BurmaNet News, July 23, 2008

[Editor]

July 23, 2008 Issue #3518


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Relief must focus on remote areas: Holmes
Mizzima News: Discrimination over aid distribution among cyclone victims:
new report
Mizzima News: Authorities censor Nargis cartoons

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: US Senate bans import of Burmese gems
Guardian (UK): US removes oil giant from Burma sanctions

HEALTH / AIDS
Xinhua: At least 3,000 people infected with dengue fever in Myanmar this year

DRUGS
Mizzima News: Burmese authorities arrest suspected drug dealer

ASEAN
DVB: Activists urge action after ASEAN charter ratification

REGIONAL
Mizzima News: Man attempts suicide outside Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur
Gulf News: Monk says time running out for Myanmar farmers

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: UN Security Council to discuss Burma
Reuters: Rice urges ASEAN to push Myanmar to reform
The Japan Times: Komura presses Myanmar on Nagai slaying

OPINION / OTHER
SHAN: Where do we go from here, Burma? – Sao Noan Oo
Inner City Press: In Myanmar, UN loses 25% of aid in currency exchange, up
from 15% pre-cyclone – Matthew Russell Lee



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

July 23, Irrawaddy
Relief must focus on remote areas: Holmes – Saw Yan Naing

After visiting cyclone-hit areas of Burma’s Irrawaddy delta on Tuesday,
John Holmes, the United Nations’ chief humanitarian relief official, said
that aid efforts must now shift their focus to more isolated areas.

“We must focus now on reaching the most vulnerable communities in remote
areas, especially along the southern coast of the delta,” Holmes said in a
statement released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday.

During his visit to the cyclone-affected township of Bogalay, the UN
relief official visited shelters for cyclone victims and saw children
going to school, said Laksmita Noviera, public information officer of OCHA
in Rangoon.

“He is very happy to see the progress happening in the field in affected
areas,” Noviera told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

During his trip to the delta, Holmes was accompanied by Burma’s deputy
foreign minister, Kyaw Thu, and representatives of UN agencies, said
Noviera.

She also said that Holmes held a meeting in Rangoon on Wednesday with
humanitarian aid donors and international nongovernmental organizations,
as well as UN agencies providing assistance in the cyclone-hit region.

Holmes is scheduled to visit Naypyidaw, Burma’s new capital, on Thursday
and is expected to meet with several government officials, including
ministers from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Department
and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

After meeting with Burmese authorities in Naypyidaw, the UN humanitarian
relief official will leave Burma on Thursday. Before returning to New
York, he will hold a press conference at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport,
said Noviera.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to use its influence to
impress upon Burma’s military leaders the importance of allowing the press
to function without harassment or intimidation during the next crucial
phases of the multilateral relief effort.

The CPJ also pointed out that the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA)
final report, released by Asean on Monday, made no mention of the
important role that unfettered media coverage plays in the aftermath of
such disasters.

In a letter to Surin Pitsuwan, the current secretary-general of Asean, CPJ
called on the regional grouping “to prevail upon the Burmese government to
allow unhindered access to journalists, who can then report on the
progress of recovery efforts.”

Since the release of the PONJA report, which was designed to provide
international donors with a credible assessment of needs in the Irrawaddy
delta, several governments have increased their pledges of aid.

Australia has committed an extra US $29 million, while the Japanese
government pledged to provide an additional $21 million and New Zealand
said it would provide a further $2 million for relief efforts in Burma.

____________________________________

July 23, Mizzima News
Discrimination over aid distribution among cyclone victims: new report –
Solomon

Discrimination is evident in distribution of aid, with many victims of
Cyclone Nargis still not getting adequate relief material being disbursed
by international aid groups including the United Nations agencies, a new
report said.

The new report, 'An Alternative Assessment of the Humanitarian Assistance
in the Irrawaddy Delta', released by an independent Burmese researcher,
said even more than two months after the cyclone, several victims in
remote areas are still struggling in the absence of proper aid supplies.

Ko Shwe, author of the report, said he travelled extensively to
cyclone-hit areas, particularly to Laputta and Ngaputaw townships in
Burma's southwestern Irrawaddy delta. He said there is lack of proper
coordination among aid groups including local nongovernmental
organizations.

"In some places there is overlapping of relief supplies," Ko Shwe, a
Burmese environmentalist based in Thailand, told Mizzima.
o Shwe, in his report, said there is a lack of strategic coordination
amongst UN agencies, international agencies and local groups including
local NGOs and social groups, in the delivery of relief, data collection,
impact assessment and information sharing, which is leading to overlapping
in relief distribution.

The report said there are questions of accountability, transparency in aid
distribution as it is often conducted through junta-backed civil
organization – the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).

"It is questionable how much aid is actually being delivered to the
affected communities," Ko Shwe said.

According to an aid worker in Laputta, who spoke to Mizzima earlier over
telephone, most aid distribution, done through the government, is carried
out by members of the USDA, who are giving priority and help its members
affected by the cyclone.

While the government has assigned several national companies to construct
houses in the affected areas, the report said it is unclear who will be
provided with these houses and villagers in Laputta townships are seen
repairing and reconstructing their own houses with locally available
resources.

The report is the first alternative assessment after the Post-Nargis Joint
Assessment released its report on July 21, and aims at highlighting the
plight of cyclone victims after two months.

"My idea is solely to bring to light the plight of the victims two months
after the cyclone and to remind that there are groups left without
adequate support," Shwe told Mizzima.

Meanwhile, UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes, who is in Burma to assess
the relief and rehabilitation situation on Tuesday said, though much has
been done to help the cyclone victims, there is still need to reach
vulnerable groups in remote areas.

"We must focus now on reaching the most vulnerable communities in remote
areas, especially along the southern coast of the delta," Holmes said in a
statement released on Tuesday by the UN.

Holmes, who is visiting Burma for the second time since Cyclone Nargis
struck the country in May, will meet key Burmese humanitarian actors, as
well as Burmese Minister for National Planning and Economic Development
and Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

Holmes is visiting the country after witnessing the launch of PONJA report
in Singapore, which is expected to attract more donations from donor
countries.

Following the release of the PONJA report, the Australian government has
pledged to donate another US$ 30 million while New Zealand said it will
give US$ 2 million for reconstruction and relief in cyclone affected areas
in Burma.

Sarah Finney, Public Affairs Officer of AusAID told Mizzima that the funds
will be used to help women, children and displaced persons.

"We are already committed to provide funding," said Finney.

According to the PONJA report, Cyclone Nargis has caused damage to the
tune of US$ 4 billion and relief work for cyclone victims in the next
three years will require US$ 1 billion.

Editing by Mungpi

____________________________________

July 23, Mizzima News
Authorities censor Nargis cartoons – Than Htike Oo and Nam Davies

A number of Burmese cartoons were censored by the authorities this morning
for allegedly violating policy. The cartoons were exhibited for a fund
raising drive in an exhibition entitled 'Wakeup from Storm' for Cyclone
Nargis victims.

Five officials of the Cartoon Exhibition Supervisory Committee under the
Ministry of Information came and inspected the cartoons exhibited at
'Lawkanat' gallery in Pansodan Street, Rangoon this morning. They ordered
the removal of four cartoons from a total of 146 cartoons drawn by 64
cartoonists.

"Two officers and three staff members came and poured over the cartoons
for about two hours from 10:30 a.m. Then they ordered the removal of four
cartoons and gave signed authorization certificates," one of the
organizers of the fund raising exhibition, who wished not to be named,
told Mizzima.

The censored cartoons were drawn by cartoonists Win Aung, October Aung Gyi
and Aung Kaung. The organizers of the exhibition did not object to the
censorship on the Cyclone Nargis theme before it was opened to the public,
one of the cartoonists said.

"This is an usual phenomenon. Four or five cartoons are removed at every
exhibition. It's not surprising. The officials order us to remove
paintings and cartoons when they feel it violates their policy," he said.

"I saw three to four cartoons that were censored. It depicted the cyclone
as a consequence of deforestation. The cartoons with such themes are
considered excesses so they censored it," cartoonist Aupikye, one of the
organizers, said.

Similarly the authorities imposed some restrictions on Rangoon based
reporters who came to the Martyrs' Day ceremony on July 19 though these
journalists and reporters were officially invited to the function, an
editor from a weekly journal said on condition of anonymity.

"They invited us to attend the function, but we had to tell them what we
would bring with us in advance along with the ID. They let us come and
gather the news but didn't allow us to interview the guests attending the
ceremony," he said.

"They didn't allow persons who came without official invitations to take
photographs and ordered them to delete the photographs that they took at
the ceremony," he added.

International media organizations have criticized the junta for its
infamous censorships and news blackout which impairs media freedom and
freedom of expression in Burma besides depriving people of the right to
know about current news and events.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

July 23, Irrawaddy
US Senate bans import of Burmese gems – Lalit K Jha

Exactly one week after the United States House of Representatives passed
the Block Burmese Jade Act, the Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved the
bill, which blocks American companies from importing gemstones from Burma
and expands financial sanctions against the country’s military junta.

The act, which was initially introduced in the Congress last year by late
Congressman Tom Lantos, is now being sent to US President George W Bush to
sign it into law. In the US Senate, the bill was introduced by Senators
Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Bush is expected to sign
the Block Burmese Jade Act into law in coming days, knowledgeable sources
said.

Welcoming the passage of the bill by the Senate, Congressman Howard L
Berman said:
“We cannot allow this (Burmese) regime to prosper financially while they
continue to violate the human rights of their own people.” Berman, the
Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the
legislation in the House.

“This bill hits the Burmese leaders where it hurts—in the wallet. It’s our
hope that these sanctions will push other countries to examine their own
financial dealings with Burma,” said Berman, who was in New York on
Tuesday leading a congressional delegation to the UN and meeting with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Though it is already illegal for American companies to directly import
Burmese products, the Block Burmese JADE Act will keep Burmese gems,
including jade and rubies, from entering US markets via third-party
countries.

Stopping US sales of these Burmese gems is expected to prevent the Burmese
regime from earning hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The bill
also makes Burmese regime leaders, military officers and their families
ineligible for visas to the United States.

Congress began to consider the legislation in the aftermath of Cyclone
Nargis, when the Burmese regime placed restrictions that severely limited
the ability of international aid workers to help the tens of thousands of
families that were affected.

Referring to the crackdown on monks last year and the junta’s decision to
place restrictions on international aid for cyclone victims, Berman said:
“These brutal actions demonstrate the regime’s moral bankruptcy, but
unfortunately it is far from financially bankrupt.”

While the Burmese people live in abject poverty, Burma’s military leaders
continue to take Burma’s vast natural resources as their own, he said.

The legislation has already received support from Jewelers of America,
which represents more than 11,000 jewelry stores nationwide. Major
retailers such as Tiffany’s and Bulgari have voluntarily implemented a
ban. Similar restrictions have also been imposed by the European Union and
Canada.

The unanimous passage of the bill by the Senate was welcomed by Burmese
activists.

“The blood color of rubies not only brings Than Shwe’s military regime
$300 million per year, it signifies all the blood lost by innocent
civilians in our struggle for human rights,” said Aung Din, a former
political prisoner and co-founder of the US Campaign for Burma.

“We want to thank the United States Congress for taking strong and
meaningful action,” he said in a statement.

____________________________________

July 23, Guardian (UK)
US removes oil giant from Burma sanctions – Elana Schor

The US oil giant Chevron will continue to do business in Burma after a
provision to stop it operating there was removed from the latest round of
US sanctions on the country.

The new sanctions plan, approved yesterday by Congress and expected to
receive quick approval from the White House, prevents the sale of Burmese
gems and timber in the US via third parties – bringing the US into line
with EU and Canadian policy. Profits from those products have enriched
Burma's oppressive military regime.

But Congress chose not to sanction Chevron, the largest US business still
operating in Burma. An early version of the plan would have forced the
company to give up its 28% stake in the Yadana natural gas field, which
the regime considers a crucial political priority.

Human rights advocates have linked the Yadana project to ongoing abuses by
the regime, including forced labour, rapes and land confiscation to make
room for the natural gas pipeline which is slated to run from Burma to
Thailand.

The requirement that Chevron leaves Burma was softened to a non-binding
recommendation for divestment after the company protested. The US stake in
Yadana would be handed over to Chinese or Indian companies if Chevron was
forced to sell, the company argued.

The Burma sanctions plan was proposed in Congress last year in response to
the regime's bloody quashing of peaceful protests by Buddhist monks and
other pro-democracy activists. Not until Cyclone Nargis caused widespread
devastation in Burma in May, however, did the legislation move forward.

Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the foreign affairs committee in
the House of Representatives, lamented that the regime is morally bankrupt
"but unfortunately is far from financially bankrupt".

"While the Burmese people live in abject poverty, Burma's military leaders
continue to take Burma's vast natural resources as their own," Berman
added.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

July 23, Xinhua
At least 3,000 people infected with dengue fever in Myanmar this year

At least 3,000 people have been infected with dengue fever in Myanmar so
far this year, the local 7-Day news journal reported Wednesday without
specifying the number of deaths caused by the disease.

Fresh dengue fever broke out in two populated suburban townships of Dagon
Myothit (North and South) and Hlaingtharya in Yangon division late last
month, affecting children of five years of age and above.

Giving priority to the two areas where disease-carrying mosquitoes have
become a major concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), in cooperation with the Myanmar Maternal and
Child Welfare Association and the Myanmar Red Cross, have launched a
700,000-US-dollar anti-dengue-fever campaign in 11 storm-hit townships in
Yangon and Ayeyawaddy divisions.

Preventive measures were carried out at primary schools and wards in
Thakayta and Dagon Myothit-South townships with medical inspection teams
giving educative talks and demonstration on the measures, earlier reports
said.

Meanwhile, state media reported no outbreak of other contagious and
epidemic diseases in the storm-hit areas, saying that a total of 206,039
storm patients had received medical treatment during a month after the
cyclone storm hit the country on last May 2-3.

According to the Health Ministry's anti-malaria department, the dengue
fever once reached a critical stage of level-3 in 2007 killing 100 out of
15,000 people infected with the disease, analyzing that such occurrence
happened once a decade only.

Dengue fever usually breaks out in Yangon, Bago, Sagaing, Ayeyawaddy, Mon
and Mandalay divisions and states especially in the rainy season which
falls in the months of June, July and August.

The health authorities have occasionally advised people to take necessary
measures to prevent and control the disease, including hygienic use of
drinking water, combating larvae, week-end sanitation activities and
education talks on the dengue fever, which is analyzed as being spread by
a species of mosquito active during the day.

____________________________________
DRUGS

July 23, Mizzima News
Burmese authorities arrest suspected drug dealer

Burmese junta authorities have arrested another high profile person on
suspicion of being linked to drug trafficking among Burmese celebrities.

Thet Naing, Managing Director of the BME (1) club, has connections with
some leaders of a ceasefire ethnic armed group, the United Wa State Army
(UWSA).

Mizzima will continue reporting details of the arrest

____________________________________
ASEAN

July 23, Democratic Voice of Burma
Activists urge action after ASEAN charter ratification – Aye Nai

Burmese rights activists have welcomed Burma’s ratification of the ASEAN
charter but urged that public education and an enforcement mechanism are
key to the protection of human rights in the country.

U Myint Aye of the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters network stressed
that there needed to be greater public awareness of the human rights
protections laid out in the charter.

"It is important for everyone to know and really understand the facts
about the human rights norms. In order to make that happen, they should be
educated about the subject in schools and other public areas and through
the mass media," Myint Aye said.

"If the Burmese government's ratification of the ASEAN charter assures us
of human right protections, we welcome it," he said.

"However, this is not the first time Burma has signed a Human Rights
agreement – we have signed a couple of similar agreements since 1948."

Human Rights Education Institute of Burma director Aung Myo Min also
welcomed the development of a human rights agreement for the region.

"We would like to praise the fact that a human rights agreement, the like
of which has never been seen in the ASEAN region, has finally been
developed,” he said.

“We welcome the fact that the Burmese government, which has been infamous
for its violations of human rights, has signed the charter."

However, Aung Myo Min said it was also important that the regional body
could hold state accountable for human rights abuses.

"One thing to have a think about is that the human rights charter has not
as yet developed to a level where one can tell what kind of enforcement
mechanism it will have,” he said.

“We will be very pleased if a mechanism under which the ASEAN can
effectively punish governments who violate human rights is developed
rather than just a charter to sign."

Myint Aye said it was the responsibility of the government and
knowledgeable people to inform others of their rights.

“If we can get the entire 50 million plus citizens of Burma to feel and
understand what it's like to live with human rights, that would be a very
useful thing,” he said.

“But we can't say there is an improvement in human rights just because the
government had ratified the charter."

Aung Myo Min said that the government should take steps to comply with the
obligations it already has under international human rights law.

“The government should not wait for the human right norms which have yet
to be approved – they should start sticking to the agreements they have
already made to protect the rights of women and children, and they should
immediately stop violating human rights,” the HREIB director said.

“An easy step they can take first is to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
all the other political detainees,” he went on.

“If the junta really respects human rights, they should pursue a dialogue
with people's parliament representatives and ethnic leaders elected by the
people."

Burma deposited its instrument of ratification of the charter to ASEAN
secretary-general Dr Surin Pitsuwan on Monday in a ceremony on the
sidelines of a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Singapore.

The charter will come into force 30 days after it has been ratified by all
ten ASEAN member states.

The document establishes ASEAN as a legal entity and lays out the key
principles and purposes of the regional bloc, including adherence to
democratic values and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

It has yet to be ratified by Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

July 23, Mizzima News
Man attempts suicide outside Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur

The Malaysian police arrested a Burmese national following a failed
attempt at committing suicide outside the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur
on Tuesday, a Burmese activist, quoting police sources said.

While there was no eyewitness, a Burmese labour rights activist, Ye Min
Tun said the Malaysian police summoned and informed him about the
incident.

According to the Malaysian police, Saw Noung, the Burmese national, on
Tuesday afternoon first hurled a petrol bomb at the Burmese embassy but
the bomb exploded before hitting the building.

"He then doused himself with petrol and was about to set himself ablaze,
when the Malaysian police in plainclothes grabbed and took him away," said
Ye Min Tun, quoting the police.

Officials at the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur, however, declined comment.

Ye Min Tun said the Malaysian police suspects Saw Noung to be a Burmese
opposition activist and told him to take responsibility for the movement
by Burmese opposition activists in Kuala Lumpur.

"They [the police] warned that Burmese opposition activists in Malaysia
need to be careful about their activities and not disturb law and order in
the country," Ye Min Tun said.

Ye Min Tun, who has spearheaded several Burmese opposition activities in
Kuala Lumpur, however, denied knowledge of Saw Noung being an opposition
activist.

"I don't know him [Saw Noung] and I have never seen him," Ye Min Tun said.

While the reason behind Saw Noung's attempted suicide remains unknown,
Malaysian police said he is currently in custody.

Tuesday's suicide attempt and attack on the Burmese embassy is not the
first of its kind. In 2006 April, an embassy official committed suicide by
setting himself ablaze in the embassy precincts.

____________________________________

July 23, Gulf News
Monk says time running out for Myanmar farmers

More than 1.5 million villagers face starvation with few days left to
plant rice in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the reclusive
state and destroyed crops, said a leading Buddhist monk in Myanmar.

Cyclone Nargis struck the Southeast Asian country on May 2, killing 84,500
people and left 54,000 missing. The United Nations estimates 2.4 million
people were severely affected, most of them in the Irrawaddy delta, known
as the rice bowl of the country.

The Most Venerable Ashin Vayana from Shwe Twante Temple in Myanmar, who
was in Dubai to collect cash donations for aid relief and reconstruction
efforts, told Gulf News people's most pressing need was to plough the
fields before the rice-planting season ended on July 31. The UAE is his
last stop in a seven-country fund-raising tour.

"We need five to 10 plough machines per village and each machine costs
about $1,000 [Dh3,670]. More than 1,000 villages were affected.

"I'll try my best but I won't be able to cover all the villages," he said,
adding that his monks and devotees have provided 30 plough machines to 15
villages.

More than two months have passed since the cyclone but the situation on
the ground has not improved much, he said. Some villages at the border of
the delta and Yangon were in dire straits, while bloated corpses of people
and animals still litter many areas in the delta.

Junta dictates

"[Nearly] 3,000 [people] ... still need temporary shelters, food and
clothes. But most places have been provided for by the monks.

"It is not because no one wants to help but because they are prohibited
from receiving help by the junta and that's ridiculous," he said. So far,
he has collected more than Dh7,000 from Myanmar expatriates in the UAE.

Buddhist monks are a leading force in providing relief to cyclone victims
after the ruling military junta dragged its heels in accepting
international aid.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

July 23, Irrawaddy
UN Security Council to discuss Burma – Lalit K Jha

As the United Nations plans to send special envoy Ibrahim Gambari to Burma
in September and the Security Council prepares to discuss Burma on
Thursday, the US says it will push for a “focused” political approach on
Burma.

"The political track needs to be focused on now, front and center, with
regard to Burma," said US Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad.

Khalilzad stressed the "process" adopted by the military junta to get a
new constitution approved was "very much flawed." A group of five Burmese
parliamentarians on Monday sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon and the five Permanent Representatives on the Security Council
urging the UN to declare Burma’s new constitution illegitimate.

A UN spokesperson said that Gambari intends to discuss such concerns
during his visit to Burma next month.

Khalilzad said the referendum on the draft constitution did not meet the
standards of the Security Council and its presidential statement which the
council outlined before the referendum.

The council’s UN presidential statement asked for the release of all
political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, and for a free, fair and
transparent process surrounding the referendum. The Burmese junta went
ahead with a referendum in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Nargis that
killed more than 130,000 people. Led by the US, the international
community called it a sham referendum.

"That's why we have been of the view that the international system and the
UN needs to focus on the political track once again in Burma," Khalilzad
said.

"Because of the terrible humanitarian situation in the aftermath of the
cyclone, there was less attention paid to the political process,"
Khalilzad said. "We think that's vital, and that's why we have been urging
the secretary-general to send his special envoy back and to achieve
specific progress."

Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator John Holmes arrived in Burma on Tuesday for a three-day visit
to assess progress in the aid relief and recovery operations.

Holmes visited several affected communities in the Irrawaddy delta on
Tuesday during a helicopter tour.

"He noted that significant progress has been made since his last visit (in
May),” said a UN spokesperson. “The focus now needs to be on reaching the
most vulnerable communities in remote areas."

Holmes planned to meet the humanitarian community and donors in Rangoon on
Wednesday. He also planned to travel to Naypyidaw, the capital, on Friday
for consultations with Burmese officials.

____________________________________

July 23, Reuters
Rice urges ASEAN to push Myanmar to reform

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Southeast Asian nations on
Wednesday to put more pressure on Myanmar's junta to improve human rights
and adopt democratic reforms.

Speaking after meeting foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of
South East Asian Nations, Rice said ASEAN especially needs to push Myanmar
to release political prisoners, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

"We believe that ASEAN has an important role to play in addressing the
root cause of Burma's grave problems -- the repression of Burma's
democracy movement," Rice said.

"It was in the interest of ASEAN and the people of Burma to persuade
Myanmar's leaders to free political prisoners and to open up a dialogue
with the democracy movement," she added.

ASEAN foreign ministers, frustrated after years of fruitless overtures to
Myanmar to reform, expressed "deep disappointment" in a statement on
Sunday that the ruling generals had extended Suu Kyi's house arrest.

They called for her release and that of other political detainees "as part
of Myanmar's National Reconciliation process".

That was the first time ASEAN had ever specifically mentioned Suu Kyi in
one of its communiques, diplomats said.

Myanmar is testing ASEAN's coherence as the group ratifies a charter that
would turn it into a rules-based, EU-style bloc.

Included in the charter would be a human rights body that could possibly
be empowered to monitor and investigate human rights violations.

The body, whose terms of reference are still being hammered out, has
generated great debate within ASEAN, particularly from Myanmar, which sees
an empowered body as possibly transgressing one of ASEAN's cardinal
principles -- non-interference in members' internal affairs, diplomats
said.

Rice said the best way for ASEAN to become stronger was to expand
democracy and the rule of law among its members.

ASEAN's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Reporting by Sue Plemming; Writing by Bill Tarrant; Editing by Paul Tait)

____________________________________

July 23, The Japan Times
Komura presses Myanmar on Nagai slaying

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura pressed Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win
on Tuesday for a thorough investigation into the September slaying of a
Japanese journalist in Yangon and also urged the junta to move forward
with democratization, a Japanese official said.

Komura said Japan will give an additional $21 million in reconstruction
aid to cyclone-hit Myanmar.

He stressed the need for the Myanmar government to involve all
stakeholders in the political process and immediately release political
detainees, including democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi.

The bilateral talks in Singapore came on the heels of a joint communique
by ASEAN foreign ministers Monday that urged Myanmar to free all political
detainees and explicitly named Suu Kyi for the first time since 2003.

Meeting on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN-hosted ministerial talks,
Komura repeated calls for the junta to open access for foreign aid
personnel to assist reconstruction efforts after the May cyclone and
improve transparency for aid received.

Nyan Win was quoted by the official as saying, however, that Myanmar is
not discriminating against foreign assistance personnel and criticized
"some countries of the Western camp" for "unreasonably trying to link
humanitarian aid with politics."

The freshly pledged aid from Japan will mainly focus on assistance for
recovery of agriculture and education, including building elementary
schools, in the aftermath of the cyclone, the Foreign Ministry official
said.

It brings Japan's total pledge of cyclone-related aid to about $33 million.

Japan and Myanmar meanwhile remain far apart over the circumstances in
which video journalist Kenji Nagai was shot while filming the junta's
crackdown on democracy activists in Yangon in September.

Myanmar has repeatedly said that while the death was regrettable, the
incident was "accidental," as Nagai was shot by a stray bullet and not at
close range by a junta soldier, as Japan claims.

Japan has continued to press for the return of Nagai's video camera and
other belongings.

Komura expressed concern that the junta's dialogue with Suu Kyi has
recently stalled and she remains under house arrest, the official said.

On Monday, Nyan Win said Suu Kyi's detention will expire toward the end of
next year and not in six months as his fellow ASEAN ministers had
believed, according to Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo.

Yeo told reporters Sunday that Nyan Win indicated to other ministers of
the 10-member ASEAN over a working dinner that his government could
release Suu Kyi in about six months.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won a 1990 general election by a
landslide, but the junta refused to honor the results. Suu Kyi has been
detained for more than 12 of the past 18 years.

Komura was also scheduled to meet bilaterally with Yeo and hold a separate
meeting with his counterparts from the Mekong nations of Cambodia, Laos
and Vietnam later Tuesday.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

July 23, Shan Herald Agency News
Where do we go from here, Burma? – Sao Noan Oo

Where do we go from here, Burma, is the question all peoples of Burma are
at present asking because they have had enough of the present illegal
dictatorial government.

It is obvious that the past and present generals have failed Burma and her
people. In spite of the fact that Burma has rich natural resources, they
have made the country one of the poorest in the world.   During their
occupation they have perpetrated the most atrocious human rights
violations against the population. The extent of suffering inflicted on
innocent citizens, and the number they have killed and murdered without
crime or reason is unimaginable. Daily the   soldiers with guns go on a
rampage in every town and village to force the people to labour. They
steal and kill, and rape young women and girls whenever they feel like it.

The peoples of Burma pleaded to the United Nations, the superpowers, China
, Russia , India and Asean countries f or help. But International
countries are unable or unwilling to do anything other than coax Than Shwe
and his generals to ref or m.


>From what has been seen recently Burma is not going to get practical help

from the United Nations and there will not be an invasion on humanitarian
grounds by the superpowers.  It is now up to the people of Burma to fend f
or themselves. Some have come up with an “Armed Struggle”, “A Saffron
Revolution” and many other ideas. Acc or ding to Thomas Jefferson when a
bad government cannot be reformed the people have the “right to stage a
revolution”

My point of view is that demonstrations in drips and drabs will be a waste
of time as they will soon be crushed by the regime, resulting in many
deaths and imprisonment. If there is to be a successful revolution, all
the peoples of Burma will have to get together, that is, the Burmans as
well as other ethnic nationalities. They will have to unite behind the
common goal of liberating the country from the dictatorial regime which
rules by the gun.

For such a unity to take place all nationalities will have to first get
rid of their preconceived ideas and change their mental attitude towards
each other. The regime has for four decades divided and ruled, while at
the same time has by force tried to assimilate the different nationalities
into one Burman nationality. This has created enmity, misunderstanding,
grudge, and prejudices against each other. The extreme Burman nationalists
have used Burman nationalism, chauvinism and superiority complex as their
inspiration; while each of other ethnic nationalities, in order to survive
reacted by building a stronger cohesive group excluding other
nationalities. This has led to the development of a strong sense of ethno-
and religious nationalism of its own. All nationalities must realise that
narrow ethno- and religious nationalism is the obvious cause of conflicts
between nationalities.

Whether we like it or not all the ethnic nationalities of Burma, because
of their geographical situation and history cannot do without with each
other; therefore for the common good of all concerned they will have to
reconstruct a meaningful relationship that is sincere and worthy of trust.
They could begin by treating each other as equal partners, learning by
mistakes from past and moving f or ward towards a better future. All will
have to learn to rid themselves of the desire to dominate and control, and
recognise and respect each others freedom of choice. Human relationship is
not easy but good relationship can be achieved by trying to understand
each other’s feelings and points of view; and not by force but by
voluntary participation. After all, the ethnic nationalities joined the
Burmans to form the Union of Burma by their own free will.  Bogyoke Aung
San understood when he said, “the right of Secession must be given, but it
is our duty to work and show our sincerity so that they do not wish to
leave”.
An amicable relationship between all ethnic nationalities can create the
man power that is needed to defy the SPDC, which is the only weapon to
bring them down. This has to be very well planned and organized with the
creation of a network throughout the country. Our hope lies in the Sanghas
of Burma, the Burmans, Shans, Mons, Arakans  etc, and leaders of all
religious groups. These religious leaders are revered and respected by the
population. They have the power and ability to teach morality, and to
uphold the concept of loving kindness, and thus can unite the people. They
are also experienced organizers and have the capability to mobilise the
population. If the religious leaders were to lead, the people will flock
after them.

The 19th of July is Martyrs Day in Burma , when in 1947 Bogyoke Aung San
and his colleagues were assassinated. They had great hopes for the future
of Burma .  To let the evil dictatorial regime continue to bully the
citizens will mean that their aspiration and sacrifice will have been in
vain. The SPDC generals, besides being greedy and selfish are nothing more
than cowards, afraid to give up their guns and power and live like
ordinary folks. They are the greatest bullies of all and not unlike the
bullies in the school playground.  A school boy likes to bully those
weaker than him. He stops only when the victims have the courage to stand
and fight back. Likewise, the SPDC generals will continue to bully
citizens until the victims have enough strength and courage to defy and
stand up to them. It will not be easy because the generals have the
advantage of possessing guns and ammunition.

Manpower and strength can be created if all the ethnic nationalities can
unite under the common goal.  Such unity can only happen by reconciliation
of all peoples of Burma by rebuilding trust, and respect for the
individual freedom of choice of religion, culture and political views.
Enmity, hatred, grudge and prejudices should be overcome by forgiveness
and loving kindness. This conciliation and understanding between all
ethnic nationalities of Burma can be the only weapon to dismantle the
SPDC, to have true democracy and a lasting peace in Burma .

The author is from the former illustrious State of Lawkzawk in the
Federated Shan States, as today's Shan State of Burma was known until
1948. Opinions expressed here are those of the author – Editor

____________________________________

July 23, Inner City Press
In Myanmar, UN loses 25% of aid in currency exchange, up from 15%
pre-cyclone – Matthew Russell Lee

The UN has directed hundred of millions of dollars into Myanmar since
Cyclone Nargis hit, and on July 10 asked for $300 million more. But it has
now emerged that the UN has lost some twenty percent of the money it has
exchanged in Myanmar, by acquiescing to a government-required exchange of
dollars for Foreign Exchange Certificates.

Not only does an internal UN memo reviewed by Inner City Press refer to a
"serious loss of 20%" -- now, sources in Yangon describe the applicable
exchange rates accepted by the UN between FECs and Kyats as 25% lower than
the dollars the UN changes into FECs. Before the cyclone, the loss was
15%. The extra ten percent loss, applied to the millions of dollars
exchanged by the UN system, could have helped the cyclone's victims. What
will be done remains to be seen. The UN's top humanitarian John Holmes has
pledged to get to the bottom of the issue during his current three day
trip to Myanmar.

The UN Development Program is central to the UN system's operations, and
states that "funds are remitted into the UNDP US dollar account at Myanmar
Foreign Trade Bank. UNDP Myanmar exchanges US dollars for Foreign Exchange
Certificates (FECs) at the Bank, and then converts these into local
currency, Kyat."

But in the second half of July, the exchange rated was a mere 880 Kyats
for each Foreign Exchange Certificate, compared to 1180 for each dollar
the UN converted one-to-one into a FEC. That's a loss of more than 25%.
Before Nargis hit, the Kyat to FEC rate fluctuated between 960 to 980 per
FEC, compared to 960 to 980 per dollar, a loss of 15%.

The recent Post-Nargis Joint Assessment Final Report, issued by the UN
along with ASEAN and, notably, the Than Shwe government of Myanmar,
acknowledges in Box 2 that

"Myanmar has a multiple exchange-rate system. The official exchange rate
applies to the transactions undertaken by the government and state-owned
enterprises and is used primarily for accounting purposes. Foreign
Exchange Certificates (FECs) are also issued by the government,
exchangeable at a market-determined rate. A large parallel  market also
exists that exchanges US dollars with Kyats at a small premium over the
rate for  FECs. This report utilizes the exchange rate used by the
Government of Myanmar in its  presentation of damages immediately
following Cyclone Nargis at the ASEAN-UN International Pledging 
Conference in Yangon on 25 May 2008 (K 1,100/USD), which was consistent
with the  prevailing rate on the parallel market at the time of the
assessment.*

* FEC and USD rates are fluctuating at present and should be kept under
close review during the initial stages of the relief and recovery program:
the upcoming Article IV consultations would be a good opportunity for
review."

This is a diplomatic way to refer to the black market, and to dodge the
question of how much the UN loses by accepting the requirement to change
dollars into FECs on a one-to-one basis.  Consider the above quotes,
annotated:

Foreign Exchange Certificates (FECs) are also issued by the government,
exchangeable at a market-determined rate." - The only rate is the black
market rate, which currently is 880 Kyats per FEC. So when they say
"market determined" they're referring to the black market, as they are in
the sentence that follow -- "A large parallel market also exists that
exchanges US dollars with Kyats at a small premium over the rate for
FECs."

"This report utilizes the exchange rate used by the Government of Myanmar
in its presentation of damages immediately following Cyclone Nargis at the
ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference in Yangon on 25 May 2008 (K
1,100/USD), which was consistent with the prevailing rate on the parallel
market at the time of the assessment." - it appears that Myanmar
government actually used the "black market" rate for this, that surprises
me quite honestly. If you read the State Media here they're always very
careful to quote US$ and Ks figures separately so as not to acknowledge
the "real" black market value.  The claim that the rate was Ks 1,100 on
the 25th May is questionable, records show that it was slightly higher at
Ks1,1700, with FEC was trading at Ks975 at that time. But all of that
raises two questions;

1) If the Myanmar Govt. is using an exchange rate of Ks1,100 to the US$
and it was the "prevailing rate" at that time, why did the UN not get that
rate? The answer to that is of course obvious, the Myanmar Government
shafted the UN and the UN damned well knows it!

2) Who in Myanmar can change that sort of money? The only people who have
that amount of cash here are the Generals and their allies.

Not only the UN's Sir John Holmes is in Myanmar -- the UN Development
Program's new regional director for Asia and the Pacific, Ajay Chhibber is
there as well. Both should know personally about the exchange rate scam. 
Also according to a source, if one stays in an "International" hotel like
Traders or Sedona -- both used by the UN, with Ban Ki Moon staying at
Sedona and a apparently at least one whole floor occupied by the UN at
Traders -- one will pay in FEC/US dollars as a foreigner, around US$/FEC
55 per night. If you're a Myanmar citizen you will pay Ks 40,000.

In some cases it's even more extreme, for example a hotel in Mandalay
charging US$/FEC 25 per night, with Myanmar nationals paying Ks 6,000 for
the same room and service. So did Ban Ki-moon and his entourage notice
this while they were in Myanmar?

On Tuesday at UN headquarters, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's
spokesperson Michele Montas about the seeming wind-down of parts of the
UN's Nargis response:

Inner City Press: it's been said that the UN is going to stop its flights
from Thailand and its helicopter flights inside Myanmar on 10 August and
various humanitarian groups have questioned the decision and said that
it’s going to make it more difficult to deliver aid.  What’s the reasoning
behind stopping those flights?  Is it the problem is over?

Spokesperson Montas:  Well, this is because it is being taken over by
maritime transportation and other considerations.  It really happens quite
often in relief operations; that after the emergency phase is over, that
they take other means besides transportation by air.

Inner City Press: Maybe the groups just didn't understand?

Spokesperson:  No, it’s not going to stop the flow of aid in any way. 
It’s going to be simply, right now they are getting into the phase of
reconstruction.

And what will the exchange rate loss be during that recovery phase? The
Post-Nargis Joint Assessment Final Report asks for $1 billion, while
stating in Box 2 said the exchange rate should be reviewed also during the
recovery phase. Our point here is that the pressure that countries such as
France brought to bear, to get their own humanitarian workers into
Myanmar, might have been better exercised in getting the Than Shwe
government to back off requiring foreign exchange losses to it, at least
in the cyclone's wake. We'll see.