BurmaNet News, December 9, 2008

[Editor]

December 9, 2008, Issue #3614


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Factory worker jailed for 19 years after ILO report
DVB: Win Tin’s health improves after hospital treatment
Mizzima: Eight ministers and Rangoon's mayor to resign soon
Narinjara: Burmese military plays politics with sport

ON THE BORDER
AFP: Reported Myanmar landmine deaths double, says the Landmine Monitor's
2008 report
SHAN: Wa engage in war games on the border

HEALTH / AIDS
Xinhua: Myanmar strives to reduce malaria victims by half in 2010

REGIONAL
Irrawaddy: More Burmese workers leave Malaysia

DPA: Myanmar plans embassy in Kuwait

INTERNATIONAL
Mizzima: Ban urges "group of friends," corporates to influence Burma
Mizzima: Obama urged to step up efforts in confronting genocide
Christian Post: Christian group honors Laura Bush for Burma advocacy

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: Taking a stance against tyranny
IMNA: Burmese migrants in dire straits post meltdown - Shyamal Sarkar
Irrawaddy: Isolated, but not insulated - Min Lwin



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Factory worker jailed for 19 years after ILO report - Nan Kham Kaew

Kyi Myint Taing township court in Rangoon yesterday sentenced three people
to between five and 19 years after they reported a labour rights issue to
the International Labour Organisation, according to their families.

The three filed a report with the ILO last year after the A21 soap factory
in Hlaing Tharyar industrial zone cut off its workers’ salaries.

Khin Maung Cho (also known as Pho Toke), a worker at the soap factory,
National League for Democracy member Nyo Win and Kan Myint were arrested
on 2 August 2007 after they filed the report.

Khin Maung Cho's wife Aye Mya Thida said her husband was sentenced to 19
years’ imprisonment on four different charges including sedition, while
Kan Myint was given 10 years on three different charges, and Nyo Win was
jailed for five years on two charges.
Aye Mya Thida said her husband is still waiting to be sentenced under the
Immigration Act for illegal border crossing.

____________________________________

December 9, Democratic Voice of Burma
Win Tin’s health improves after hospital treatment - Nan Kham Kaew

The health of veteran journalist and senior National League for Democracy
member Win Tin has improved since he was hospitalised on 4 December, his
neighbour told DVB.

Apart from a slight cough, Win Tin’s health is back to normal, Maung Maung
Khin said.

"His blood pressure is regular now and his other illnesses have subsided,”
Maung Maung Khin said.

“He is able to eat and feeling revitalised. He has a bit of a cough. The
physicians said they will continue to deal with it.”

Win Tin was released from prison in September after serving more than 19
years.

But Maung Maung Khin said that since his release, Win Tin had continued to
eat as he had in prison, which had left him too weak to cope with his
demanding schedule.

“In hospital, his pupils, relatives and friends told him that he could not
go on like that,” Maung Maung Khin said.

“For 19 years you forgot about normal life, they told him. You can’t live
life like you did in there."

Win Tin was admitted to the Rangoon Medical Centre, a private clinic on
Dhamma Zedi road, after a violent coughing fit caused him to pass out.

Maung Maung Khin said doctors were due to take X-rays today.

____________________________________

December 9, Mizzima
Eight ministers and Rangoon's mayor to resign soon

At least eight ministers in the cabinet of Burma's military government
along with the mayor of Rangoon will resign from their current positions
in preparation to contest the upcoming 2010 election, a source in the
military said.

According to the source in Naypyitaw, ministers from the Ministries of
Forestry, Construction, Immigration & Population, Livestock Breeding &
Fisheries, Transport, Agriculture & Irrigation, Industry (1),
Communication, Posts & Telegraphs, in addition to the mayor of Rangoon,
will soon retire from their positions as part of the lead up to the 2010
general election.

Despite criticism from the political opposition, Burma's military junta is
determined to carry out its planned seven step roadmap, which includes the
general election as its fifth component.

"The ministers will contest in constituencies where they are sure of
gaining majority support," said an observer in Burma, adding that Aung
Thawng from the Ministry of Industry (1) is likely to contest in Mandalay,
while Brigadier General Thein Zaw from the Ministry of Communication,
Posts & Telegraphs is likely to run in Myitkyina, Kachin state.

He added that the junta is also likely to impose restrictions on
opposition parties – including the National League for Democracy (NLD) –
in contesting the election that is likely to shape a new government for
the country with limited civilian participation.

Despite a landslide win in the last general election in 1990, Burma's
military junta denied power to the NLD, instead placing party leader and
Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.

The list of the eight ministers and the mayor, who are likely to resign
from their positions, are given below:

1. Brigadier General, Thein Aung: Minister of Forestry
2. Major General, Saw Tun: Minister of Construction
3. Major General, Saw Lwin: Minister of Immigration & Population
4. Brigadier General, Maung Maung Thein: Minister of Livestock breeding & 
Fisheries
5. Major General, Thein Swe: Minister of Transport
6. U, Aung Thaung: Minister of Industry
7. Major General, Htay Oo: Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
8. Brigadier General, Thein Zaw: Minister of Communications, Posts,
Telegraphs
9. Brigadier General, Aung Thein Linn: Mayor of Rangoon

____________________________________

December 9, Narinjara
Burmese military plays politics with sport

Since gaining power in 1988, the Burmese military junta has never
officially referred to the regions of Arakan State as either "Northern"
Arakan or "Southern" Arakan, despite its use of such terms as part of its
divide and rule tactics in Shan State.
However, authorities recently referred to "South Arakan" and "North
Arakan" in relation to a football match that was sponsored by Western
Command Commander General Thaung Aye.

The football match was held on the field grounds of Kyauk Pru, a district
town in the middle of Arakan State, and seven townships located in the
south of Arakan State were chosen to participate in the tournament.

The seven townships were Gwa, Thandwe, Taungup, Rambree, Manaung, Kyauk
Pru, and Ann. The tournament was held from 29 November to 7 December,
2008.

The tournament was titled, "Arakan State Chairman's Cup", but townships in
the north of Arakan were not invited to send teams to the event.

Because the military authorities have never held such a tournament for
Arakan's southern townships before, there is much speculation spreading in
the state that the event was coordinated as part of a divide and rule
policy.

An Arakanese politician from Sittwe said he was also concerned by the
government's choice of phrase for the event, saying, "It is a big problem
for our people's unity if the government has plans to disturb Arakanese
unity."

The past parliamentary government led by Minister U Nu from 1948 to 1962
also played politics with Arakanese identities, using the official terms
"Northern Arakan" and "Southern Arakan".

Arakanese politicians from the south and the north were not unified, and
shared power by taking the Arakan Region minister position for six months
each in a year.

Prime Minister U Nu established a university for Arakan State in the
southern city of Kyauk Pru, the second largest city in the state, instead
of in Sittwe, the state capital.

After its establishment there was conflict among the Arakanese people over
whether the university should have been located in the state capital or in
the central part of the state, and the university was subsequently closed
down by the authority.

Many Arakanese are now concerned that the government has restarted the
practice of separating Southern Arakan and Northern Arakan because they
had such a bitter experience under the past parliamentary government's use
of such a convention.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 9, Agence France-Presse
Reported Myanmar landmine deaths double, says the Landmine Monitor's 2008
report

Reported deaths in Myanmar from landmines more than doubled in a year, as
both the military government and armed rebel groups continue to lay the
lethal ordnance, a monitoring group said Tuesday.

The Landmine Monitor's 2008 report found that 47 people in Myanmar were
killed by mines in 2007, up from 20 people in 2006, while 338 people were
injured - 115 more than a year earlier.

"Globally there are very few governments using this weapon any longer -
that is not the case in Myanmar," said Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan, research
coordinator with global watchdog Landmine Monitor.

He said that Myanmar was one of the only countries in the world where the
state was consistently "using them on a widespread basis."

Moser-Puangsuwan stressed that the hike in deaths could be the result of
better reporting rather than increased use of mines, but said the figure
was also likely an underestimation as it did not cover military
casualties.

"This is basically a civilian figure. The figure is certainly higher," he
told reporters in Bangkok.

Myanmar's junta has for decades been battling insurgencies by armed ethnic
rebel groups, mostly in remote border areas.

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962, often justifying its tight grip
on power by insisting that only the generals are able to suppress the
rebellions and prevent the nation from splintering.

Civilians are often caught up in the fighting, with human rights groups
documenting widespread abuses by the armed forces including torture,
forced labor, killings, arbitrary arrest and the destruction of villages.

Human Rights Watch has accused the military of planting mines around rice
crops and routes to fields in an effort to hamper the annual harvest,
effectively starving civilians off their land in insurgency-hit areas.

Moser-Puangsuwan said Landmine Monitor had also received disturbing
reports of prisoners being forced to clear landmines "without protective
gear, without any training, and sometimes with their bodies alone."
Many rebel groups have reached ceasefire agreements with the junta, but
others battle on. The Karen National Union has been waging its insurgency
since 1949, and Landmine Monitor said it continued to plant mines.

The group said it also had reports of land mine use by organizations
including the Shan State Army - believed to be the largest rebel movement
- the Karenni Army, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the United Wa
State Army.
Myanmar is not a party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

____________________________________

December 9, Shan Herald Agency for News
Wa engage in war games on the border

Military exercises recently launched by the Wa accompanied by mortar
shellings and gunfire have put the Thai border forces on the alert,
according to a Thai security officer.

The exercises have been taking place at Mongyawn, only a few kilometers
from Chiangmai’s Mae Ai district border since the beginning of December,
he said.

About 1,000 Wa fighters were said to be involved in the drills, according
to locals coming to the border.

The Burmese Army border units have also been placed on the alert, they said.

The war game in Mongyawn, Monghsat township, followed the meeting in
Mongpawk, south of the Wa HQ Panghsang, on 5 December, between the Burma
Army’s regional commander Kyaw Phyoe and the United Wa State Army (UWSA)’s
468th Brigade commander Sai Hsarm, according to a reliable source.

Kyaw Phyoe had reportedly broached the two issues that were still
unresolved between the two sides: Withdrawal of Wa troops from the Thai
border and the exchange of arms for peace.

To which the Wa commander had responded “like a Wa and a soldier that he
was,” according to the source. “For more than ten years, we have been
ordered to pull out from the south,” Sai Hsarm was reported as saying.
“But we never did. And we are never going to give it up.”

As for the second question, he was blunter. “Sir, I don’t understand what
you’re saying. Does it mean the Wa region is not at peace because we are
holding arms? On the contrary, it is at peace because we are holding arms.
We are therefore never going to give them up as long as we’re alive.”

The meeting abruptly ended with his reply, reported the source.

The Burma Army’s buildup along the Wa-Mongla had begun after the event, he
added.

The written report by the source however did not mention the other
unresolved issue: For Wa to withdraw from Mongpawk and Mongla from Hsaleu,
both of which are considered to be under the jurisdiction of Mongyang
township.

The Wa, with 6 townships, have already been granted as Self-Administered
Region and Mongla a township status.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

December 9, Xinhua
Myanmar strives to reduce malaria victims by half in 2010 - Bi Mingxin

Myanmar is striving to cut the number of deaths caused by malaria by half
in the year 2010 in the wake of that about 700,000 people in the country
are infected with the disease yearly, the official newspaper New Light of
Myanmar reported Tuesday.

To realize the target, the health authorities are calling for preventive
measures against the fatal disease with the participation of the entire
people and also with a high level of health awareness.

The preventive measures are outlined as imparting knowledge to the people,
using mosquito nets treated with insecticide, cultivating the habit of
visiting hospitals and receiving proper treatment.

Malaria is among the three diseases of national concern which Myanmar has
been encountering. The other two are HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB).

Myanmar treats the three diseases as priority with the main objectives of
reducing the morbidity and mortality in a bid to become no longer a public
problem and meet the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 9, Irrawaddy
More Burmese workers leave Malaysia - Saw Yan Naing

More than 100 Burmese migrant workers have returned to Burma over the last
week after losing their jobs in Malaysia due to the impact of the global
economic slowdown, according to a labor rights group in Malaysia.

The secretary of the Malaysia-based Burma Workers’ Rights Protection
Committee (BWRPC), Ye Min Tun, said that some 118 Burmese migrants,
working mostly in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, were sent back to Burma
on December 6 and 8 by their employers after their companies had cut back
on staff due to falling orders and a decrease in business.

The recent employment cutbacks follow a similar situation at the Press
Metal Berhad aluminum factory in Malaysia, which in late November
repatriated 300 Burmese migrants who lost their jobs because of the
economic slowdown.

There are an estimated 500,000 legal and illegal Burmese migrant workers
and refugees in Malaysia, according to Ye Min Tun.

In Thailand, about 3,000 Burmese migrant workers in border town Mae Sot
became jobless in late November, an estimated 400 of whom have returned to
Burma, according to Mae Sot-based Yaung Chi Oo Burmese Workers
Association.

On December 2, Burma’s Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein stated that there are
“plenty of jobs available for millions of Burmese migrant workers if they
are forced to return home.”

He was quoted in the state-run Myanma Alin newspaper as saying that Burma
would not be affected by the global financial meltdown.

However, an exiled labor rights activist in Thailand disagreed with the
Burmese premier’s comments.

“It is a groundless statement,” Moe Swe, the head of the Yaung Chi Oo
Burmese Workers Association, said. “If there are plenty of jobs for people
in Burma, why have millions left Burma to work abroad?”

There are an estimated 4 million Burmese working abroad, predominantly in
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, said Moe Swe.

Despite the economic downturn, Burmese people still come to look for jobs
in Malaysia, Ye Min Tun said. In one week, about 200 Burmese migrant
workers arrive here looking for jobs, added the BWRPC secretary.

____________________________________

December 9, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Myanmar plans embassy in Kuwait

Myanmar's military regime has taken initial steps towards opening an
embassy in oil-rich Kuwait as a part of its policy of enhancing diplomatic
relations with the Middle East, diplomatic sources said Tuesday. A
high-ranking delegation from the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, led by Deputy
Minister Maung Myint, recently visited Kuwait for preliminary discussions
on the reciprocal opening of embassies in both countries, according to
Yangon-based diplomatic sources.

Myanmar established diplomatic ties with Kuwait on December 16, 1998.
Kuwait was the 73rd country to establish diplomatic ties with Myanmar,
once known as Burma, since the country won independence from Britain in
1948.

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Jaber
al-Sabah visited Myanmar in August and signed an agreement on economic and
technical cooperation between the two countries.

Myanmar has been diplomatically isolated and the target of economic
sanctions by the US and the European Union since the military's brutal
1988 crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators that left an estimated
3,000 people dead.

Myanmar has tried to counter-balance its pariah status among Western
democracies by strengthening its diplomatic relations with China, Russia,
India and now the Middle East.

Myanmar also resumed diplomatic ties with North Korea in April 2007.
Relations between the two countries had been severed for 24 years after
North Korean assassins in Yangon launched a bomb attack on a high-ranking
South Korean delegation of politicians.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 9, Mizzima
Ban urges "group of friends," corporates to influence Burma

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations General Secretary has urged governments
and corporate houses that have a relationship going with Burma to use
their influence to impress the military rulers to implement its commitment
to democratic reforms in the country.

Ban Ki-moon, speaking to reporters after a close door consultation with a
group of 'Friends on Myanmar' on Friday, said all countries and corporate
houses, whoever is cooperating with Burma should use whatever leverage
they have to influence the Burmese regime to go in for democratic
transition.

"Whoever has influence with Myanmar [Burma], should try to use their
cooperation or their relationship to impress upon the Myanmar [Burma]
authorities so that they can commit to their democratization process," Ban
said.

Ban, however, said he will not be making any visits in the near future, as
he thinks the visit cannot be productive and meaningful.

Ban, who in May visited the Southeast Asian nation in the aftermath of
Cyclone Nargis, on Monday, was urged by Asian parliamentarians  to make a
fresh trip to the country and push for the release of political prisoners
including Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained for
more than 13 of the past 19 years.

The UN Chief, however, said "At this time I do not think that the
atmosphere is ripe for me to undertake my own visit there [Burma]."

Rather, the world body chief said, all countries particularly members of
the group of "Friends on Myanmar" should use "their influence, they should
use whatever available leverage and tools to impress upon the Government
of Myanmar [Burma] to implement its commitment."

____________________________________

December 9, Mizzima
Obama urged to step up efforts in confronting genocide

A policy report compiled for the incoming Obama administration appeals for
the prioritization in U.S. foreign policy of combating genocide around the
globe, although it is uncertain what ramifications the incorporated
recommendations may have regarding Burma.

Preventing Genocide, released on Monday in Washington, D.C. and compiled
by a distinguished task force, aims to carve out an effective U.S. policy
in both preventing and responding to cases of genocide around the world.
The report argues that it is imperative for the U.S. to take stronger
action in the face of genocide as such a stance corresponds with both
American values and interests.

Though the report does not make use of case studies, numerous analysts and
organizations label the existing situation in Eastern Burma genocide, as
the Burmese Army continues with its attacks and coercive policies against
local ethnic minority populations.

According to the Genocide Prevention Network, over 650,000 people have
been displaced and some 3,500 villages destroyed in Eastern Burma, an area
of the world that the international genocide watchdog identifies as a
region of concern.

Confronting genocide is of definitive national interest to the U.S.,
argues the paper, as genocide is said to fuel instability, creating weaker
states which in turn can have a spillover effect across international
boundaries in areas such as refugee flows.

The assessment certainly holds true for Burma, which has seen millions
flee to neighboring Thailand, China, Bangladesh and India, abetting often
insecure border situations and facilitating in the transfer of both
illicit goods and infectious disease.

However, the policy study seems to offer little hope for a structurally
enhanced U.S. effort in confronting genocide in Eastern Burma, barring a
drastic shift in policy adopted by the incoming Obama administration.

Ominously, and pertinently in the case of Burma, the report's authors
caution: "Geographically remote countries that are autocratically governed
and have limited integration into the global economy are generally harder
targets to influence through diplomatic and economic means."

Potential success of the U.S. playing a vital role in rolling back
genocide is further said to heavily rely upon the relationship of the
state in question with both its neighbors and major powers.

There can be little question that Burma is geographically removed from the
traditional U.S. sphere of influence and that the Southeast Asian country
is autocratically ruled and largely exists outside the integrated global
economy. Additionally, the foreign policy's of regional countries
vis-à-vis Burma, including major powers China and India, are well
documented to often be at odds with that of the U.S.

Ultimately, in situations such as that in Eastern Burma, the study
concludes, "Military options are especially relevant when opportunities
for pre­vention have been lost."

Having already exhausted most coercive tools at its disposal with respect
to Burma, including sanctions and legal charges, it would appear that the
only outlet remaining for the U.S. is "military options."

Military options are in turn defined as not only those aimed against the
perpetrators, but additionally said to include military assistance to
opposition forces opposing the guilty party.

However, it is also said to be important to understand the potential
limitations of relying too heavily, or even singularly, on coercive
measures, as the U.S. "should not dismiss the potential benefits of
rewarding 'bad people' for 'good behavior'."

In the end, any decision by a U.S. administration to use military force to
intervene in situations of genocide is understood to be a "fundamentally
political decision," reflecting national security interests, domestic
politics and the international system.

And regarding the international system, the report hints there must first
be a change within the United Nations, which as it currently operates is
said to stand little chance of authorizing the use of force in cases such
as that in Burma. This is a crucial obstacle, as the report's authors also
emphasize the need for a multilateral approach if a military option is to
be pursued.

The task force that compiled the 174-page report was co-chaired by
Madeleine Albright and William Cohen.

Albright, who met with Burmese democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi in 1997, is an outspoken critic of the situation in Burma and former
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of State, while Cohen
previously served as Secretary of Defense.

The report was co-sponsored by the U.S. Institute for Peace, U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum and The American Academy of Diplomacy.

____________________________________

December 9, Christian Post
Christian group honors Laura Bush for Burma advocacy - Ethan Cole

A Christian group that supports the persecuted church presented First Lady
Laura Bush with the 2008 Freedom Award for her efforts to alleviate the
humanitarian crisis in Burma, the organization announced Friday.

Michigan-based Christian Freedom International applauded the First Lady
for being an outspoken advocate for the hundreds of thousands of displaced
refugees who have suffered tremendously because of the ongoing internal
conflicts.

The country’s military regime is known to violently crush any opposition,
especially pro-democracy movements. Last year, the military fired guns and
hurled batons at tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who were led by
Buddhist monks.

Dissident groups say some 200 people were killed during the crackdown,
while hundreds were arrested.

But besides crushing opposition, the junta is also known for its brutal
ethnic cleansing campaign against minorities.

For decades, the Karen, Karenni, and Chin people – who are overwhelmingly
Christians - have been victims of the government’s systematic persecution.
The women of these ethnic groups are frequently raped as part of the
government’s campaign of terror.

The U.S. State Department has designated Myanmar, the official and
preferred name of Burma by the junta, as a “country of particular concern”
– the worst religious freedom violation label.

CFI praised Mrs. Bush for her consistent call on the Burmese government to
end the violence that has torn the country apart for five decades. The
First Lady has also called for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,
Burma’s most famous democratic leader who has been under house arrest
since 1989. Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace laureate.

In her effort to raise international awareness, Bush hosted the Dialogue
on Burma during the U.N. General Assembly in September 2006, a conference
that CFI president Jim Jacobson participated in.

Then in August 2008, she traveled to Thailand and toured the Mae La
refugee camp and left behind crates of donated supplies, including
thousands of mosquito nets.

“I accept the 2008 Christian Freedom International Freedom award with
great pleasure,” said Bush in a video message.

She went on to note that tens of thousands of Burmese have been forced by
the violence to live in refugee camps or in the harsh mountains without
necessary food, medicine or shelter.

“I personally witnessed the devastating effects of these atrocities when I
visited a refugee camp on the Burma border,” Bush said. “That crisis needs
our support and attention."

“The international community including the United States has called on the
regime to end their terror campaigns against their own people, to stop the
persecution of ethnic minorities and to release political prisoners,
including Aung San Suu Kyi," she added.

Christian Freedom International has worked extensively in Burma since
1998, delivering food, medicine, Bibles and other humanitarian aids to
thousands of Karen and Karenni refugees. CFI also operates several
schools, orphanages, and hospitals in the region, and provides
microenterprise support to artisans who generate income for their family
through the sale of handcrafted products in the United States.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 9, Bangkok Post
Taking a stance against tyranny

Many of the best-known and influential leaders of the world joined last
week to urge a shred of justice for the long suffering nation and people
of Burma. One problem was that the 112 signatures on the petition to
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon represent former leaders
instead of current ones. The second major defect was that Mr Ban simply
shrugged off the humanitarian appeal to press Burma to release political
prisoners.

Despite these shortcomings, however, there is good reason to be optimistic
that the tide is turning against the worst dictatorships, and that more
pressure will result in action.

Mr Ban, who has the world's greatest bully pulpit at his disposal,
declined the call on Burma. He looked at the petition, which had
impressive signatures. They included former presidents Walesa of Poland,
Carter and George H W Bush of the US and Gorbachev of the Soviet Union,
and former premiers Blair, Major and Thatcher of Britain and Koizumi of
Japan. The ex-leaders urged Mr Ban to return to Burma - he was there in
May to force Cyclone Nargis relief on the cruel dictatorship - and to
demand the release of political prisoners. Even if he did not go to Burma,
he should "make it clear that all political prisoners in Burma must be
released by the end of this year".

Mr Ban said he was frustrated by the Burmese military's refusal to move
towards democracy. But he then pleaded to organiser and Norway ex-prime
minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, that he had an excellent reason to reject
the petition.

In Mr Ban's judgement, he could not expect Burma to agree. This seems
rather a tortured explanation. If the UN chief will only pursue human
rights and humanitarian causes which he knows in advance will succeed, his
own office seems superfluous. A demand to Burma by the secretary-general
of the UN to release political prisoners might well fail. But it would
also make clear just what sort of regime the Burmese dictators are
running.

It would also influence parallel or other campaigns against brutish
tyrants. Last week, Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya took a hard
stance against Africa's greatest tyrant of the day. Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe - said Mr Odinga - has hurt his country so badly that he must be
removed, by military force if necessary.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa
agreed. They were polite enough not to attack their fellow Africans for
avoiding or excusing the Zimbabwe debacle, but they were clear that it was
time to act.

When the winner of the most respected Peace Prize calls for military
action, it's a sign of a profound problem. But the main influence here is
Mr Odinga. It is far too rare in today's world for national leaders to
stand up so straight against outright tyranny. Europe and the US have
placed sanctions on Burma and called on the generals to change their ways.
The Kenyan leader, in contrast, states the obvious: Mr Mugabe is such a
horrible, hurtful leader that he should be forced out.

This is the sort of argument that the UN chief can consider. As Mr Ban
says, the Burmese might not heed his demand to release political
prisoners. The Burmese generals probably will continue with their
ridiculous plan to legitimise their rule through sham elections. But the
UN and its member governments should be on the right side of humanitarian
issues. Elected leaders, not just former heads of government, should also
be urging Mr Ban to act on Burma.

____________________________________

December 9, Independent Mon News Agency
Burmese migrants in dire straits post meltdown - Shyamal Sarkar

At the best of times Burmese migrant workers in Thailand and elsewhere are
paid poor wages, made to stay long hours at the work site and meted out
ill treatment in the hands of employers to name only a few of the
indignities they face. Now the recent global financial meltdown has served
a body blow to these people struggling to eke out a livelihood beyond the
shores of their own country where jobs are scarce and human rights unheard
of in the Burmese military junta's lexicon.

The consequences of the global financial crisis on the lives of Burmese
migrant workers in Thailand have been severe with the spectre of a huge
scarcity of employment looming large in the coming year. That the
situation is grim and likely to turn worse is evident even now with about
half the factories in Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border having ceased work
or laid off workers suffering as they do from a lack of new orders.

Dwindling job orders by the industrial units have forced the employers to
resort to lay offs. Others have had their employment temporarily suspended
and are subsisting on half or less the salary they got. Those laid off
have perforce headed home, Mr. Chaiyuth Seneetantikul, Chairman of the Tak
District Thai Industrial Federation was quoted as telling the Burmese
media in exile recently.

His prediction seems to be ominous with industrial production in Tak
district likely to fall 30 percent next year. There is apprehension of
closure of firms in the gem industry. Units into electrical appliances are
also in trouble.

The situation seems bleak and observers of the financial turmoil and the
downslide, hitting many sectors like a bolt from the blue, see mass lay
offs affecting 10 percent of the labour force and from among Burmese
migrant workers it is likely to run into thousands.

The severity of the problem that looms in the horizon for migrant workers
from Burma can be gauged from the statistics gleaned from the Thai-based
Migrant Action Programme. Tak district's Mae Sot has over 200 factories
that has in its fold garment and knitting industries among others. These
have Burmese migrants accounting for about 200,000 workers. Thai labour
laws, however, provide some relief in terms of compensation should
workers, whether Thai or Burmese, lose their job.

The situation in no different in Singapore where companies have been
slashing jobs since the end of October even as the financial meltdown
takes its toll. The ostensible reason being offered for retrenching
foreign workers, including Burmese migrants is lack of performance and
lame excuses like lack of proficiency in language which all these years
had never been a hindrance. But that seems to be a lot of hog wash.

In Singapore, it is not just Burmese workers who have got the axe but
those from China, India, Philippines and Bangladesh. Like elsewhere, the
global economic slowdown has affected Singapore's economy and as a
consequence the domestic companies. The brunt falls on the weaker section
of society low on education and experience. Wage cuts are being resorted
to. Burmese workers working in Singapore account for about 50,000 to
60,000, media reports say. Yet the irony is that the exodus of the Burmese
workforce to neighbouring regional countries is to increase in the coming
years, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Reports in the Burmese media said according to the survey of the
Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour, Thailand needs about 1.3
migrant workers from Burma, Laos and Cambodia to meet the demand of the
labour force. Therefore the Thai government will start a new round of
registration for migrant workers which will allow non-registered or
undocumented migrants to register. This along with the nationality
verification process is part of the MOU between Thailand and Burma.

Migration from Burma wallowing in abysmal depths of economic deterioration
is not a new phenomenon. Exodus of the Burmese workforce has been
continuous and is on the increase with all seeking greener pastures to eke
out a livelihood. And for obvious reasons Thailand remains the main
destination for those seeking jobs away from a barren homeland in terms of
employment. Most Burmese migrants stay illegally. So much so that of the
estimated two million Burmese in Thailand, only 500,000 have valid work
permits as of mid-2008.

____________________________________

December 9, Irrawaddy
Isolated, but not insulated - Min Lwin

The financial crisis that began in the United States and rapidly evolved
into a once-in-a-generation global economic downturn has reached Burma, a
country whose military leaders have long prided themselves on their
ability to keep outside influences at bay.

Despite being locked out of the US financial system by sanctions designed
to force the ruling junta to make democratic reforms, Burmese businesses
are suffering from a credit crunch of their own, stemming from the
reluctance of commodity exporters to lend to producers.

“I can’t borrow any money,” said Thein Tin Aung, the owner of 10 acres of
rice paddy in Nyaung Laybin, a township in Pegu Division.

Thein Tin Aung (not his real name), said that he had traveled to Pegu, the
capital of the division, to borrow money for workers’ wages, but was
unable to secure a loan.

“Most exporters have no money to lend or pay in advance to farmers, who
need credit so they can harvest their crops,” he said. “We have
collateral, such as farms and motorbikes, but no one will give us the cash
to pay wages.”

The lack of credit for farmers—which in largely agrarian Burma comes
mainly from traders who sell rice, beans, pulses and other cash crops to
neighboring countries—is the result of the economic slowdown hitting the
rest of the region. As the country’s main trading partners—Thailand, India
and China—all strain under the effects of the recession, Burmese exporters
are also hurting.

“The price of export goods, including beans and rice, is falling,” said an
analyst from the Rangoon Institute of Economics, speaking on condition of
anonymity.

“Exports have been at a standstill for several months now,” he added.
“Many exporters have begun to stockpile grains because they don’t want to
sell at a loss.”

Meanwhile, the country’s ruling junta remains in denial about the impact
of the global slowdown. On December 2, the state-run Myanma Alin newspaper
reported the prime minister, Gen Thein Sein, as saying that Burma would
not be affected by the financial meltdown.

Instead of addressing the crisis, the Burmese regime appears to be adding
to the problem by squeezing the public to meet its own budgetary
shortfalls, according to analysts.

“Unlike other governments, which are offering bailouts and stimulus
measures, in Burma, the regime is trying to get more money from the
general public,” said Aung Thu Nyein of the Thailand-based Vahu
Development Institute.

He cited the imposition of a license fee for motorcycles in July as an
example of efforts to increase government revenues. According to police
statistics, the regime has so far issued 877,405 licenses, raising 230
billion kyat (US $184 million) over the past five months. Meanwhile, it
has auctioned off other vehicles seized from owners who failed to pay
license fees.

Any hopes that Burma will be spared the worst of the global economic
downturn must take into account the junta’s knack for taking a bad
situation and making it worse, says Aung Thu Nyein.

“The Burmese financial crisis will be worse than in other countries
because of the government’s mismanagement,” he said.