BurmaNet News, November 1-3, 2008

[Editor]

November 1-3, 2008, Issue # 3590


INSIDE BURMA
Reuters: Myanmar cyclone survivors rely on handouts, struggle on
Independent (UK): Six months after cyclone, Burmese junta tightens grip
VOA: Burmese constitution published in English
Xinhua: Myanmar allots land for more local, foreign IT companies to work
in cyber city

ON THE BORDER
BBC News: Bangladesh and Burma in oil row
AFP: Four Bangladeshis killed in Burma as gas row escalates

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima News: Burma's foreign earnings to decline
The Observer (UK): The baron who holds Burma's purse strings

HEALTH / AIDS
Reuters: Myanmar cyclone survivors face water shortage

REGIONAL
Jakarta Post: Aceh fishermen jailed in Myanmar

INTERNATIONAL
Union of Catholic Asia News: Pope to visit Burma
Irrawaddy: Junta invites Gambari to visit Burma again
AP: Myanmar activists losing powerful ally: Laura Bush
Business Wire: Amazon Defense Coalition: Chevron whitewashes its website
of Burma



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

November 3, Reuters
Myanmar cyclone survivors rely on handouts, struggle on – Aung Hla Tun

Six months after Cyclone Nargis slammed into army-ruled Myanmar, killing
more than 130,000 people, many in the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta continue
to rely on handouts to stay alive.

"We get rice and beans from a charity called Care Myanmar, drinking water
from the sky and fish from this creek," said Maung Oo, a swarthy
51-year-old, as he stared at monsoon floodwaters lapping against his
makeshift bamboo and tarpaulin hut.

Around the village, 40 km (25 miles) south of Yangon, the paddy fields are
under water and unplanted, casting doubt on assertions from the U.N.'s
Food and Agriculture Organization that 97 percent of storm-hit parts of
the delta -- once the "rice bowl of Asia" -- is under cultivation again.

"We can't wait to grow our own paddy. We really hate living on charity --
although that is not to say we are not grateful," Maung Oo said.

"We don't want to depend on others but to be honest that's just wishful
thinking at the moment because the situation does not allow us to be
independent as yet," he said.

It may be another four weeks before he can start planting, he added.

The rough monsoon season weather in the delta in the last four months has
also kept the villagers on edge, every storm stirring up fears of a repeat
of the May 2 cyclone that crashed ashore with a 12 foot (4 meter) wall of
water.

"We get scared to death when it's windy so we now keep a radio handy all
the time so that we can know the size of the danger by listening to the
weather report," his wife, Ma Nu, said, holding up a basic battery-powered
wireless set.

Another farmer, 70-year-old Bo Sein, complained that rice seed handed out
for replanting was a mixture of varieties that ripen at different times,
making it a nightmare to harvest.

"Maybe it's because they came from different sources, but as a result
while some plants are ready to harvest others are still not ripe," he
said.

HOMES FOR THE FAVOURED

Since Nargis struck, affecting 2.4 million people, nearly 1 million people
have received food aid, schools have re-opened, farm animals replaced, and
emergency shelter provided to more than 1.7 million people, the main aid
coordinating group said.

The Tripartite Core Group, which comprises the United Nations, Myanmar and
its regional neighbors, said there was a continued need for relief and
longterm support. But only 53 percent of its $484 million aid appeal had
been raised so far.

"There are isolated areas which have not been fully reached. Many
survivors remain vulnerable, especially in terms of continued access to
clean water, adequate shelter and restoring livelihoods," the group said
in a statement.

In the cyclone-hit region, a few new homes built by private donors under
the aegis of the ruling military junta have sprung up from the
devastation.

In some cases, however, they have gone to those with the best connections,
rather than the most pressing needs.

"Not all the needy got houses and not all those who got houses were
needy," said one resident of Latkhitegon, a village south of Yangon that
has received ten new wooden homes.

"Five of them had their homes really badly damaged by Nargis. The other
five did not suffer that much damage, but they got the houses because they
are the VIPs," the man, who did not wish to be name for fear of reprisals,
said.

Thayet Thonebin, a village south of Yangon where half the 340 residents
were killed, has fared better in the rehabilitation lottery, receiving 32
new homes courtesy of the Energy Ministry and Malaysian petroleum company
Petronas.

However, survivors are still haunted by a sense of shame at relying on
handouts and hopelessness at a lack of jobs or prospects.

"We are really ashamed by having to live on the charity all the time. We
now have to depend on them for rice," said laborer Maung Tun.

"People like me have been worst hit. The cyclone has crippled the economy
in the entire region and there is very little work for us," he said.

(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Valerie Lee)

____________________________________

November 2, Independent (UK)
Six months after cyclone, Burmese junta tightens grip – Andrew Buncombe

The latest risk to the population of the Delta, the most densely populated
area of the country, is a lack of drinking water. Immediately after the
cyclone, most people relied on monsoon rain for safe water. But now the
dry season is coming, and despite an enormous effort to clean up drinking
water ponds, many are still unfit for consumption.

"The lack of clean water will directly impact the health of children,"
said Andrew Kirkwood, Save the Children's country director in Burma.
"Scarce family resources will be further strained if they must purchase
water, as will relationships among communities if they must compete for
this resource."

The damage in May from Cyclone Nargis was huge. Entire villages were
destroyed and thousands of people were swept out to sea. Crops and
livestock were devastated in what was once Burma's breadbasket, and
hundreds of thousands were left homeless – and reliant on a government
that demonstrated little inclination or ability to help.

Initially suspicious of foreign offers of aid, the junta blocked entry to
aid workers, supplies and helicopters. Eventually, the regime allowed aid
workers access to certain parts of the Delta. That decision, it appears,
saved thousands of lives.

"The situation is better than I had expected. A huge amount of support did
get through," said Roger Yates of ActionAid, who visited the area last
week. "The problem now is how to restore livelihoods and to build
preparedness to deal with future storms."

Six months ago, the UN launched an appeal for $500m (£310m) to deal with
the emergency. Little more than half of this has been committed, which
means that long-term rehabilitation is suffering. "I went to villages and
asked if anyone had had a good night's sleep since the storm, and they all
said no," Mr Yates said. "They told me that every time there is a wind the
children get scared. Everyone is on edge."

Burma, the poorest country in south-east Asia, has been ruled since 1962
by a succession of military regimes that have jailed opposition
politicians such as Aung San Suu Kyi. Worldwide criticism of the junta
after the cyclone led activists to believe its grip might be loosened,
since the disaster came only months after massive public demonstrations in
September 2007, when up to 100,000 Buddhist monks and others took to the
streets in protest. But those protests were violently put down, and, six
months after Nargis, the regime appears to have cemented its position.

"The cyclone has been a blessing for the regime," said Mark Farmaner, of
the Burma Campaign UK. "The UN and governments seem to have forgotten the
brutal suppression of the peaceful uprising last year. Forgotten also are
the 2,100 political prisoners... The small amount of humanitarian space
they have opened up in the Delta region is being hailed as a major
breakthrough, despite aid restrictions still existing in the rest of the
country."

Next month will see a return trip to Burma by the UN Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-moon, who visited the Delta in May. Some hope this might persuade
the regime to release some political prisoners. In May, just days after
Nargis struck, the regime held a referendum for a new constitution that
will purportedly open the way for multi-party elections in 2010. Most
believe the referendum was a sham.

____________________________________

November 1, Voice of America
Burmese constitution published in English

Burma's military junta has published bilingual copies of the country's new
constitution - in both Burmese and English.

State-run media say the publication has gone on sale in government bookshops.

The constitution was passed in a highly criticized May referendum just
days after a cyclone swept across the country killing more than 100,000
people.

Burma's government says the constitution implements democratic reforms,
but critics argue it tightens the military's grip on power.

The constitution guarantees 25 percent of parliamentary seats will be held
by the military. It also allows the military to take over government
during a state of emergency, and it bans detained opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi from public office because she was married to a foreigner.

A military government has ruled Burma since 1962. The opposition party won
the last general elections in 1990. But military leaders never recognized
the results of that race and instead put Aung San Suu Kyi under house
arrest.

____________________________________

November 3, Xinhua
Myanmar allots land for more local, foreign IT companies to work in cyber
city

The Myanmar authorities have allotted land for 35 more local and foreign
information technology companies to work in northern Myanmar's new
Yadanabon Myothit cyber city, the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar
reported Saturday.

These companies were allotted with 372 acres (150 hectares) of land in the
soft-base factory area of the cyber city for the development of their
business undertakings, the report said.

The Internet of the cyber city not only links with the whole country but
also connect neighboring China, Thailand and India, experts said.

The Yadanabon Myothit cyber city covers an overall area of 10,000 acres
(4,050 hectares), located in hilly Pyin Oo Lwin near a highway, 67
kilometers east of the second largest city of Mandalayin the north, and 20
percent of the cyber city area produce software and hardware.

The cyber city was formally inaugurated in December last year.

Myanmar has been lunching an ICT development master plan under the
Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and detailed programs to link
international networks are also being carried out in accordance with the
master plan drafted by the Myanmar Computer Federation.

Being a signatory to the e-ASEAN Framework Agreement initiated at the 2000
Singapore summit, Myanmar has formed the e-National Task Force to support
the IT development.

Besides, the country has also signed a series of memorandums of
understanding since 2003 with such companies as from Malaysia, Thailand,
China and South Korea on ICT development.

Meanwhile, a three-day ICT exhibition from Friday to Sunday, co-sponsored
by the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Myanmar Computer Professionals
Association and the Myanmar Computer Entrepreneurs Association, is being
launched in Yangon, aimed at promoting the development of the advanced
technology.

In the exhibition, four companies sell latest PC, Laptop, 3G Phone, iPod,
MP 4 Player, Printer, Scanner and Computer Software at special prices.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

November 3, BBC News
Bangladesh and Burma in oil row – Alan Johnston

Bangladesh says it will send diplomats to Burma to try to resolve a
territorial dispute between the two nations in the Bay of Bengal.

Naval vessels from both countries are facing one another after the Burmese
side reportedly began exploring in the area for oil and gas.

Bangladesh insists that the area lies well within its waters and has
formally protested over the issue.

Burma has so far made no public statement on the dispute.

According to Bangladeshi sources, the dispute is taking place about 50
nautical miles south-west of an island called St Martin's.

It has protested to Burma over "an incursion" by Burmese vessels over the
weekend.

There were reportedly four exploration ships escorted by two naval craft.

Bangladesh has demanded that the Burmese withdraw until the maritime
boundary can be agreed through negotiations.

The Bangladeshi diplomatic mission is being despatched to Rangoon in an
effort to defuse the escalating row.

But for now, at least, the Burmese flotilla is understood to be holding
its position, and vessels from the two countries' navies are watching one
another warily.

Neither side is likely to back down easily.

Experts believe that the Bay of Bengal may prove to be rich in natural
resources, and both poverty-stricken nations will be very keen to hold on
to as much of it as they possibly can.

____________________________________

November 3, Agence France Presse
Four Bangladeshis killed in Burma as gas row escalates

Four Bangladeshi woodcutters were shot dead after trespassing into
neighboring Burma, a security official said, amid an escalating row over
gas and oil between the two nations.

Bangladesh border security force commanding officer Colonel Naim said the
woodcutters' mutilated bodies had been found late Sunday by relatives two
kilometers inside Burma at the foot of a hilly pass.

The two countries share a 90-kilometer unfenced border along hilly and
porous terrain.

Naim said the bodies were badly disfigured and officials in Bangladesh
would be contacting border forces in Burma as part of their investigation
into the killings.

On Saturday, Bangladesh accused Burma of exploring for gas in disputed
waters of the Bay of Bengal.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

November 1, Mizzima News
Burma's foreign earnings to decline

Burma's export earnings are likely to suffer a decline in the current
fiscal year, largely resulting from a negative global economic outlook,
according to analysts.

"Export [earning] is heavily dependent on natural gas sales – and closely
related to slumping oil prices. As such, earnings could experience a
drawback in the coming year," a former financial and monetary expert with
the Ministry of Finance and Revenue said.

The current fiscal year of 2008-2009 will end on March 31, 2009. The
expert said gas prices were always related to oil prices, so the price of
gas would decline with the decreasing price of oil.

The price of oil has fallen by over half since its July high of 147
dollars per barrel, with the price now standing at around 67 dollars per
barrel.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce, the country has
been enjoying a trade surplus since 2002-2003 due largely to the export of
gas to Thailand, the principle importer of Burma's gas, resulting in the
country earning more than USD 2 billion for the year 2007-2008.

However, the Bank of Thailand said last week that negative factors –
including the global recession and domestic political upheaval - would
affect the Thai economy until at least early next year.

Another Burmese business expert said the country has already begun
suffering from the global economic slowdown, specifically referring to the
vital industries of garments and tourism.

"Global demand for services and products from these sectors are showing
signs of decline," he said.

Burmese garment and apparel products mainly go to the EU and Japan,
markets negatively affected by the financial tsunami originating from the
US credit crunch.

____________________________________

November 2, The Observer (UK)
The baron who holds Burma's purse strings

Baron Levene of Portsoken's 45-year career has been a procession of
glittering achievements. The son of an antique dealer from north-west
London, Peter Levene has been adviser to one Prime Minister and a number
of senior government figures. And such is his unalloyed reputation among
City grandees that the 66-year-old Chelsea fan became Lord Mayor of London
in 1998.

Since 2000 he has chaired Lloyd's of London - the most important job in
the insurance industry. By rights, he should now be retiring after nearly
completing two terms at Lloyd's, but legislation is currently going
through parliament to allow him to extend his tenure.

This weekend, however, Levene's burnished reputation has been called into
question by a growing coalition of senior politicians spanning the
political divide. They argue that Levene is in the unfortunate position of
being one of the most important Western business figures enabling the
repressive Burmese military dictatorship to cling on to power.

Levene has long faced criticism at Lloyd's for failing to rebuke those of
its syndicates that share the reinsurance risk on key aviation and
shipping interests owned by the junta. The insurance in effect means Burma
can trade with the outside world. The Foreign Office took the unusual step
last month of writing to Levene reminding him of the UK government's
official position of discouraging business with the country.

But Levene is also a director at Total, the French energy giant that has
signed agreements with Burma to extract gas and oil there - agreements
thought to benefit the Burmese generals to the tune of $2.66m each day.

Levene's two roles means he is a leading force within the two most
important Western firms doing business in Burma; this despite calls from
the pro-democracy movement for all foreign businesses to cease trading
with the regime.

John Bercow, the Conservative MP who is chairman of the all-party
parliamentary group for democracy in Burma, said: 'By its massive
investment in Burma, Total props up one of the most barbaric dictatorships
in the world and this is to its eternal discredit. It is therefore a great
sadness that Lord Levene, a businessman of distinction who could doubtless
have his pick of commercial opportunities, has sullied himself by becoming
a director of this company.'

Labour MEP Glenys Kinnock called on Levene to resign from Total. She says:
'If he searches his conscience he must conclude that he should discontinue
his position with the company or use his position to secure Total's
withdrawal from a country currently ruled by evil. This revelation again
confirms that businesses are continuing to put profit before people and
proves the need for targeted EU sanctions, which we in the European
parliament have consistently demanded.'

In a terse statement, Levene said he was not considering resigning from
Total, where earlier this year he was reappointed for another three-year
term. He stated that his directorship at Total did not 'sully' his
reputation or affect his views on issuing guidance to Lloyd's managing
agents and brokers dealing with Burma. And he rejected the argument that
revenues from oil and gas, as well as Lloyd's reinsurance of key
infrastructure owned by the Burmese junta, help it retain power. 'There is
no evidence to support this,' he said. He refused to discuss whether
Lloyd's had any insurance business with Total.

But, speaking to The Observer, Maung Maung, the Burmese union leader
regarded as the likely Prime Minister if the south east Asian nation
overthrows military rule, warned that Lloyd's could eventually be
prosecuted for possible complicity in human rights abuses associated with
the brutal regime. 'Lord Levene should advise Lloyd's to stop all Burma's
insurance being marketed with and at Lloyd's... Lord Levene should also
note and inform Lloyd's that cases on crimes against humanities are being
built up to be applied at the International Criminal Court as well as some
countries that practise international jurisdiction.'

Lloyd's insiders say the drive to impose sanctions against Burma,
supported by detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is not
supported by all campaign groups and that some Europeans believe
engagement with the country helps the people of Burma.

But Johnny Chatterton, campaign director at Burma Campaign UK, said this
was a minority view argued by those with business interests there. 'This
link poses yet more awkward questions for Lloyd's,' Chatterton says. 'Does
Total insure its Burma operations through Lloyd's? Was Levene present when
Total's board discussed Burma? The reputation of the entire Lloyd's market
has been dragged through the mud by being associated with Burma's
murderous dictatorship. Lloyd's must clean up their act now or they will
be associated with Burma in the same way that Barclays was with apartheid
South Africa.'

The Burmese people have endured a horrific year as the violent repression
of an uprising led by Buddhist monks was followed by Cyclone Nargis, which
is thought to have claimed well over 100,000 lives. While Levene, Total
and Lloyd's continue to profit from doing business with Burma, they must
hope that its people have short memories when and if democracy is
restored.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

November 3, Reuters
Myanmar cyclone survivors face water shortage

For most of the survivors of Cyclone Nargis, the annual monsoon rains that
have lashed Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta for the last six months only
compounded the misery.

The makeshift tarpaulin shelters have leaked constantly, rice stocks
damaged by the May 2 storm have not dried out, and the roads have become
rivers of mud, further preventing distribution of aid to the 2.4 million
people affected.

But life without the rains could be even worse.

Many village wells and ponds throughout the densely populated rice-growing
region remain contaminated by sea water and the rain, collected in jars,
plastic sheets or tarpaulins slung outside huts, were the only source of
fresh drinking water.

Now, with the rainy season coming to an end this month, aid agencies are
warning of a renewed threat of diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea from
dirty drinking water.

In most cases, destitute villagers have saved enough rain water to last a
month, they say. With no money to buy bottled water, their options are
bleak.

"If we run out of water, we'll just have to boil the pond water and drink
it," one villager, who did not wish to be named, said in Shaw Chaung, a
cluster of homes near the delta town of Labutta, 140 km (85 miles)
southwest of Yangon.

"We haven't made any other plans," he said.

British disaster agency Merlin says it has installed six treatment units
in the worst affected areas capable of producing 34,000 liters of drinking
water a day from salty water, but says that is just a fraction of overall
needs.

"Shipping water through the delta in barges may be the most effective and
rapid means to reach those communities lacking fresh water," said Andre
Steele, Merlin's water and sanitation adviser.

Even in good years, villagers in the southern delta have had to buy water
when ponds dry up. Now, prices are likely to be higher than ever because
so many boats were destroyed in the storm, which left 140,000 people dead
or missing.

In Shaw Chaung, the villagers themselves and officials from Merlin and the
United Nations Development Program have pumped out ponds three or four
times, but the water remains contaminated by salt.

Even the military government, which has been heavily criticized for its
response to the disaster, including its tight restrictions on foreign aid
groups, admits that a lack of clean water is a major problem.

"Many survivors remain vulnerable, especially in terms of continued access
to clean water, adequate shelter and restoring livelihoods," it said
recently in a joint post-disaster assessment with the U.N. and Association
of South East Asian Nations.

The same assessment said that in all, almost 1 million people in the delta
had received food aid and 1.7 million people had been reached by some form
of "emergency shelter assistance."

(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Alex Richardson)

____________________________________
REGIONAL

November 1, Jakarta Post
Aceh fishermen jailed in Myanmar

Ten fishermen from Aceh have been sentenced to five years in prison by a
Myanmar court for allegedly fishing in the country's waters on Feb. 8 this
year, a relative of one of the detainees said Friday.

The information was given by Zainal Abidin, the younger brother of one of
the Acehnese fishermen currently being held in Myeik prison in Myanmar.

The 10 fishermen are Rasmal, Sukardi, Herman, Musriadi, Dipidjon, Zakaria,
Mansyur, Wanto, Faisal and Hendra.

Zainal said the group inadvertently entered Myanmar waters, upon which the
local authority detained them and sent them to trial without legal
defense.

"The latest news said they would be released by the Myanmar government,
but the fact is they are still in prison in Myanmar," Zainal said.

Zainal called for the Aceh administration to lobby the Myanmar government
to release the 10 men.

According to data from Aceh, there are 25 Aceh fishermen currently in
detention in India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

November 3, Union of Catholic Asia News
Pope to visit Burma

Pope Benedict XVI says he is ready to make a stopover in Myanmar if he
visits another Asian country, Archbishop Charles Maung Bo of Yangon told
UCA News in Rome.

Archbishop Bo met the pope privately on Oct. 23.

The previous week, the Salesian prelate, general secretary of the Catholic
Bishops' Conference of Myanmar, issued a surprise invitation to Pope
Benedict during the archbishop's five-minute intervention at the Synod on
the Word of God.

Looking at the pope on Oct. 14, he concluded with the words: "Holy Father,
from the time of St. Peter till today, no Holy Father has visited Myanmar.
Our warmest welcome to Myanmar!"  The synod burst into spontaneous
applause when he finished, participants recalled.

Nine days later, Archbishop Bo was in the pope's private library as part
of the ad limina visit every bishop is expected to make once in five years
to report to the pope and Vatican officials on the situation in his
diocese and country.

"The Holy Father at once pointed out that I had invited him to Myanmar
during my synod intervention," Archbishop Bo said. During their private
conversation, he recalled, Pope Benedict made it clear "he would be ready
to make a short visit to Myanmar if he chooses to visit one of the
countries in Asia."

The archbishop found the pope's calmness and "clear mind" impressive amid
a busy schedule with numerous visitors. The pontiff was interested in the
rehabilitation work the Church was involved in after cyclone Nargis, as
well as the general situation in Myanmar.

The Yangon archbishop had not been able to join the other bishops from
Myanmar when they made their ad limina visits as a group at the end of
May, because he was leading the Church relief efforts in the aftermath of
the cyclone that he says killed nearly 150,000 people. He estimated Nargis
displaced another 2 million people.

Myanmar has a population of 53 million people, 85 percent of whom are
Buddhists, 6 percent Christians and 4 percent Muslims. Of the 3 million
Christians, about 700,000 are Catholics. The military has been running the
country since 1962 and has suppressed pro-democracy movements.

A Vatican official told UCA News, "It should be stated clearly that there
is no persecution against Christianity or Catholics in Myanmar." He also
pointed out that even though the Holy See and Myanmar do not have
diplomatic relations, the Bangkok-based apostolic delegate to Myanmar can
freely visit the country and meet bishops, who also are allowed to travel
to the Vatican.

A Church source clarified that Myanmar's Catholic Church enjoys freedom to
worship but is not allowed to work freely in the fields of education and
health care. "Nor can it express its position on sociopolitical questions
in accord with the Church's social teaching," the source said in Rome.

Pope Benedict has made 10 foreign trips since his election in April 2005
-- six European countries and Turkey, which straddles Europe and Asia, as
well as Australia, Brazil and the United States. At the close of the synod
on Oct. 26, he announced a plan to visit the African countries of Angola
and Cameroon in March 2009.

Asia, excepting Turkey, is thus the only continent Pope Benedict has not
visited or announced plans to visit, but his remark about being ready to
visit Myanmar were he to go to another Asian country suggests he is
considering this possibility.

Earlier this year, Cardinal Jean Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Ho Chi Minh
said he hoped Pope Benedict would visit Vietnam in 2010, for the 350th
anniversary of its first two apostolic vicariates and the 50th anniversary
of the establishment of the local Church hierarchy.

Like Myanmar, Vietnam does not have diplomatic relations with the Holy
See. A Vatican official said this alone does not present a problem. He
cited Pope John Paul II's visit to Mexico in 1979, when that country and
the Holy See had no diplomatic ties.

According to Vatican diplomatic sources, a papal visit requires an
invitation from the local bishops' conference and the national
government's invitation or willingness to receive him, since he is a head
of state.

____________________________________

November 3, Irrawaddy
Junta invites Gambari to visit Burma again – Lalit K Jha

Burma’s military junta has invited United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim
Gambari to visit the country either in the last week of November or early
next month, according to UN sources.

The sources told The Irrawaddy that decision makers at the UN’s
headquarters in New York have yet to make a call on whether to accept the
invitation, as they want to make sure that Gambari’s next visit doesn’t
end as abysmally as the last one in August.

During his August visit, Gambari met neither the country’s military ruler,
Snr-Gen Than Shwe, nor the popular leader of the country’s pro-democracy
movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose refusal to appear for talks with the
envoy was seen as a sign that his efforts have lost the confidence of the
opposition.

Critics also pointed to the regime’s refusal to make any concessions on
the UN’s demands for political reform and the protection of human rights
as evidence of Gambari’s faltering performance.

The invitation was extended to Gambari during a recent luncheon meeting
with Kyaw Tint Swe, the Burmese regime’s ambassador to the UN. No fixed
dates were set for the proposed visit.

Reliable sources said that Gambari’s trip, if it goes ahead, will be used
by the UN to prepare for a visit to Burma by UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, who was initially scheduled to travel to the country in December.

A December visit by the UN chief looks unlikely, however, as the regime
has given no indication that it will meet the world body’s demands for
democratic change and the release of political prisoners.

Ban lasted visited Burma in May, several weeks after Cyclone Nargis
devastated the Irrawaddy delta, to break a deadlock over the regime’s
refusal to allow foreign aid workers into the country.

It is believed that Gambari and top UN decision makers are demanding that
the junta make a firm commitment to achieving substantive progress before
deciding on exact dates for his next visit.

UN officials believe that a repeat of the August debacle would be a major
setback to the world body’s efforts in this Southeast Asian nation, which
has been ruled by the military for nearly half a century.

Officials said that the Burmese junta and the UN are currently engaged in
negotiations over various aspects of Gambari’s visit. Prominent among
these are the list of leaders and officials Gambari would have access to
during his trip, and assurances from the regime that it is willing to take
new steps in the right direction.

____________________________________

November 2, Associated Press
Myanmar activists losing powerful ally: Laura Bush – Foster Klug

Activists opposing who military-run junta will lose a powerful ally in
January when first lady Laura Bush moves out of the White House.

Voter dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush's Republican Party
could also cost them Myanmar's fiercest congressional critic in Mitch
McConnell. The Senate's top Republican is battling to retain his seat in
the face of Democrats intent on bolstering their control of Congress with
a strong showing in Tuesday's elections.

Laura Bush and McConnell _ who heads the panel responsible for financing
international programs _ have used their high profiles to draw attention
to human rights abuses in Myanmar and the 13-year detention of Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. They also have won tough sanctions aimed
at isolating Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Activists in the country say her support has been invaluable.

"The world takes an interest in Myanmar's ethnic issues because of her,"
said Han Tha Myint, a spokesman for Myanmar's opposition National League
for Democracy. "It is moral support for us even though we are not clear
how much of the support can translate into change."

Despite the praise, it is questionable whether their efforts have
significantly helped Myanmar's democracy movement. The generals remain
firmly in power, and Suu Kyi appears no closer to freedom.

David Steinberg, a Myanmar specialist at Georgetown University, said Laura
Bush and McConnell's efforts have, in fact, stymied consideration of fresh
approaches to Myanmar.

While some in the State Department and Congress are dissatisfied with U.S.
policy, "doing anything to change it would be politically unacceptable,"
Steinberg said, adding that McConnel has resisted others' efforts to
deviate from the policy agenda he favors.

"There's no benefit to you, and there's likely to be political harm," he
said.

Derek Mitchell, an Asia adviser at the Defense Department during former
President Bill Clinton's administration, said it is often difficult to
galvanize U.S. officials to focus on a particular issue.

"What (Laura Bush) was able to do was to force the bureaucracy to pay
attention to Burma," said Mitchell, an analyst at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies.

Myanmar gained attention in the U.S. and worldwide last year because of
the junta's violent suppression of thousands of protesters. The country,
which has been under military rule since 1962, was then hit by a
devastating cyclone in May _ a disaster made worse by the junta's
preventing foreign aid workers from helping.

Laura Bush, a former teacher and librarian, has brought the issue to the
attention of many Americans, while also casting a spotlight on it abroad.

During a recent trip to Asia, she met with refugees on the Thai border
with Myanmar and prodded China, which has large economic interests in
Myanmar, "to do what other countries have done _ to sanction, to put a
financial squeeze on the Burmese generals."
While Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has spoken out on Myanmar,
dubbing the country one of six "outposts of tyranny, analysts say the
first lady's focus on Myanmar also adds a measure of heartfelt sincerity
to the calls for reform.

Laura Bush is not active in foreign policy, so, when she speaks out on
Burma, people listen. When Condi Rice speaks out on Burma, it's just
another statement from the secretary of state," said Priscilla Clapp,
chief U.S. diplomat in Myanmar from 1999 to 2002.

U.S. politicians often adopt causes that appeal to the ethnicity or
interests of the voters in their home states. But McConnell, who is from
the largely rural state of Kentucky, for many years used his influence to
keep Myanmar high the State Department and White House's agendas during
times when it received little public attention.

He is now in a tough fight for his job. A recent poll indicated he was
slightly ahead of Democrat Bruce Lunsford in a race into which national
Democrats have been pouring time and money.

Senior members of both political parties in Congress probably will
continue to support strong sanctions against Myanmar.

If Republican presidential candidate John McCain should upset Democrat
Barack Obama, it would be possible that his wife, Cindy, also could take
up the issue. Cindy McCain, during a June trip to Vietnam, criticized
Myanmar's leaders and vowed to make improving human rights there a
priority should she became first lady.

Obama supports U.S. trade and investment sanctions "to demonstrate our
strong, principled condemnation of the regime's oppressive rule and our
solidarity with the Burmese people," according to his Web site.

Steinberg, the Georgetown professor, holds out hope for "some quiet
consideration of the issue" in the next administration. But, he said, it
would take a dramatic gesture from Myanmar's generals _ releasing Suu Kyi
from house arrest, for example _ to provide enough "political cover" for
an administration to change Myanmar policy.

It is a sentiment shared by some activists in Myanmar.

"I believe that the new administration will not differ in the policies
towards Myanmar," said the NLD's Han Tha Myint. "America is a staunch
supporter of Myanmar's democracy struggle and the new administration is
unlikely to change its policies."

___

Associated Press Writer Grant Peck contributed to this story from Bangkok,
Thailand.

____________________________________

November 1, Business Wire
Amazon Defense Coalition: Chevron whitewashes its website of Burma

Chevron has quietly removed from its website any reference to its
operations in Burma, a country where the oil giant has been implicated in
allegations of rape and murder connected to a lucrative pipeline project
that generates up to $1 billion annually for the country's brutal military
regime, the Amazon Defense Coalition said today.

The company has replaced the majority of substantive information on its
website with a short page glossing over their role in the country.

Chevron removed the references to Burma while it has been embroiled in
high-stakes legal case charging it helped orchestrate the deaths of two
Nigerian villagers protesting Chevron's operational practices in the
African country. The trial on those charges began Tuesday in federal court
in San Francisco.

Earth Rights International, a legal organization based in Washington,
D.C., has leveled withering criticism at Chevron for jointly operating a
natural gas pipeline with the Burmese military. Just in the last year, the
Burmese army has violently suppressed protesting monks and diverted
international relief aid after a devastating hurricane, and the country's
government is considered an international pariah.

The pipeline generates an estimated $1 billion per year in hard currency
for the clique of generals who rule Burma. Chevron has defended the
project on the grounds it exercises a liberalizing influence on the
country's government.

Just two years ago, Chevron's Burmese operations were featured prominently
on the company's website. This week, one could not find a single reference
to Burma on the website where Chevron boasts of its worldwide operations
and lists the dozens of countries where it has investments.

In a recent report, lawyers for ERI concluded that Chevron faces liability
for being complicit in murder, rape, and slave labor committed by the
Burmese Army in providing "security" for the pipeline. ERI is most known
for having settled a legal case against Unocal over the same charges
before Chevron bought Unocal in 2005 and inherited the pipeline project.

As ERI noted in their report "The Human Cost of Energy: Chevron's
Continuing Role in Financing Oppression and Profiting From Human Rights
Abuse in Military-Ruled Burma (Myanmar)": "Chevron and its consortium
partners continue to rely on the Burmese army for pipeline security, and
those forces continue to conscript thousands of villagers for forced
labor, and to commit torture, rape, murder and other serious abuses in the
course of their operations. Due to its involvement in the Yadana Project,
Chevron remains vulnerable to liability in U.S. courts for the abuses
committed by these security forces."

The full report is available at http://www.earthrights.org

The removal of any mention of Burma is the latest in a long series of
controversial moves by Charles S. James, Chevron's General Counsel, to
hide or divert attention from Chevron's growing human rights problems.

"James has shown a repeated willingness to tolerate unethical practices by
Chevron to hide its growing reputation as a global human rights violator,"
said Jeremy Low, who monitors the company's human rights record for the
Amazon Defense Coalition, which has sued Chevron for environmental damage
in Ecuador.

"What we're seeing is hard information replaced by absolute fluff or just
blank space," he added.

Just last week, Chevron was accused by the environmental group Amazon
Watch of paying journalists to write favorable editorial content without
disclosing their financial relationship to the company. One of the
journalists, San Francisco writer Pat Murphy, has not denied he accepts
fees from Chevron to write one-sided articles in his online newspaper that
mysteriously get "Google bombed" to the top of search engines.

Undisclosed payments to journalists for favorable coverage are considered
highly unethical, yet James has not denied that the company engages in the
practice.

The Nigeria case, being tried before Judge Susan Illston, has created a
lengthy record of charges that Chevron paid Nigerian military officers to
shoot local villagers who had staged a peaceful protest on one of the
company's oil platforms. The trial, expected to last five weeks, began on
Tuesday.

In the Amazon region of Ecuador, where Chevron faces a potential $16.3
billion liability for dumping more than 18 billion gallons of toxic waste,
local lawyers have long accused the company of paying uniformed Ecuadorian
army officers to provide "security" designed to intimidate members of
indigenous groups.

"I am sure James wishes Chevron could erase its human rights problems as
easily as it can erase mention of Burma from its website," said Low. "But
as the company is now finding out, that's not so easy."