BurmaNet News, August 16-18, 2008

[Editor]

August 16-18, 2008 Issue #3536

INSIDE BURMA
AP: UN envoy begins Myanmar reconciliation mission
Mizzima: Gambari's visit has created no political breakthrough: Burmese
opposition
DVB: Daw Suu receives visits from lawyer and doctor
DVB: Five Taunggok activists jailed for 8 August march
Kaowao News: SPDC may force diversity alongside reconciliation: NMSP
New Yorker: Drowning; Can the Burmese people rescue themselves? - George
Packer

ON THE BORDER
The Star Online: Through the eyes of babes

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Business round-up

ASEAN
DVB: Burmese MPs in exile call for ASEAN support

INTERNATIONAL
Reuters: UN, Myanmar resolve aid currency problem, in theory

OPINION / OTHER
Boston Globe: Begging won't save Burma (editorial)
Irrawaddy: Danish viewpoint merits debate - Yeni

STATEMENT
ABFSU: Arrest of student activists


____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 18, Associated Press
UN envoy begins Myanmar reconciliation mission

U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in Myanmar's capital Monday on
a five-day mission to promote national reconciliation and political reform
in the military-ruled country.

It is Gambari's fourth trip to the Southeast Asian country since a deadly
crackdown on anti-government protesters last September sparked a global
outcry.

It was not immediately known whether he would meet detained democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi or senior members of the ruling junta.

Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy hopes the visit will
kickstart stalled talks between democratic forces and the military.

The United Nations-brokered talks between a junta-appointed minister, Aung
Kyi, and Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, began in October 2007
but stopped in January after five meetings.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the party will also tell the U.N. envoy to
urge the ruling generals to allow regular medical check ups for Suu Kyi,
whose personal physician was allowed to see her Sunday.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who had her last medical check up in
January, has been held under house arrest for more than 12 of the last 19
years.

Nyan Win said the party will also complain to Gambari that more than 100
of its members have been arrested since the September crackdown, including
recent detentions across the country.

Gambari last visited Myanmar in March, a trip he described as a
disappointment. Although he was allowed to meet Suu Kyi, he did not see
senior junta leaders.

The military has ruled the Southeast Asian nation since 1962 and has been
widely criticized for suppressing basic freedoms and human rights.

____________________________________

August 18, Mizzima News
Gambari's visit has created no political breakthrough: Burmese opposition
- Mungpi

Burma's main opposition party – the National League fro Democracy – on
Monday said it welcomed another round of visit by the United Nations
special envoy to Burma, but pointed out that so far Gambari's efforts had
failed to create any political breakthrough.

Nyan Win, spokesperson of the NLD, said they have always welcomed efforts
by the UN and hope that it will bring about a breakthrough in the current
political stalemate in Burma.

"We hope this time he [Gambari] will be able to work towards resuming the
talks between Daw Suu and U Aung Kyi," Nyan Win said.

Following Gambari's first visit after Burma's military rulers brutally
cracked down on protesters in September, the junta appointed its Labour
Minister Aung Kyi as the liaison person to meet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Both Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi, since then have met five times but the
talks have been stalled since January with the Nobel Peace Laureate
complaining of the slow pace of talks.

"So far, we have not seen any tangible result of his [Gambari] visit but
we hope he will bring about some kind of breakthrough," Nyan Win said.

Gambari on Monday arrived in Rangoon on his fourth visit since Burma's
rulers brutally cracked down on protesters in September last year.

But it is still not clear whether Gambari will be allowed to meet top
military leaders as well as opposition and ethnic groups including
detained opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

NLD leaders, who were allowed to meet Gambari on his earlier visits, said
they have not received any invitation to meet the visiting UN envoy.

Win Min, a Burmese political observer in Thailand, said Gambari's visit
this time could have no significance as "Gambari seems to continue to use
his old plan which is to revive the talk, rather than formulate a new
plan, while the regime has already discontinued talks between Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi."

"The regime didn't listen to Gambari's suggestions on inclusiveness on
drafting the constitution and the UN's monitoring on referendum in the
past. So, they're unlikely to listen to him this time," he added.

He also said a rare meeting between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her lawyer,
Kyi Win, could be a little concession by the military regime to appease
Gambari in replacing the talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Aung Kyi.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed for the second time in a month to meet
her lawyer Kyi Win, and granted a visit by her family doctor, Tin Myo Win,
on Sunday.

Gambari last visited Burma in March, more than a month before the military
regime held its referendum on a draft constitution in May, and urged the
junta to allow the UN to monitor the process of its referendum.

But the junta flatly rejected his suggestion saying the Burmese government
was capable enough of conducting a free and fair referendum.

However, the international community including human rights watchdogs have
dubbed the junta's referendum as 'rigged' and lacking in credibility.

Despite the international community's condemnation, the junta continued
with its planned referendum and announced that its draft constitution was
approved by more than 92 per cent of the total eligible voters in Burma.
The voter turn out declared by the regime was more than 98 per cent.

____________________________________

August 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
Daw Suu receives visits from lawyer and doctor

Detained opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed another
meeting yesterday with her lawyer, Kyi Win, which lasted for about two
hours.

Kyi Win said they had mainly discussed getting photocopies of official
documents and her house arrest order, which would be necessary for
submitting her appeal.

He said he would need to have more meetings with his client to finalise
her appeal letter which would then be reviewed and sent to Naypyidaw.

Kyi Win also said he met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's family doctor, Dr Tin Myo
Win, who arrived at her house as the lawyer was leaving.

The last time Dr Tin Myo Win was allowed to visit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was
in January 2008.

Kyi Win said he had also raised the possibility with the authorities of
having the family of Daw Khin Khin Win, who has been doing housework and
cooking for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to come in and out of her house freely.

Analysts have suggested that the government’s willingness to allow these
visits to the detained National League for Democracy leader is intended to
create a positive impression for United Nations special envoy Ibrahim
Gambari, who arrives in Burma today.

____________________________________

August 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
Five Taunggok activists jailed for 8 August march

Five young activists who were arrested in Taunggok township, Arakan state,
on 8 August for staging a demonstration have been sentenced to two and a
half years in prison.

The five were arrested after they held a protest march to mark the 20th
anniversary of the 8888 uprising, according to U Thein Hlaing, joint
secretary of the Arakan state National League for Democracy.

Ko Moe Naing Soe, Ko Maung Maung Thet, Ko Chit Maung Maung, Ko Than Lwin
and Ma Ni Ni Nay Myint, who are all aged around 20, were sentenced by
Sandoway township court on 15 August.

The five young people were among a group of 43 people who joined the
silent march on 8 August.

The other protestors were also detained and held overnight, but were
released the following day.

Other activists who were arrested in Rangoon on the anniversary of 8888,
including members of the 88 Generation Students group, the All Burma
Federation Of Student Unions and the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters
network, have not yet been charged.

U Thein Hlaing said a total of 17 people had been jailed in Arakan State
in the past 12 months.

In particular, U Thein Hlaing expressed his concern about Arakan NLD
chairman and MP-elect U Nyi Pu who was arrested on 11 August, and said he
hope United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari would look into the
matter.

U Thein Hlaing said NLD youth activists were stepping up their campaign
despite the stream of arrests, citing as an example a solo protest by NLD
youth wing member Ko Myint Thein Kyi on 15 August calling for the release
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners.

____________________________________

August 18, Kaowao News
SPDC may force diversity alongside reconciliation: NMSP

The plans of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) may force
diversity alongside reconciliation with political minorities in Burma, one
of the ethnic ceasefire groups, the New Mon State Party (NMSP) has warned
the junta on the 61st Anniversary of Mon Revolution Day.

The constitution is necessary to move away from a military government to a
civilian one, but will only stand the longer test of time with the support
of the people, including political groups across the country.  It may
force successful reconciliation and continued diversity among the ethnic
groups who stand by the 'triple type dialogue' to solve political
problems, the NMSP warned on Aug 16 in it's statement marking the
Anniversary of Mon Revolution Day.

The NMSP has had a ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military
government since June 29, 1995 seeking to solve political problems with
triple type dialogue: military regime, democratic groups and ethnic
groups.

But they have yet to decide on how to respond to the SPDC-sponsored 2010
elections.

"The decision depends on the activities of the military government in how
to organize and reform their party for military election as well as how to
stand on the political stage," the statement said.

The NMSP marked the revolution day at their headquarters, Moulmein and in
their control area, the Japanese Well (Plaing Japan) Village at Three
Pagodas Pass and other divisions. NMSP Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Nai
Htaw Mon and Nai Rot Sa attended at the ceremonies at the NMSP
headquarters.

Party chairman, Nai Htaw Mon urged Mon people to understand that it's time
to reach their goals through cooperation with the international community
and other ethnic groups who are in the same position. Over 700
participants joined  the anniversary ceremonies at the headquarters and
about 3,000 people attended at the Japanese Well in Three Pagodas Pass
border town.

About 50 overseas Mon in Thailand gathered in Asia Hotel in Bangkok to
commemorate the anniversary in a ceremony organized by Thai-Mon leaders
and Mon students.  Some migrant workers were able to attend.  The Mon
community from Japan and the USA also marked the 61st anniversary of Mon
Revolution Day as well as the Mon National Council based in Australia, the
Mon National League for Consolidation and Aiding from Mae Sot, and the Mon
Educational Network from Bangkok, who all released statements.

____________________________________

August, The New Yorker
Drowning; Can the Burmese people rescue themselves? George Packer

When night falls in Rangoon, the city’s spectacular decay—patches of black
mold devouring the yellowed walls of colonial buildings, trees growing
wildly into crumbling third-story terraces—nearly disappears from view.
The tea shops fill up, locals crowd the bookstalls on Pansodan Road, and
the city, which seems furtive and depressed by day, becomes a communal
stage. In the Chinatown district, two men in an alley crank out
schoolbooks with a hand-operated printing press. At a sidewalk fish
market, women sell shrimp, scallops, and squid by candlelight, while two
teen-agers nearby strum guitars. Further east, along the Rangoon River, in
the old residential quarter of Pazundaung, the wooden houses are open to
the street, like storefronts, revealing an old woman sitting on a couch, a
living-room shrine strewn with votive candles, and two men laughing as
they listen to a radio.

One such evening in June, I had dinner at an outdoor restaurant north of
downtown with a young man I’ll call Myat Min. He grew up in a
working-class township on the outskirts of Rangoon, the son of a mechanic
and a woman who sold spices from Thailand. His father had been trained by
British Air Force officers, and in the years after the 1962 coup, which
gave control of the country to the Burmese military, he kept the family
radio tuned to the BBC. Each evening, he ate fried noodles, listened to
the news in English, and cursed the dictatorship.

Over the decades, the Burmese government has subjected its citizens to
epic misrule, systematically destroying every institution of society
except the Army, whose leaders have made staying in power their overriding
goal. The streets of Rangoon and Mandalay are monitored by the secret
police and by a group of armed thugs known as Swan Arr Shin—the Masters of
Force. Dissidents are routinely tortured. The generals’ irrational
economic policies have reduced one of Asia’s richest countries, once the
world’s leading exporter of rice, to penury. Burma’s gross domestic
product per capita is now less than half that of its neighbor Cambodia.
Economic sanctions—a form of protest against the government’s human-rights
abuses—have made the country even poorer.

For the full article please visit
“www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/25/080825fa_fact_packer”.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 17, The Star Online
Through the eyes of babes - Elizabeth Looi

Refugee children from Myanmar who are now in Malaysia awaiting relocation
to another country share their plight and hopes for the future in a book
titled My Beautiful Myanmar.

Most of us consider childhood as the best part of our lives. Those were
the days when we did not have to worry about exams, bills to pay,
financial commitments, career and so on.

But it is not so for a group of Myanmar refugee children from the Kachin
community. They had to flee their country to seek a better life elsewhere
at a young age.

They are hoping to be relocated to other countries and these children are
temporarily seeking refuge in Malaysia. For some, it will be is a short
wait; for others it could take years.

Those who do not get relocated will face a very uncertain future, living a
cat-and-mouse existence with the local authorities.

The children live with their parents in Kuala Lumpur. Those whose parents
are either back in Myanmar or cannot be located stay with relatives or
friends.

When they first arrived, many were malnourished. They survive on meagre
rations of food and some go hungry during the day while their parents are
out working or looking for jobs.

They are confined to their windowless and tiny flats, afraid to go out for
fear of being caught or harassed by thugs.

To keep the children occupied and provide a safer environment for them, a
few volunteers from the Kachin community started makeshift schools in
rented flats.

The schools received some funding from individuals and groups but it was
not enough to cover their needs.

The children were keen to learn but could not concentrate because they
were always hungry and lethargic.

Their lives began to improve when some Malaysians learned about their
plight last year and decided to help them.

Two of the Good Samaritans, Marie-Anne Yong and Belle Luer, said the kids
were introverted and cautious of strangers when they first met them.
Tough life: It was not easy for the kids to relive their painful past.

“Some were as young as three years old and came here with neighbours or
relatives and were pining for their family,” Yong recalled.

“There was a little boy who used to cry and hide under a table every time
meals were served,” she said.

Yong, who came to know about the children through a friend, said she got
together with a group of six friends, including Luer, and started
collecting contributions to help feed the kids on school days.

“What amazes me is their spirit. They are always full of joy and are so
grateful for the little that they have.

“Even in the past, when all they had for lunch were dry biscuits and
water, they would gather around and give thanks,” said Yong, who is
self-employed.

Today, the kids are energetic, fun and confident, said Luer.

“There’s been a big transformation in them. It’s so rewarding to see them
with more self-esteem and hope.

“Every one of them has an ambition - to become a doctor, an engineer or a
teacher - so they can serve their people back home.”

Luer, a homemaker, said when they first met the children, they drew
pictures of soldiers with guns, cemeteries, corpses, angels, tombs and
helicopters dropping food parcels from the sky.

“They also drew houses with no windows. Today they are drawing
three-storey bungalows, beautiful landscapes and a modern Myanmar. There
is just so much more hope in them now,” she added.

Recalling the day she met the children, Yong said they looked
strong-willed and determined although they were malnourished.

“I could see their eyes sparkling with hope despite their suffering. They
are very positive and all of them hope to return to their country one day
to help their people, despite having been oppressed by their government,”
she said.

She decided to help them because she felt they deserved a much better
future and she couldn’t bear the thought of them going hungry.

“Hunger knows no religion, race or nationality. These kids go hungry
because of rules and regulations. We need to focus on humanity, people
helping people,” said Yong.

Luer teaches the kids motivational and life skills to to make them realise
that they can “create a compelling future for themselves by believing in
themselves and dreaming big”.

“But it is hard to dream on an empty stomach so we need to ensure that
their basic necessities are met especially when they have to keep running
from one place to another,” Luer said.

A beautiful project

After Cyclone Nargis left its trail of devastation in Myanmar, the
children felt sad and helpless as some of them had relatives in the
affected areas.

Luer said when she asked the kids what they could do to help, they
replied: “Just pray.”

“I told them that prayer was powerful and asked what else they could do to
help.

“So they started coming up with all sorts of ideas. One said we could
build a long pipe to Myanmar to provide water. Another said we could send
letters of encouragement. But none of them thought of sending money
because they didn’t think it would be possible.”

So Luer and Yong came up with the idea of writing a book to raise funds.
The children were asked to write about why they came to Malaysia and their
hopes for the future.

Yong said it was not easy for them to relive their painful past in
Myanmar, but for many, sharing how they felt was a cathartic experience.

“When we first read their stories we were moved to tears as we had no idea
what they had gone through. Often, people wonder why refugees are willing
to risk their lives to come here,” she said.

“When you read these children’s stories, you can better understand and
appreciate why they are here.”

The children also drew pictures of what they hoped Myanmar would be like
in the future.

They then selected the best stories and pictures and compiled these them
into a book titled My Beautiful Myanmar.

Yong explained that the title came from the fact that the children love
their country and hope to return there one day when conditions improve.

“The kids were thrilled when they saw their pictures and their work
published. This book project has been created with much love and effort,”
she said.

Much to their surprise, Yong and Luer they met a printer who was willing
to give them a huge discount for printing the book and a layout artist who
kept stayed up many late nights after her full-time time day job to do the
art and design.

Luer said they planned to channel the contributions from the book through
World Vision Malaysia via World Vision Myanmar, which has a strong
presence there.

She hoped the project would inspire others to realise that anything is
possible if you believe in yourself.

“Too often we have limiting beliefs on why we can’t do something but here
are 100 refugee kids who have come together using their talents to help
others less fortunate than themselves,” she said.

Luer and Yong just want the children to be able to live like normal kids
without fear or hunger and to have access to proper education.

“Kids should be running in the park, not running for their lives,” Luer said.

Luer and Yong aim to raise RM100,000 through sales of My Beautiful Myanmar.

The entire proceeds from the sale will go towards cyclone relief efforts
as well as to the Kachin schools.

The book, which has 40 beautiful coloured pages featuring the children’s
life stories and drawings, is priced at RM15 each.

To get a copy, e-mail my.beautiful.myanmar at gmail.com or to get a preview
of the stories, log on to www.notesfromvenus.com.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/17/focus/22108215&sec=focus

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 16, Irrawaddy
Business round-up - William Boot

Junta Silent on Asean Mutual Energy Security Pact

The Burmese government has remained silent about proposals for energy
security within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Burma’s energy minister recently attended a special energy forum in
Bangkok at which representatives from Japan, China and South Korea were
also present.

Asean has agreed to draw up what it calls a “roadmap” to create a joint
oil stockpile, which could be drawn on by member countries in a crisis.

There has also been talk of pooling Asean energy assets such as natural
gas, which Burma has large quantities of, and electricity generated by
hydropower dams on rivers, which Burma is currently allowing several
countries to develop.

No Asean countries have individual oil stockpiles. Burma lacks proper
facilities for refining crude oil and thus has to expensively import most
of its diesel fuel.

China, Japan and South Korea already have substantial oil stockpiles and
have agreed to advise an Asean roadmap team.

The team’s first meeting is in Manila in November.

“One of the chief problems for this mutual energy security concept for
Asean is that some member countries draw a large part of their national
income from exporting oil and gas to non-Asean countries,” industry
consultant Collin Reynolds in Bangkok told The Irrawaddy.

“It remains to be seen whether mutually beneficial energy security plans
can override national economies as part of Asean’s much talked about
common market ambitions.”

Burma Hydro Dam Projects Face Rising Costs

Rising development costs might put a question mark over several
controversial hydropower dams planned on the River Salween and elsewhere
in Burma.

The biggest, at Tasang on the Salween in eastern Burma, has been budgeted
at around US $1 billion.

But several of the companies involved, including China’s Sino Hydro and
the Thai MDX firm, have put pressure on the Laos communist regime to raise
end-product electricity charges on four hydro dams being built there.

The companies cited spiraling construction costs on the Lao dams which are
booked to deliver electricity to the Electricity Generating Authority of
Thailand (EGAT).

Most of the electricity to be generated by the hydro dams on Burma’s
Salween is also earmarked for Thailand.

EGAT is being asked by Laos to pay nearly 17 percent more than was
originally agreed.
The cost of delivering power from the Salween to EGAT has not yet been
disclosed, with most of the Burma hydro dam developments cloaked in
secrecy.

Indian Demand for Pulse Crops Sends Prices Soaring

Rising demand by India for a wide variety of pulse crops is pushing up
prices in Burma beyond the pockets of many poor people, say industry
leaders.

The price of some staple vegetables being sold in wholesale markets in
Rangoon has gone up by as much as 60 percent since June.

India’s domestic production of pulses, which form a large part of the
Hindu diet, slumped this year because of poor harvests resulting for bad
weather.

The Hindu newspaper said this week that the country was an estimated 3
million tons short of anticipated demand.

Indian already buys pulses from Burma among a number of foreign suppliers.
However, the news in July that New Delhi’s Ministry of Commerce was in
talks with Burma to purchase as much as 1 million tons this year has
affected Burmese domestic prices.

Pulses—lentils, beans, peas and chickpeas—are high in protein, ironically
a commodity the post-Cyclone Nargis aid agencies have been importing to
feed survivors.

China to Upgrade Military Facilities on Coco Islands

India is alarmed at intelligence reports that China is set to spend
millions of dollars upgrading military “listening post” facilities in
Burma’s Coco Islands on the edge of the Bay of Bengal.

The two small islands, 300 kilometers south of Burma’s Arakan coast and
adjacent to the Andaman Islands which are owned by India, have been leased
to China since 1994.

India has long complained that China uses the Coco islands to spy on its
naval dispositions in the Indian Ocean.

The Times of India newspaper said this week that senior Chinese navy
officials had surveyed the islands with a plan to “upgrade facilities”
there, quoting Indian intelligence sources.

The paper said the Chinese were accompanied by Burma’s Brig-Gen Maung
Shein, commander of the Irrawaddy naval base.

“Myanmar would increase its naval troop strength on the island, while
China would help in building two more helipads and storage systems for
arms,” reports The Times. “What was of greater interest to India was that
China reportedly agreed to ‘upgrade’ communication facilities on the
island. Interestingly, this [visit] was also around the time that Indian
minister of state for power Jairam Ramesh was in Myanmar adding to India’s
development presence there by signing four economic co-operation
agreements with the Myanmar government.”

Both China and Burma have previously denied any naval snooping activities
on the islands.

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese MPs in exile call for ASEAN support

A five-member delegation from the Burmese exiled Members of Parliament
Union attended an Indonesian parliamentary function to mark the 63rd
anniversary of Indonesian independence on 15 August.

The MPU delegates were invited as official guests to present a report
about the current political situation in Burma and to make their case in
the Indonesian parliament.

U Win Hlaing, one of the MPU delegates, said the delegates had told
Indonesian parliamentarians how the Burmese regime had focused its
attention on the 2010 elections while neglecting what was truly needed.

“[The regime should focus on] achieving national reconciliation,
establishing foundations for democracy which is the true aspiration of the
people of Burma, and holding a genuine inclusive national convention in
which all stakeholders can participate,” he said.

“If the SPDC proceeds unilaterally as it is doing now, we asked ASEAN
countries, particularly Indonesia, to do their best to help sway SPDC away
from this course of action.”

U Win Hlaing welcomed the fact that Indonesia had officially invited the
Burmese representatives elected in 1990.

“The MPU delegation was invited and given special treatment as official
guests. They also made the arrangements for us to attend the Special
Plenary Session in Parliament and to meet with the Speaker of the House,”
U Win Hlaing said.

“This shows that they have high regard for the elected representatives of
the people of Burma and deep sympathy for the suffering and struggle of
our people,” he went on.

“They told us that ASEAN was not without problems but that they were
willing to get more involved and deal with Burma issues tactfully.”


>From Indonesia, the delegation will go to Singapore to discuss the issue

of the MPU being admitted to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, U Win
Hlaing said.

On 13 August, MPU secretary U Khun Myint Tun testified before the Foreign
Affairs Committee in the Philippines House of Representatives.

U Khun Myint Tun said he had told the committee that ASEAN’s constructive
engagement policy on Burma had been a failure because it allowed the SPDC
to avoid political dialogue.

“Another point I raised is that a tripartite dialogue [between the
military, ethnic leaders, and the NLD] was imperative if national
reconciliation is to be achieved in our country,” U Khun Myint Tun said.

“For that to happen, I said, appeasement policy and a pacified approach
would not work and that strong pressure was needed,” he said.

“The [SPDC's] roadmap and its constitution need to be rejected and I
suggested that the Philippine president and government take the lead
within the ASEAN to initiate the move,” he continued.

“Under the present conditions, I said, the SPDC does not represent our
country and therefore world countries should stop giving it de facto
recognition.”

Following his proposal, the Philippines Parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Committee passed a resolution to step up pressure for tripartite dialogue
in Burma, said Khun Myint Tun.

“After my report, the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee said
they were 100 percent behind the people of Burma and that they would use
whatever pressure they could to bring the SPDC to the negotiating table,”
Khun Myint Tun said.

“The key resolutions passed are to recognise the results of the 1990
elections, to work for the emergence of a tripartite dialogue, and for the
Philippine and other ASEAN governments to censure SPDC for its human
rights violations and suppression of democratic forces in Burma,” he said.

“They also said that they would be asking the Philippine government to
take more effective measures on Burma.”

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 18, Reuters
UN, Myanmar resolve aid currency problem, in theory - Ed Cropley

The United Nations and Myanmar have resolved a problem with distorted
official exchange rates that led to U.N. losses of more than $1.5 million
in the delivery of aid to survivors of Cyclone Nargis. U.N. officials said
on Monday the military government had agreed to let outside donors pay
local companies directly and in U.S. dollars, rather than via the
official, long-winded system involving foreign exchange certificates.

"This option was always open to both vendors and the U.N. However, there
was a 10 percent government transaction fee on such operations that
deterred us from using it," U.N. country representative Dan Baker said.

"The government has now agreed to waive the fee for all international
humanitarian agencies -- U.N., bilateral and international NGOs," he said
in an email to Reuters in Bangkok.

Most local firms used by aid agencies to buy supplies such as food, fuel
or construction materials had dollar bank accounts, and those that did not
should be able to open them up without too much difficulty, Baker said.

The U.N. has not yet had the chance to ensure the new system works in
practice -- always a big if in a country under military rule for the last
46 years -- but Baker said the government had pledged to resolve any
problems that arose.

The U.N. losses stemmed from Myanmar's insistence that donors convert aid
dollars into foreign exchange certificates with a notional value of $1
each. These certificates are then used to buy the local currency, the
kyat.

However, the exchange rate for one certificate is around 880 kyat compared
to a market rate of more than 1,100 kyat per dollar, leading to a currency
conversion loss of at least 20 percent.

It came as a nasty surprise to many international and private donors,
making them even more reluctant than normal to give to a country already
regarded as a pariah.

The May 2 cyclone left 140,000 people dead or missing, making it one of
the most devastating ever to hit Asia, although the amount of aid pledged
has been only a fraction of that which followed the 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami.

Of the $482 million it appealed for, the U.N. has managed so far to raise
only $200 million.

After discovering the currency problem last month, U.N. humanitarian chief
John Holmes urged donors not to withhold their cash lest it increase the
suffering of the 2.4 million people affected.

Holmes initially estimated U.N. losses at around $10 million, but when
accountants dug into the numbers they came up with $1.56 million,
officials said. (Editing by Alan Raybould)

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 18, Boston Globe
Begging won't save Burma (editorial)

The United Nations can be an irreplaceable forum for diplomacy and a
provider of humanitarian assistance. But this parliament of Nations has
repeatedly failed to live up to its responsibility to protect populations
from criminal regimes. Nowhere has that failure been more flagrant than in
Burma, where a vicious military junta continues to deceive and defy the
world body.

The junta's disregard for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his special
envoy for Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, will be at center stage this week, when
Gambari visits that sad land. As in his previous visits, Gambari can be
expected to implore the same generals who callously turned away offers of
relief for cyclone victims last spring to release political prisoners and
bring about a reconciliation with the National League for Democracy, the
overwhelming winner of the last free elections held in Burma, in 1990.

But Gambari's mission is not merely to beg junta leaders for goodwill
gestures. His mandate from the UN General Assembly lists two clear and
measurable "indicators of achievement" for the year 2008. One is to obtain
the release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest
- and of other political prisoners from prison. The second is to bring
about "reopening of the offices of the National League for Democracy
throughout the country."

If Gambari fails to fulfill this mandate, he should explain why. The UN
should then seek more effective means of protecting citizens of Burma from
a regime that murders and rapes its own people and conscripts more child
soldiers than any other country. In place of fruitless dialogue, the UN
will have to explore an arms embargo, banking sanctions, and serious
pressure from Burma's Asian neighbors.

____________________________________

August 16, Irrawaddy
Danish viewpoint merits debate - Yeni

In a recent interview, Denmark's Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla
Tørnæs said economic sanctions on Burma and a tourism boycott are
counterproductive and suggested the country would benefit from more
tourists and trade with the world.

Considering the political orientation of the Burmese army and its
all-dominant position within the country, her argument should provide the
latest impulse for critical, constructive debate about how the
international community can assist in creating an environment in which
positive change—both political and economic—is possible.

Nowadays, all can agree engagement with the regime and sanctions against
it have been largely ineffectual. Sanctions have not been universally
applied, for instance, because of unfavorable attitudes in the region and
politics in the UN Security Council. Even in the Western camp there have
been differences in approach between the US and the EU, as witnessed in
the remarks by Ulla Tørnæs.

Meanwhile, Burma's regional trading partners—China, India and members of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who prioritize regional
stability and economic progress—have eagerly filled any gap in Burmese
trade and business, arguing that engaging the junta will be more
productive in the long run than isolating it through sanctions.

Countries that promote trade with Burma can, however, only contribute to
status quo stability—not produce economic progress. Nor can they be
expected to press for democratization.

The people who have been struggling to survive under decades-long
oppression are now saying: “Enough is enough.” They are fed up with the
military government's mismanagement of an economy in which per capita GDP
is less than half of that in Cambodia or Bangladesh. They eagerly want to
rebuild a new nation politically, socially, and economically under the
name of "good governance."

That is why the citizens of Burma are trying hard to find a way or a
design to bridge the gap among all responsible stakeholders in maintaining
pressure for tangible reforms.

The call for a boycott of travel to Burma by opposition groups led by Aung
San Suu Kyi is related to human rights abuses, such as forced labor and
relocations involved in beautifying historical cities such as Pagan,
Mrauk-U and Mandalay and to make way for tourism development, such as
hotels, airports and golf courses.

Instead of trying to gain a better image through working for national
reconciliation and practising universal values, Burma's ruling generals
complain that sanctions and the support for international pressure given
by the opposition National League for Democracy and its leader, Suu Kyi,
have systematically weakened the economy by limiting trade, investment and
foreign aid.

It is not wrong for Ulla Tørnæs to want to see the Burmese have a better
life and for their country to develop economically. These needs, however,
are related not to the "bad" policies of the Burmese opposition but to the
regime’s current policies, which ignore the wellbeing of Burma and its
people.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

August 16, All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU)
Arrest of student activists

(1) Burmese Military regime’s intelligence officials and the authorities
had forcibly entered and searched some houses in Rangoon, where members of
the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) were staying, at night
of August 7, 2008.

(2) After the searches, three members of ABFSU, Aung Kyaw (Rangoon Western
University), Htain Lin (University of Education, Rangoon) and Chit Tun
Lwin (Maubin University), two members of the 88 Generation Students, Mar
Mar Oo and Myo Thant, and three visitors were arrested by the authorities.

(3) It has been 11 days from the date of arrest. Family members are not
informed yet by the authorities, where they are being detained, what they
are being faced, and whether they are alive or not. Therefore, all family
members, friends and relatives of the arrestees are very much concerned.
(4) All Burma Federation of Students (ABFSU) is greatly concerned about
the missing students, who were brought by the authorities to an unknown
location while they all are working for the benefit of the people,
students and youths.

(5) Emergence of national reconciliation dialogue among all stake-holders
is importantly required in Burma today to address all social, economic and
political crises by peaceful means. We, ABFSU, strongly denounce the
Burmese military regime for its continued human rights violations and
arrest of democracy activists, instead of moving towards national
reconciliation.

(6) We demand the Burmese military regime to stop its unlawful, unfair and
illegal arrest of student activists, and to release the current arrestees,
three members of the ABFSU, two members of the 88 Generation Students and
three visitors immediately.

We also warn the military regime that it will be sole responsible for any
physical and psychological impacts on these arrestees.

All Burma Federation of Student Unions
Announcement 6/2008
Contact: abfsu.07 at gmail.com and abfsu2007 at gmail.com