, to Burmese refugee
children along the Thai-Burma border.

With the help of 'Children on the Edge', a humanitarian group for
children, Saw Khu Sae, an ethnic Karen artist, held a solo exhibition of
his paintings at New Zealand's Wellington town from January 15 to 30.

Saw Khu Sae said he will donate all the proceedings from the exhibition,
-- 16,000 NZD, for the cause of education of Burmese refugees along the
Thai-Burma border.

The artist, who is a refugee himself, said he is delighted to be able to
donate for the refugee children the money earned from his skills adding
that it has been his dream.

"Initially we began with small exhibitions at the 'Borderline' gallery.
And people came to see some of the paintings. And then later we had a
chance to discuss about the possibilities of raising funds for refugee
children with paintings. And we agreed, as there are artists to do the
paintings and the money will be useful for children," Saw Khu Sae
explained to Mizzima about how the gallery was established on the border.

The Borderline gallery was established on the Thai-Burmese border town of
Mae Sot, with the aim of facilitating artists to hold exhibitions, where
visitors can view the paintings.

Saw Khu Sae, who arrived on the Thai-Burmese border in 2000, is currently
working as an arts teacher in schools opened for migrant workers and their
children. He is also planning to start a training course in painting,
called 'Art Central' in June.

"The most popular painting in New Zealand is that of a mother and daughter
crossing a bridge in the refugee camp. It is liked by Burmese refugees who
have been resettled in New Zealand because they remember their old place,
where they lived," Saw Khu Sae said.

The painting, called 'Bridge to Market' depicts an old woman with her
daughter crossing a bamboo bridge to go to the market from the Ohn Phyan
refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border.

Shelly Mansfield of 'Children on the Edge,' who organized the exhibition,
said the exhibition titled 'Display Burma' is aimed to highlight the
voiceless people of Burma, who are given no rights to display their
talents.

The exhibition includes paintings that depict Internally Displaced People,
who are forced to hide in the jungles in fear of attacks by Burmese
troops, Burmese migrant workers in Thailand, who are forced to leave their
country for economic reasons and the living conditions of Burmese refugees
in camps

____________________________________

January 28, Narinjara News
Six woodcutters handed over to Bangladesh

Burma's border security force, Nasaka, handed over six Bangladesh
woodcutters on Thursday to Bangladesh authorities after the woodcutters
were sentenced to time in Burmese prisons, said a source close to Nasaka.
The woodcutters were handed over to Bangladesh authorities by Nasaka
during a camp commander level meeting that was held at entrance gate No.
2, at pillar No. 31 in Nasaka area three on the Burmese side.

Nasaka forces arrested the six woodcutters on 1 January, 2008, for
illegally entering Burmese territory to cut wood and bamboo.

After their arrest, Burmese authorities quickly sentenced the Bangladeshi
woodcutters and sent them to Buthidaung prison for illegally entering
Burmese territory.

Bangladesh border security forces complained of the arrest and demanded
Burmese authorities release the six from the Burmese jail.

Burma's border authorities do not typically release Bangladeshi people
once they have been arrested and sentenced, even at Bangladesh's demand.

However, this time the Burmese authorities released the Bangladeshi
woodcutters at the request of Bangladesh and handed them over to
Bangladesh within a short period of time.

____________________________________
BUSINESS/TRADE

January 28, Bangkok Post
Crackdown on Thai loggers – Cheewin Sattha

Burmese soldiers are set to arrest Thai loggers reported to be illegally
taking timber in forests along the border area opposite this province. The
clampdown is said to follow an inspection trip by Brig-Gen Thein Aung, the
Burmese minister for forests, to Lanma Sone village of Kayah state.

His visit was to verify reports of wholesale loggiong of teak forests in
the area adjacent to the Huay Ton Noon border pass and opposite tambon
Khun Yuam of Khun Yuam district.

After the minister's visit, six battalions of Burmese troops were ordered
to move against the illegal loggers.

Burmese and Karen soldiers stationed in the area were questioned and
Burmese authorities are reportedly preparing to arrest Thai loggers
exploiting the Burmese forests.

Many Thais claim to have logging concessions in Burmese territory opposite
Mae Hong Son province. They have been seeking approval to import a lot of
teak through border passes in Mae Hong Son, and the local Thai-Burmese
border committee is considering their requests.

On the Thai side, local police arrested many suspected illegal loggers in
Mae Hong Son this month. The latest case was the apprehension of a Thai
truck driver and 12 Burmese workers with more than 1,000 three-metre-long
teak planks and four roughly-made teak beds in tambon Pang Moo of Muang
district.

The group claimed to have a transport licence issued by a forest official
and were delivering the wood to a buyer in Samut Prakan.

Police seized the wood and launched an investigation because transporting
logs out of Mae Hong Son is banned

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 28, Mizzima News
EU envoy commences latest Burmese initiative

The European Union Special Envoy for Burma has arrived in Southeast Asia
to undertake yet another initiative with regional leaders to try and break
the impasse on the road to political and economic reform inside Burma.

Peiro Fassino, the European Union Special Envoy to Burma said last week
that his current trip is not about the question of sanctions. He maintains
that the crux of his mission is to do whatever is necessary to bring all
relevant parties together in urging substantive dialogue between the
Burmese junta and opposition figures.

Fassino last week reiterated the vital role of both India and China in
determining whether international efforts regarding Burma will bear fruit.
The Envoy's words for China have not been as harsh as many of those
emanating from elsewhere. He told reporters last week that "In October and
November, India and China played a positive role."

Fassino has additionally consistently called for both the release of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League for Democracy
and that permission be granted for the timely return to Burma of the
United Nation's Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari.

Fassino assumed his position in November of last year, following the
Burmese junta's crackdown on protests in late September, being appointed
by the European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, Javier Solana.

"This appointment underlines the importance that the EU attaches to
democratic change, reconciliation, the improvement of the human rights
situation and development in Burma/Myanmar," read a statement from
Solana's office at the time of Fassino's appointment.

On Friday, Gambari was in Brussels to meet with European Union leaders,
among them Solana, to coordinate upcoming Burmese initiatives.

With the assumption of the European Union presidency on the first of this
year, Slovenia has inherited an unlikely leading role in the bloc's
approach to Burma for the coming six months.

Fassino visited with Slovenian officials early this year to ensure that
the Union's policies toward Burma remain consistent under Slovenian
leadership.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel assured Fassino that, "During
Slovenia's Presidency, the Burma/Myanmar issue will be permanently on the
agenda." He went on to emphasize that the European Union Presidency would
be closely monitoring developments in Burma, pointing out that Slovenia
had launched the initiative for an Human Rights Council meeting on the
situation in Burma.

Fassino's present undertaking begins in Thailand for three days, where he
was scheduled to meet today with the Thai Foreign Minister. Also on the
itinerary are stops in India, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China
and Russia.

Meanwhile, Gambari is scheduled to visit Indian officials in New Delhi
this week in a continuation of his efforts along the Burmese front.

____________________________________

January 28, Irrawaddy
Thee Lay Thee show a smash in Chiang Mai – Wai Moe

Burma’s well-known a-nyeint comedy troupe, Thee Lay Thee & Say Young Sone,
lightened the hearts of the Burmese community in a performance at Chiang
Mai University on Saturday.

Thee Lay Thee a-nyeint is known in Burma for cracking jokes and performing
satirical skits about the Burmese junta. A comedy video of their show has
been banned by Burmese authorities.

In November, the comedians performed at Rangoon’s Kandawgyi lake, and some
military officials, including intelligence personnel, reportedly attended
and enjoyed the show.

One of the best moments in the Chiang Mai show came when Thee Lay Thee
sang a song in honor of the Burmese independence hero Aung San, wearing
Aung San T-shirts.

Most Burmese had not heard the song performed in public since the 1988
military coup. Aung San has become a symbol of the dissident movement and
wearing an Aung San T-shirt is now a form of civil disobedience in
military-ruled Burma.

Thee Lay Thee, made up of four comedians and two female dancers, performs
with the well-known comedian Godzilla on their current international tour.

The comedians broke up the audience with their political skits.

In one, Asean leaders are on a boat trip around the Singapore harbor
during the November summit. The Singaporean prime minister distributes
Singapore-made chocolate to the other nine leaders. Then he throws the
chocolate into the water, to the shock of the other leaders.

“Never mind!” he says. “There’s lots of chocolate in Singapore.”

Then the Malaysian leader gives cheese made in Malaysia to the leaders.
Then he throws the cheese into the water, saying there’s lots of cheese in
Malaysia.

Not to be outdone, the Burmese Prime Minister, Thein Sein, summons a
general. When the general arrives Thein Sein kicks him into water.

“Don’t worry! We have a lot of generals in Burma!” he says.

In another joke, a comedian takes a tour of Naypyidaw conducted by the
junta’s head, Snr-Gen Than Shwe. In Than Shwe’s palace, he sees the floors
are made of jade. Than Shwe says it’s ok, he can walk on the jade floor.
Then the comedian sees Than Shwe’s chairs are covered with gem stones.

“Don’t worry, you can sit on the rubies,” says Than Shwe.

Than Shwe then says that if the junta can rule Burma for 10 more years,
all Burmese homes will be filled with jade and rubies.

Exasperated, the comic shouts, “Who’s the comedian here?”

The comedians also poked fun at neighboring countries, which buy billions
of dollars in natural gas annually, but the countries are still short of
electricity.

In another skit, a member of the security forces asks, “Who can chant the
“Metta Sutta” (on loving kindness)?"

“If you can, go and sit in the truck,” he says, recalling the roundup of
Buddhist monks during the pro-democracy uprising.

Godzilla told the audience that jokes are really the voice of the
people—they come from real events on the streets of Burma.

“We [comedians] just have to listen to the voice of the people, and then
we reflect on their lives,” he said.

Ko Htut, an audience member, told The Irrawaddy the comedy troupe showed
great courage in cracking political jokes, because they could go to prison
in Burma.

“I have not seen this kind of a-nyeint show for more than ten years,” he
said.

A Burmese migrant worker who lives in Chiang Mai said Thee Lay Thee
members were comedians, but they tell the truth.

“They don’t lie,” he said.

____________________________________

January 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
Malaysian police arrest 46 Chin refugees – Saw Kanyaw

Forty-six ethnic Chin refugees from Burma were arrested by Malaysian
police and immigration officials in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, the Chin
Refugee Committee in Malaysia said.

Six girls and two toddlers aged around two years were among those detained.

Paul Lian of the CRC said that the refugees were arrested at around 4am on
Friday, even though they were holding documents proving their refugee
status, issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

"We have to be very careful in the current climate. The elections are
drawing near and the Malaysian government is getting stricter on
foreigners," said Lian.

“Unfortunately, refugees are being included in this as well,” he said.

Lian said these were the first arrests made so far in 2008.

He added that the Malaysian police would release the refugees if they had
assistance from UNHCR, but otherwise they would be sent back to the
Thai-Malaysian border where they could face a number of problems.

"If the Malaysian government sends these people back to the Thai border,
they are going to need money to come back here," Lian said.

“Sometimes, human traffickers sell the refugees to work on fishing boats
if they don’t have any money.”

The refugees are currently being held at the Kuala Lumpur police station.

The Chin Human Rights Organization in Malaysia wrote a letter to the
Malaysian government on Friday appealing for the release of the detained
refugees.

Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees, the key legal document on the rights of refugees and obligations
of states.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 28, Mizzima News
Gambari to revisit New Delhi to garner support for Burma – Mungpi

United Nations Special Envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is scheduled to
arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday in a continuation of his efforts to concoct
regional support for change in military-ruled Burma, a United Nations
official has said.

Gambari, who is now meeting European Union leaders in Brussels, will meet
Indian government officials during a three-day visit from January 29 to
31. He will be urging further support from Indian leaders in encouraging
substantive dialogue between Burma's government and opposition figures,
said a UN spokesperson in New Delhi.

While details of the Nigerian diplomats' scheduled meetings are yet to be
confirmed, Rajiv Chandran, UN Information Officer in New Delhi, said
Gambari will focus on garnering Indian support for the UN Secretary
General's initiative on Burma.

Gambari, in an earlier visit to New Delhi in October 2007, said he is
satisfied with the Indian response but urges India to further use its
leverage on the Burmese military junta to implement changes in the
country.

The UN diplomat, who following India will visit Beijing, has reportedly
asked to return to Burma this month, but the ruling junta insists he will
only be received come mid-April.

Since Gambari's initial visit following the military's use of violence to
crackdown on protestors in late September, the junta's Liaison Minister
has met four times with Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

However, nothing has materialized from the meetings and there is still no
sign of a genuine process of national reconciliation, Burma's main
opposition party – National League for Democracy – told Mizzima in earlier
interviews

____________________________________

January 28, AlterNet
It's a long way from Myanmar for Karen refugees – Steven O'Brien

After three months in Ireland, Sa Nga and his family are struggling to
master the English language but say their new home offers many more
opportunities than a refugee camp in Thailand.

The former driver, his wife, six children and father-in-law are among the
first ethnic Karen refugees from Myanmar accepted for resettlement by
Ireland. They are starting new lives in the scenic north-west after last
year leaving the confines of Ban Don Yang camp in the tropical forests of
Thailand.

The minority Karen have suffered persecution for decades and nearly
140,000 are living in closed Thai refugee camps after fleeing across the
border. The Thai government, which does not let them leave the camps, now
accepts that the Karens are unlikely to be able to go back to Myanmar any
time soon and has accepted resettlement as a solution for some of them.

UNHCR has since early 2005 helped resettle more than 20,000 Myanmar
refugees in Thailand – including Karens and other minority groups – in
countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the United
Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Norway – and
Ireland.

The first 52 Karens resettled in Ireland, including Sa Nga and his family,
arrived last September and were put through an eight-week orientation
programme in the north-west town of Ballyhaunis in County Mayo. They were
then moved to new homes nearby. A second group of 45 arrived in
Ballyhaunis in December.

UNHCR Representative in Ireland Manuel Jordao recently visited Ballyhaunis
and nearby Castlebar to see how the Karen families were coping with new
services, schools, doctors, even things as basic as household appliances.

"Ireland has made a big effort to ensure its resettled refugees receive
the best start with support and orientation, basic facts about the
country, language tuition and advice on how to use services. These
stepping stones will help resettled families use their own talents to make
a life for themselves here," Jordao said.

"We feel we are being looked after well in Ireland and we are very
grateful for that," Sa Nga told the UNHCR visitor, speaking through an
interpreter at the family's new home in Castlebar.

Lack of English is the biggest hurdle that he and the others face, but
they realize that they must master the language if they are to become
independent. "It's very important for us to learn English," said Sa Nga's
wife, Wau Dey, adding that if a family member became ill they would need
to communicate with a doctor.

The Karens also understand that English will help them make the most of
the opportunities in Ireland. "Irish people have many more opportunities
compared to what we had in the camps," said the head of one family.

This is a sentiment echoed by others questioned by UNHCR. Life in the nine
crowded government-run camps along Thailand's border with Myanmar is hard.
The refugees live in cramped bamboo shelters, dependent on UNHCR and
non-governmental organizations for protection, food, schooling and health
care. The Thai government does not allow them outside for work or higher
education.

The UN refugee agency hopes Ireland will accept more people for
resettlement in the future. Ireland increased its annual resettlement
quota from 40 to 200 in 2006, but there has been no increase since.

"UNHCR always needs more resettlement places, so I am always going to be
asking for an increase in the Irish quota," Jordao said, while adding that
"it also only makes sense to ask for an increase if the Irish authorities
tell me it would be manageable for them."

In 2008, UNHCR expects to refer some 60,000 people for resettlement in
about 20 countries that accept vulnerable refugees who cannot go back home
or integrate in host countries. Refugees from Iraq, Myanmar and Bhutan are
likely to figure prominently.

As one of the countries with a resettlement programme, Ireland "stands out
as a shining example of how smaller nations can share the global
responsibility to protect vulnerable refugees," said Jordao.

____________________________________

January 28, Hertfordshire News
Beyond Burma...


Last September the forgotten land of Burma hit world headlines as Buddhist
monks spearheaded demonstrations against the country's repressive military
government.

The "Saffron Revolution" didn't last long. The Burmese military crushed
this rare mass expression of free speech, and any illusions that it would
draw the line at reprisals against Buddhist monks were soon shattered.

Meanwhile a quiet revolution is taking place in Burmese art - in the UK.
Artists working in this country are free to express themselves on canvas,
and paintings that both reflect the plight and celebrate the beauty of
their native country can be seen from 11-23 February in the exhibition
Beyond Burma at London’s Menier Gallery.

Five Burmese artists are taking part, among them Khin Myint, who for the
past 10 years has been based in Rickmansworth.

Khin became known in her native country for paintings that ran counter to
its visual arts traditions - including the first nude to be hung in public
there. A council member of the United Society of Artists in the UK, her
unusual mixed-media works reflect both the natural and political worlds.
They have been exhibited in a number of solo and group shows in the UK in
recent years and can be seen on her website www.khinmyint.co.uk

Also taking part in Beyond Burma is Htein Lin, the former political
prisoner who came to prominence in 2007 with his one-man exhibition in
London of work painted while in Rangoon's notorious Insein Jail.

The show also features the work of Khin Myint's sister Tin Tin Sann,
beside that of Patrick Maung Yay and Raymond Wunna. A proportion of
proceeds from the sales of art in the Beyond Burma show will be donated to
charities operating on behalf of the Burmese people.

Gallery opening times for Beyond Burma are 10.30am to 6pm Monday to
Saturday, from 11-23 February 2008. The Menier Gallery at the Menier
Chocolate Factory is at 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UR. Nearest
station is London Bridge.


____________________________________


January 26, New America Media
A waiver from Homeland Security allows a surge of Burmese refugees –
Claire Trageser

When Homeland Security agreed that some groups against the Burmese
military government could be treated as refugees, the small number
previously allowed in quickly doubled.

Ba Shar’s 13-year journey from Burma to the United States ended in July
when his plane landed at the Oakland Airport.

For 12 years, Shar lived in a Thai refugee camp, waiting to get out.
Thanks to a waiver to the Patriot Act passed last year his chance finally
came.

“The opportunity to leave is like winning the lottery, so I had to go,”
Shar said using a translator. “I knew that if I stayed, I would be a
refugee forever. I’d have no hope, no freedom.”

Shar was fleeing the nearly 50-year conflict between the Burmese military
and the country’s ethnic minorities, and one of 13,900 refugees who came
to the United States last year. This is almost twice the number in the
next largest refugee group, Somalis, and more than eight times the number
of Iraqi refugees who arrived here last year.

Burmese refugees were not allowed in before because a clause in the
Patriot Act bars providing “material support,” including housing,
transportation or funds, to anyone from a terrorist organization. In
January, the Department of Homeland Security waived this clause as it
applies to some of the groups they’d previously listed as terrorist,
including groups opposing the Burmese military government.

This waiver allowed a surge of Burmese refugees to enter the United States
last year. In the past five months, the International Rescue Committee, a
refugee advocacy organization, brought Shar and 109 other Burmese refugees
to the Bay Area, compared to 56 refugees in the last two years, said
Leslie Peterson, the deputy director of the San Francisco IRC.

So Shar’s quick flight out of Burma and then his long wait in one of the
nine Thai refugee camps is a typical one, says Peterson.

Now 45 years old, Shar was a rice farmer when he was captured by the
Burmese military in 1984. He knew he might be used for the dangerous work
of searching for landmines, so he and two friends fled the military camp
and ran for Thailand.

“We risked our lives, but we thought it was a good risk,” he said. “We
were carrying ammunition and we just dumped it and ran for our lives.”

When Shar made it to the Maelah refugee camp on the Thai border, he sent
for his wife and mother-in-law.

“The camp is kind of like a prison,” he said. “You’re not allowed outside
it, and there are security police looking, so if you’re caught they’ll
send you back to Burma.”

Nonetheless, Shar tried to put together a life—working in construction for
other refugees who traded with the villages outside, building his own home
from woven leaves and bamboo and having four children, who attended a
United Nations-run school. But the camp always felt unsafe.

“The military could raid at any time,” he said.

In early 2007, he heard that the UN was accepting applications for refugee
status, which meant that Shar and his family could perhaps move to
Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands or the US.

“It didn’t matter where we went, as long as we escaped from refugee life,”
he said.

Shar applied and was granted refugee status.

“When we found out, many people were afraid to leave,” he said. “But I
knew I had to go.”

A snag in Shar’s plan quickly appeared. Shar’s mother-in-law was sick and
unable to travel. In order to not lose his chance Shar and the children
applied separately from his wife and mother-in-law. Separate sponsors
means separate locations. Although his whole family would be allowed to
leave, Shar and his three children ages 18, 16 and 14, would be sent to
Oakland, while his wife and mother-in-law would go to Georgia. Their
oldest daughter, 23, and her fiancé filed a separate application. They
left in June for Virginia. Shar and the children left in July and his wife
and her mother left in late September.

When Shar and the children arrived in Oakland, the San Francisco
International Rescue Committee helped arrange a subsidized apartment,
enrolled them for food stamps and public school and gave Shar English
lessons and help finding a job.

An IRC caseworker also told Shar about a Burmese church near his new home.
Raised as a Christian in Burma, Shar went to a service and found a
community of other refugees with stories similar to his own.

During his first week in Oakland, church members arrived on his doorstep
with 50 pounds of rice and a gallon of cooking oil in tow and have
continued to help with food, clothing, and education services.

“I knew (the United States) would be a different country, a different
culture,” he said. “But I found my own countrymen here, which made it a
lot easier.”

Two of the eight Burmese groups that the government defines as terrorist
organizations are made up largely of Karen and Chin people, two ethnic
minorities in Burma. So the waiver has allowed mostly Karen and Chin
people to come to the United States.

These naturally tight communities often revolve around churches. The
Burmese population is 89 percent Buddhist, though many Karen and Chin
people are Christian. Christian missionaries focused on these groups,
because they are often marginalized in Burmese society, said Penny
Edwards, a South and Southeastern Asian Studies professor at Univ. of
California, Berkeley who specializes in the cultural history of Cambodia
and Burma.

The First Burmese Baptist Church of San Francisco, established in 1977
after the first wave of Burmese arrived, eventually had to open a sister
church in Oakland. The Oakland Burmese Mission Baptist Church helps the
new arrivals adjust to life.

“We had a vision to start a new church in the East Bay,” said Lone Wah
Lazum, the Oakland pastor. “This is an opportunity to reach out to people
here, give assistance to people here, and also for these people to come to
know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.”

For Shar, the church has also been a lifeline to education and work.

“When I moved here, I thought I would have a lot more difficulties,” said
Shar on a recent Sunday after church. “But finding this place, being with
my people, it made it better. Then I had a feeling that things would be
OK.”

By mid-October, Shar was working at a jewelry factory in Oakland and had
saved $312 for one-way tickets for his wife and mother-in-law. Now his
focus is on his children.

“For my future, I can’t do much, but my children can be more successful,”
His goal leaving the refugee camp, he says “was to give them education.”

After his initial adjustment, Shar is confident he will be able to succeed
without assistance from his church and the IRC.

“Whatever other people do, I should be able to do,” he said. “When I look
at other immigrants and refugees, I see people have been able to improve
their lives, so I believe I should be able to do that, too.”


____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

January 25, Chin Human Rights Organization
RELA burns down refugee shelters in Malaysia

At least 75 Zomi refugees and asylum seekers originally from Chin State,
Burma  are now homeless and distraught after government-authorized forces
in Malaysia burned down their jungle shelters earlier this week in Putra
Jaya. This is the latest of many well-documented acts of abuse committed
by the authorities against the refugee community in Malaysia.

The raid began around 7 am on 20 January when more than 30 RELA members
violently stormed the make-shift campsite and burned it to the ground. The
material possessions of the camp residents- plastic sheeting for shelter,
pots and pans for cooking, donated articles of clothing and food rations,
and Christian Bibles- were reduced to ashes. For a community already
living on the margins of survival, the consequences are devastating.

“Nothing is left for any of them. Nobody knows what they should do, where
they should go for shelter, how they can overcome this...They are left
with nothing,” reported one Zomi Chin leader who recently visited the
residents and their burned out campsite.

For years, the refugees and asylum seekers from Burma have taken shelter
in the jungles surrounding Kuala Lumpur to escape the harassment and abuse
by RELA security forces. Night-time neighborhood raids occur regularly in
Kuala Lumpur’s urban areas. Although in hiding, the communities living in
the jungle are not immune to such abuses. Over the course of four years,
the camp in Putra Jaya had been raided three times by RELA.

According to the camp leader, “None of the raids in the past compare to
this. We are empty-handed now. We lost everything- no cooking pots, no
food, no clothes, no hope.”

The raid was conducted by Malaysia’s controversial RELA or the People’s
Volunteer Corps, an untrained, volunteer civilian unit with security
enforcement powers. RELA has come under increasing criticism by members of
the international community and human rights organizations for reckless
conduct and abusive actions during raids. Despite such criticism, RELA is
slated to take over all of Malaysia’s immigration facilities during this
next year. The transition of authority has already started in some
facilities, raising concerns among the refugee community who fear the
takeover will lead to increased abuses with greater impunity.

BACKGROUND

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes in
Chin State, Burma to escape severe ethnic and religious persecution
committed by the military regime of Burma. They arrive in Malaysia in
search of some sense of security. Currently, there are over 23,000 asylum
seekers and refugees from Burma’s Chin State living in Malaysia. Instead
of finding safety, they are the constant target of harassment, arrest,
detention, and deportation by the Malaysian authorities. In addition, they
are unable to work, receive an education, access healthcare services, or
find acceptable living accommodations. With the UNHCR general registration
process closed since July 2005, obtaining refugee status or any protective
documents from the UNHCR is difficult. As a result, life for the refugees
and asylum seekers in Malaysia is full of abuses and uncertainties.

For more information, please visit Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO)
on the web at www.chro.org or contact Amy Alexander at
amyalex_thailand at yahoo.com or +66.85.230.2609.