BurmaNet News, September 9, 2008

[Editor]

September 9, 2008 Issue # 3552


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: NLD members accused of medical offences
DVB: Cyclone refugee charged after submitting petition
Irrawaddy: More dissidents in Central Burma arrested
Irrawaddy: Commemoration of monk’s death muted in Arakan State
IMNA: Explosion in Rangoon city bus kills four
IRIN: Cyclone elderly facing tough times

BUSINESS / TRADE
Xinhua: Myanmar, Russia to jointly explore oil, gas

DRUGS
Mizzima News: Film director Mike Tee arrested

REGIONAL
Bangkok Post: Samak to ask Burma to let UN play a role in elections
Mizzima: Opposition discusses IFIs

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: Opposition in exile launches campaign against Burmese junta's
legitimacy in UN
ICP: At UN, Ingrid Betancourt urges Ban to act about Myanmar, 15 days of
silence soon to be broken

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: Appeasing the junta – the UN's dangerous detour – Kyaw Zwa Moe

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Earth Rights International


____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD members accused of medical offences – Naw Say Phaw

Six National League for Democracy members from Magwe division arrested on
6 September have now been identified, according to their colleagues from
the NLD.

In Salin township, around 70 members of the township police and Swan Arr
Shin raided the houses of Ko Thein Aung and Ko Nyein Maung and arrested
them, an NLD member said.

They were remanded in custody on Sunday and their trial is set for 19
September.

In Pyint Phyu township, Ko Kyi Htay Maung and Ko Oo from Madeh village, Ko
Than Tun from Kani village and Ko Htay Myint from Nyaungpinsaunk village
were arrested, according to MP-elect Dr Aung Moe Nyo.

“Ko Htay Myint was arrested on the 6th on the pretext that some illegal
lottery tickets were found in his bag when he was visiting Ko Kyi Htay
Maung, who had already been arrested,” Dr Aung Moe Nyo said.

“Ko Oo was with Ko Htay Myint at the time and was arrested for no reason.”

Dr Aung Moe Nyo said Than Tun and Kyi Htay Maung had been accused of
illegal possession of syringes and practising medicine without a licence.

“Their village is about 13 miles from Pwint Phyu and is not easy to travel
to – no doctor goes there,” he said.

“They have been doing their best to look after the health of local people
by giving injections, and that is why they were detained for keeping
syringes and needles.”

Dr Aung Moe Nyo said the authorities had been angry that Kyi Htay Maung
and Win Maung, who was arrested on similar charges two months ago, had led
a successful campaign against the regime’s constitution before the May
referendum.

“The authorities bear a grudge against U Win Maung and U Kyi Htay Maung
for their role in rallying people to oppose the constitution in the May
referendum,” Dr Aung Moe Nyo said.

“They were also able to encourage polling station guards and referendum
officials not to play dirty tricks, so the No campaign won a landslide
victory in U Win Maung’s Letpannwe village and Ko Kyi Htay Maung’s Madeh
village,” he said.

“It could also be that they are doing this in an effort to frighten people
as the Saffron Revolution anniversary approaches.”

Dr Aung Moe Nyo said the NLD members had been trying to help people who
had no other means of getting medical assistance.

“Everywhere in Burma there are many people who keep syringes to help
people in places were there are no doctors or medics,” Dr Aung Moe Nyo
said.

“Some of them have been trained by the health department but they are not
officially allowed give injections – they can only administer paracetamol,
Burmiton and other such medicines,” he said.

“But due to public demand they also give out analgesic injections,
vitamins and so on. They are doing it out of the desire to help rather
than for personal gain.”

____________________________________

September 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Cyclone refugee charged after submitting petition – Aye Nai

Cyclone refugee U Nyan Win has been arrested in Naypyidaw where he was
trying to secure the right for other survivors of Cyclone Nargis to remain
at refugee camps 3 and 5, according to sources close to him.

Nyan Win, who is from camp 3, collected the names, signatures and
fingerprints of 200 refugees and went to the capital to plead their case.

While he was there, three of his friends who had helped him collect the
signatures were summoned to Laputta police station and ordered to collect
the names, signatures and finger prints of 50 people on blank pieces of
paper by the region’s chief military strategist.

The three tried to refuse but were forced to carry out the orders by the
police.

Once the papers had been collected, it was written in the space above the
signatures that Nyan Win had been collecting fake signatures so that he
could illegally profit from the allocation of plots of land to the
refugees.

The letters were sent to the capital and Nyan Win was arrested at the
Buddhist monastery where he was staying.

He is now being charged with dishonesty and forgery under articles 420 and
486 of the penal code, sources said, and could face a prison sentence of
up to eight years.

The three people who were forced to collect the second round of signatures
for the police are planning to report the incident to the relevant
authorities.

A monk who joined the villagers of Yway in a signature campaign to protest
against the plan to move them forcibly to Bokone village was also summoned
to Laputta police station and interrogated five days ago, locals said.

____________________________________

September 9, Irrawaddy
More dissidents in Central Burma arrested – Saw Yan Naing

At least eight dissidents in Yenanchaung Township in Magwe Division,
central Burma, including members of the opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD), were arrested by security forces on Monday, according to
several local sources who spoke to The Irrawaddy on condition of
anonymity.

The eight arrested men were named as: Myint Wai, Win Myint Hlaing, Khin
Win, Tint Lwin, Aw Gyi (aka Win Hlaing), Than Aung, Nang Win and Maung
Maung.

The arrests appear part of an ongoing concerted campaign by Burma’s ruling
military authorities to monitor and stamp out opposition during the
anniversary of last year’s monk-led demonstrations.

Monday’s arrests follow the detention at the weekend of 10 members of the
NLD in Magwe Division’s Pwinbyu and Sinpyukyun townships, said Nyan Win, a
spokesman for the NLD.

The detained men were named as: Nyein Maung, Thein Aung, Htay Myint, Win
Maung, Kyi Htay Aung, Ko Ko Oo, Than Htun and three unidentified persons,
according to NLD sources.

The 10 dissidents are currently being detained in custody in Pwinbyu
Township and will reportedly be summoned for trial on September 19, a
youth member of the NLD said.

Several sources told The Irrawaddy that the Burmese authorities arrested
the NLD members on suspicion of involvement in the Buddhist monk-led
demonstrations in September 2007, in which the UN has said that at least
31 protesters died during a brutal crackdown by Burmese security forces.

In late August, some 11 NLD members were arrested in Rangoon’s Hlaing
Thayar Township, said sources. The authorities accused them of taking part
in last September’s uprising.

And last Friday, six more activists in Hlaing Thayar Township were arrested.

Perhaps fearing another uprising during the anniversary of last year’s
demonstrations, Burmese security forces have been deployed in many areas
around the country and are reportedly monitoring those who were involved
in the 2007 uprising, including monks.

According to Thailand-based human rights group, the Assistance Association
for Political Prisoners (Burma), more than 30 activists were arrested by
Burmese military authorities in August; 21 of who are still imprisoned.

____________________________________

September 9, Irrawaddy
Commemoration of monk’s death muted in Arakan State – Wai Moe and Saw Yan
Naing

While exiled Arakanese around the world commemorate the 69th anniversary
of the death of revered Arakanese monk Ashin Ottama, celebrations in
Sittwe, the capital of Burma’s Arakan State, have been largely subdued for
fear of a military crackdown, according to dissidents in the region.

An Arakanese student, who spoke with The Irrawaddy on Tuesday on condition
of anonymity for fears of reprisals, said uniformed Burmese soldiers and
riot police in trucks have been deployed in public areas, monasteries and
local landmarks in Sittwe.

“The authorities deployed security forces in several areas, because they
are worried that people will hold ceremonies,” he said. “Also, teachers
have been told to closely monitor their students.”

He said that security forces had been deployed around Payagyi Temple and U
Ottama Hall, two popular gathering points where local authorities suspect
ceremonies might be held.

The authorities also are tracking suspected persons, he added.

Despite beefed-up security, sources said about 1,000 t-shirts bearing the
image of Ashin Ottama have been distributed among Arakanese people.

Ashin Ottama was born in Arakan State, western Burma. As a child, he was
selected to go to England to study, but his mother refused to let him go,
insisting he become a monk.

Later, he studied in Calcutta for three years and became a lecturer in
Pali at the Bengal National College. He learned to speak several
languages. Apart from India, he traveled to Japan, China, Cambodia, Korea,
Egypt, France and several other European and Asian countries.

Ashin Ottama became renowned for his opposition to British colonial rule.
In 1918, he organized the first anti-colonial activities through the
General Council of Buddhist Associations, also employing the tactic of
boycott campaigns.

He spoke out and wrote commentaries critical of the British in the
nationalist newspaper, Suriya (“The Sun”). One of his most famous articles
was titled “Craddock Go Home,” which appeared in Suriya in 1921 as an open
letter to the then British governor, Sir Reginald Henry Craddock.

Ashin Ottama was arrested and imprisoned for 18 months, at that time the
first Burmese person to be imprisoned by the British colonial authorities
for making a political speech.

Between 1921 and 1927, the outspoken monk spent most of his time behind bars.
He died on September 9, 1939.

Despite his opposition to British rule, the Burmese military authorities
have long regarded his activities as anti-authoritarian and consequently a
danger to the government.

One notable sign of the junta’s fear of heroes such as Ashin Ottama was
after the military coup in 1988 when the regime ordered the name of U
Ottama Park, near Shwe Dagon Pagoda, changed back to its pre-war name,
Kandawmin Park.

On Tuesday, more than 200 Burmese migrant workers—mostly ethnic
Arakanese—held a ceremony in Phuket, southern Thailand, to mark the
anniversary of Ashin Ottama’s death.

During the ceremony, Khaing Ata, an Arakanese migrant worker, said, “Ashin
Ottama is not only a hero to Arakanese people, but to all Burmese. We are
very sad that the Burmese regime has attempted to black him out from our
nation’s history.”

____________________________________

September 9, Independent Mon News Agency
Explosion in Rangoon city bus kills four

Four people died when a CNG gas tank of a public air corn bus exploded in
Rangoon today morning. The dead and the injured have been removed to
hospital.

The explosion occurred at 10 am near the diamond jubilee hall of Rangoon
University in Pyay Road Kamayut Township.

According to an eyewitness at the Hletan traffic point, "The bus caught
fire after the explosion. The glass windows were shattered."

The bus was from line No-45, 4 Khakway-5481 and carrying passengers from
Sule to Shwe Pyi Tha.

The eyewitness said the bus was charred.

Traffic policemen pulled away the bus with the help of a crane to the
police station, a Rangoon resident said.

The resident said CNG gas tank was on the lower part at the rear of the
bus. The blast occurred during peak hours when people were going to office
and students were on their way to school. Some students could have been
injured in the explosion.

According to a Rangoon resident, a bus had exploded in 2006 but no one
died then.

____________________________________

September 9, IRIN News
Cyclone elderly facing tough times

Of the 2.4 million affected by Cyclone Nargis, about 700,000 people are
over 55, many of whom lost everything in the storm, according to a survey
by the NGO HelpAge International, with the most vulnerable highly
dependent on family and wider communities.
Despite that, access to emergency relief is limited, with fewer than 10
percent saying they had received any attention directed at older people as
part of the relief effort.

“There aren’t many people my age left in the village. So far I haven't
received anything provided only for older people,” Kyin Hla, who lost his
wife in the storm.

“Older people are often the missing element in relief and rehabilitation
efforts,” confirmed Richard Blewitt, chief executive of HelpAge
International.

Although the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA), report compiled by the
Myanmar government, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the
UN - which details the needs of affected communities and households –
makes special mention of their vulnerabilities, it fails to spell out the
specific interventions needed.

“Ensuring that the particular challenges and needs of this group of
persons are addressed is critical to ensuring a successful relief and
recovery programme for all the affected population,” Blewitt said.

Many older survivors rely on food provided by relief organisations or
relatives and community leaders such as monks.

Most are reliant on the food supplies of international NGOs (50 percent)
and local NGOs (9 percent), the HelpAge report states.

Close to 80 percent of respondents lost their homes in the category four
storm, while more than half report having no productive assets to sustain
themselves. Many lost their partners or primary caregivers.

Before Nargis, Kyin Hla owned 15 acres of land and was largely
self-sufficient. But after losing everything in the storm - including his
wife, two children and 18 buffaloes - Kyin Hla moved to a monastery in
Yangon so he could look after his orphaned grandson.

The monastery provides food and shelter for them, while a senior monk
takes care of his grandson's education.

“This allows us to economise our living costs,” he said, one of several
coping strategies many elderly survivors have now adopted.

Coping strategies

Thirty-five percent of those surveyed cited cutting down or skipping meals
(32 percent), not eating at all on some days (11 percent), or going to
relatives' homes (15 percent).

Though older people in Myanmar receive a considerable amount of respect in
their communities, and live with their immediate family members, 7 percent
reported to be living alone now.

Those elderly who had no children at all faced a particularly tough time,
leaving them with a strong sense of insecurity.

“The older people that don’t have any son or daughter face difficulties,”
Aung Thu, a team leader with HelpAge confirmed.

Adding to their plight is the devastating impact the cyclone has had on
their overall health.

Before Nargis, 30 percent of respondents did not suffer from any
significant illness, against 2 percent after the storm, the survey stated.

Aung Thu recalled meeting three women aged from 72 to 86 years on one of
his mobile healthcare trips to the affected area.

“The youngest of the three women had severe lung problems, but was caring
for her two older sisters,” he said.

He later learned that the woman had passed away after failing to receive
the treatment she needed.

“The two old ladies are now living with a niece in the village. I wonder
how long the other two will survive,” he asked.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

September 9, Xinhua
Myanmar, Russia to jointly explore oil, gas

A Myanmar's oil company and a Russian one will jointly explore oil and gas
in two onshore areas in Myanmar, the state-run newspaper New Light of
Myanmar reported Tuesday.

According to a production sharing contract signed last weekend between the
state-operated Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and the Closed Joint
Stock Oil Company "Nobel Oil" of the Russian Federation, the exploration
will be done in Hukaung and U-ru regions.

Other three Russian oil companies have been engaged in oil and gas
exploration in Myanmar under respective contracts since 2006. The first,
which is JSC Zarubezhneft Iteraaws along with the Sun Group of India, has
been exploring oil and gas at block M-8 lying in the Mottama offshore
area.

The other two Russian companies -- Silver Wave Sputnik Petroleum Pte Ltd
and the Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd of Kalmykia have been drilling
Zeebyutaung test well-1 at the inland block B-2in Pinlebu township of
northwestern Sagaing division under similar contract reached in March
2007.

There has been seven foreign companies operating onshore, including Essar
Oil Ltd, Focus Energy Ltd, MPRL Exploration and Production Private Ltd,
Goldpetrol, CNOOC, Sinopec Oil Company and Chinerry Assests, according to
statistics.

There exists 19 onshore oil fields in Myanmar including Yenangyaung,
Ayadaw, Chauk, Myanaung, Mann, Kyaukkhwet/Letpando, Htaukshabin, Kanni and
Nyaungdon.

Besides the onshore areas, Myanmar has abundance of natural gas resources
in the offshore areas. With three main large offshore oil and gas fields
and 19 onshore ones, Myanmar has proven recoverable reserve of 18.012
trillion cubic-feet (TCF) or 510 billion cubic-meters (BCM) out of 89.722
TCF or 2.54 trillion cubic-meters (TCM)'s estimated reserve of offshore
and onshore gas, experts said, adding that the country is also estimated
to have 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserve.

Statistics show that foreign investment in Myanmar's oil and gas sector
had reached 3.243 billion dollars in 85 projects as of the end of 2007
since the country opened to such investment in late 1988, standing the
second in the country's foreign investment sectorally after electric
power.

In 2007, foreign investment in the oil and gas sector more than tripled to
474.3 million U.S. dollars compared with 2006, accounting for 90 percent
of the total during the year which stood504.8 million, according to the
Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.

Currently, 13 foreign oil companies, mainly from Australia, Britain,
Canada, China, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and
Russia, are involved in oil and gas projects in Myanmar, according to
official sources.

____________________________________
DRUGS

September 9, Mizzima News
Film director Mike Tee arrested

Burmese military junta authorities have arrested Burma's prominent film
director Mike Tee for alleged drug abuse, sources said.

Though he was said to have been arrested last week, his whereabouts are
unknown.

Popular film director Zinyaw Maung Muang told Mizzima, "I heard that Ko
Mike Tee was arrested but I don't know anything. I don't know why he was
arrested."

According to an unconfirmed information from a source in the Ministry of
Home Affairs, director Mike Tee was found with narcotic tablets when he
was arrested.

Meanwhile, a source who claimed to have witnessed the arrest said the film
director was in a shop in front of his residence buying betel nuts, when
he was busted by plainclothes policemen. They forcibly took him away in a
vehicle.

The policemen, according to the eyewitness came in two vehicles.

However, with the film director's mobile phone switched off and his family
members not reachable, Mike Tee's arrest could not be independently
verified.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

September 9, Bangkok Post
Samak to ask Burma to let UN play a role in elections – Thanida Tansubhapol

Thailand will try to convince Burma to allow the United Nations to play a
role in its general elections scheduled for 2010, Prime Minister Samak
Sundaravej said yesterday.

Mr Samak, speaking at the Foreign Ministry yesterday, said the UN's
experience in organising elections in Cambodia and East Timor could help
Thailand's neighbour return to democracy.

The prime minister did not go into detail about what role the UN could
play in the elections in Burma. However, he stressed he would not mention
the position of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he talks with the
Burmese generals.

Thailand's proposal to Burma is expected to be tabled at the summit of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Bangkok in December.
Thailand is now chairman of the 10-nation grouping.

The government is waiting for a new foreign minister to replace Tej
Bunnag, who resigned from his post last week.

Saroj Chavanaviraj was royally endorsed as the new foreign minister
yesterday, but will not start work until taking the oath with His Majesty
the King. The career diplomat is the third foreign minister in the
administration led by Mr Samak, who has only been in office since Jan 29.

Noppadon Pattama resigned over the controversy involving the Preah Vihear
temple, while Mr Tej stood down after political pressure brought by street
protests against the government.

Mr Saroj, 66, served as the permanent secretary for foreign affairs for
four years and retired in 2002 after being the ambassador to France. He
was also an adviser on foreign policy to the now-defunct Council for
National Security.

____________________________________

September 9, Mizzima News
Opposition discusses IFIs – Zarni

Chiang Mai – Burmese activists in exile at a workshop discussed ways to on
how best to respond to International Financial Institutions (IFIs), who
are likely to enter the country with aid.

During a workshop held in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand from September 3
to 5 activists discussed on how to respond to the Burmese junta's monopoly
over the IFIs aids when it enters Burma.

"In the current situation, the IFIs will enter Burma and the junta will be
strengthened. So we need to study the working of these IFIs," Yuki
Akimoto, moderator of the workshop, told Mizzima.

Yuki Akimoto, a lawyer working for environmental issues and opportunities
of aid for development in Burma, said it is very much likely that the IFIs
will make an effort to help the country in the near future.

Yuki said, the likelihood of the IFIs entering into Burma is more
particularly following the natural catastrophe caused by Cyclone Nargis in
early May, Yuki said.

According to her, the IFIs include the Asia Development Bank, World Bank
and the International Monetary Fund, all of which had terminated new loans
to Burma since the late 1980s.

"IFIs might enter Burma following the 2010 general elections and the
political change thereafter. We discussed our stand on this possible
scenario and how to respond, what our future plans should be and how to
present the real situation to the IFIs," Ma Khin Ohnmar from 'Project Team
for Exploration of Alternative Development Mode ' said.

The participants deliberated on publicizing IFIs' activities in Burma,
urging IFIs to reconsider their planned loans which will strengthen the
junta's position, to let all players of Burma at home and abroad have a
say in these loan plans among others.

The participants in the workshop focused on the survey prepared by PONJA
as information was withheld in this survey by the junta and cyclone
victims did not get enough assistance.

The result of this workshop will be sent to the World Bank, Asia
Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund, organisers said.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 9, Mizzima News
Opposition in exile launches campaign against Burmese junta's legitimacy
in UN – Solomon

A coalition of Burmese political parties in exile on Tuesday said they
have launched a campaign calling on the United Nations General Assembly to
disqualify Burma's ruling junta given its illegitimacy.

New Delhi - A coalition of Burmese political parties in exile on Tuesday
said they have launched a campaign calling on the United Nations General
Assembly to disqualify Burma's ruling junta given its illegitimacy.

"We are submitting an official letter today to the UN head office that
challenges the credentials of the Burmese junta," said Myint Thein, Joint
General Secretary (1) of the National Council of the Union of Burma, a
coalition of several Burmese political activists.

The campaign is being organised and endorsed by the NCUB, Members of
Parliament Union - Burma (MPU) and International Burmese Monks
Organizations or Sasana Moli.

Myint Thein said the campaign is to challenge the legitimacy of the
Burmese military junta at the UN as they are not representatives of the
Burmese people nor are they elected by the people.

"They [junta] are using their membership of the UN as an opportunity to
oppress the people without fearing any punitive action," Myint Thein
added.

"Killing, oppression, and arresting people is not the way a legitimate
government behaves," he added.

Twenty years on, Burma's politics has seen little progress to break the
impasse, and the UN's initiatives have failed to uphold the General
Assembly resolutions passed on Burma between 1994 to 2007, Myint Thein
said.

On the other hand, the Burmese military regime has done precious little to
comply with the Security Council's presidential statement in 2007 that
called for a tripartite dialogue between the Junta, the National League
for democracy led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic groups.

Instead of complying with the UN's initiatives and to fulfill the desire
of the people, the military rulers continue with their so-called
seven-step roadmap that will strengthen their rule, said Myint Thein.

In May, the ruling junta approved its new constitution in a referendum
which critics alleged was rigged. The junta then said it is determined to
conduct a general election in 2010, as part of its roadmap.

"We are into this campaign because we want to tell the international
community that the junta will never listen to their advice and there is no
way one can negotiate with them," Myint Thein said.

The campaigners are hoping the credentials challenge will result in the
international community exerting stronger pressure on the junta.

"We hope through this campaign the whole world will see and realize more
about the real situation in Burma and effectively respond to it," Myint
Thein added.

Apart from sending the letter to the UN officially, campaigners said they
will hold press conferences to explain the process of the campaign and the
reason why it is being launched.

"We believe the UN will respond to us and depending on the result we will
continue with activities which are stronger," he added.

____________________________________

September 9, Inner City Press
At UN, Ingrid Betancourt urges Ban to act about Myanmar, 15 days of
silence soon to be broken – Matthew Russell Lee

At the UN's victims of terrorism symposium Ingrid Betancourt, recently
freed from FARC kidnappers in Colombia and speaking just after
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, threw in a reference to Myanmar's democracy
leaders under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi, saying "we must act." Next
to her, Ban appeared impassive. For the 15 days since his envoy Ibrahim
Gambari left Myanmar without seeing Aung San Suu Kyi, Ban and his
spokespeople have avoided any comment about Gambari's visit, widely
described as a failure.  Now Ban's own star witness has raised the issue.
How Ban will react remains to be seen.

On September 8, Inner City Press asked Ban's Spokesperson Michele Montas
if the UN had received the four-page letter from the United Nationalities
Alliance, a coalition of 12 ethnic political parties, which argues that
the UN's engagement with or for democracy in Myanmar is "broken." The
letter, which was copied to all five Permanent Members  as well as the
President of the Security Council, but not the President of the General
Assembly, concludes

"Honestly speaking we, United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), truly worry to
be broken the engagement of United Nations Organization of its efforts
upon democratization, national reconciliation and human rights. So we,
United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), would like to request you to
reconsider the most effective ways and means appropriate for settlement of
political situation in Burma (Myanmar)."

After Ms. Montas said she was "aware of that letter," Inner City Press asked

Inner City Press: is there any response?  They claim that the UN's
engagement in the democracy process is broken.  That seems to be the
phrase at the end of their letter.

Spokesperson:  Well, I think you should probably wait until... we're going
to try and arrange for Mr. Gambari as soon as he is through talking to the
Security Council to come and talk to you about these issues.  And it is
coming from there, so he is certainly able to answer you.

  While Gambari's belated press availability will be appreciated, Gambari
is Ban's envoy. The United Nationalities Alliance' letter, like Ingrid
Betancourt's call for action, was directed to Ban Ki-moon. What is his
response? We'll see.

Footnote: After Ms. Betancourt's speech, Sudan's Ambassador to the UN told
Inner City Press that it had been "politicized," particularly the
reference to Myanmar. "This is an expansion of the horizon of double
standards," he said. But viewed another way, Betancourt was disagreeing
with the UN not only on speakin out about Aung San Suu Kyi, but also on
"state terrorism." Citing Aung San Soo Kyi in the victims of terrorism
symposium implies that Myanmar's military government is engaged in state
terrorism. Sudan, along with members of the Arab Group and others, have
disputed the UN's exclusion from the symposium of victims of state
terrorism. There are principles, and then there are situations: two
different sets of eyeglasses. To be continued.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 9, Bangkok Post
Appeasing the junta – the UN's dangerous detour – Kyaw Zwa Moe

You know that the United Nations' efforts to broker reconciliation talks
in Burma are failing miserably when all the visiting UN envoy wants to
talk about is the ruling junta's ''roadmap'' to a sham democracy. Ibrahim
Gambari's latest trip to Burma was more than a disappointment: it was a
disgrace. In the course of his nearly week-long visit, the UN envoy held
two brief consultations with members of the National League for Democracy
(NLD) and spent the rest of his time speaking with handpicked advocates of
a political process that deliberately excludes anyone who questions the
military's right to rule.

It should have come as no surprise, then, that detained opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi declined to meet with Mr Gambari lest she further
legitimise his failed mission, which is still being carried out under a
mandate that he has evidently abandoned.

The objectives of Mr Gambari's mission are clear: to secure the release of
Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and to initiate a dialogue between
leaders of the regime and the democratic opposition.

He has failed on both accounts, and has now taken it upon himself to sell
critics of the regime on the idea that an election slated for 2010 could
be the way forward.

The 2010 election is the fourth step in the regime's seven-step
''roadmap'' to a ''disciplined democracy''. In his discussions with senior
members of the NLD, Mr Gambari said that the UN would do its utmost to
ensure that polling is conducted in a ''free and fair'' manner.

It is difficult, however, to have much faith in the UN's ability to
guarantee anything in Burma.

After all, it had no influence whatsoever on the regime's decision to
foist a phony referendum on a country still reeling from the effects of
Cyclone Nargis in early May. Indeed, it virtually had to beg to be allowed
to assist victims of the deadly storm.

Strangely, the UN's crucial role in the ongoing relief efforts in the
Irrawaddy Delta appears to have given it no political leverage inside
Burma.

On the contrary, the world body seems to be going out of its way to avoid
displeasing the ruling generals.

Perhaps this reflects a new humanitarian focus, one that obscures the
political quagmire underlying the country's seemingly endless suffering.
Or maybe it is something more cynical _ an attempt to take the path of
least resistance, even if it means sidelining Mrs Suu Kyi and her party.

Either way, the UN is taking a dangerous gamble on the goodwill of the
Burmese junta. And even if the regime honours any promises that it may
have made _ which is extremely unlikely, given its record _ it is
ludicrous to buy into its vision of a future where the military is the
ultimate arbiter of what constitutes a true democracy, particularly when
its starting point is the eradication of the democratic opposition.

The UN must realise that the ''roadmap'' is nothing more than an attempt
to return Burma to the days before the NLD's historic electoral victory in
1990. Unless it gets back on track and starts pushing seriously for
genuine dialogue between the generals and Burma's legitimate leaders, the
UN will be justifiably accused of sacrificing the country's interests to
save face.

The United Nations and the rest of the international community must never
make the mistake of believing that Mrs Suu Kyi or the principles she
represents are irrelevant.

Until genuine reconciliation is reached, Burma will remain a victim of the
generals' whims _ and every apparent step forward will be followed by
seven steps back.

Kyaw Zwa Moe is Managing Editor of The Irrawaddy Publishing Group.


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ANNOUNCEMENTS

September 9, Earth Rights International

On July 15, 2008, the EarthRights Burma School celebrated the graduation
of the Class of 2008 with a ceremony and party attended by many friends,
supporters, and network partners. Speeches were made by school staff and
alumni, encouraging the graduates to continue their fight to bring about
peace and democracy in their troubled country. This year’s group was
particularly musical, so the 14 graduates treated guests to some beautiful
singing in addition to poems and thank you speeches.

 As a reward for months of hard work spent creating research reports and
presentations, the staff and students continued the celebrations with a
year-end trip to a local dam and lakeside stilt houses.

Graduates have now returned to their homes and ‘mother’ NGOs in border
refugee camps and inside Burma, where they will continue working for the
protection and promotion of earth rights.

For more visit:
http://www.earthrights.org/trainingfeature/congrats_ersb2008.html