BurmaNet News, January 29, 2008

[Editor]

January 29, 2008 Issue # 3390

INSIDE BURMA
Reuters: Myanmar junta charges leading protesters
VOA: Army offensive in Eastern Burma creates growing humanitarian crisis
Mizzima News: Burmese bloggers hide from police
Mizzima News: Burma's government tightens its grip on international aid
agencies
Irrawaddy: Myanmar Times CEO supports regime’s “Road Map”
Irrawaddy: Irrawaddy dam construction begins, human rights abuses begin
DVB: Housewives charged under Unlawful Associations Act
DVB: Bago authorities seize land from farmers
DVB: Activist Htin Kyaw denied family visits
Khonumthung News: Burmese junta force villagers to pay for road construction
Narinjara News: Democracy activists demand government dialogue with
opposition

ON THE BORDER
DVB: Thai authorities extend migrant registration period

BUSINESS / TRADE
SHAN: Military authorizes logging
Xinhua: Electric power sector major attractor of foreign investment in
Myanmar

HEALTH / AIDS
Myanmar Times: Japan gives $1.79m to Myanmar - Kyaw Hsu Mon

GUNS
The Observers: China continues to supply Burma with military equipment

ASEAN
Bangkok Post: Asian nations face mounting democracy deficit

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Gambari in New Delhi to urge fresh Indian support
Mizzima News: Rambo tickets sold out in Singapore,Burmese migrants flock
to cinema

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: EU envoy calls for release of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi
Mizzima News: U.S. support for the freedom of Burma will continue: Bush

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Burmese Generals probably happy with Thailand’s new government
- Kyaw Zwa Moe

STATEMENT
Statement of the 2007 Generation Students’ Union

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 29, Reuters
Myanmar junta charges leading protesters

Myanmar's military junta has charged 10 activists detained during last
year's fuel protests, including top dissident Min Ko Naing, and they could
face up to seven years in prison, legal sources said on Tuesday.

The 10, most of whom were leaders of a 1988 student-led uprising
suppressed bloodily by the army, are accused of violating the former
Burma's Printing and Publishing Act.

It was not clear why they were not facing more serious charges of sedition
for organising small protests in Yangon last August against a sudden spike
in fuel prices and deteriorating living standards.

"They had not heard about the charges when I last visited them at Insein
Central Jail last Wednesday," Ko Aung, younger brother of detainee Ko Ko
Gyi, told Reuters.

Lawyer Aung Thein said the group would be likely to go on trial soon at a
closed hearing inside the former capital's notorious Insein prison.

Ko Aung said the health of the detainees was "not so bad", although most
of them were on some form of medication due to the effects of many years
in jail after the 1988 uprising.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and even before the
crackdown on last year's fuel price protests, more than 1,100 people were
behind bars on account of their political or religious beliefs.

Amnesty International said last week 700 people arrested after last year's
demonstrations, which grew into pro-democracy marches led by Buddhist
monks, remained locked up.

More than 80 were unaccounted for and were probably "the victims of
enforced disappearance", the London-based human rights group said.

(Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Ed Cropley and David Fox)

____________________________________

January 28, Voice of America
Army offensive in Eastern Burma creates growing humanitarian crisis - Rory
Byrne and Wido Schlichting

Reports from Karen State in eastern Burma say that the army's annual dry
season offensive against the Karen National Union is under way. The KNU
has been fighting for freedom from the military government for almost 60
years. In the past two years, rights groups say the Burmese army has
intensified a scorched earth campaign in Karen State, resulting in a
growing humanitarian crisis. Rory Byrne and Wido Schlichting report from
the Thai-Burma border.

The war between the Burmese army and the Karen ethnic minority in Burma is
thought to be the world's longest running civil war. War broke out shortly
after independence from Britain in 1949 when the Karen were denied
autonomy from the government in Rangoon, dominated by ethnic Burmese.

Burma's military government justifies its harsh rule in part by saying it
is necessary to keep different ethnic groups from trying to split the
country. Over the years, more than 17 ethnic groups have fought the
government, although in the past decade several signed peace agreements.
But in Karen State the fighting continues and villagers are caught in the
middle.

Human rights groups say the Burmese army uses scorched-earth tactics to
deny Karen guerrillas a support base. Villagers are killed or forced to
flee, livestock are shot, homes are burned and landmines are laid to
prevent people from returning.

Aid groups say that about 370 villagers have been killed since late 2006.
About 30,000 have been displaced.

Debbie Stothard is the coordinator for the Alternative ASEAN Network on
Burma. She told us, "In the past two and a half years we have seen no let
up in the attack – it's no longer a seasonal offensive, it's an on-going
intense offensive and that has meant that people – many, many communities
– have not been able to grow rice for two years. Twenty-five thousand
people are facing imminent starvation."

Human rights groups say that the army often uses captured civilians as
forced labor. The Karen say they want peace but, without a peace
agreement, they will keep fighting.

Johnny is the commander of the KNU's seventh brigade based on the
Thai-Burma border.  "Even though we are less in number, what we need is
sacrifice, perseverance and unity, so then one day we will certainly
obtain our victory and surely achieve our goal," he says.

Sann Aung is a cabinet minister with Burma's government-in-exile, based in
Bangkok. He tells VOA, "They would like to negotiate a ceasefire. They
have had many talks with the military regime, but the military regime
demands their total surrender. That is not acceptable to the KNU [Karen
National Union]. That is the situation."

Aid groups expect that in the coming months, thousands more Karen will be
forced to flee and more lives will be lost.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-25-voa51.cfm

____________________________________

January 29, Mizzima News
Burmese bloggers hide from police - Nem Davies

Apprehensive of the relentless crackdown by the Burmese military junta,
several Burmese bloggers in Rangoon have gone into hiding. The scare
follows the arrest of a Burmese blogger, Nay Phone Latt, earlier in the
day.

Burmese bloggers in the former capital are alarmed and have been forced to
go underground in fear of the authorities taking action against them. Nay
Phone Latt (Nay Bone Latt), a blogger as well as a writer, was arrested
from an internet cafe in Thingan Kyun Township.

A blogger, who requested anonymity in fear of reprisals, said, "At the
moment we [bloggers] are fleeing in the wake of the arrest of Ko Nay Phone
Latt."

Nay Phone Latt has a blog site www.nayphonelatt.blogspot.com, where he
posted writings about expressions of the youth in Burma.

Another blogger said he believes the authorities have targeted bloggers
and confirmed that fellow bloggers are on the run in fear of arrests.

Internet users in Rangoon said, over a few weeks ago, authorities have
stepped up surveillance of internet users and asked internet café owners
to maintain strict records of users.

Blogging, which is popular among Burmese youth, has become a dangerous
pastime in the country. The authority's stranglehold over information flow
remains as tight as ever and there is zero tolerance over any critical
writing.

During the September protests, a Burmese blogger Thar Phyu, who has a
blogsite www.mogokemedia.blogspot.com, was arrested and briefly detained
for posting pictures of monks and people demonstrating on the streets.

Meanwhile, authorities have shifted poet Saya Saw Wai, who was arrested
last week for writing a Valentines' day poem that contains a hidden word –
'Power Crazy Than Shwe', – to the notorious Insein prison on Saturday,
family members said.

____________________________________

January 29, Mizzima News
Burma's government tightens its grip on international aid agencies - Mungpi

In what seems to be a renewed effort to control the movement of
international aid agencies operating in Burma, the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MoH) has established new sets of regulations for aid groups.

The new instructions, which are supplementary to the existing rules, were
told to International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) operating in
Burma by the Ministry of Home Affairs during a meeting on January 11,
2008, held at Burma's new capital of Naypyitaw, according to the meeting
minutes, a copy of which Mizzima has obtained.

According to the meeting notes, circulated among concerned government
ministries, departments and INGOs, all travel by representatives of aid
agencies to the field will have to be approved by the Ministry of Defense.
This directive literally controls the movement of aid groups.

"No permission from Ka-Ka-Kyi [Ministry of Defense], no travel," Dr. San
Shwe Win, Deputy Director General of the Department of Health, who chaired
the meeting, told the aid agencies.

While the authenticity of the meeting minutes could not be independently
confirmed, an aid worker in Rangoon told Mizzima, "Yes, there was a
meeting in Naypyitaw and one of our senior members attended."

However the aid worker, who wished not to be named, did not elaborate on
the meeting.

During the meeting, the Chairman said all visits by expatriates will be
accompanied by government appointed Liaison Officers (LO), as done in
previous years, and expatriates are advised to stay close to the LO.

The LO will accompany and stay with the expatriates, "if possible in the
same hotel, taking the same flight, using the same vehicle." Additionally,
the LO should be included in all activity-related trainings or meetings
and the aid agency is to bear all expenses of the LO.

Dr. San Shwe Win said the new time frame for all Memorandum of
Understandings between the government and INGOs is set at one year, and
aid agencies will be required to apply for renewal at least 3 to 6 months
in advance.

The Chairman of the meeting encouraged INGOs to minimize the conduct of
surveys or assessments and instead utilize existing information from other
agencies.

Burma, which has a tradition of hiding or providing widely inaccurate data
on health, has always refused the request of international organizations
to conduct extensive surveys in the country.

"Surveys and assessments should be confined to "Health Issues"
 and there
needs to be prior discussion and agreement with non-health sector areas
such as education, socio-economic conditions, etc," the meeting minutes
said.

In a closing remark, Dr. San Shwe Win, chairman of the meeting, told
representatives of the INGOs to focus only on "pure health activities" in
order to obtain Memorandum of Understandings from the government.

"In the future, it will be difficult to get Memorandums of Understanding
from the MoH if for health-related or non-health activities," added Dr.
San Shwe Win.

The Chairman referenced a famous Burmese saying in advising the
representatives under what conditions the restrictions may be lifted. "If
a person is liked, then the rules are reduced," meaning rules and
regulations can be reduced for close friends, "
so try to be liked first!"

____________________________________

January 29, Irrawaddy
Myanmar Times CEO supports regime’s “Road Map” - Wai Moe

Burma’s English language weekly newspaper, The Myanmar Times, threw its
support unequivocally behind the regime’s seven-point “road map” in a
commentary in last week’s issue.

 “I believe that its [the junta’s] seven-point road map to democracy is
the best way forward, and I support that,” wrote the newspaper’s
Australian editor in chief and CEO, Ross Dunkley.

Headed “Comprehensive Changes at The Myanmar Times,” Dunkley’s column
commented on the newspaper’s recent brush with the regime over its report
on the recent hike in satellite TV fees. The regime’s Press Scrutiny and
Registration Division (PSRD) suspended the paper for one week because of
the report.

“That’s not an experience I wanted and I am going to ensure it doesn’t
happen again,” said Dunkley.

Although at least two names are missing from the usual list of editorial
staff in the latest issue, Dunkley denied that anybody had been sacked
because of the report.

“It is not true,” he said. “What is true is that for some time I have been
contemplating a reshuffle of my editorial team. The PSRD’s prod merely
moved me into action at a faster pace and I don’t view that with
negativity.”

According to journalists in Rangoon, Dunkley was called to the office of
the censorship board after the appearance of the offending report. On his
return to the office of The Myanmar Times, a senior journalist, Win Kyaw
Oo, was sacked.

An “editorial steering committee” of nine senior members of staff,
including Dunkley, was subsequently formed “to act as an instrument to
safeguard the company from conflict with the authorities.”

Larry Jagan, a Bangkok-based British journalist who writes on Burma, told
The Irrawaddy that although The Myanmar Times pretended to be independent
it was actually controlled by the regime. “Privately, Ross always said to
me that he is businessman first and journalist second,” said Jagan.

Jagan questioned Dunkley’s support for the “road map,” saying: “The ‘road
map’ is no longer credible. It is not an inclusive process.”

Sein Hla Oo, a veteran journalist in Rangoon, said he was not surprised to
hear about Dunkley’s pro-regime stand because The Myanmar Times had always
been well-connected to the ruling generals.

“It is semi-state-media,” he said. “Inside Burma, readers don’t care about
this kind of writing by Ross Dunkley and others. People think this kind of
writing is regime propaganda.”

A Burmese journalist with a news agency, speaking on condition of
anonymity, agreed that The Myanmar Times is “semi-state media.” He said:
“Journalists in Burma see Ross Dunkley as a businessman, not as
journalist. Sometimes The Myanmar Times is like the regime’s mouthpiece.

“They [The Myanmar Times] didn’t admit that the authorities pressured them
to fire staff members. But it is true. Sacking Win Kyaw Oo is a bad image
for the newspaper. Ross Dunkley should defend his staff.”

When The Irrawaddy called The Myanmar Times for comment it was told that
Dunkley was traveling and other editorial staff were busy or otherwise
unavailable.

The Myanmar Times was founded in 2000 by Ross Dunkley and Sonny Swe, son
of a high-ranking intelligence officer, Brig-Gen Thein Swe. Sonny Swe was
arrested following the downfall of former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt in
2004 and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for corruption.

____________________________________

January 29, Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy dam construction begins, human rights abuses begin - Saw Yan Naing

Burma and China began construction on one of the largest dams in Burma
some two months ago; meanwhile, villagers in the area are being extorted
and abused by the Burmese army, according to sources.

The Myitsone hydropower project is being built on the Irrawaddy confluence
about 26 miles (42 km) north of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, in
northern Burma.

A source, who recently observed the dam site, told The Irrawaddy on Monday
that about 20 Chinese and a handful of Burmese engineers are working on
the site, plus about 300 construction workers from the Asia World Company,
owned by Tun Myint Naing, one of the discredited cronies with links to the
Burmese regime. The workers have built shelters in the area by the site
and are currently tasked with detonating dynamite underneath the Irrawaddy
River to break up the rocks and create space for the dam.

The Burmese state-run newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar, reported in May
2007 that seven hydropower projects on the Irrawaddy River had been
designed to generate a combined total of 13,360 megawatts (MW) of
electricity. The report said that the largest dam—Myitsone hydropower
project—would produce some 3,600 MW.

The hydropower projects are being implemented under an agreement signed in
late 2006 with the state-owned China Power Investment Corporation (CPI)
and Burma’s Ministry of Electric Power No 1.

However, while construction is underway, a series of human rights abuses
in the local areas have occurred following the arrival of Light Infantry
Battalion 121, said residents.

The source who had observed the dam site said, “The Burmese army didn’t
stay in their camp. They went to Tanghpare village [some 3 miles (5 km)
from the dam site] and took over a library and are staying there. Now they
do whatever they want.

“The army are extorting money form local merchants and taking materials
from shops in Tanghpare without paying,” he said. “They are also taking
vegetables from the villagers’ farms and walking away with pigs and
chickens.”

The observer said that the Burmese army had been moved into the area as
security for the hydroelectric dam site.

He added that local villagers didn’t dare to say anything because they had
been threatened by authorities and warned about making contact with
foreign or exiled media.

Naw La, coordinator of the Chiang Mai-based Kachin Environmental
Organization, on Tuesday said, “The natural heritage of the Kachin people
in Myitsone area will be destroyed. More than 40 villages near the
construction site will be flooded if the dam is built. The reinforcement
of soldiers, forced relocations, deforestation and floods will follow
hand-in-hand with its construction.”

More than 10,000 villagers are currently living in those 40 villages, said
Naw La.

He added: “If they intend to build a dam, the authorities should inform
the villagers of the environmental and social impact assessment and let
them become involved in the decision making. However, the authorities
haven’t contacted the villagers since the project’s inception.”

Some villagers are anticipating displacement from the dam site area and
have already bought houses in Myitkyina, while others have been forced to
seek shelter in the mountains near their villages, said the observer in
Myitkyina.

An employee of the Kachin Consultative Assembly said that an earlier
letter of complaint had been sent to the government asking it not to build
a dam o¬n the Irrawaddy confluence. The letter pointed out that the dam
would destroy the lives and property of local people, damage natural
resources and cause the loss of irreplaceable natural habitat. However,
the government has not responded to the letter, he said.

Burma is currently cooperating with China and Thailand o¬n several
hydropower projects across the country. It expects hydropower projects to
double production of electricity in the military-ruled country by 2009.

____________________________________

January 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Housewives charged under Unlawful Associations Act

Three members of the Burmese Housewives Association, including the group
leader, have been charged under the Unlawful Associations Act, according
to a family member.

Daw Su Su Kyi, the mother of BHA member Ma Thet Thet Aung, said her
daughter had been charged and was due to appear in court soon, along with
the group’s chairperson Daw San San Tin and Ma Noe Noe, another member.

"My daughter told me when I visited her in Insein prison on 23 January
that she and the two other women have been charged with forming an
unlawful association," said Daw Su Su Kyi.

The three housewives were arrested on 18 October 2007 in connection with
the public protests in September.

Ma Thet Thet Aung's husband Ko Chit Ko Lin was also arrested at the same
time.

Daw Su Su Kyi said she is now taking care of Ma Thet Thet Aung's three
children; two primary school students and a toddler.

Daw Su Su Kyi added that she is concerned about the health of her daughter
and Daw San San Tin, who both suffer from medical problems.

"I am really worried about my daughter as she has a heart condition and
hypertension,” she said.

“Daw San San Tin is not in good health either – she has a tumour on her
neck and is due for an operation."

Violation of the Unlawful Associations Act carries a penalty of up to five
years’ imprisonment.

____________________________________

January 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Bago authorities seize land from farmers

Farmers in Shwe Kyin township, Bago division, have complained that local
authorities have forcedly seized their lands and sold them on to other
individuals.

U Htay Lwin, a resident farmer from West village in Shwe Kyin township,
said the former Village Peace and Development Council chairman seized 1.5
acres of his farmland near Shwe Kyin creek last year and sold it to
another man.

"In 2006, I was granted permission by the government to test-grow summer
paddy on that land, and it was successful," said Htay Lwin.

“I started the second crop on 30 October 2007 but the VPDC officials
pressured me to stop growing crops on the land as they said they had
already sold it to a guy named Ko Kyi Soe,” he said.

"They even threatened me, saying that they could get the police to arrest
me if I continued with my cropping."

Htay Lwin said that after the VPDC officials failed to convince him to
stop growing crops on the land, they asked the farm’s new owner, Kyi Soe,
to go to the farm and destroy the crops Htay Lwin had grown.

When Htay Lwin reported the matter to local police, they refused to open
an investigation.

Since he lost his land, Htay Lwin has been doing casual labour to earn
enough money for his own survival.

Meanwhile, residents in Nyaung Lay Pin have also complained about local
authorities selling privately-owned farmlands and taking the money for
themselves.

Ko Min Lwin, a resident of Nyaung Pin Pauk village, said that VPDC
chairman U Aung Phyoe had sold 0.75 acres of farmland belonging to his
father U Kyaw Myint.

U Aung Phyoe divided the land into five smaller plots and sold them for
30,000 kyat each.

Ko Min Lwin said the case was brought before the township court in June
2007 but did not receive any attention from the judges.

"They called for court hearings, but they never summoned the VPDC
officials. They said they could not take it any further until they had
been granted permission by the township PDC," said Ko Min Lwin.

"The VPDC officials appointed in 2007 are all a gang of robbers. It is as
though the government has given them licence to rob, and the
township-level authorities are protecting them."

____________________________________

January 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Activist Htin Kyaw denied family visits

Insein prison officials have forbidden high-profile commodity protester Ko
Htin Kyaw from receiving family visits for one month without giving a
reason, according to his wife.

Htin Kyaw's wife Ma Than Than Maw said she only found out about the new
restrictions imposed on her husband when she went to Insein prison
yesterday and prison officials refused to let her see her husband.

"I don't know why he has been banned from receiving family visits for one
month," said Ma Than Than Maw.

“Now I won’t be able to find out the latest updates on his situation
anymore, or news about his lawsuit and court appointments.”

Ma Than Than Maw said she was very worried in case anything happened to
Htin Kyaw and she was not able to find out about it.

Htin Kyaw has been in detention since 25 August for his role in
instigating fuel price protests.

He staged a month-long hunger strike at the end of last year to call for
the release of all political prisoners.

____________________________________

January 29, Khonumthung News
Burmese junta force villagers to pay for road construction

The Burmese military junta authorities do not bat an eye lid when it comes
to collecting money forcibly from the people.

An order has been issued to collect money from villagers for the
construction of a road that will connect Hakha, capital of Chin state to
Mantaw village in Kalay Township, Sagaing division.

The order issued by Khuang Hlei Thang, chairman of Township Peace and
Development Council in Thangtlang Township in Chin state on January 10
directs each village in Thangtlang to contribute Kyat 200,000 (about US $
160) each for the 80 mile long Hakha-Mantaw road project.

The order further mentioned that each village must pay at the TDPC office
in Thangtlang before the end of February.

The latest move has also added to the trouble of villagers who are facing
a famine like situation (food crisis) because of bamboo flowering that
helps rats multiply across remote areas Chin state.

"We have no idea where to find so much money when we can hardly generate
our daily meal," said a local from Chin state.

The village heads have been assigned to collect the money.

The amount of money to be collected will range from Kyat 2000 to 6000 per
household on the basis of the household number in the village. The sum of
collected money is estimated to touch Kyat 17,000,000 (US $ 13,654),
according to locals.

The eight feet wide Hakha – Mantaw road construction project began in
2006. Initially, it was targeted to be completed in 2007 with government
funding. Later, the local authorities carried out the project with fund
from civilians and labour of locals.

So far, only 50 miles of the 80 miles of the road has been completed.

On May 2007, the TPDC authorities from Thangtlang town had also collected
Kyat 1,000 per household from 85 villages in Thangtlang for labour wages
to be paid to road construction workers.

____________________________________

January 29, Narinjara News
Democracy activists demand government dialogue with opposition

Taungup: Democracy activists secretly pasted posters in prominent
locations in Taungup town in Arakan State on Monday, demanding that the
Burmese military regime release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and initiate a
dialogue with opposition leaders.

The activists pasted posters carrying their demands on the entrance walls
of famous Buddhist temples and monasteries, hospitals, the jetty, and
markets during the night of January 27, 2008, said a student in Taungup.

The student said that the demands they wrote on the posters read as
follows: "To follow the international Human Rights Declaration adopted by
the UN," "To release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners,"
"To stop the arrest and harassment of people against the law," and "To
make a dialogue immediately with the opposition groups."

Policemen removed all the posters in the early hours of January 28, soon
after the news of the posters began spreading among the people.

Many townspeople read the posters in the morning before the policemen tore
them down and all were happy to see the posters and the demands, the
student said.

Authorities in Taungup are now closely watching NLD members and other
democracy activists there. Many extra police personnel have been brought
in from other townships to Taungup and have been deployed in key places in
town, including the monasteries and the central market.

People in Taungup had plans to stage a demonstration on January 17, 2008
but did not get the chance to gather as authorities blocked all the
streets in the town with police forces, the student said.

Unidentified democracy activists also distributed anti-government flyers
on January 19 along the streets of Taungup and Kyaukpru in Arakan State,
despite heavy security in the area.

Taungup town played an active role in Arakan State, and many
anti-government activities broke out in the town during and after the
Saffron Revolution.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 29, Democratic Voice of Burma
Thai authorities extend migrant registration period

The Thai labour department has announced that Burmese migrant workers who
did not register last year will be able to renew their registration
between 21 January and 19 February without facing a fine.

Under a Thai government scheme, migrant workers pay around 4000 baht to
register and receive an identity card which is valid for one year.

When the system was introduced in 2004, over 1.2 million migrants
registered for the cards, but last year only 500,000 renewed their
registration.

Moe Swe from the Mae Sot-based Yaung Chi Oo migrant workers’ association
said that the Thai government believes that many workers remain in the
country illegally.

“The Thai government assumes the other 600,000 migrant workers who
registered in 2004 but didn’t renew their cards in 2007 are still inside
the country, and this is intended to give them a chance to make themselves
legal,” Moe Swe said.

In previous years migrant workers could extend their registration for one
year, but this year it will be valid for two years.

Nan Saw Aye, a migrant worker in Mae Sot, said that she had faced
difficulties without a registration card.

“It’s been difficult to go out without any legal documents, and I had to
worry about the police all the time,” she said.

“I am now very happy that the Thai government is offering to renew our
registration.”

Migrant workers in Thailand have to pay 3800 baht for a registration card,
which also entitles them to medical assistance.

The Thai Ministry of Labour has set out a minimum wage for migrant
workers, but many Burmese migrant workers are still being paid below this
level.

Thai government reports estimate that there are currently around 2 million
Burmese migrants working inside Thailand, of whom only 500,000 are
registered.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 29, Shan Herald Agency for News
Military authorizes logging - Lieng Lern

Burma's military authorities have permitted a militia chief to cut
teakwood in Kengtawng, Southern Shan State, according to local sources.

Permit was given to Mahaja and his partner to log between Kengtawng and
Kengkham, a strip of teak forest between Kunhing and Mongnai Townships.
Trucks with 10 wheels, 16 wheels and 18 wheels carry teak logs from
Kengtawng to Kunhing, where they are gathered.

"About 20 vehicles, 16 and 18 wheels, working at the Tasang dam on the
Salween River are also pressed into service to carry teak for Mahaja," a
villager said.


>From Kunhing, teakwood is transported to the Salween and then across the

river to Panghsang, the Wa capital, on the Sino-Burma border for trade
with China.

"If the vehicles can drive up the hill, they will bring big saws to cut
the trees. If not, they will use small saws. After that they will use
elephants to pull the teak out of the jungle," he added. "The people
employed to cut timber are paid Kyat 150,000 ($120) per ton. There are six
elephants whose owner is Hking Sai from Kunmoeng village tract, Kengtawng
sub-Township".

The SSS Company that has been given the concession belongs to Mahaja, who
surrendered in 1996 with Khun Sa. He is also the leader of the militia
force in Homong, the former base of Khun Sa, on the Thai-Burma border.
Mahaja has trading offices in Langkho, Mongnai, Namsang, Loilem, Mongpawn
and Taunggyi.

His partner is Nang Hseng Awng, (27) from Kengkham.

____________________________________

January 29, Xinhua General News Service
Electric power sector major attractor of foreign investment in Myanmar

Myanmar's electric power sector has attracted 6.311 billion U.S. dollars
of foreign investment as of the end of 2007, the Weekly Eleven News, one
of the leading private-run news journals, reported Tuesday.

Of a total contracted foreign investment of 14.736 billion dollars in 417
projects, the electric power sector stands as the biggest attractor of
foreign investment, the report quoted the Ministry of National Planning
and Economic Development as saying.

It was followed by oil and gas with 3.243 billion dollars, manufacturing
1.629 billion dollars, real estate development 1.056 billion dollars,
hotels and tourism 1.034 billion dollars, mining 534.89 million dollars,
livestock breeding and fisheries 324.35 million dollars and transport and
communications 313.27 million dollars.

Of the 417 projects, electric power accounted for 42.83 percent, oil and
gas 22 percent, manufacturing 11.06 percent, real estate 7. 73 percent and
hotels and tourism 7.02 percent, said the report.

The foreign investment in Myanmar came from 28 countries and regions, of
which Thailand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Malaysia were leading.

In 2005-06 fiscal year (April-March), Myanmar absorbed the highest annual
contracted foreign investment of 6.065 billion dollars which mainly came
from Thailand with 6.03 billion dollars in a major power project -- the
7,110-megawatt Tar-hsan hydropower project on the Thanlwin River in
eastern Shan state's Tachilek.

In 2006-07, the country brought in 752 million dollars of investment with
471.48 million dollars in the oil and gas sector from the United Kingdom
(240.68 million dollars), Singapore (160 million dollars), South Korea (37
million dollars) and Russian Federation (33 million dollars), and 281.22
million dollars in the power sector from China alone, according to the
figures of the Central Statistical Organization (CSO).

Meanwhile, Myanmar companies made most investment in industry in 2007,
followed by real estate, another local weekly the 7-Day reported earlier
by quoting the Myanmar Industrial Producers Association.

Of the total private investment of 141.381 billion Kyats (about 112.2
million dollars) in 677 projects, that in industry amounted to 34.041
billion Kyats, while that in real estate 30.081 billion Kyats, the report
quoted the Myanmar Investment Commission as saying.

Myanmar enacted the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Law in late 1988 when
it started to adopt a market-oriented economic policy.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

January 21-27, Myanmar Times
Japan gives $1.79m to Myanmar - Kyaw Hsu Mon

The government of Japan pledged US$1.79 million to UNICEF Myanmar last
week to support an eight-phase project aimed at improving maternal and
child healthcare services.

The agreement for the grant was signed on January 14 at Sedona Hotel in
Yangon between Mr Yasuaki Nogawa, the Japanese ambassador to Myanmar, and
Mr Ramesh Shrestha, UNICEF’s country representative.

Mr Shrestha said at the signing ceremony that the money will be used to
support collective effort to protect Myanmar’s children against
vaccine-preventable diseases, malaria and other fatal ailments, and to
save their mothers from pregnancy-related deaths.

“UNICEF will ensure that this assistance will target those most in need,”
he said, adding that most of the aid will target rural areas.

The funding will be used to purchase rapid test kits and medicine for
malaria, vaccines for measles and tetanus, and essential medicines and
equipment for reproductive health, according to an announce-ment from the
Japanese embassy.

Japan has provided assistance for seven consecutive phases of the same
project amounting to US$31.9 million from 1999 to 2006.

____________________________________
GUNS

January 29, The Observers
China continues to supply Burma with military equipment

A blog by Burmese exiles in Thailand (Vimutti) has published photos of new
military vehicles delivered to Burma from China on 15 January. The vans
are the same model that was used to transport soldiers and prisoners
during September's crackdown. However, Chinese diplomats insist they are
working hard to get the Junta to negotiate with the opposition and to make
efforts in terms of human rights. Kio, our Observer for Burma, comments on
the situation.

China's been supplying the Junta with military equipment since 1988. They
even gave them a million-dollar loan to be able to buy the stuff, which is
mainly heavy artillery and military vehicles. The Chinese authorities have
reason to want a calm Junta. They don't want any trouble because the
Olympic Games are on their way, and also because they want to avoid an
influx of refugees. That's why they openly criticised the crackdown in
September. That was a first. But at the same time, they want to maintain
their trade links, particularly to sustain sales of military material.
However, competition has recently increased, especially with India, who
actually succeeded in selling fighter-planes to Burma last year. The
trucks that come through the Sino-Burmese border - the FAW models - have
been used by the army for the past 20 years. According to the blog that
published these photos, they were giving a ‘present' to the junta,
probably in exchange for jade, teak or farming produce."

http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20080128-china-continues-supply-burma-military-equipment

____________________________________
ASEAN

January 29, Bangkok Post
Asian nations face mounting democracy deficit - Camille Eiss

The appointment of former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan as Asean
secretary-general suggests a welcome commitment to ratification of the
Asean charter and the establishment of an Asean human rights commission in
2008. Indeed, the violent suppression of monk-led protests in Burma in
late September grabbed global attention, underlining the urgency of a
regional commitment to human rights and the importance of an effective
Asia-owned vehicle for responding to such atrocities.

While the formation of a dedicated commission should mark an important
step, no body can be more effective than the sum of its parts.

The findings of Freedom House's recently released global survey of
political rights and civil liberties, entitled ''Freedom in the World'',
reveal significant problems in a number of the region's most influential
countries.

This suggests that Asean's potential to serve as that vehicle may face
limits even more considerable than the 40-year-old institution's rigid
non-intervention policy.

Before the grouping can effectively police human rights violations in the
region as a whole, its member governments will need to make great strides
toward protecting human rights and delivering accountable governance at
home. At present, a lethal mix of political insecurity and weak democratic
institutions poses a considerable threat in several key countries.

The Philippines, whose dedicated human rights working group proved a
strong force behind the regional human rights commission, registered the
single greatest score decline in Southeast Asia for calendar year 2007.
Mounting evidence suggests that members of the country's armed forces are
responsible for many of the numerous extra-judicial killings and
abductions of leftist activists that have occurred since President Gloria
Arroyo entered office in 2001.

But Ms Arroyo faces a severe legitimacy crisis rooted in the 2004 election
scandals that makes her hold on power highly dependent on military
support. She can't necessarily afford to hold the perpetrators
accountable. Meanwhile, the country's imperiled judicial system
contributes to a wider culture of impunity, lessening expectations that
convictions should result.

The fundamental danger increasingly associated with political activism,
the spike in violence in the run up to the May legislative elections, and
the weakness of the country's firmly discredited Commission on Elections,
collectively disqualified the Philippines from the ''Electoral Democracy''
designation this year for the first time since the survey began tracking
electoral democracies in 1989.

In Malaysia, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has failed to fulfill his
promises of transparency and accountability. Rising crime, economic
frustrations, and ethnic and religious tensions along with an escalating
judicial crisis have prompted widely supported calls for electoral and
judicial reform as well as the protection of minority rights.

The government has responded with a massive crackdown on online media,
while the Royal Malaysian Police Force _ the institution most pegged for
reform under this administration _ violently suppressed the largest
demonstrations in a decade and arrested hundreds of Indian rights
activists.

Perhaps most worrisome, increasing calls for change have led the prime
minister and ruling party to further embrace the mantle of Malay supremacy
in an effort to shore up support in advance of elections. This hardly
bodes well for religious and personal freedoms as perceptions of
increasing ''Islamisation'' due to a series of harsh court decisions fuel
discontent among the country's Chinese and Indian minorities.

While the survey registered an improvement for Thailand over the last year
as a result of the recent elections, the country still remains less free
than prior to the September 2006 coup that curtailed democracy altogether.

The manner in which the military government moved to restore the electoral
process _ banning the country's largest political party, upholding martial
law in a number of provinces, and approving a notably less democratic
constitution than that in place before _ cannot be forgotten. Elections
notwithstanding, the year was generally characterised by significant curbs
on political choice.

Meanwhile, religious freedom in the country has suffered with the
intensification of violence in the South.

The fact that the people across Southeast Asia are using new technologies
and organising more effectively to assert their rights makes their
governments' repressive, knee-jerk responses and failure to deliver on
long-held promises all the more disappointing.

Universal ratification of an Asean charter that includes a formal human
rights body will hopefully bring a measurable stride forward. But it is
hardly enough. The protection of human rights in Southeast Asia demands
that the governments of the region's most influential countries prove
accountable to their own electorates by strengthening the democratic
institutions essential to safeguarding the rights of their own citizens.
They are bound to yield much greater effect by setting regional precedents
and serving as models for Burma than they ever will as regional policemen,
with little ground to stand on.

Camille Eiss is a Southeast Asia analyst at Freedom House.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

January 29, Mizzima News
Gambari in New Delhi to urge fresh Indian support - Mungpi

In his second trip to India, United Nations Special Envoy to Burma,
Ibrahim Gambari, arrived in New Delhi on Monday and is scheduled to meet
with Indian government officials, a UN spokesperson said.

Rajiv Chandran, Information Officer for the UN in New Delhi, said the
Special Envoy arrived on Monday evening and will begin official meetings
on Wednesday.

"We [the UN] have requested four appointments, with the Foreign Secretary,
Foreign Minister, Prime Minister and Vice President," Chandran said.

Chandran, however, said Gambari is unlikely to hold any press conference
during the trip and the Indian government has yet to respond to the
meeting requests.

Gambari, who will travel to China later, is expected to discuss with
Indian leaders how best to push for democratic reform in military-ruled
Burma.

The Special Envoy, in his earlier visit to New Delhi, said he was
satisfied with the Indian response to the UN Secretary General's
initiative for reforms in Burma.

However, the Nigerian diplomat urged India to further use its leverage on
Burma to pressure the military junta to implement reforms.

India came under the international spotlight and was widely criticized for
its failure to condemn the Burmese military junta for its use of violence
to crackdown on protestors in September.

India, which also shares an over 1,400 kilometer porous border with Burma,
is being attacked by rights groups as well as by Western nations for its
reported supply of military hardware to the Burmese generals.

However India, in a turn of events, has since raised its voice and urged
the Burmese military junta to restrain from the use of violence and called
for a broad-based dialogue with opposition groups toward kick-starting
national reconciliation.

But critics say India's policy on Burma remains hypocritical. While India
has made rhetorical calls for changes in troubled Burma, it maintains and
official relationship with the generals, including the signing of
agreements and memorandum of understandings for an enhanced economic
relationship.

In what seems to be a refute of the criticisms made by human rights groups
and Western nations on its supply of military hardware to Burmese
generals, unconfirmed information that it has ceased its supply of
military hardware to Burma has spread among the media, making critics
think India is shifting its policy on Burma.

However, Rahul Bedi, a Jane's Defence Weekly correspondent who covers
Indo-Burmese military relations, says India has never changed its policy
and has not ceased all supplies of military hardware to the generals.

"But, India has temporarily halted the supply of military hardware
following the September protests," Bedi told Mizzima.

Following the Burmese general's bloody crackdown on protests led by
Buddhist monks in September, India was widely criticized for its silence
and continuing engagement with the junta.

"In response to international calls, India has temporarily halted the
supply of military hardware to the Burmese junta", Bedi said, adding that
"we cannot assume that India has totally stopped its arms supply to the
generals."

He added that India has its own interests to look after in terms of
dealing with the Burmese generals, and increasing Chinese influence in the
Southeast Asian nation seems to pose a greater threat for Indian policy
makers rather than continuing its vague support for democracy and human
rights in Burma.

While the Burmese crisis seems to be sandwiched between its two giant
neighbors' struggles for greater influence on the internationally isolated
country, both Indian and Chinese leaders have expressed their support for
the UN Secretary General's initiative to push for reforms in Burma.

Gambari, who is New Delhi to garner fresh support, is expected to
highlight the importance of India's role and is likely to urge India to
use its leverage on the Burmese generals to implement reforms.

Following his Indian visit Gambari will visit China, but Chandran said,
"He will leave on 31st January, the day after his meeting with the Indian
government and will not go directly to China from here, it will be later."

____________________________________

January 29, Mizzima News
Rambo tickets sold out in Singapore, Burmese migrants flock to cinema -
Nay Thwin

In remembrance of the violent September protests, over 300 Burmese
activists in Singapore, will wear red clothes on Sunday and attend the
screening of 'Rambo 4', which has been shot in the backdrop of the crisis
in Burma.

The activists said they would visit Singapore's Bugis cinema, where
Hollywood superstar Sylvester Stallone's 'Rambo 4' is being screened, in
red clothes to highlight the violent protests of September.

"As remembrance of the Saffron revolution, we have urged the people to
come for the movie with red dresses on," Aung Sayapyih, a student from
Singapore University, one of the organizers of the event, told Mizzima.

The organizers said they were negotiating with the Singaporean authorities
to allow a special programme on Sunday, where they planned to play the
national anthem and also have a slide show on the situation in Burma,
before the start of the movie.

Kyi Min from the exiled Burmese patriotic group said, "Before the movie
begins, we will play the Burmese national anthem and salute the Burmese
flag and have a slide show presentation of the 1974 U Thant uprising and
the Saffron revolution."

"If we can do it in Singapore, we believe Burmese people in other parts of
the world also can start such a campaign and that will be a great unity.
We want to show that patriotic Burmese people across the globe are
opposing the military junta in every possible way," he added.

Rambo 4, the last of Stallone's heroic Rambo series, was shot in the
Thai-Burmese border in eastern Burma. The movie is based on the prevailing
situation, where hundreds of ethnic Karens have to flee their homes
fearing attacks by the Burmese Army.

Ever since the film's shooting in 2007, many Burmese dissidents and
diaspora have cheered for it saying it would bring a higher level of
international exposure to the ongoing imbroglio in Burma.

Directed by Stallone, the movie is based on how Rambo, a Vietnam War
veteran living in Thailand, goes to rescue a group of Christian
missionaries, who were abducted by Burmese soldiers, deep inside Burma
when they had gone to provide aid to Karen villagers. While the movie
highlights Rambo's super-natural ability to win wars, it also depicts the
atrocities and untold misery of Karen villagers.

The film was released worldwide and started screening in Singapore on
January 24 night. It is believed the tickets for the Sunday show, where
Burmese activists are planning a special programme, were sold out despite
the cost of 9.5 S$.

Singapore is one of the many Southeast Asian nations that hosts Burmese
refugees and migrants, estimated at a total of 50,000 Burmese students and
workers.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 29, Agence France Presse
EU envoy calls for release of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi

The EU's special envoy for Myanmar on Tuesday urged the country's military
regime to free democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as he kicked off an Asian
tour aimed at pressuring the junta for reform.

"I hope the lady Aung San Suu Kyi can be free as soon as possible," Piero
Fassino told reporters after a meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Nitya
Pibulsonggram.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a 62-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, has spent 12 of
the past 18 years under house arrest in Yangon.

The ruling junta, in an apparent bid to defuse global pressure after its
bloody crackdown on protests last September, appointed Labour Minister
Aung Kyi in October to handle contacts with the detained opposition
leader.

Since then, Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi met four times, including their
last meeting on January 11, but the military government has given no
details of their talks.

Fassino, a former Italian justice minister, said he supported the junta's
dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi but urged the regime to make concrete
progress.

"Now it's necessary to open new phases. I think it's necessary to open
real dialogue between the junta and the opposition and all different
sectors of Myanmar society," he said.

Fassino was appointed the EU special envoy on Myanmar last November and
said he would travel to Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Laos and Japan over the
next two months in a bid to garner Asian support to press Myanmar for
reform.

The Italian diplomat also called on the regime to allow the United Nations
special envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, to return to the Southeast
Asian country "as soon as possible."

Gambari has visited Myanmar twice since the bloody military crackdown in
September on peaceful protests led by Buddhist monks, who spearheaded the
biggest pro-democracy uprising in nearly 20 years.

The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed during the
suppression, and 74 remain missing.

Gambari has asked to return to Myanmar this month but was told by
authorities there that they would consider an April visit.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962.

____________________________________

January 29, Mizzima News
U.S. support for the freedom of Burma will continue: Bush

In the most awaited annual public address of the U.S. Head of State,
President Bush has singled out the Burmese people as an example of a
population struggling for freedom and worthy of America's support.

The State of the Union Address, delivered Monday night by the President,
defined America's role in the world as "using its influence to build a
freer, more hopeful and more compassionate world. This is a reflection of
our national interest and the calling of our conscience."

"America is opposing genocide in Sudan and supporting freedom in countries
from Cuba and Zimbabwe to Belarus and Burma," Bush told members of
Congress and select guests at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

The President and the First Lady, Laura Bush, have been outspoken critics
of the Burmese regime for several years and have led the push to maximize
pressure against Burma's ruling generals to change their ways and usher in
an era of democratic governance in Burma.

The remarks referring to Burma came toward the end of the portion of the
speech devoted to foreign policy, and the notion of freedom was closely
linked to the ongoing war against terrorism.

Despite the events in Burma in 2007, and the global media coverage and
outrage that ensued, the Middle East, especially Iran and Iraq, received a
vast majority of the President's attention with respect to U.S. foreign
policy.

This, the last State of the Union address to be given by the Bush
presidency, was considerably less dynamic and robust when speaking of what
the U.S. can achieve in the realm of foreign policy. Previous language
referring to the deliverance of freedom to oppressed peoples was this year
substituted by talk of providing hope.

The Burmese junta has long accused the United States of supporting
opposition forces and parties hostile to the ruling military regime.

Burma was first mentioned in a State of the Union address two years ago,
when Bush, speaking of those living under undemocratic regimes, said: "We
do not forget the other half -- in places like Syria and Burma, Zimbabwe,
North Korea, and Iran -- because the demands of justice, and the peace of
this world, require their freedom, as well."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 29, Irrawaddy
Burmese Generals probably happy with Thailand’s new government - Kyaw Zwa Moe

Burma’s ruling generals in the isolated capital of Naypyidaw are probably
smiling over the election of Thailand’s 25th prime minister on Monday.

The junta no doubt views the new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, as a
proxy for deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra, as does most of the
Thai public.

Thaksin, who makes many of the decisions for the newly formed government,
was widely regarded as a Burma supporter who saw the country as a
potential business partner.

But in terms of the two countries political systems, Burma and Thailand
are no longer the same, following Thailand’s recent democratic election
and the end of rule for Thailand’s military junta, which governed the
country for more than one year.


>From September 2006 until December 2008, the two governments were the

same—generals ruled.

Thailand’s new Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is the ostensible leader of
the People Power Party. He admitted to being a “proxy” for Thaksin, who is
currently residing in exile in Hong Kong. Samak was nominated by Thaksin
to lead the People Power Party, which was founded after Thaksin’s Thai Rak
Thai Party was dissolved by Thailand’s coup leaders.

Burmese generals probably anticipate much smoother—and more
supportive—relations with Thailand’s new government.

Thaksin was a friend of Burma’s military regime when he was prime minister
from 2001 to 2006. He was criticized for courting the junta by supporting
business concessions and defending the military leaders.

Thailand is one of Burma’s biggest investors, and state-owned industries
such as PTT and EGAT (the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand)
are still the largest purchaser of gas from Burma, contributing almost US
$2 billion a year to the military regime.

Business relations under Thaksin’s government were better than ever for
the Burmese government. In 2003, Shin Corp, the telecom company once owned
by Thaksin’s family, signed a deal with Bagan Cybertech, the Burmese
internet service provider, owned by Ye Naing Win, the son of the deposed
Prime Minister Gen Khin Nyunt.

In 2004, Thaksin traveled to the ancient capital of Pagan, Burma, to sell
his “Economic Cooperation Strategy,” and he promised the Burmese junta aid
and support worth $45 million.

In December 2003, Thaksin’s government hosted the “Bangkok Process” to
advance democracy in Burma. In addition to two foreign ministers from the
host country and Burma, the meeting included representatives from
Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan
and Singapore. The meeting yielded nothing even though Thai Foreign
Minister Surakiat Sathirathai heralded it a “breakthrough.”

After the junta’s harsh crack down on the monk-led demonstrations last
September, the generals have faced growing international pressure. Even
the regime’s traditional supporters such as China, India and members of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have become more vocally
critical even as they stick to their noninterference policies, saying
Burmese politics is an “internal affair.”

Burma needs more friends to support its policies internationally. But the
generals are always skeptical and reserved when they deal with foreign
countries. They like to say they have no “always friends” or “always
enemies.” They focus on their own interest based on the present.

However, it’s likely they see the new Thai government as an old friend.
And they will probably benefit from it.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

January 24, Statement of the 2007 Generation Students’ Union

Today our country, Burma, is facing failures in all aspects like economy,
social affairs,
education and even religion under the evil military dictatorship. All the
citizens are suffering a lot daily from such general hardships as
starvation, forced labor, poor health care, substandard educational system
and loss of freedom and human rights because of oppression by a handful of
bureaucratic military dictators. All democracy-loving Burmese people have
the responsibility to break free from these dire troubles.

Like all Burmese people of all walks, we students highly yearn for values
of liberty, democracy and human rights that every free people of the world
are enjoying. In order to fulfill our hopes, we believe that we students
too have as much responsibility as the Burmese people. History has given
proof that we students have served in the forefront of all stages in
Burma's struggles for liberation and democracy along with other classes,
sacrificing blood, sweat and tears. Hence, the duty to work for democracy
is the one relayed by history to be borne by us.

To accomplish this historical task to our utmost by risking our lives, we
have established the "2007 Generation Students Union" consisting of
students all over Burma. We "2007
Generation Students Union" would peacefully fight for fundamental rights
and democracy for the entire student mass. Therefore the "2007 Generation
Students Union" solemnly urge all students throughout Burma to work
together with uniform spirit so that our student strata's stature would be
glorious.

"We have responsibility for our history"