BurmaNet News, August 27, 2008

[Editor]

August 27, 2008 Issue # 3543


INSIDE BURMA
Irrawaddy: Arrested monks held in Rangoon detention center
Irrawaddy: More deaths reported from famine in Chin State
DVB: Lack of funds threatens Free Burma Rangers’ aid efforts
DVB: Bogalay farmers threatened with land confiscation
IMNA: Flooding leads to increase in price of fish

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan News: Eleven Burmese released prisoners languish in Ragamati jail

BUSINESS / TRADE
Narinjara News: Burmese Foreign Minister to attend Bimstec in New Delhi
AFP: Myanmar to hold gems auction despite trading ban

ASEAN
Mizzima News: Cambodian MP urges UN, ASEAN to fulfill Burma promise

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: Global, Asean intervention needed on Suu Kyi case: AIPMC
Xinhua: Indonesia says Gambari mission has not failed in Myanmar

INTERNATIONAL
DVB: Politicians defend Daw Suu for not meeting envoy

OPINION / OTHER
The Nation (Thailand): Samak's remarks on Burma do more damage (Editorial)
Asian Tribune: George Bush’s legacy in Burma – Nehginpao Kipgen
Washington Post: U.N. Farce Diplomacy comforts the dictators of Burma
(Editorial)
Irrawaddy: Dialogue Suu Kyi’s real motive – Kyaw Zwa Moe
Asia Times: The UN at dead-end in Myanmar – Larry Jagan


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INSIDE BURMA

August 27, Irrawaddy
Arrested monks held in Rangoon detention center – Min Lwin

Two young monks arrested at their Rangoon monastery on Saturday are being
held at Insein interrogation center, according to colleagues.

A senior monk told The Irrawaddy that Burmese police and local authorities
arrested the two monks, Damathara and Nandara, at Thardu monastery in
Rangoon’s Kyimyindaing Township. He said it wasn’t known why they were
arrested.

Meanwhile, the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma)—the AAPP—reported on Tuesday that at least seven
detained monks, including U Gambira, leader of the All Burma Monks
Association (ABMA), are in poor health. Three had been tortured and
stripped of their monks’ robes, the AAPP said.

The AAPP said on Wednesday that 196 monks were among Burma’s more than
2,000 political prisoners.

One prominent prisoner, Ashin Gambira, leader of the All Burma Monks’
Alliance (ABMA), had been disrobed by the authorities and appeared in
court on August 20 charged with offences he allegedly committed in the
aftermath of the September 2007 uprising, the AAPP said.

Gambira’s lawyer, Aung Thein, told The Irrawaddy that the charges are
connected with immigration laws, contacting banned organizations, illegal
contacts with foreign organizations through the Internet and other
offenses.

Pyinnya Jota, a leading ABMA member who fled to Thailand in February,
said: “The military government never respects monks, the sons of Buddha,
if they affect the government’s interests.”

Several thousand monks led last September’s massive pro-democracy
demonstrations, which were brutally suppressed by the military.

____________________________________

August 27, Irrawaddy
More deaths reported from famine in Chin State – Lawi Weng

Famine deaths are still being reported from a region of Burma’s
northwestern Chin State, where inhabitants of 45 villages are being forced
to forage for food in the jungle because their rice stocks have been lost
to a plague of rats.

The villages are in the State’s Tlangtlang Township, the worst-hit area.

More than 40 children have already died in the famine, according to Chin
humanitarian groups in exile.

Many of the children died from food poisoning as a result of eating plants
foraged in the jungle.

"The people are hungry, so they are eating whatever they can find in the
forest," said a Christian missionary in Vawng Tu village.

Exiled Chin groups say the famine is affecting about 20 percent of the
state’s population, or at least 100,000 people. Many are leaving for Chin
State towns or even neighboring Bangladesh in search of food and
assistance.

Several UN agencies and international non-government organizations are
working on a relief program for the region. They hope to launch the
six-month program in early September.

____________________________________

August 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Lack of funds threatens Free Burma Rangers’ aid efforts – Khin Maung Soe Min

Relief efforts by the Free Burma Rangers to help cyclone victims in the
Irrawaddy delta are under threat due to funding shortages, according to an
FBR official speaking on condition of anonymity.

But the official said the group’s work would continue despite the lack of
funds.

"We are not going to stop providing help these victims – we will continue
with it with whatever we can get from the donors. We will do as much as we
can," he said.

"What we need to do now for them is a reconstruction plan. We have to help
people rebuild their schools and hospitals and redevelop the farmlands."

Unlike other aid groups, FBR do not have legal permission to be inside
Burma so they have to be careful to avoid confrontation with authorities,
the official said.

"Authorities have been harassing our relief efforts recently, but we
haven’t yet heard of any of our members being arrested by them," he said.

FBR have been helping cyclone victims in the Irrawaddy delta since the
cyclone hit in early May this year.

The official said the group is also providing direct help to victims of
the food crisis in Chin state.

"We are carrying out rice distribution plans for the victims in Chin
state's Palatwa township,” the official said.

“We send cash to our members in the area who secretly distribute food to
local villagers."

____________________________________

August 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Lack of funds threatens Free Burma Rangers’ aid efforts – Khin Maung Soe Min

Relief efforts by the Free Burma Rangers to help cyclone victims in the
Irrawaddy delta are under threat due to funding shortages, according to an
FBR official speaking on condition of anonymity.

But the official said the group’s work would continue despite the lack of
funds.

"We are not going to stop providing help these victims – we will continue
with it with whatever we can get from the donors. We will do as much as we
can," he said.

"What we need to do now for them is a reconstruction plan. We have to help
people rebuild their schools and hospitals and redevelop the farmlands."

Unlike other aid groups, FBR do not have legal permission to be inside
Burma so they have to be careful to avoid confrontation with authorities,
the official said.

"Authorities have been harassing our relief efforts recently, but we
haven’t yet heard of any of our members being arrested by them," he said.

FBR have been helping cyclone victims in the Irrawaddy delta since the
cyclone hit in early May this year.

The official said the group is also providing direct help to victims of
the food crisis in Chin state.

"We are carrying out rice distribution plans for the victims in Chin
state's Palatwa township,” the official said.

“We send cash to our members in the area who secretly distribute food to
local villagers."

____________________________________

August 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Bogalay farmers threatened with land confiscation – Khin Hnin Htet

Farmers in cyclone-hit Bogalay township in Irrawaddy division have said
that local authorities are threatening to confiscate their land if they do
not grow any rice this year.

The farmers have faced severe problems restarting farming on the land
after Cyclone Nargis struck the region in May, destroying their paddy
fields, and they have struggled with a lack of equipment and financial
support.

Now U Tun Aung Khaing, chairman of Kyeinchaunggyi rice depot and the
village authority chairman are reportedly threatening to confiscate the
paddy fields from farmers who do not grow rice this year.

Kyeinchaunggyi depot buys rice from farmers in 41 villages in the area.

A farmer from Shwetoo village said locals were doing their best to sow
paddy from the seeds sold to them by the local authorities, but the seeds
the bought were all dead and they cannot afford to buy replacements.

The farmer told DVB that village farmers needed money to buy paddy seeds
and fuel from the authorities.

“For rice seeds, they set the price at 450 kyat a bag. A bag is only 5
seik [about 5-8 kg],” the farmer said.

“They cut 3,200 kyat a gallon for oil. A gallon is only 5 bottles. The
tillers have no wheels, they told us to find them ourselves. Where can we
find them?”

The farmer said the villagers had not received any support from the
government since the cyclone hit.

“We have never received anything free from them,” the farmer said.

“When the storm struck, our possessions were lost and we had nothing left,
we have been wasting our time waiting and waiting for something from
them,” he went on.

“Now, we are being forced to [grow rice] but we have lost all we had and
can do nothing but sit around like [tree] stumps.”

The farmer gave an example of buffalo which were donated or forcibly taken
from other regions of Burma to help the farmers plough their paddy fields.

“I told them: ‘The buffalo never reached us. Our tract chairman and a
person called Maung Kala have rented them out’,” the farmer said.

“They took these buffalo to their paddy fields and employed there first,
and recorded them on the list as dead animals. I don’t know where all the
buffalo have gone.”

The farmer said almost all the plants in the paddy fields had died and the
locals had no plans to sow any more paddy seeds.

“We can’t plant anything as the few things we had left have been wiped
out. We all have had to stop our activities,” he said.

“Even though they are threatening us, we will all just stop our activities
in defiance.”

The farmer said that even if the farmers did sow more seeds, it was
unlikely that the plants would survive.

“Even if these paddy seeds are sown in the paddy fields, after four or
five days the plants are not there anymore,” the farmer said.

“The water is polluted, so the plants die from being attacked by
chemicals. Normally at this time of year, there is no grass in the paddy
fields. Now, there is more grass,” he said.

“The rotten grass, the rotten human corpses and the rotten buffalo cause
the earth to become uncultivable.”

Despite these difficulties, the farmers are still coming under pressure to
grow more crops.

“The village heads are threatening to confiscate our paddy fields by
various means and forcing us to work on the fields but people can’t do
it,” the farmer said.

“I was told that they have announced they will confiscate the paddy fields
if people are unable to work on them.”

____________________________________

August 27, Independent Mon News Agency
Flooding leads to increase in price of fish – Non Dae

Sale of fish has dropped considerably in Rangoon given the soaring prices
following the flooding of ponds and rivers in Irrawaddy and Pegu last
week.

According to wholesalers in Kyimyintdaing and Insein Township, they are
unable to sell huge amounts like before because customers are favouring
vegetables after fish prices have gone up.

The retail rate has also decreased by two- thirds from the previous price
in Rangoon after despatch from Irrawaddy and Pegu declined. The Fisheries
Department for fish and prawns overflowed in the previous week.

The price of Hamilton's carp fish is about 3,700 Kyat per viss at the
retail level and 3,800 to 3,900 Kyat per viss on the wholesale level.

A fish wholesaler said "We don't dare to bring large amounts to sell to
the market. We are afraid customers will not buy due to the high price".

The government has announced that the cost of fish has decreased, but in
reality its price in the market is 300 Kyat higher.

Due to the flooding, the price has increased. Currently the smallest prawn
is 1,000 per viss and mid-sized ones are 8,000 Kyat per viss.

Woman residents in Pegu Town said, "Fish in the lakes were affected due to
floods during heavy rains.”

After the price rise of fish people are increasingly buying vegetables and
only buy small amounts of fish and prawn.

The Burmese regime tried to produce fish by allowing pisciculture in paddy
fields and small lakes in Pegu Division and Mon State. It tried it on
about 400 acres of paddy fields in Pegu and about 100 acres in southern
Mon State, according to The New Light of Myanmar.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 27, Kaladan News
Eleven Burmese released prisoners languish in Ragamati jail

Eleven Burmese nationals are languishing in prison after finishing their
term in Ragamati jail, in Bangladesh because the Burmese junta did not
receive them. They are called "released prisoners" in Bangladesh,
according to a person who was released recently.

The released prisoners (RP) want go back to Burma but the Burmese
government is not accepting them. Therefore their future is uncertain in
Bangladesh.

The 11 Burmese nationals were arrested by Bangladesh authorities from
Bilai Sara uparzilar for illegal entry. Initially three persons were
arrested and later eight from the market.  They were sent to Ragamati
court where they were sentenced to one year in jail.

The released prisoners are identified as Shab Meah (30), son of late Zalal
Ahmed, from Yaung Chaung villge,  Nur Alam( 30), son of late Abdur
Rahaman, Khitar Bill, Md. Hamid (28), son of late Siddik Ahamed . All
these three belong to Buthidaung Township and were arrested from Faruia
Bazaar of Bilia Sara upazila on June 24, 2006.  Later, they were sent to
court on June 25. Their case was filed on June 24, 2006 and their GR
number is 139/06 to July 31, 2007.

The other eight released  prisoners are Md Rafique (20), son of Shari
Hussain, from Khitar Bill, Md. Younus (20), son of late Kala Meah, Habib
Ullah (20), son of Sayed Alam, Abdu Sukkur (20), son of late Saley Ahamed,
Abul Hasim (20), son of late Kasim, Md Hussain (18), son of late Hamid
Hasan. All the arrestees hail from Buthidaung Township and another Sayed
Yousuf (18), son of Abdu Khalek is from Bawli Bazaar of Maungdaw Township.
They were arrested by Bangladesh authorities on December 30, 2007 and sent
to jail on December 31, 2008. In Bilia Sara police station, their case was
filed December 30, 2007 and their GR number is GR 390/07. Their jail term
was completed on June 30, 2008.

If the released prisoners are transferred to Cox's Bazaar jail their
relatives can go and meet them. Though Bangladesh authorities sent letters
to the Burmese authorities regarding the released prisoners there was no
response, according to Rafique who lives in Ragamati.

On the other side, there are around 300 released prisoners are waiting in
other jails in Bangladesh for their return home, if Burmese junta clears
to accept them as citizen.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 27, Narinjara News
Burmese Foreign Minister to attend Bimstec in New Delhi

Burmese Foreign Minister U Nyan Win is expected to attend the foreign
minister level Bimstec meeting to be held in New Delhi, India, on Friday,
29 August, said a report.
The meeting is intended to forge stronger ties and map out transportation
and trade links. Foreign ministers from Bangladesh, Burma, India,
Thailand, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand will attend the meeting.

According to the report, the ministers from the seven Bimstec countries
will be discussing methods of cooperation in 13 sectors, including
transportation, energy, tourism, terrorism, trade, and investment.

The meeting will also be used to highlight India's proposal to establish a
joint weather and climate center, as well as an energy center.

The issues of global climate change and the food and energy crises will
also be discussed.

Bimstec, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation, was formed by five countries - Thailand, India,
Burma, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka - in 1997. Nepal and Bhutan later joined
the group as members.

____________________________________

August 27, Agence-France Presse
Myanmar to hold gems auction despite trading ban

Military-run Myanmar announced Wednesday it would hold a mid-year auction
of precious gems in Yangon, despite economic sanctions banning their
international trade.

Jade, pearls and precious gems will be among the lots on sale, an official
said.

‘The mid-year emporium will be held in the coming October. We cannot
release detailed information for now,’ an official from the Myanma Gems
Enterprise told AFP.

‘The sales will be based on a competitive bidding system as usual,’ he added.

Myanmar last held a gems auction in June in the immediate aftermath of a
deadly cyclone that swept the country's south, leaving 138,000 people dead
or missing.

At a previous sale in March, 7,700 lots were sold, valued at more than 100
million euros (153 million dollars).

Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries, is the source of some of
the globe's most beautiful rubies. Each auction brings in more than 100
million dollars, making it a key source of revenue for the ruling junta.

The United States blocked imports of Myanmar's gems in July, passing new
legislation to prevent the gems entering US markets via third-party
countries.

Europe also intensified economic sanctions on the regime after a deadly
crackdown on pro-democracy protesters last year, while Washington and
human rights groups have urged gem buyers to boycott the sales.

Myanmar's two biggest customers, neighbouring China and Thailand, have
continued to attend the frequent gem auctions.

____________________________________
ASEAN

August 27, Mizzima News
Cambodian MP urges UN, ASEAN to fulfill Burma promise – Mungpi

A Cambodian Parliamentarian on Wednesday called on the Secretary Generals
of the United Nations and Association of Southeast Asian Nations to
fulfill their promise on Burma by initiating a new approach to finding a
political solution for the country.

Son Chhay, Chairperson of Committee on Foreign Affairs, International
Cooperation and Media of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia,
in separate letters on Wednesday reminded both the Secretary Generals of
UN and ASEAN the need for them to abide by their promises on Burma.

"They have both promised to look into the sufferings of the Burmese people
and find a solution to the crisis. But till date there is no solid
evidence that the promise has been kept or put into practice," Son Chhay
told Mizzima over telephone.

Son Chhay, who is also the Chairperson of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary
Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) Cambodia Chapter, said it is a matter of deep
concern for the international community to hear reports about detained
Burmese democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi living without food.

"I believe that she [Aung San Suu Kyi] is on hunger strike
 I think it is
the right time to remind them [UN and ASEAN General Secretaries], that
they must abide to their promise," Son Chhay.

Reports said Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under detention for the last
12 of 18 years, has refused to accept food supplies since mid-August,
though the reason for her refusal is still not known.

A Burmese political party in exile told Mizzima earlier that Aung San Suu
Kyi might be on hunger strike demanding direct talks with the ruling
generals with regard to the ensuing 2010 general elections.

But spokesperson of her party – the National League for Democracy – Nyan
Win said they could not confirm the information as they lack communication
with their detained leader.

Son Chhay said Ban Ki-moon should realize that the current process of
interaction with the Burmese military junta is not leading to a solution
but is strengthening their rule.

Though Gambari had visited military-ruled country several times, there has
been no productive outcome, Son Chhay said, adding that he agrees with
Aung San Suu Kyi's decision not to meet the UN envoy during his last
visit.

"We want a more serious action. Perhaps, the UN Secretary General should
appoint somebody else," he added.

He said, Gambari had not been very effective or capable of producing any
positive solution to the problems of Burma.

"I think it is about time that we find someone who is more capable," Son
Chhay added.

And similarly, Son Chhay urged the ASEAN Secretary General, Surin
Pitsuwan, to pay a personal visit to Burma and find a realistic solution
to the political crisis in the country.

Meanwhile, the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), in a
press statement released on Wednesday expressed its concern over reports
of Aung San Suu Kyi refusing food.

The AIPMC called on the UN and ASEAN to intervene and to ensure that Aung
San Suu Kyi is given necessary attention.

The group urged the ASEAN Secretary-General to personally visit Aung San
Suu Kyi and conduct a comprehensive assessment on her health.

"The Secretary General should also look into the reasons as to why she is
refusing her food supply," the statement said.

The group also said Aung San Suu Kyi's refusal to meet visiting UN Special
Envoy Ibrahim Gambari last week is "an indication that his mandate is
failing."

____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 27, Irrawaddy
Global, Asean intervention needed on Suu Kyi case: AIPMC – Saw Yan Naing

Influential international and regional leaders should act immediately to
help detained Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi get her message out
to the world, according to a leading rights group.

Speaking with The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Roshan Jason, executive director
and spokesperson for Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC),
said, “We don’t know what Suu Kyi’s intentions are. She could be refusing
food for many reasons. It may be a protest. But, if there is a problem, we
cannot find out.

“Suu Kyi is not a criminal. We must at least allow her to have a voice.
She cannot be cut off from the world.

“We are calling for international intervention from Asean’s
secretary-general and the UN secretary-general to get involved,” he added.
“The very least they should do is check her status—is she really on hunger
strike?”

In a statement released on Wednesday, AIPMC urged UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-Moon, as well as Surin Pitsuwan, the general-secretary of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to pay visits to Burma and
meet with Suu Kyi as soon as possible.

The statement said that Suu Kyi’s refusal to receive UN Special Envoy
Ibrahim Gambari during his visit to Burma last week was a sign that his
mandate is failing.

A comprehensive assessment of Suu Kyi’s health must be carried out as soon
as possible, the statement concluded, adding that the secretary-general of
Asean should also look into the reasons as to why she may be refusing her
food supplies.

Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 13 of the past 19 years under house
arrest, has reportedly refused to accept food supplies since August 15.
Some observers have suggested she is on hunger strike.

The AIPMC also reminded the UN and Asean that the continued well-being of
Suu Kyi is vital to achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict in
Burma.

Meanwhile, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who met with
Ibrahim Gambari on Wednesday, said that the UN envoy’s mission to Burma
had not failed yet, and that the “Group of Friends on Myanmar” still
supported his role.

____________________________________

August 27, Xinhua
Indonesia says Gambari mission has not failed in Myanmar

Indonesia considered that the UN mission in Myanmar carried out by its
special envoy Ibrahim Gambari has not failed yet, supporting the envoy to
continue its mission with the support of the Focus Group, Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

President Susilo made the statement at the State Palace during his meeting
with the envoy, whom left Myanmar at week end. In his latest mission,
Gambari failed to establish dialogue between the military Junta and
detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The president (Susilo) said that this mission only fail if all of us
quit," state spokesman Dino Patti Djalal told a press conference after the
meeting.

During the meeting the president, who has experienced difficulty in
addressing a rebellion in the country, said that the issue of Myanmar was
difficult to solve but it was a great challenge.

"As our experience in handling Aceh rebellion, there was a setback. The
key to handling this business is never give up," President Susilo quoted
by state spokesman as saying.

Dino said that Indonesia kept supporting U.N. mission in Myanmar
especially under a difficult situation.

"President Susilo said that Indonesia wanted Gambari to keep plying his
constructive role under the support of the Focus Group," he said.

Among the member of the Focus Group are Indonesia, China and Myanmar.

"The president hopes for a resumption of dialogue between the Myanmar
government and Aung San Suu Kyi," said Dino.

As a member of the Focus Group, Indonesia would continue to help settle
dispute in Myanmar, said the spokesman.

Moreover, President Susilo would keep communicating with Myanmar leader
General Tan Shwe to find the best solution of the dispute, said Dino.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 27, Democratic Voice of Burma
Politicians defend Daw Suu for not meeting envoy – Khin Hnin Htet

The secretary of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament has
defended Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for not meeting United Nations special envoy
Ibrahim Gambari during his recent visit to Burma.

CRPP secretary U Aye Thar Aung said the National League for Democracy
leader’s stance was a protest at the lack of progress made by the UN in
bringing the Burmese junta to the negotiating table.

"I think it is reasonable for Daw Suu not to agree to meet [Gambari] since
the government has shown no will to take steps towards national
reconciliation," U Aye Thar Aung said.

"We see the matter of Daw Suu refusing to meet Mr. Gambari as an indirect
message to the UN and the SPDC of what she wanted to say."

The Burmese regime has presented Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s refusal to meet
Gambari as evidence that she is not willing to engage in reconciliation
efforts.

But U Aye Thar Aung said that stronger UN efforts were needed to bring
about genuine dialogue.

"Gambari needs to push the SPDC for dialogue between the NLD, Daw Suu,
ethnic groups and the SPDC based on his findings from his previous talks
with them in order to make national reconciliation happen," U Aye Thar
Aung said.

"He should make full use of his UN authority to make it happen," he went on.

"The problems Burma is facing now could be easily resolved if Daw Suu and
Than Shwe could have a talk."

Veteran politician Thakin Chan Htun said he disagreed with the way the
junta had set up the situation with Gambari’s aides calling out to Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi from outside her house.

"It was unethical for Mr Gambari to ask people who were with him to call
out Daw Suu from in front of her house – it was nonsense," he said.

"They could have just asked for permission to go inside the gates, but
instead they just made a scene there with the loudspeakers and took photos
of it – it all looked like a set-up."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

August 27, The Nation (Thailand)
Samak's remarks on Burma do more damage – Editorial

The PM adds more salt to the wounds by openly endorsing junta's planned
2010 elections

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's recent comments on Burma were
ridiculous, even bordering on absurdity. It showed his total ignorance of
the situation, and worse yet, he seems to be completely blind to the
ongoing efforts by the international community, especially the UN, to
bring peace and stability to one of the world's most backward countries.
His latest comments added salt to the wound created by his earlier
remarks, which also tarnished Thailand's reputation as a democracy.

Samak showed sadistic tendencies when he started criticising the West for
demanding that Aung San Suu Kyi be released from her 12-year-long house
arrest. He has completely ignored the reality inside Burma, and even very
foolishly observed that the West could have a deeper level of discussions
with the junta if the opposition party's leader was not part of the
scheme. Obviously Samak forgot that Suu Kyi and her party, National League
of Democracy, won the 1990 elections by a landslide, but that the military
junta refused to recognise their victory.

He also forgot that over the past two decades, the junta has imposed
stringent rules over its citizens, building up a tight police state where
the public is under constant surveillance. When the Buddhist monks and
students took to the streets in September last year to rally against the
junta, they were met with force. Asean came out with the strongest
statement in its history condemning one of its members, but the junta
remained unrepentant.

Now, the junta is moving confidently ahead in imposing its political
roadmap on the Burmese people by passing a new constitution in May and
planning national elections in 2010. Meanwhile, Samak continues to
completely ignore Burma's hunger for democracy.
Thailand has had to support more than two million refugees and migrant
workers escaping hardship and oppression in their country. The Thai
administration obviously does not realise that making Burma a democracy
would be beneficial because the people would want to return home. As the
leader of Thailand, Samak should have understood that it is democracy that
gave him power in the first place.

However, when he met UN special envoy for Burma Ibrahim Gambari, Samak
ended up openly endorsing the junta's planned 2010 election, saying
naively that he would talk the junta into allowing outside observers.
Samak should have realised that there is no way anybody could influence
the junta.

When the international community wanted to help victims of Cyclone Nargis
in early May, the junta was recalcitrant. At first, it blocked outside
assistance out of fear of intervention, whereas immediate aid could have
saved thousands of lives. After repeated assurances by Asean, some
international organisations were allowed in. Now, it appears that the
junta benefited handsomely from the tricky foreign policy exchange
regulations, which enabled the authorities to put millions in their
pockets. It is uncertain how much money they have made off with, but the
real picture will emerge soon. Already, the news has had an adverse effect
on potential sources of assistance.

It is obvious that Samak's stance on Burma will have huge ramifications on
Thailand and its standing in the global community. Samak has always been
quick to jump on any chance that would help him maintain power, even if it
means serving as a front man for a convicted criminal liked Thaksin
Shinawatra. Whether or not Samak can continue as prime minister in the
weeks ahead, he has already created enough ways to further isolate
Thailand. Worse yet, it would further affect the role of the Asean chair
over the next 16 months.

With such a strong endorsement of the Burmese junta, it is now possible
that some of the Asean dialogue partners would seek to boycott the
meetings scheduled in December in Bangkok. Perhaps we should expect more
diplomatic disasters if Samak continues as prime minister.

____________________________________

August 27, Asian Tribune
George Bush’s legacy in Burma – Nehginpao Kipgen

With just less than 3 months away from the 2008 U.S. presidential
election, campaigns for the office of a free world leader takes hectic
turns: issues ranging from economy to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and
lately a reminiscence of cold war confrontation in the former Soviet
Republic.

Amidst world political tensions, Burma analysts and observers have begun
to question if the Bush’s eight years in office have done enough to
advance a democratic change in ethnically diverse Burma. Interestingly,
there have been positive developments and frustrating moments.

The military leaders, generally paranoid toward the westerners, may be
short of words to compliment the Bush’s administration. Reactions from the
democratic opposition, however, are obviously mixed – some have been
upbeat with the traditional sanctions while others are skeptical about its
implications.

Digging the history of U.S. foreign policy on Burma, George Bush is
undeniably seen to be one of the only U.S. Presidents to have taken a
tough stance on the military junta. In fact, some unprecedented
initiatives have been either implemented or at least attempted. The
Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 and the 2008 Tom Lantos Block
Burmese JADE Act are some examples.

Moreover, the White House invitation of a number of dissidents on 31st
October 2005 and on 12th June 2007 was a landmark development. A luncheon
meeting with a group of activists at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in
Bangkok on August 7, 2008 was also a significant indication of solidarity
as it happened just a day before the 20th anniversary of the infamous
8.8.88 uprising.

Some observers may be deriding the futility of all those meetings as photo
ops or largely symbolic. Nonetheless, whenever leader of a superpower
nation takes time to sit down with advocates of democracy and human
rights, it always sends a strong message to the military regime and the
international community that Burma’s democracy movement is not forgotten.

Persistent personal interest taken by the First Lady is also a historic
phenomenon. While bringing democracy may be the eventual goal, her deep
concerns for noble laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is believed to be
instrumental in Laura Bush’s passionate involvement.

When it comes to the U.S. Congress, there has been a consistent trend of
overwhelming support for the Burmese democratic movement. Though they may
be sharply divided along partisan lines on several other issues, the
Democrats and Republicans coalesced together when it comes to Burma’s
democratic movement. The unanimity shown to honor Aung San Suu Kyi with
the U.S. highest civilian award - Congressional Gold Medal - on April 24,
2008 was remarkable.

During the eight years of Bush’s presidency, Burma issue was tabled as
formal agenda at the U.N. Security Council on 15th September 2006. A good
number of briefings and statements have also been made at the Council. The
two significant presidential statements were released on 11th October 2007
and 2nd May 2008. Though some dubbed John Bolton as blunt and stubborn at
times, he’s emphatic statements were likened by many Burmese observers.

It is during this administration that a maximum number of Burmese asylum
seekers and refugees were admitted into the United States despite the
administrative hurdles as a result of US Patriot Act of 2001 and the Real
ID Act of 2005. It is also during this administration that the plights of
Burma’s ethnic minorities have gotten wider international community’s
attention.

Regardless of what the differing views are, President Bush’s legacy in
Burma’s democratic movement may be described in a single line as: ‘a
policy too much emphasis on the sticks and too little on the carrots’. His
approaches were sincere, but largely inefficacious.

Had the international community taken a concerted strategy, a different
Burma could have been seen today. Although the Bush legacy in Burma may
not be at a level many wished to see happen, he and his administration
will be remembered as one of the staunchest supporters in the history of
Burma’s democratic movement.

Nehginpao Kipgen is the General Secretary of US-based Kuki International
Forum (www.kukiforum.com) and a researcher on the rise of political
conflicts in modern Burma (1947-2004).

____________________________________

August 27, Washington Post
U.N. Farce Diplomacy comforts the dictators of Burma – Editorial

IT HAS BEEN ALMOST a year since the world was stirred by thousands of
Burmese monks and ordinary people taking to the streets to demand freedom
-- and being bloodily crushed by one of the world's cruelest regimes.
Governments everywhere proclaimed that such violence and repression could
not stand, and they insisted that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon do
something. Mr. Ban sent his special envoy on a mission with explicit
goals: Secure the release of democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners, and help the National League for Democracy (NLD) to
reopen offices throughout the country. The envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, just
finished sixth fruitless mission to Burma, and it is clear now that U.N.
diplomacy has become a cover for inaction, not a pathway to reform.

Aung San Suu Kyi performed an extraordinary act of bravery during Mr.
Gambari's most recent trip. The daughter of Burma's independence hero, she
led the NLD to overwhelming victory when the regime last permitted
elections in 1990s. The junta refused to recognize the results and has
kept Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for most of the years since. Last
fall the regime promised Mr. Gambari that it would begin a dialogue with
the democracy leader and allow her to meet with NLD colleagues. But
supreme leader Gen. Than Shwe reneged on even that meager concession, and
she refused to see the U.N. envoy on his latest trip, even as he hobnobbed
with one regime crony after another. Since Aung San Suu Kyi is permitted
no communication from her confinement, we can only guess at what motivated
this snub. But it is likely that the indomitable Nobel Peace Prize winner
decided, even at the price of intensifying her own frightful isolation,
not to give further legitimacy to a process that was only dignifying the
regime.

Not surprisingly, as Than Shwe has intensified the crackdown in his own
country -- and, let's not forget, refused international aid for victims of
Cyclone Nargis this spring -- U.N. and other international officials have
decided to blame the victim. The prime minister of Thailand, which
cultivates its own ties with the corrupt regime, on Monday urged other
leaders to forget about Aung San Suu Kyi. A fig leaf of international
process comforts the regime, those who trade with it -- and those who give
flowery speeches about democracy but resist action, such as an arms
embargo. It is time for Mr. Ban to say that he won't allow the United
Nations to be exploited and humiliated in this way.

____________________________________

August 27, Irrawaddy
Dialogue Suu Kyi’s real motive – Kyaw Zwa Moe

The burning question is: What was the real meaning and motive behind Aung
San Suu Kyi’s refusal to meet UN Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari last week?

Does it represent the first step in a new political strategy to blunt the
relentless march to the 2010 elections?

The Nobel Peace Laureate may feel that time is running out for the
country’s opposition, and the momentum is now in favor of the ruling
military regime in its effort to establish a civilian government based on
“disciplined democracy.”

There’s no doubt she sent a strong message to the world, and many
observers call it a “smart, but risky move.”

Yes, it’s smart and risky, but she had no other choice. It was time for a
bold move, and she made it.

Actually the motive is clear—to initiate an effective, long-sought direct
dialogue between her and the top military leaders. She clearly believes a
dialogue—with compromise on both sides—is the most effective chance to
establish real democracy in Burma, which she has called for since she
entered politics in 1988.

Last November, Suu Kyi sent a message through Gambari in which she again
called for direct dialogue with top military leaders, rather than with
Aung Kyi, the liaison minister appointed by the junta last year in a move
to ease mounting international pressure following the monk-led uprising in
2007 September.

Also, Suu Kyi, in the past months, has sent a specific message to the UN,
one critical of its lack of backbone in demanding a time-bound dialogue
process and sticking to substantive issues, rather than allowing itself to
be manipulated by the junta’s efforts to legitimize itself.

Nyan Win, the spokesperson for her opposition group, the National League
for democracy, quoting her when she met with seven NLD executive members
in January 2007, said, “She must be really disappointed with the UN’s
current process because of the lack of a time frame,”

Nyan Win recently told The Irrawaddy, “It would be one of causes of her
refusal to meet with the UN envoy.”

“We can’t continue to work with Mr Gambari under this condition without a
time frame,” said Nyan Win. During Gambari’s latest trip, said Nyan Win,
he discussed the upcoming elections in meetings with the NLD executive
members, and he met with junta-backed political and civil groups. “That
was not on the list of what he is supposed to do,” said Nyan Win. “It’s
outside his mission.”

Earlier, Gambari had said the UN has offered to assist in the upcoming
elections in an effort to ensure fairness and establish international
credibility. “We suggested that he not talk about the upcoming 2010
elections,” said Nyan Win. “But he said nothing about our suggestion.”

Gambari’s publically stated mission includes securing the release of all
political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, and restarting direct talks
between Suu Kyi and top junta leaders.

Nyan Win bluntly said Gambari’s latest trip was a waste of time. Marie
Okabe, a deputy spokeswoman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,
countered such criticism, calling the envoy’s visits a “process, not an
event.”

Suu Kyi must believe that she has very little time left to craft a
constructive agreement with the junta that could bring true democracy to
Burma. She knows the junta is good at using “a process” to stall. The
countdown to the 2010 elections draws nearer with each day.

Indeed, Suu Kyi has probably made a risky move, but it may be the only
chance left to alter the junta’s march to a “disciplined democracy,” a
euphemism for military rule.

________________________________

August 27, Asia Times
The UN at dead-end in Myanmar – Larry Jagan

While the United Nations heaps praise on Myanmar's ruling junta for its
collaborative spirit in dealing with the Cyclone Nargis disaster, the
military regime has made it clear that cooperation stops when it comes to
UN attempts to mediate a political breakthrough in the country.

UN special envoy to Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari's latest mission to break the
deadlock between the military junta and detained opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi ended in failure over the weekend. His ongoing efforts to
establish a dialogue between the two sides collapsed and the diplomat left
the country embarrassingly empty-handed.

Even Aung San Suu Kyi, the charismatic leader of the National League for
Democracy (NLD), refused to see him during this trip, although he had met
her on all previous visits. More crucially, Gambari, a former Nigerian
foreign minister, also failed to meet any senior members of the country's
ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

"It's clearly the end of the road for Gambari - his role as an
interlocutor is finished if he is unable to talk directly to either Aung
San Suu Kyi or [junta leader] Than Shwe," said a Western diplomat based in
Yangon. "He has no more cards to play."

Gambari's failure raises doubts about the UN's future role in Myanmar's
political impasse and perhaps other conflict resolution efforts around the
world. In an exclusive interview with Asia Times Online earlier this year
Gambari said: "It is our job, and a continuing challenge at the UN to make
the impossible possible, and will continue my efforts at mediation
regardless."

He added: "Nonetheless, I sometimes wonder whether it is realized that if
I fail, and the UN fails, this would have negative consequences for the
role of the organization in terms of mediation, conflict prevention and
peaceful resolution of conflicts, not only in [Myanmar] but throughout the
world."

Gambari was scheduled to meet Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda
and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretary general
Surin Pitsuwan after leaving Yangon. The UN had clearly hoped to build on
the goodwill generated from the joint cyclone relief efforts with ASEAN
and the Myanmar government to push its mediation agenda and encourage the
junta to make their planned transition to democracy by 2010 more credible
in the international eye.

With the UN's failure "the ball is now back in Asia's court", said
academic Win Min, an independent academic based in the northern Thai city
of Chiang Mai. "ASEAN and China have been happy to hide behind the UN. Now
they will have to take the lead to try to convince the junta to make their
roadmap credible and acceptable to the region and the international
community."

Gambari had prioritized kick-starting the stalled talks between the two
sides, pressing for the release of all political prisoners, including Aung
San Suu Kyi who is still under house arrest, and discussing the junta's
roadmap to democracy and the planned elections in 2010. He is believed to
have pressed these matters on certain government ministers, including the
prime minister, General Thein Sein, on the last day of his visit.

He also passed along a letter to Than Shwe in relation to a tentatively
planned visit by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon later this year,
according to diplomats in Yangon. "The SG has also indicated his intention
to return to Myanmar, when conditions are right, to continue his dialogue
with the Myanmar leadership," a senior UN spokesperson, Marie Okabe told
journalists earlier this week.

Gambari also met many groups nominated by the regime to brief him and
convince the envoy to endorse the regime's roadmap to democracy, which
will culminate with elections in 2010. These groups included small
splinter ethnic groups, a break-away faction of former student activists
and defectors from the NLD. He also held talks with the government-linked
Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), which was responsible
for the brutal attack on Aung San Suu Kyi five years ago and expected to
transform itself into a civilian political party before the planned 2010
elections.

Many of these organizations are likely to stand candidates in the
forthcoming elections, according to activists and diplomats in Yangon.
Senior junta leaders, including the top general Than Shwe, who are all
ensconced in their new capital Naypyidaw some 400 kilometers north of the
old capital, meanwhile kept Gambari at arm's length, as they have done on
his last two trips.

Iconic snub
The UN envoy originally planned to meet opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi
at the state guesthouse on Wednesday, but she did not show up, according
to NLD sources in Yangon. The UN envoy also sent two of his assistants to
her residence on Friday morning, but the pro-democracy leader did not
respond.

"She's making a point - that she is no longer willing to be wheeled out
like a circus act just so the regime can convey a bogus impression of
'dialogue'," according to a Western diplomat based in Yangon.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is refusing to see the UN envoy before he sees a senior
representative of the SPDC," an opposition source close to the detained
leader told Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity. "She feels there
is no point in meeting Gambari at the moment, as he has nothing from the
generals to report or offer," he said.

To certain Asian diplomats, though, Aung San Suu Kyi's actions were an
affront. "It's un-Asian to let the envoy wait in vain for her to show up,"
said a Japanese diplomat, who closely follows Myanmar. "It seems unusually
rude, to the extent that it gives the impression of being insensitive."

It will only serve to further undermine Gambari's credibility and
strengthen the regime's belief that Aung San Suu Kyi is "ill-tempered and
uncompromising", the diplomat added. Indeed the regime made the most of
the snub over their tightly controlled media, with one broadcast showing
Myanmar government officials outside her personal residence shouting to
her through a megaphone: "Mr Gambari wants to meet you."

The visit represented Gambari's sixth overall visit and fourth in the
aftermath of the regime’s brutal crackdown on Buddhist monk-led street
protests last year since replacing the previous UN envoy, Ismail Razali,
more than three years ago.

In November 2007, Gambari smuggled out and made public a letter from the
opposition leader that appealed to the country's military leaders to put
aside their differences with her and to work together on national
reconciliation for the sake of the whole country. The disclosure
infuriated the regime, who denounced her and Gambari in the state media
for weeks afterwards.

With Gambari's failure, Asian countries are expected to play a bigger
future role in seeking to influence the intransigent regime. The
international community, especially China, had exerted substantial
pressure on the junta behind the scenes to allow the UN envoy to visit the
country. He originally wanted to return to Myanmar before the constitution
referendum held in May despite the devastation caused by the Cyclone
Nargis the week before the poll was scheduled.

In recent months Indonesia has also been trying to develop an
international consensus on Myanmar at several high-level but informal
meetings at the UN in New York. Now a member of the UN Security Council
and an important ASEAN member, the Indonesians have taken a leading role
in trying to find news ways of exerting international influence on
Myanmar. Jakarta is also working closely with China, a permanent member of
the UN Security Council, and India to convince the junta they must make
their democratic roadmap credible to the international community.

"Myanmar claims to have a new constitution and these elections [planned
for 2010] will be multi-party elections, but what is important for us at
ASEAN is to ensure that a more credible process is taking place,"
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told journalists in Jakarta
earlier this week. Recently taking over as ASEAN's chair for the next 18
months, Thailand, a junta ally, will also look for ways to nudge the
junta.

Thailand's new Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag has just completed a two-day
visit to Myanmar. There is no doubt that Myanmar's roadmap featured
prominently during his talks with the regime. It is presumed he was given
a warmer reception and more candid briefing than Gambari received during
his more high-profile, and most likely, last visit.

Larry Jagan previously covered Myanmar politics for the British
Broadcasting Corp. He is currently a freelance journalist based in
Bangkok.