BurmaNet News, February 14, 2008

[Editor]

February 14, 2008 Issue # 3402

INSIDE BURMA
DVB: NLD member given life sentence for sedition
Mizzima News: Nine Burmese journalists remain behind bars
Irrawaddy: Burmese junta warns INGOs
Irrawaddy: Than Shwe still calling the shots, as wife goes missing
Xinhua: Myanmar, S. Korea step up cooperation in education, technical sectors

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: Karen rebel leader assassinated
Kaladan News: Rohingya endangered as race
Bangkok Post: Shans calling for the release of ailing political leader
Irrawaddy: Police arrest 31 Burmese illegal migrants

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Tay Za buys ships in Korea

HEALTH / AIDS
Myanmar Times via BBC: Burmese livestock minister warns of future bird flu
pandemic

REGIONAL
AP: China pledges to support UN special envoy on Myanmar

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: UN Chief convenes Burma meeting

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: Elections, generals and broken hearts - Kyaw Zwa Moe
BBC News: Stakes high for Burma's 'roadmap' - Andrew Harding
Irrawaddy: Make the most of the Junta’s “Democracy” – Zaw Moe

PRESS RELEASE
Altsean-Burma: Referendum is the SPDC’s latest con, regional human rights
group says
US Campaign for Burma: US Senators introduce Bill to grant Burma's Nobel
Peace Prize Recipient Congress' Most Prestigious Honor, Congressional Gold
Medal
CSW: Burma: CSW condemns assassination of Karen leader Padoh Mahn Sha

ANNOUNCEMENT
NMG: An opportunity for women in Chiang Mai to learn journalism

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 14, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD member given life sentence for sedition

The defence lawyer for a National League for Democracy member who was
recently sentenced to life imprisonment has claimed that his client’s
punishment is unlawful.

Lawyer U Myint Thwin said that Ko Thiha, a youth member of Meikhtila
township NLD in Mandalay division, was arrested by the authorities in
August 2007 for possession of political leaflets bearing messages such as,
“It is time to get back on track” and, “Where there are students, there
are student unions”.

Two weeks later, he was charged with sedition and incitement to offences
against the public tranquility under sections 124(a) and 505(b) of the
penal code.

The court sentenced him to life imprisonment plus an additional two-year
jail term for the offences.

U Myint Thwin said it was unfair to give such harsh punishment to his
client since he had only been found in possession of political documents
and had not been distributing them himself.

"They can jail him for two years for a violation of 505(b) because of his
possession of documents that could lead to public mischief. But life
imprisonment for a violation of 124(a), sedition, is very inappropriate,"
said Myint Thwin.

"Even the two year jail term for the 505(b) violation is harsh for my
client because the documents were only found on him, he was not
distributing them or chanting the slogans publicly."

U Myint Thwin said he is now preparing an appeal on behalf of his client.

____________________________________

February 14, Mizzima News
Nine Burmese journalists remain behind bars

Imploring Western governments and international organizations to increase
their support for freedom of the press, a rights group says nine Burmese
journalists remain incarcerated.

"The spinelessness of some Western countries and major international
bodies is harming press freedom," are the strong words of Reporters
Without Borders Secretary-General Robert Menard.

Reporters Without Borders yesterday released its 2008 Annual Report, in
which systematic abuses of freedom of the press inside Burma are
chronicled.

According to the group, the working conditions for journalists in Burma
significantly deteriorated from mid-August of last year, when the first
protests materialized in response to unannounced energy price hikes.

The report notes that 15 journalists were arrested as a result of covering
the protests, while Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai was killed and other
foreign correspondents closely monitored.

Raising the cost of a satellite license from five to 800 dollars, pulling
the plug on the Internet and restricting the sale of foreign periodicals
in the days and months following the protests are all listed in the year's
summary as examples of infringements against media rights.

Additionally, Reporters Without Borders is concerned as to restrictions on
mobile phones, used during the protests and subsequent crackdown to take
pictures and video.

Nine journalists are listed as remaining in detention, including the
77-year old Win Tin, who has languished in a cell since 1989.

Others still behind bars include Ko Aung Gyi, former editorial head of 90
minutes, along with Ko Win Maw and Ko Aung Aung, all of whom are being
held on suspicion of distributing pictures and information to
international media sources during the 2007 uprising.

____________________________________

February 14, Irrawaddy
Burmese junta warns INGOs – Wai Moe

The relationship between the Burmese government and international health
NGOs (INGOs) is like a doctor and “a patient with a tumor,” a government
health official told INGOs during a meeting in Naypyidaw.

According to a document obtained by The Irrawaddy recently, the meeting on
January 11, chaired by Dr San Shwe Win, the deputy director general of the
public heath department, involved the ministry of health and INGOs.

San Shwe Win said that INGOs have to follow four basic principles:
“non-political, non-religion, nonprofit and nongovernmental.”

Ministry officials and 14 INGO representatives based in Burma attended the
meeting. Three INGO health groups, including Medecins Sans
Frontieres—Switzerland, were absent.

One of the central issues was the INGOs use of junta-backed “coordination
committees” to channel aid and services into the country.

During the meeting, the government distributed copies of the national
planning ministry guidelines on INGOs, which was issued in February 2006.

Members of coordination committees are to be drawn from junta-backed
social organizations such as the Union Solidarity and Development
Association, the Myanmar National Working Committee for Women Affairs and,
at the township level, the Auxiliary Fire Brigades and Veterans
Association.

The Burmese language version of the guidelines say that one of the duties
of a township coordination committee is to monitor project teams and
ensure that their activities don’t go beyond the stated scope of their
mission.

Ministry officials said NGO staffers can only travel to a field mission
with a “travel authorization” from the Ministry of Defense—Army.
Applications involve various steps and take time. No permission, no
travel, said the guidelines document.

The Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria cancelled its
aid program in Burma in 2005, saying travel regulations prevented it from
accomplishing its mission.

INGO workers have to apply for travel authorization two weeks in advance
and if a trip is cancelled, it must be reported in advance as well.

No travel permits can be issued for short-term consultants or trainers
from abroad, said officials.

INGOs also have to provide specific plans, purposes and the location of
activities. Activities such as observation or monitoring will not to be
accepted, said ministry officials.

The document said INGO projects in Burma will be reduced from five years
to one year, and INGOs must renew their projects 3 to 6 months in advance
because agreements between INGOs and Burmese officials must be approved by
the ministry of national planning, ministry of revenue and attorney
general of Burma.

All INGOs foreign staff who apply for a visa must indicate the period of
time they will stay in the country and a reason.

Ministry officials cautioned INGOs about conducting surveys and research
and advised them to keep such work to a minimum, calling it a “very
sensitive issue.”

“Encourage utilization of the existing information from other NGOs,” said
the document.

San Shwe Win chided some INGOs for what he called a double standard
between foreign NGO staffers and ministry liaison officers. He said
foreigners sometimes stayed in expensive hotels while liaison officers
stayed at more moderate hotels.

“We do not request special facilities for them,” said San Shwe Win, but
everyone should stay in the same hotel.

____________________________________

February 14, Irrawaddy
Than Shwe still calling the shots, as wife goes missing - Wai Moe

For the second time in two months, the wife of Burma’s military supremo
has been absent from a state function to commemorate a national holiday,
adding fuel to rumors that the aging first lady may be suffering serious
health problems.

On Tuesday, Snr-Gen Than Shwe and aides attended a state dinner to
celebrate Union Day at the town hall of the country’s new capital,
Naypyidaw. A headline in the state-run New Light of Myanmar claimed that
he was accompanied by his wife, Kyaing Kyaing, but she did not appear in
any photos.

She also missed a state dinner to commemorate Burma’s Independence Day on
January 4. There have been persistent rumors that Kyaing Kyaing, who is in
her early seventies, may have suffered a stroke recently.

Speculation that Than Shwe may also be ill has been quashed by reports
that he appears to be in good health.

Burma’s paramount leader, who was joined at the Union Day dinner by top
military leaders—including Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye, Gen Shwe Mann, Gen
Thein Sein and Lt-Gen Tin Aung Myint Oo—“is in good health,” according to
a guest who attended the event.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy recently, a Rangoon-based diplomat noted that
the head of the junta appears to be “disappointingly healthy.”

A Rangoon-based journalist contacted by The Irrawaddy confirmed that the
junta’s hard-line leader is still calling the shots and meeting regularly
with trusted cabinet members to make major decisions.

Observers say that since the crackdown on last September’s protests, Than
Shwe seems to be consolidating his power base and may even be moving to
sideline the powerful army chief, Gen Maung Aye.

News reports indicated that the top leader and his second in command were
at loggerheads over the shooting of monks and activists during the
September uprising.

Larry Jagan, a Bangkok-based journalist who specializes in Burma issues,
recently wrote that “Within the military, [Than Shwe] has clearly
indicated to his number two, Gen Maung Aye, that he cannot hope to replace
him as the country’s absolute ruler.”

But Maung Aye, who has established a strong connection with New Delhi and
is believed to have good relations with the head of India’s armed forces,
has retained his powerful position near the top of the ruling council.

____________________________________

February 14, Xinhua General News Service
Roundup: Myanmar, S. Korea step up cooperation in education, technical
sectors

Myanmar and South Korea are stepping up cooperation in the education and
technical sectors, outlining more areas of such cooperation, official
media reported Thursday.

The two countries' move was proposed at a recent meeting between a South
Korean delegation representing the Department of Education of Chonnam
National University and officials of Myanmar' s biggest business
organization -- the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (UMFCCI).

The areas of cooperation covers conducting Korean language course, testing
of the language, compilation and distribution of Myanmar-Korean language
dictionary, production of bio-fertilizer and opportunities for providing
educative course to new-generation farmers, said the New Light of Myanmar.

Aimed at promoting the development of Myanmar's education sector, a
technology, culture and business education center was established in 2006
by the UMFCCI and the Chonnam National University, according to earlier
local report.

Under a memorandum of understanding on the set-up, the Korean university
offers certificate courses, trainers and equipment such as computer, while
the UMFCCI provides the infrastructure.

In the initial stage, the center offers Korean language and business
management courses taught by Korean instructors. Graduate students from
the center are arranged to further study in South Korea to acquire master
degrees, advance diplomas and higher certifications.

Myanmar and South Korea have maintained cooperative relations in various
areas including economic and technical cooperation since decades ago.

In 2006 also, a South Korean consortium comprising the Daewoo
International Corporation and the KCOMS reached a 12-million-U.S.- dollar
contract with the Myanmar communications authorities to help build a basic
e-government system for the country.

Under the project, the Korean consortium was to provide information and
communication technology infrastructure for the Myanmar government to link
its 38 ministries to a high-speed internet network and computerize its
personnel management system.

As a follow-up, in 2007, another S. Korean company -- the Daewoo
International Corporation -- continued to undertake an e- citizens project
for Myanmar after completion of the basic e- government project under
another memorandum of understanding signed between the Daewoo and the
state-run Myanmar Posts and telecommunications.

Besides the education and telecommunication sectors, Myanmar and South
Korea are also cooperating in developing Myanmar's electric power network.
According to South Korea's International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which
is South Korean government's overseas aid agency, it will work with the
state-run Myanmar Electric Power Enterprise in dealing with management and
operation under a three-year project worth 1.4 million dollars.

Moreover, the KOICA is helping Myanmar upgrade its medical research
capabilities by providing more medical equipment to the medical research
department of the Myanmar Health Ministry, according to another official
report.

Meanwhile, under a volunteer program, the KOICA has sent about 80
volunteers to Myanmar working together with the country's departmental
staff of various ministries since 1988 and currently 18 such South Korean
volunteers are serving the fields of Korean language, computer education,
agriculture, sports, health, and information and communication technology
(ICT), according to the report.

The KOICA said it funded Myanmar's development programs with 2 million
dollars during 2006 covering projects in the sectors of health,
agriculture, ICT, electric power and rail transportation.

Official statistics reveal that South Korea's investment in Myanmar has
reached 231.3 million dollars in 36 projects as of 2007 since the country
opened to foreign investment in late 1988.

The Central Statistical Organization's figures further show that in the
first five months (April to August) of the fiscal year 2007-08, Myanmar
absorbed 12 million dollars' foreign investment coming from South Korea in
the fisheries sector.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

February 14, Irrawaddy
Karen rebel leader assassinated - Saw Yan Naing

Mahn Sha, the general secretary of the Karen National Union (KNU) was shot
dead on Thursday afternoon at his home in Mae Sot, Thailand, according to
KNU sources.

David Takapaw, the joint-secretary of the KNU, told The Irrawaddy on
Thursday that Mahn Sha was shot by two unknown gunmen on Thursday at about
4:30 p.m. in his home near the center of Mae sot.

The only eye witness, a Karen girl, said, “Two men climbed the stairs of
his home and said ‘good evening’ (in Karen language) to Mahn Sha. Then
they shot him twice in the left side of his chest. He died immediately.”

The two men arrived in front of the house in a black car, while the other
people were downstairs.

Mahn Sha was general secretary of the KNU, which has faced serious
internal conflicts since the death of its charismatic leader, Gen Saw Bo
Mya, in December 2006.

Majoring in history at Rangoon University in 1962, Mahn Sha joined the
Karen movement in the jungle at the Thai-Burmese border as soon as he
finished his studies. He was seen as one of the leading lights in the KNU
and was being groomed to take over the troubled KNU leadership. He was 64.

The KNU has been plagued with recent conflicts. Last year, Maj Gen Htain
Maung, former leader of the KNU’s 7th Brigade, signed a ceasefire
agreement with the Burmese military regime. This was seen as yet another
blow to KNU leaders who lost their fortified headquarters at Manerplaw to
the Burmese army in 1995.

There have recently been several attacks and assassination attempts
between mainstream KNU members and the breakaway 7th Brigade, now known as
KNU/KNLA Peace Council.

Last month, Colonel Ler Moo, the son-in-law of breakaway leader Htain
Maung, was killed in a bomb attack while sleeping at a communications
office near the group’s headquarters. He had earlier survived an
assassination attempt in April 2007 while crossing the Moei River by boat.

Mahn Sha was involved in ceasefire talks with the Burmese military regime
in the past. He was highly respected among both ethnic and Burman allies.
The Burmese regime saw him as a strong leader in the KNU who repeatedly
called for genuine political dialogue.

He is survived by two daughters and a son.

____________________________________

February 14, Kaladan News
Rohingya endangered as race

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday said that the
Rohingyas have been deprived of each and every right and have even become
endangered as a race. The seminar on ‘Rohingya issue: national and
international perspective’, organized by a research organization, Neeti
Gobeshona Kendro, was held at the Chittagong University’s social science
faculty’s conference room in the morning.

 It continued from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and was presided over Prof. Dr
Sheikh Tawfique and welcome speech by Sher Mahmud of Chittagong
University while the chief guest was Prof. Dr.Gazi Saleh Uddin.

The participants were mostly students, some Rohingya elders and some
college and university teachers of Bangladesh . Over 60 people
participated in the seminar.

The speakers urged the government, civic society, mass media and donor
organizations to come forward to protect the Rohingyas.

 ‘It is essential to review how much the development organizations are
sincere with regard to the Rohingyas and whether the issue was kept alive
for political reasons,’ said the dean of the social science faculty,
Professor Gazi Saleh Uddin, while addressing the seminar as chief guest.

Professor Abdun Noor of the public administration department said that due
importance was not given to the issue because of some economic and
technical agenda of the Bangladesh government with Burma like
‘Constructive co-existence’ and ‘Look east.’

Mohammad Shafiullah, a Rohingya researcher, said that the Rohingya issue
has turned into a serious crisis in the last three decades due to
reluctance of the Bangladesh government to solve the problems faced by the
Rohingyas.

The speakers said that the Rohingyas, on the one hand, were suffering due
to government repression in Burma and, on the other, were leading inhuman
lives in various countries where they had taken refuge. They also
suggested that Bangladesh should hold constructive talks with Burma on the
issue and find out the real reasons behind the crisis.

The speakers urged the Bangladesh government to play a responsible role
for the Rohingya refugees, especially the children.

The trustee director of the Neeti Gobeshona Kendro, Mahbubul Haque Ripon,
presented the keynote paper in the seminar in which he pointed out various
examples of oppression of the Rohingyas in Burma , and the inhuman life of
the Rohingya refugees in various countries including Bangladesh .

The keynote speaker also urged the Bangladesh government to take effective
measures to improve the miserable life Rohingyas as a member of the United
Nations Human Rights Council and ask regional and international
organizations to exert pressure on Burma to resolve the crisis. The Prof.
Haque further said that the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and
Burma obsessed with its economic prospects, the government successively
down played the problem as a repatriation matter only that overshadowed
the Rohingya issue.

The Medicins Sans Frontieres, or MSF ( Holland ) representative Ms Julia
Louise Payson, Finance and HR Coordinator has supported the neglected
Rohingya refugees Tal, or unofficial refugees by providing basic health
care, nutritional services, potable water and sanitations.

However, such actions don’t solve the problem; these people need a safe
place to go, they need a home “nobody should have to live like this.”

She also mentioned that MSF calls upon that various UN agencies, the
international donar community and all relevant international
(non-governmental) organizations to work together in support of the
government of Bangladesh to find a durable solution to a problem that has
already existed for 15-year and will not go away by itself. An alternative
needs to be found for these people.

The MSF representative further said that there seems to be no place for
the stateless Rohingya people fleeing discrimination and persecution in
their own country. They run away from a country that does not recognized
them citizens, where they are subjected to forced labor, land
confiscation, and restriction on movement, marriage and children. But when
they crossed the border into Bangladesh they still find themselves with no
where to go. They have no protection as refugees and have to survive in a
land where they are not welcomed.

Professor Hossain Kabir of the public administration department, Sadaf
Noor Islam of the anthropology department and Sher Mahmud of the soil
science department also addressed the seminar, along with others.

____________________________________

February 14, Bangkok Post
Shans calling for the release of ailing political leader

Ethnic Shan communities across the globe join hands Sunday evening to
reiterate their demand for the release of Hkun Htun Oo, the elected leader
of the Burma's Shan Nationalities League for Democracy amid a growing
concern over his health.

Thailand-based Shan Women's Action Network and Shan Youth Power said Shans
in ten countries held prayer ceremonies and candlelight vigils Sunday to
call urgently for his release, together with all other political prisoners
in military-run Burma.

The 64-year-old Hkun Htun Oo was arrested three years ago with other Shan
State leaders who were peacefully advocating for political reform.

Currently serving a 93-year sentence in Putao prison in northern Kachin
State, his health has seriously deteriorated in the past few months. He
has long been suffering from diabetes and now has serious prostate
problems, according to the statement from the Shan action groups.

The groups also said they were concerned with the health of other Shan
State leaders, some of whom are serving sentences of up to 106 years in
other prisons around Burma.

"One is in urgent need of surgery and another suffering mental illness.
Already one of the detainees, 56-year-old U Myint Than, who had been in
perfect health before his imprisonment, died in prison in Arakan State in
May 2006 under suspicious circumstances," the statement said.

"A genuine federal union should be built on principles of justice and
equality. Yet the regime, by imprisoning elected ethnic leaders and
proceeding with its own coercive constitution-drafting process, has shown
its complete contempt for these principles" said Sai Awn Tai, spokesperson
of Shan Youth Power in Thailand, which is co-organizing the vigils.

The organizers are urging governments around the world to pressure Burma's
military regime to immediately release Hkun Htun Oo, other Shan State
leaders, and all political prisoners in Burma, including Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, and to immediately implement a nationwide ceasefire and begin
dialogue with the opposition National League for Democracy and
representatives of the ethnic nationalities.

____________________________________

February 14, Irrawaddy
Police arrest 31 Burmese illegal migrants - Saw Yan Naing

Thirty-one Burmese illegal migrants—including three children and 18
women—were arrested by Thai police on Feb 12 after smugglers transported
them to Ranong Province in Thailand.

Human traffickers continue to carry their lucrative human cargo, mostly at
night, from Kawthaung Township in southern Burma, say local residents,
despite an announced crackdown by Burmese authorities late in 2007.

Maung Tu, a resident in Kawthaung, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday that the
latest group left from Kawthaung at about 12 am and were arrested about 5
am.

The migrants said they had planned to look for work in Mahachai, Surat
Thani and Phang Nga in Thailand. Each person paid 700 baht to smugglers
for the transportation fee, said Maung Tu. The group will be sent back to
Burma.

A US State Department report, “Trafficking in Persons," released o¬n June
13, 2007, said the Burmese military government has not done enough to stop
the flow of human trafficking, particularly of women and children.

The route from Kawthaung to Ranong is one of the most heavily traveled for
Burmese seeking safety or work in a foreign country.

Maung Tu said that about 500 Burmese migrants, many illegal, cross the
border every day from Kawthaung to Thailand’s Ranong Province.

In December 2007 Thai border patrol police in Tak discovered 41 Burmese
men and women in the tank of an oil transport trailer without fresh air as
they were being transported from Mae Sot to Bangkok.

The report said an increasing number of ethnic Burmese girls and women are
leaving Burma to find work. Children also have been trafficked to
neighboring countries for sexual exploitation and forced labor as
indentured street beggars, according to the report.

In 2006, about 740,000 Burmese migrant workers registered with the
Department of Employment in Thailand. An estimated 1 million Burmese
migrants work in Thailand, many illegally.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

February 14, Irrawaddy
Tay Za buys ships in Korea - Min Lwin

Business sources in Rangoon have reported that Tay Za, head of the Htoo
Trading Company and a prominent target of US sanctions, has recently
traveled to Pusan, South Korea’s largest port, to purchase a freight ship
and a tanker.

“Tay Za bought the ships from [South] Korea,” said a businessman based in
Rangoon.

“He plans to open the shipping business to the private sector in Burma,”
the source added, indicating that Tay Za, a crony of Burma’s junta chief
Snr-Gen Than Shwe, was acting in cooperation with the government.

Htoo Trading is Burma’s leading private teak exporter and is also active
in the tourism, logging, real estate and housing development industries.

A source close to the company confirmed that Tay Za recently went on a
business trip to South Korea, but would provide no further details.

“Tay Za went to Korea recently for business with his bodyguards,” the
source said.

He is believed to have procured a loan of US $10 million from the military
government to purchase the freight ship and tanker, reportedly as part of
a plan to create the country’s first private international shipping line.

The state-owned Five Star Line, founded in 1959, operates 26 vessels and
is currently the o¬nly international shipping line in the country.

Tay Za’s plans for a private shipping line emerged after a meeting with
the minister of transport, Maj-Gen Thein Swe, and top business leaders in
Naypyidaw o¬n June 29 last year, according to the state-run The New Light
of Myanmar.

Close ties to the Burmese junta have made Tay Za a prominent target of US
sanctions.

Even after Washington put Air Bagan, an airline owned by Tay Za, on its
blacklist last October, the private carrier announced a new route from
Rangoon to Incheon, South Korea, on December 27, 2007.  According to a
report in the Yangon Times, this is the airline’s third international
route.

Air Bagan’s introduction of the Incheon flight came three months after the
inauguration of its second international route, to Singapore, on September
7. However, due to US financial sanctions imposed on the airline on
October 19, flights to Singapore were suspended.

“Air Bagan flies from Rangoon to Incheon every Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday,” said a businessman in Rangoon.

Tay Za’s companies, which are either based in Burma or linked to
Singapore, include Pavo Trading Pte Ltd, Air Bagan Holdings Pte Ltd and
Htoo Wood Products Pte Ltd. Pavo Trading is a sister company of the Htoo
Group of Companies.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

February 14, Myanmar Times via BBC Monitoring
Burmese livestock minister warns of future bird flu pandemic

Officials warned earlier this month that bird flu still posed a potential
threat to Myanmar [Burma] despite the government's successes in combating
the disease so far.

"Myanmar has been struck by the virus several times but we've been able to
contain it before it spread too far or caused big losses," Lieutenant
General Myint Swe from the Ministry of Defence told the audience at the
annual meeting of the Myanmar Livestock Federation on February 2.

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Myanmar Fisheries
Federation on Bayintnaung Road in Yangon's Insein township.

Lt Gen Myint Swe said Myanmar's success in fighting bird flu hinged on its
joint efforts with international organizations.

"Even though we experienced our first human case of the disease in Shan
State we were able to successfully prevent the girl's death, which shows
that we are actively cooperating to fight the disease and that we have the
necessary transparency," he said.

He was referring to a case in Kengtong township in Shan State last
November in which a seven-year-old girl tested positive for bird flu.
However, she was able to recover following treatment at a local hospital.

Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Brigadier General Maung Maung Thein
also addressed the meeting, telling those present that livestock
entrepreneurs needed to stay vigilant for the disease.

"Bird flu can reoccur at anytime in our country, especially in the cold
season (when wild birds migrate), so we always have to be ready to take
bio-security measures at our poultry farms," he said.

He said Myanmar's past achievements in containing the disease were no
guarantee of future success.

"Farmers must take extra precautions to prevent the disease because it may
be difficult for the country to fight the virus with our existing
facilities of an outbreak occurs on a wider scale than we've seen in the
past," he said.

Brig Gen Maung Maung Thein praised the Myanmar Livestock Federation for
its efforts to fight the disease in cooperation with government officials
and international organizations.

Meanwhile, the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department issued a
warning on February 3 reminding poultry farmers that most past outbreaks
of bird flu in Myanmar have occurred from February to April and warning
them to take steps to prevent any further occurrences of the disease.

It warned villagers not to set up poultry farms near lakes, creeks and
other areas inhabited by wild birds.

It also said farmers should avoid breeding ducks and quails along with
chickens because ducks can spread the virus to other birds without
appearing sick themselves, while quails are more vulnerable to the disease
than other birds.

The announcement said Myanmar has been struck by the disease three times:
in Sagaing and Mandalay divisions in February 2006; in Yangon and Bago
divisions and Mon State last February; and in Shan State, where the lone
human case has occurred, in November.
Globally, bird flu has occurred in 61 countries since December 2003
resulting in the culling of about 250 million poultry. Up to February 1,
357 people from 14 countries worldwide had been infected by the disease
and 225 people had died.

No human deaths from the virus have been reported so far in Myanmar.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

February 14, Associated Press
China pledges to support UN special envoy on Myanmar

Beijing: China supports the efforts of the United Nations to help bring
reconciliation to Myanmar, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday, ahead of a
visit by the U.N. special envoy.

Ibrahim Gambari's visit to China, which does considerable trade with
Myanmar, comes after Myanmar's main opposition party staged a street
protest this week to complain that the ruling junta's recent moves toward
democracy were not enough.

The junta last week announced plans for a referendum this May on a
proposed new constitution, to be followed by a general election in 2010.
The plans were made without consulting the country's main opposition
party, the National League for Democracy, and its detained leader, Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

"China is going to support the mediation efforts of Gambari and the
secretary general of the United Nations," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu
Jianchao said at a news conference Thursday.

"We have taken note that the Myanmar government has taken steps toward the
right direction. We hope that Myanmar can continue to proceed to promote
democracy so as to achieve democratic reconciliation in Myanmar," he said.

Gambari is scheduled to visit Beijing on Monday and Tuesday, before flying
to Jakarta and Singapore, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said.

China objects to Western criticisms of the Myanmar's military regime,
saying that conditions in the country have improved dramatically since a
violent crackdown on peaceful protests in September.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962 and
has not had a constitution since 1988, when the army brutally suppressed
pro-democracy protests and the current junta took power.

On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the junta to hold
substantive talks with Suu Kyi without delay to ensure that the
constitution represents all citizens.

He also urged the government to grant a visa to Gambari to allow him to
visit Myanmar again soon. Gambari has made two visits to promote
reconciliation after last year's crackdown on protesters.

Ban has made it clear the United Nations is highly critical of the
constitution-drafting process.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

February 14, Irrawaddy
UN Chief convenes Burma meeting - Lalit K Jha

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Wednesday convened a meeting of his
“Group of Friends” on Burma to discuss the situation arising out of the
Burmese military government’s unilateral decision to hold a referendum on
its draft constitution followed by general elections.

This was the second meeting of the Secretary-General’s “Group of Friends”
on Burma, the first being in December.

The group comprises 14 members, including Burma’s neighbors India,
Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam. The permanent members of the
Security Council—China, the US, Britain, Russia and France—were also
involved, as was Slovenia, in its capacity as European Union president, as
well as Australia, Norway and Japan, the largest donor country to Burma.

While details of the meeting held at the UN headquarters were not
immediately available, it is understood that some of the key international
players, such as the US, France and Britain, observed that such an
announcement coming from the Burmese military regime is in “open defiance”
to the view of the international community.

In October, in a presidential statement, the UN Security Council urged the
Burmese junta to initiate dialogue toward the restoration of democracy in
the country with Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy and the
ethnic groups. The statement also called for the immediate release of all
political prisoners and an all-inclusive and transparent process toward a
new democratic constitution and the protection of human rights.

The US, Britain and France are believed to have argued the case for
stronger UN intervention and a binding Security Council resolution in this
regard. They also urged countries like India and China, which hold a
considerable degree of influence over the military regime, to play a more
assertive role.

On the other hand, countries like China, India and Thailand are understood
to have taken the stance that the Burmese junta’s announcement must be
respected and that this is the first step toward the restoration of
democracy in the country.

Addressing the representatives of the 14 countries, Ban Ki-moon is
believed to have said that, at this juncture, it is important that UN
special envoy Ibrahim Gambari visits the country as soon as possible.

According to the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, Chinese Foreign
Minister Yang Jiechi and Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday exchanged views by
telephone regarding a planned visit to China by Gambari.

Ban informed the “Group of Friends” that the special envoy is scheduled to
visit Beijing from February 18 to 19, followed by trips to Jakarta and
Singapore.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

February 14, Bangkok Post
Elections, generals and broken hearts - Kyaw Zwa Moe

About 15 million Burmese votes vanished like water in the desert when the
military junta on Saturday announced a referendum on the constitution in
May and a general election in 2010. On May 27, 1990, I cast my vote with
about one-third of the country's population. The majority voted for
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National
League for Democracy.

The NLD won more than 80% of the vote, a total of 392 of the 485 seats
contested in the 492-member assembly.

The junta's surprise election announcement is the first semi-official
declaration that the 1990 election results have been nullified _ forever
gone.

We voted with our hearts, and our hearts were crushed by the generals.

Now we face a new reality, and we must focus on the present situation.


>From the election announcement, I have gained three significant political

insights: No real dialogue between the government and Daw Suu Kyi will
take place; the junta clearly rejects any role for the United Nations; and
it will rigidly follow its own road map to a ''disciplined'' democracy.

The announcement exposes the five meetings between Daw Suu Kyi and the
junta's liaison officer in recent months to have been mere propaganda
ploys.

Daw Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for more than 12 of the past
18 years, herself expressed deep frustration with the ongoing ''talks''
when she was allowed to meet with her colleagues on Jan 30.

So we can forget anything coming out of the talks.

On the UN's role, in a recent interview UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari
said: ''We suggested the appointment of a review commission to look at the
constitution.''

But clearly the regime has rejected inclusion of any opposition parties in
the constitutional review process.

The junta never had any intention of forming an inclusive group to review
the draft constitution, written by handpicked delegates after the
14-year-long National Convention. A clause in the draft constitution's
guidelines guarantees the military 25% of the seats in the country's
parliament, with representatives to be nominated by the
commander-in-chief.

The guidelines also allow the military to declare a ''state of emergency''
to suspend parliament and impose other restrictions.

There is little more the UN can say about the reconciliation process.
Reconciliation is not going to happen.

Next, there is the junta's final charade, the ''seven-step road map'' to
democracy, signified by the general election in 2010.

The 1990 election was free and fair. The generals' National Unity Party, a
reincarnation of late dictator Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme Party
which ruled the country with an iron fist until 1988, was soundly
defeated.

In 2010, the junta-backed party will be the Union Solidarity and
Development Association, a civilian organisation like Golkar in Indonesia.

The USDA is notorious for its attacks on Daw Suu Kyi and her supporters,
especially the Depayin attack in 2003 and the 2007 uprising.

The USDA is now organising local commissions to oversee the referendum
voting and the general election process. Sources in Rangoon have told The
Irrawaddy the USDA will also select candidates to run in the 2010
elections.

The USDA will control the local election commissions and presumably the
voting process itself, while also naming candidates to represent its
party. It's unbelievable.

Meanwhile, the junta has done nothing to inform people about the contents
of the proposed constitution. It confirms the junta isn't interested in
the people's participation in the process.

How about the general election? Will the NLD, other opposition and ethnic
parties be allowed to take part in the elections?

It's anybody's guess, and there are no guarantees in Burma.

What final insights can we draw from the junta's recent announcements?

Well, for one: Burmese politics resembles a railway track. One rail is the
military government, and the other is the democracy movement _ never to
join together, never to become one within a strong Burmese nation.

Will the voters whose ballots were simply ignored in 1990 vote in the 2010
elections?

If the elections happen as scheduled, the Burmese people will come out and
vote again from the bottom of their hearts.

But they will go to the ballot boxes this time knowing that the generals
will not accept defeat in an election, the core principle _ after all _ of
democracy in action.

Their votes might again be like pouring water in the desert.

The author is managing editor of The Irrawaddy magazine based in Chiang Mai.

____________________________________

February 13, BBC News
Stakes high for Burma's 'roadmap' - Andrew Harding

It was an astute and unexpected gamble.

Last Saturday, Burmese state radio abruptly declared that it was "a
suitable time to change from a military government to a democratic
civilian administration".

This dramatic announcement came out of the blue - a reminder that Burma is
ruled by the whims of an isolated general who once decided to move the
country's capital virtually overnight on the advice of his astrologers.

In fact, Senior General Than Shwe has been talking about his "roadmap"
towards "disciplined democracy" for so long that many had assumed it was
simply another delaying tactic by a junta which has clung ruthlessly to
power for decades.

But on Saturday, a reasonably precise timetable was suddenly produced.

A referendum, the radio announcer declared, would be held in May on a new
constitution. Democratic multi-party elections would follow smoothly two
years later.

We shall probably never know exactly what prompted Than Shwe to make this
brusque move. Perhaps he had been planning it all along.


More likely he was prodded by China, and saw it as a useful way to
undercut international pressure on his government.

He may also have been motivated by concerns about his own failing health
and the security of his family in a notoriously unforgiving political
system.

Either way, the result is that Burma is now moving towards what may well
prove to be a defining political moment.

The stakes are very high.

Will the junta manage to control the process, sideline the UN, outsmart
its western critics and emerge in full control of a sham democracy?

Or will opposition forces finally find a way - either by fighting or
joining the roadmap process - to push Burma towards genuine democratic
reform?

Right now, the odds seem to be stacked in the junta's favour.

Tight control

Let us start with the new constitution.

The drafting process could have been an opportunity (even at this late
stage) to bring Burma's feuding political factions together.

Instead the document was drawn up by a handpicked assembly, without the
participation of the country's main democratic opposition and its leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.

It was finalised in secrecy, and has yet to be revealed in full.

However it is already clear that the constitution will ensure the military
retains a stranglehold on power in Burma, with a large share of seats in
government and parliament, and the right to sweep aside civilian rule
whenever required.

The constitution is also almost certain to bar Aung San Suu Kyi from power
(because she was married to a foreigner) and it may well find an excuse to
do the same for her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Of course the constitution could be rejected in May's referendum. But that
seems unlikely - criticism of the constitution is a criminal offence.

The authorities are bound to keep a tight control over any voting process
- a secret ballot may not be deemed necessary - and will have an army of
well-rewarded, and often thuggish, loyalists from the mass organisation,
the Union Solidarity and Development Association, to "encourage"
participation.

After years of political stagnation, many weary Burmese may choose to vote
for a flawed document in the hope that it will at least be an improvement
on the status quo.

And what of Aung San Suu Kyi? Still under house arrest, she faces a
difficult choice.

Should she endorse the broad aims of the roadmap and use her considerable
moral authority try to find a way to nudge the process in a more
democratic direction?

Or should she and the NLD boycott it, and hope that their supporters can
frustrate the military as they did when the NLD won the, quickly
overruled, election of 1990?

Both options carry substantial risks, and after experiencing years of
repression, the NLD is not the force it once was.

Climate of fear

There is, of course, the strong possibility of more street protests.

Those who led the demonstrations last August and September are without
doubt preparing more of the same.

The Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks and the 88 Generation Students
have described the roadmap as a "declaration of war" and May's referendum
as "a battlefield".

That could spell real trouble for the junta. The economy remains in dire
straits and the hardships which prompted last year's protests are now even
more acute.

In that sense, time is not on the generals' side. They need to move
promptly to fix a new political system before popular anger boils over.

But the military authorities showed in September that they are ready to
crush all opposition - even if that means violently confronting the
country's revered monks.

Given the pervasive atmosphere of fear in Burma, it seems unlikely, though
of course not impossible, that tens of thousands of civilians will once
again dare to take to the streets.

It is hard to judge the real impact of international pressure on such an
insular regime. But for what it is worth, China and the South East Asian
regional grouping Asean will probably be keen to give the roadmap the
benefit of the doubt, at least in the short term.

The UN has been effectively sidelined - its envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, is
being kept out of the country, presumably until the new constitution is
already a fait accompli.

Western countries will no doubt continue to call for a more inclusive,
democratic reform process, and perhaps tighten their financial sanctions
against the junta.

But as one Western diplomat privately admitted, "It's going to be tough...
Than Shwe has muddied the waters... It's a clever plan," which leaves the
West with few options but to "work with the grain" of the roadmap.

____________________________________

February 14, Irrawaddy
Make the most of the Junta’s “Democracy” – Zaw Moe

The September 2007 protests against Burma’s military regime gave the
country’s opposition a major psychological boost and exposed the ruling
generals to renewed international opprobrium for their indiscriminate
crackdown on peaceful demonstrations. In a show of sympathy with the
victims of the junta’s deadly actions, Western leaders voiced their
condemnation, while the US government imposed new economic and political
sanctions.

Faced with the threat of another outbreak of civil unrest and under
mounting international pressure, the Burmese regime has accelerated
implementation of its slow-going “road map” to political reform. On
February 9, it officially announced that elections would be held in 2010,
following a referendum this May on a junta-crafted constitution that was
many years in the making. How much longer it will take to complete the
transition to democratic rule under this process is anybody’s guess. Even
the generals themselves may have no idea, beyond a vague expectation that
it may not come before they have reached the end of their natural lives.

In the meantime, it seems likely that the regime will get its way, forcing
the country to take an undemocratic route to democracy. If elections are
held as planned, the winners will in all probability be the Union
Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), a junta-backed civic
organization currently being groomed for a future political role. The
opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), with its aging leadership
and restricted freedom of movement, will have a hard time mounting a
serious challenge. Opposition forces in exile, meanwhile, will have no
place in the process at all.

This leaves the opposition with a stark choice: If the military-backed
party does win, should the opposition accept the results of the elections
or carry on with its struggle for a more legitimate government?

Suppose the USDA wins a majority of votes and forms a coalition with some
lesser parties, excluding the NLD. If the new government acts in the best
interests of the country and wins the acceptance of the people, will the
opposition be forced to recognize it as legitimate despite the tainted
process that put it in power? If so, perhaps the opposition will be able
to influence the new government through more cooperative means.

Most opponents of the current regime could never conceive of such a
scenario, however, because the generals have not demonstrated much good
faith in their dealings with the opposition. Dissidents responded to the
announcement of a timeline for a referendum and elections with skepticism,
and soon followed this with calls for a campaign to boycott the
referendum. The regime needs to take a more inclusive approach, involving
all major parties and stakeholders, including the NLD, ethnic minority
groups and exiled opposition groups, if it wants to turn its forced
electoral victory into a genuine political triumph.

Of course, the regime can always point to the opposition’s internal
disunity as an excuse for excluding them from their carefully
stage-managed “national reconciliation” process. They may argue that the
installation of a “democratic” government under the auspices of the
military regime is a necessary precondition for a genuinely inclusive
political process.

Whatever one may think of these arguments, the fact remains that, at this
stage, only the regime is in a position to make any changes. Opposition
groups may reject the regime’s latest move as yet another cynical maneuver
to outflank its opponents, but they can also respond more constructively,
by using the generals’ flawed model of democracy as a starting point from
which to pursue a more acceptable long-term solution. And they can also
use this opportunity to build greater unity among themselves, so that the
next time the junta stumbles, they are ready to step in for the good of
the people.

Zaw Moe is a former resident of the Mae La refugee camp on the
Thai-Burmese border. He is currently doing graduate studies in education
at a Canadian university.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

February 14, Altsean-Burma (the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma)
Referendum is the SPDC’s latest con, regional human rights group says

Altsean-Burma (the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma), a regional human
rights group, has condemned the Burmese regime's announced referendum on
its illegitimate draft constitution as a last-ditch attempt to stave off
growing domestic and international pressure for genuine democratic
reforms.

Debbie Stothard, Coordinator for Altsean-Burma, said: "The international
community should not be conned into giving the regime another two years to
cause more suffering. The regime is notorious for its history of empty
promises. Anyone who believes the referendum will be free and fair
probably believes in the tooth fairy."

On 9 February, Burma's military regime, the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC), announced that it will hold a constitutional referendum in
May 2008, followed by general elections to be held at an unspecified date
in 2010.

The announcement comes as the military regime continues its crack down on
political activists and peaceful dissent. Since the beginning of 2008, the
SPDC has detained 12 members of the National League for Democracy (NLD)
and two 88 Generation Students. The regime also increased its military
strength in Eastern Burma in preparation for renewed offensives against
civilians and ethnic opposition groups. To date, military operations in
Eastern Burma have displaced more than a half a million people in the
world's longest-running war; 76,000 people were displaced in the past
year. 25,000 men, women, and children face starvation as a result of the
current offensive.

Meanwhile, key ethnic and pro-democracy leaders have been detained,
excluded from or gagged during the protracted constitution-drafting
process. Jail terms of up to 20 years can still be imposed under Order
5/96 on those who criticize the draft constitution.

Altsean-Burma believes a referendum held in such an oppressive environment
would result in more problems than solutions. "If the SPDC is serious
about promoting a democratic reform, it must stop arresting activists,
cease mass atrocities in ethnic areas, and release all political
prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic leaders, and restart
this process through tripartite dialogue," said Ms. Stothard.

Altsean-Burma condemns the SPDCs move to force its people at gunpoint to
approve a constitution that is the result of an illegitimate,
unrepresentative, and non participatory process.

"The regime wants to impose a constitution that will create more
instability and prolong military rule. After more than four decades of
military misrule, why should the Burmese want a constitution that gives
unfettered power to a President who must come from the military and where
25% of parliamentary seats are allocated to the military?" added Ms.
Stothard.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, and ethnic groups have repeatedly called
for immediate, time-bound and inclusive dialogue with the SPDC. The people
of Burma cannot afford two more years of repression and economic
mismanagement. The international community, including ASEAN, China, India,
and the UN Security Council, should intensify pressure to convince the
regime to change.

Enquiries: Debbie Stothard, cellphone +6681 686 1652

____________________________________

February 13th, US Campaign for Burma
US Senators introduce Bill to grant Burma's Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
Congress' Most Prestigious Honor, Congressional Gold Medal

Weeks after the House of Representatives voted 400 - 0 to award the
Congressional Gold Medal to the leader of Burma's democracy movement Aung
San Suu Kyi, 75 US Senators have introduced an identical measure today in
the US Senate.

The effort is spearheaded in the US Senate by Senators Dianne Feinstein
(D-CA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).  The measure is supported by
Presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama.

"Thousands of our members across the United States have worked very hard
to ensure that this great honor is bestowed on Aung San Suu Kyi," said
Aung Din, executive director of the US Campaign for Burma and a former
political prisoner in Burma.  "Aung San Suu Kyi is a giant for human
rights and democracy, and we hope this award will strengthen her efforts
even further."

Added Jack Healey, Director of the Human Rights Action Center, "We also
want this award to send a strong signal to China.  China has paralyzed
United Nations efforts on Burma while providing billions in arms to
Burma's military regime.  There should be no 'business as usual' between
China and the US as long as China continues to prop up this brutal
regime."

The Congressional Gold Medal, launched in 1776, is considered the most
prominent award given by the United States government.  The first medal
was awarded by the Second Continental Congress to then-General George
Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Recipients include
Thomas Edison, Sir Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, Elie Wiesel, Mother
Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
and Coretta Scott King.

Since the Gold Medal's inception 232 years ago, only 19 foreigners have
received the award, and Aung San Suu Kyi would be the 20th.  Under
Congressional rules, 2/3 of both the House and Senate must co-sponsor and
pass resolutions authorizing the award.  The 75 Senators introducing the
bill exceed the required number of co-sponsors.

In the House, the effort was led by Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
and Donald Manzullo (R-IL).

Reads the legislation: "[Aung San Suu Kyi] is the world's only imprisoned
Nobel Peace Prize recipient, spending more than 12 of the past 17 years
under house arrest."  The bill further states that "Despite an
assassination attempt against her life, her prolonged illegal
imprisonment, the constant public vilification of her character, and her
inability to see her children or to see her husband before his death, Ms.
Suu Kyi remains committed to peaceful dialogue with her captors, Burma's
military regime, and Burma's ethnic minorities towards bringing democracy,
human rights, and national reconciliation to Burma."

Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of Burma's democracy movement, rising to
national prominence in 1988 after the country's military regime gunned
down up to 10,000 civilians during nationwide nonviolent marches calling
for an end to military rule.  Subsequently, she led her political party
the National League for Democracy to win 82% of the seats in parliament in
Burma's last democratic election in 1990.  The military annulled the
results of the election and locked up hundreds of her supporters.  She has
been held under house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years while her
supporters wage a peaceful struggle for human rights and democracy.  Burma
was catapulted onto the front pages of newspaper in September and October
2007 when Buddhist
monks and students led nationwide peaceful demonstrations calling for an
end to military rule.

Suu Kyi's admirers around the world include Nobel Peace laureates Desmond
Tutu, Jody Williams, and Adolfo Perez Esquivel, musicians R.E.M., Damien
Rice, and Ani DiFranco, and Hollywood stars Jim Carrey, Anjelica Huston,
Julie Benz, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Szmanda, Walter Koenig, and many more.
Successive US administrations under Presidents Clinton and Bush have stood
strongly in support of Suu Kyi, while 60 former Presidents and Prime
Ministers signed a united call for her release in June 2007.

Progress in Burma has been mainly blocked by China, which serves as the
Burmese military regime's chief supplier of military hardware.  China also
vetoed a peaceful resolution at the UN Security Council that would have
required Burma's military regime to participate in negotiations with Aung
San Suu Kyi.  China scheduled the opening of the 2008 Olympics on the
anniversary of a major democracy uprising in Burma, and activists plan to
use the occasion to focus attention on how China is unilaterally
paralyzing UN and international efforts to support peaceful change in
Burma.

Contact: Jeremy Woodrum (202) 234-8022

____________________________________

February 14, Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Burma: CSW condemns assassination of Karen leader Padoh Mahn Sha

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today expressed its “deep shock,
sadness and outrage” at the assassination of the General Secretary of the
Karen National Union (KNU), Padoh Mahn Sha, in Thailand earlier today.

Mahn Sha, one of Burma’s most prominent ethnic leaders, was shot dead at
his home on the Thai-Burmese border this afternoon. It is believed that
the murder was ordered by Burma’s military regime.

A delegation from CSW had met with Mahn Sha and other KNU leaders in his
home just three days earlier, on Monday 11 February.

CSW’s Advocacy Officer Benedict Rogers said: “I knew Padoh Mahn Sha
personally, considered him a friend, and met with him many times. His
assassination is shocking, and robs Burma and its ethnic nationalities of
a wise, courageous, humble, principled leader who has now paid the
ultimate sacrifice for his people and their cause. He was held in great
respect by many people, and was deeply committed to freedom, democracy and
human rights for the whole nation of Burma. On behalf of CSW, I wish to
express our very deepest condolences to his family and friends, and to all
Karen people. We join in their mourning, and hold them in our prayers.”

For more information, please contact Penny Hollings, Campaigns and Media
Manager at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on 020 8329 0045, email
pennyhollings at csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

CSW is a human rights organisation which specialises in religious freedom,
works on behalf of those persecuted for their Christian beliefs and
promotes religious liberty for all.

____________________________________
ANNOUNCEMENT

February 14, Network Media Group
An opportunity for women in Chiang Mai to learn journalism

Network Media Group will implement a three months internship program for
women in Chiang Mai.

This is a good opportunity for young women who want to learn journalism as
a career.

In three months internship programs, those who accepted would have chances
in participating in short basic journalism training, practicing interviews
and writing news stories as well as getting involve in producing radio
programs.

Experienced journalists who are working with mainstream radio station will
supervise the internship program.

Those who could show satisfactory results in internship program will have
a chance to work as reporter at Network Media Group.

Those women who are interested in INTERNSHIP program and living in Chiang
Mai can contact Network Media Group at 081 530 2837 and/or e-mail at
netmedia at cscoms.com