BurmaNet News, January 3-5, 2009

[Editor]

January 3 - 5, 2009, Issue #3624


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Daw Suu sends Independence Day message
DVB: Burmese private tutor arrested on Independence Day over freedom protest
AP: Opposition: No hope for future of Myanmar
Mizzima News: Woman activist sentenced to 26 years in prison
Mizzima News: Censorship board terminates license of 11 journals, and 20
magazines
Irrawaddy: DKBA attacks KNU
RFA: Burma blacklists U.S. artist

ON THE BORDER
Irrawaddy: UWSP proposes Wa autonomous region
The Korea Times: Burma sends 19 North Koreans to Thailand

BUSINESS / TRADE
AP: Foreign investment in Burma soars
Borneo Bulletin: Myanmar seeks new partnerships with Brunei
Xinhua: Myanmar grants free rice export from Yangon region

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: Bush to discuss Burma with Ban at White House

OPINION / OTHER
The Nation (Thailand): Understanding new Thai policy towards Burma – Kavi
Chongkittavorn
Irrawaddy: Junta determined to 'guide' 2010 polls – Marwaan Macan-Markar
The New Light of Myanmar: Government in pursuance of lofty goal of
building peaceful, modern, developed democratic nation with flourishing
discipline

STATEMENT
Karen Women’s Organization demands accountability for SPDC rape and
killing of 7-year-old girl

OBITUARY
Mizzima News: Ethnic veteran political leader Saw Mara Aung dies


____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 5, Democratic Voice of Burma
Daw Suu sends Independence Day message – Htet Aung Kyaw

Detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi displayed a quotation from her
late father, Burmese national hero general Aung San, in front of her house
yesterday.

National League for Democracy spokesperson Nyan Win said the message was
put up yesterday morning.

"She placed a red banner with yellow lettering on the porch of her
compound,” Nyan Win said.

“It said, ‘Act decisively for the good of the nation and the people –
General Aung San’. General Aung San was written in white," he said.

"You can say that this is a message from Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to all the
people of the country."

The message appeared on 4 January, the 61st anniversary of Burma's
independence from British colonial rule.

General Aung San was one of the leaders of the independence movement and
continues to be respected as a national hero.

Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in her home on Rangoon’s
University Avenue.

She recently received a visit from her doctor, but requests from her
lawyer to see her have been denied.

____________________________________

January 4, Democratic Voice of Burma
Burmese private tutor arrested on Independence Day over freedom protest

Democracy activists said at least one person was arrested for protesting
the fact that the people of Burma continue to live under restrictions even
though the country has regained its independence from Britain since 61
years ago.

Private tutor Ko Aung Pe of Twante, who is over 40 years old, tied his
hands to symbolize the lack of freedom and was paying obeisance in front
of the Independence Monument in Twante when the Special Branch Police
arrested him, according to the Information Committee of the National
League for Democracy (NLD).

He has not been released yet and his whereabouts are unknown. It is also
uncertain if he was arrested alone or together with other people.

Ko Aung Pe had been arrested on many occasions for similar activities. He
was arrested at least three times in front of the Independence Monument.

The first time he was arrested was on 14 February 2005 on the birthday of
late General Aung San and he was arrested at the Independence Monument
together with several students and imprisoned three years, according to
the NLD Information Committee.

Before he was arrested today, Ko Aung Pe continued his solo activities
when he was released in February last year, according to the Information
Committee.

____________________________________

January 4, Associated Press
Opposition: No hope for future of Myanmar

Myanmar's pro-democracy party marked the 61st anniversary of the country's
independence from Great Britain on Sunday, saying it foresaw no hope for
the military-ruled country.

At a ceremony inside the dilapidated headquarters of the opposition
National League for Democracy, its chairman Aung Shwe also called for the
release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and other party
leaders.

Suu Kyi — who has been under house arrest for more than 13 of the past 19
years — put up a banner at the gate of her home quoting a speech her
father, independence hero Gen. Aung San, had once given: "Act decisively
in the interest of the nation and the people."

In a speech to about 250 party members and diplomats, Aung Shwe said that
national unity is in disarray and that there is "no harmony between the
government and the governed."

"Hope for the present and future of the country is totally lacking," Aung
Shwe said.

Myanmar gained independence from Britain on Jan. 4, 1948, after more than
120 years of colonial rule. It has been under harsh military rule since
1962.

Meanwhile, the leader of the military junta Senior Gen. Than Shwe warned
that "neocolonialists" were interfering in domestic affairs and inciting
riots to undermine unity and stability.

"Neocolonialists" normally refers to Western nations that have been
sharply critical of the regime's human rights record and brutal crackdowns
on any protests.

The current junta emerged in 1988 after violently suppressing mass
pro-democracy protests. It held a general election in 1990, but refused to
recognize the results after a landslide victory by Suu Kyi's party.

____________________________________

January 5, Mizzima News
Woman activist sentenced to 26 years in prison – Than Htike Oo

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - A court inside Mandalay's Oh Bo prison has
sentenced Kathy Aung, a woman activist, to 26 years in prison. She had
been arrested on charges of unlawful association.

Kathy Aung, was handed a long prison term on November 24, 2008 on charges
that she had attended training imparted by an exiled opposition group,
Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB), based near the Thai- Burma border in
2008.

"The girl has been charged on four counts. She was charged with two counts
of associating with illegal associations. And another two counts under the
emergency Immigration Act. All together she has been sentenced to 26
years," Myint Thwin, a lawyer fighting her case, told Mizzima.

Kathy Aung was sentenced to 16 years for two counts each under the Illegal
Association Act 17/1, and Act 17/2, and 10 years under the Emergency
Immigration Act.

Lawyer Myint Thwin had recently visited the family members of Kathy Aung
in order to work as her defense counsel.

Kathy Aung was arrested in September 2008, at her residence in Mandalay,
Burma's second largest city, and was detained for over two months in Oh Bo
prison, before being tried and sentenced to 26 years of imprisonment.

____________________________________

January 5, Mizzima News
Censorship board terminates license of 11 journals, and 20 magazines – Nem
Davies

Burma's censorship board has stopped issuing licenses to at least 11
weekly journals and 20 magazines which failed to renew their license,
sources in the Rangoon literary community said.

An editor of a weekly journal, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
the censorship board, which is under the Ministry of Information, has
terminated the license of those journals and magazines that failed to
renew it even after expiry.

"Some failed to renew their license because of financial problems. And
some stopped publishing over a year of two. Again some stopped after the
first publication," the editor said.

"For instance the 'Trand' journal stopped publishing about two years ago.
The termination of the license does not have anything to do with having
problems with the authorities," he said.

But Khin Myo Win, deputy director at the censorship board, refused to
comment on the termination of the licenses for the journals and magazines.

According to the regulation, publications which have a temporary license
are required to renew after six months while those holding permanent
license are required to renew it after a year.

But the charges for renewing the license differ between those holding
temporary and permanent licenses. While temporary license holders need to
pay a fee of 100,000 Kyat (USD 100 approximately) for renewal, permanent
license holders need to pay only 50,000 kyat to the Ministry of
Information.

According to sources, at least 175 weekly journals and more than 200
magazines are officially registered under the Ministry of Information.

____________________________________

January 5, Irrawaddy
DKBA attacks KNU – Saw Yan Naing

Further attacks against the rebel Karen National Union (KNU) by the
Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) look likely to continue after a
major clash that began on Saturday, according to Karen sources from both
camps.

An armed clash between the KNU’s military wing, the Karen National
Liberation Army (KNLA), and the breakaway Karen group DKBA broke out on
Saturday in the KNLA’s Brigade 6 region in southern Karen State in Eastern
Burma.

According to a source close to the DKBA, battalions 907 and 999 moved in
against the KNLA Battalion 103 base. However, he said that the Burmese
army did not participate in the operation alongside the DKBA troops.

The KNU’s newly elected Joint-Secretary 1 Hla Ngwe said that further
attacks against the KNLA soldiers in Brigade 6 are expected as the DKBA
has long coveted the region to control business and collect taxes along
the Thai-Burmese border.

The area where the clash took place is rich in zinc mines, said the sources.

Hla Ngwe claimed that about six soldiers from a joint-Burmese/ DKBA force
were seriously injured during the clash. However, the source close to the
DKBA did not confirm any casualties.

Hla Ngwe said that a joint force of Burmese soldiers and DKBA troops have
increased attacks around the border areas since late 2008.

Some observers said that the Burmese army and DKBA forces are intent on
targeting in 2009 the KNU Brigade 6 region opposite Thailand’s Tak
province, including the KNLA military bases in Kawkareik Township in
southern Karen State.

A KNLA source said that the Burmese- DKBA troops were preparing to launch
an assault mainly against KNLA battalions 201 and 103 in Kawkareik
Township.

In late 2008, KNU’s tax department in Brigade 6 stated that the DKBA had
plans to wrest control of Kawkareik from the KNLA, expecting to earn from
agriculture, logging and mining in the area.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Monday, the source close to the DKBA said,
“This is our New Year’s present for the KNU.”

____________________________________

January 4, Radio Free Asia
Burma blacklists U.S. artist

An American academic couple abandons a visit to Burma because one of them
is blacklisted.  A prominent American professor and human rights advocate
has scrapped a visit to Burma after authorities turned away his wife at
the airport, saying she had been blacklisted.

Eric Stover, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley, arrived
at Mingalardon airport aboard Thai Airways in the former Burmese capital,
Rangoon, on Jan. 1, with his wife, Pamela Blotner, according to sources
who asked not to be named.

Stover, director of the human rights center at Berkeley’s Institute of
International Studies, went to Burma to conduct a workshop on medical
ethics from Jan. 9-11, the sources said. Blotner is a visual artist and
academic in California.

A Thai Airways official and Burmese immigration official informed the
couple that Blotner’s name was on a government blacklist, and the couple
returned to Bangkok, the sources said. A third official photographed them.

Stover is a former director of the nonprofit Physicians for Human Rights.
Blotner, an artist, created the Burmese American Art Exchange, which
exhibited the work of 12 American and 24 Burmese artists at the U.S.
Embassy in Rangoon in late 2007.

Blotner has paid several visits to Burma. Burmese artists, she was quoted
as saying in a U.S. newspaper earlier this year, “bring the same wonder
into making art that a child does but with an adult’s intelligence and
sensibility.”

“On some levels, the [Burmese government] censorship is ...horrific but
it’s also galvanizing. It’s something to fight against. These are the
things that draw artists together.”

Reported and translated by Ko Ko Aung for RFA’s Burmese service. Service
director: Nancy Shwe. Executive producer: Susan Lavery. Written and
produced in English by Sarah Jackson-Han.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 5, Irrawaddy
UWSP proposes Wa autonomous region – Lawi Weng

The United Wa State Party (UWSP), an ethnic ceasefire group based in
northern Burma, has proposed to the country’s military regime that
territory under Wa control be designated a special autonomous region from
the beginning of January 2009, according to political observers based in
the area.

Aung Kyaw Zaw, a Burmese analyst based on the Sino-Burmese border, said
that some Wa leaders had told him in recent telephone conversations that
the party was now issuing documents stamped “Government of Wa State,
Special Autonomous Region, Union of Myanmar.”

“This is a sign that they are preparing to establish a Wa autonomous
region,” said Aung Kyaw Zwa.

However, observers said that the Burmese military still hasn’t responded
to a proposal to rename the Wa territory the “Wa State Government Special
Region.”

The Wa area has been known by the Burmese military as “Shan State Special
Region 2” since the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the armed wing of the
UWSP, entered into a ceasefire agreement with the regime in 1989.

In 2003, when the UWSP attended a junta-sponsored national constitutional
convention, the party asked to be allowed to form a Wa State within Burma.

Wa political observers estimated that there are 20,000 UWSA soldiers
currently deployed along Burma’s borders with Thailand and China, while an
estimated 60,000 to 120,000 Wa villagers inhabit areas of lower Shan
State.

Under the regime’s new constitution, six townships in two districts of
Shan State—Hopang, Mongma, Panwai, Nahpan, Metman and Pangsang—comprise an
area designated the Wa Self-Administered Division.

Khuensai Jaiyen, editor of the Shan Herald Agency for News, based in
Chiang Mai, Thailand, said that the UWSP was using the constitution as the
basis of its call for autonomy. “The UWSP is testing the Burmese military
government’s new constitution to see if it is genuine or not. If it is,
the regime has to allow the Wa to form an autonomous region,” he said.

“The Wa will take part in the [junta’s 2010] election if the Burmese
military recognizes their proposal,” said Mai Aik Phone, who is close to
Wa leaders. “At the moment, they are in wait-and-see mode.”

Meanwhile, tensions between the regime and the UWSA have been mounting
since Maj-Gen Kyaw Phyoe, the Burmese Army’s regional commander in the
Golden Triangle area of Shan State, told the UWSA to disarm in December
and join the upcoming election in 2010.

Wa leaders categorically rejected Maj-Gen Kyaw Phyoe’s proposal, according
to sources.

____________________________________

January 4, The Korea Times
Burma sends 19 North Koreans to Thailand

Burmese authorities have sent 19 North Koreans, arrested while trying to
defect to South Korea across the Thai border, to Thai’s Chiang Rai
province, where Thai authorities have now re-arrested three of them, Radio
Free Asia said Friday.

The 19 North Korean refugees were fleeing poverty and repression in North
Korea and trying to reach South Korea through China and Southeast Asia,
when they were intercepted by Burmese authorities on Dec. 2.

Some human rights advocates, well-placed to comment on the situation, told
RFA said Burmese authorities felt pressured to release the North Koreans
instead of trying them, and instead moved them to the region where they
were initially arrested _ sending them across the border to Thailand,
their intended country of transit en route to the apparent final
destination, South Korea.

"The North Korean refugees arrived in Thailand and right away surrendered
to the Thai authorities," a Thai immigration official said. "They were
asking for political asylum in South Korea."

"The South Korean embassy in Bangkok would have to notify us that their
asylum applications were accepted, and then there must be an NGO group to
give these refugees further assistance to reach their goal."

Thousands of people have fled North Korea in recent years, citing hunger
and harsh political oppression. Many escape taking a risky land journey
through China to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries before
seeking asylum in South Korea, now home to nearly 14,000 North Korean
defectors.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 5, Associated Press
Foreign investment in Burma soars

Foreign investment in Burma—much of it from China—nearly doubled in the
first nine months of 2008 compared to the same period last year, according
to government statistics seen Monday.

Mining accounted for more than 88 percent of the total foreign
investment—a record for that sector.

Investment from January to September last year jumped to $974.9 million
dollars from $502.5 million in the same period the previous year, said the
Ministry of National Planning and Development in its latest statistical
survey.

That was the second-highest amount for this nine-month span after 2006,
when Thailand built a hydroelectric plant.

China accounted for $855 million of the $860.9 million invested in mining
while Russia and Vietnam added $114 million in the oil and gas sector.
China has signed a number of agreements with the resource-rich country to
mine gems, gold and nickel.

The US and European Union have imposed economic sanctions on Burma to
pressure the military government to improve human rights and release
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Since Burma liberalized its investment code in late 1988, it has attracted
large investments in the hydro-electric power and oil and gas sectors.

____________________________________

January 5, Borneo Bulletin
Myanmar seeks new partnerships with Brunei – Azaraimy HH

Bandar Seri Begawan - An event to celebrate the 61st Independence Day of
the Union of Myanmar was held at the International Convention Centre last
night.

Present as the guest of honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato
Seri Setia Hj Awg Suyoi bin Hj Osman, Minister of Health, who was
accompanied by wife, Datin Hajah Asmah bin Hj Abdul Rahman.
The evening kicked off with the national anthems of Brunei Darussalam and
Myanmar. This was followed with a speech by the Ambassador of Myanmar,
Thura U Thet Oo Maung.

Ambassador Thura U Thet Oo Maung also presented a token of appreciation to
the Minister of Health. Madame Nan Lao Ngin, wife of the Myanmar
Ambassador, presented a memento to Datin Hajah Asmah.

In attendance were foreign diplomats, government officials and other
guests. Ambassador Thura U Thet Oo Maung said Brunei and Myanmar enjoyed a
cordial relationship for years. He said the relationship has become
stronger over the years because of shared cultural heritage and similar
historical backgrounds.

He said that there exist immense opportunities for cooperation in the
trade, economic and investment sectors between the two countries.

The two countries, he said, must continue to share valuable experiences in
nation-building and seek new areas of cooperation in the future for their
mutual benefit.

He said Myanmar sincerely hopes to enhance trade and economic relations
with Brunei in the near future. Myanmar warmly welcomes investors from
Brunei, he said.

It is his hope, he said, that the two countries would continue their close
collaboration, particularly through the ASEAN framework, for the mutual
benefit of the two nations as well as for the cause of peace and
prosperity in this region.

____________________________________

January 5, Xinhua
Myanmar grants free rice export from Yangon region

Myanmar has granted free export of rice from rice-producing Yangon region
over six months after storm, the local Weekly Eleven journal reported
Monday, quoting the Ministry of Commerce.

Export of surplus rice from other regions through border trade is also
allowed; other local report also quoted the ministry as saying.

The country's rice export is mainly done through normal trade only but it
will also be permitted to do so through border trade if there is surplus
rice produced regionally, the sources said, adding that the grant covers
surplus rice produced from Sagaing, Bago and Ayeyawaddy divisions.

So far, a total of 35,755 tons have been shipped by 19 companies, of which
3,055 tons were exported by 9 companies through border points since the
near-end of last year.

According to the figures of the Central Statistical Organization, in
2007-08, Myanmar exported 358,500 tons of rice, gaining 100 million U.S.
dollars. The export tonnage in the first three quarters of 2008-09 went to
150,000 tons amid storm.

Of the rice export, 101,235 tons were shipped to South Africa, 11,908 tons
to Singapore, 8,007.85 tons to Sri Lanka, 2,499.7 tons to the United Arab
Emirate, 1,500 tons to South Korea and 1,197.7 tons to Egypt, said the
Myanmar Agricultural Produces Trading.

Myanmar government has urged agricultural entrepreneurs to make greater
efforts for exporting more rice, saying that the country has enough
cultivable land to boost paddy production.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

January 5, Irrawaddy
Bush to discuss Burma with Ban at White House – Lalit K Jha

US President George W Bush will discuss the current situation in Burma
along with other issues when he meets with UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on Tuesday in the White House.

It will probably be Bush's last meeting with Ban as the US President, the
White House said.

Before handing over the presidency to Barack Obama on January 20, Bush has
invited Ban and his wife, Ban Soon-taek, to the White House for lunch.

"This meeting will be an opportunity for the President to thank
Secretary-General Ban for his leadership of the United Nations and his
cooperation on key issues over the past two years," said White House
spokesperson Gordon Johndroe.

"They will discuss the future of the United Nations and the challenges
that remain, such as UN reform, the Middle East, Burma, Somalia and
peacekeeping in Darfur," Johndroe said.

However, the meeting is unlikely to yield any result for the people of
Burma, given that Bush is leaving office and Ban has been unable to make
any headway towards restoration of democracy in Burma.

Ban was scheduled to visit Burma in December, but he has postponed his
trip until a time when it would yield tangible results.

Johndroe said during the meeting the US President will stress the need for
a United Nations that can act effectively to promote freedom, democratic
governance, human rights and a world free from terror.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued Friday, one day before the 61st
anniversary of Burma's Independence Day, the State Department wished the
people of Burma well on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of its
independence from the British rule.

"We wish to express our warmest wishes to the people of Burma on this
occasion. As we reflect on Burma's independence struggle, led by Gen Aung
San, we are reminded of our own history," said the brief statement.

The State Department said the US stands with the Burmese people on in
honoring Aung San's vision for an independent, peaceful, and democratic
Burma.

The US also looks forward to the day when Burma's citizens will be able to
enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy. "We earnestly hope that day
will come soon," the statement said.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

January 5, The Nation (Thailand)
Understanding new Thai policy towards Burma – Kavi Chongkittavorn

AFTER EIGHT YEARS, it will not be easy to undo the Thai foreign policy
towards Burma initiated by the Thaksin-led government and its nominees. A
complete overhaul of the Burma policy is out of the question. However,
some major shifts by the current government could be forthcoming that
would firm up bilateral ties and strengthen Bangkok's voice on Burma
within Asean. Additional principled guidelines, drawing from the Asean
Charter, are imperative aimed at supporting the international community's
effort to promote an open society there.

Gone quickly would be the preponderance of one-man decisions on key
policies, especially those dealing with cross-border security, investment
and trade cooperation.

In the past few years, Thailand has been rather compromising in its
security considerations in exchange for economic benefits, which often
went to individuals rather than the country as a whole. In particular,
from 2001 to 2006, the Thai side allowed the Burmese side greater leeway
along the 2004-km border such as issues related to Burmese migrant
workers, illegal cross-border activities and harassment of minorities and
Burmese exiles.

Picking up the pieces of Burmese policy where the Democrat-led government
left off in early 2001, this time around the Thai foreign policy will be
decided in a transparent way without any hanky panky as in the past.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said succinctly that from now on, Thailand
will deal with Burma in a straightforward manner without any dubious deals
or transactions based on "four-eye meetings", which was the trademark of
Thaksin's personalised diplomacy.

Prior to the return of the Democrat-led government, Thai-Burmese relations
were very superficially closed, representing no real national agenda. Thai
leaders were myopic, deluded in thinking that defending the Burmese regime
within Asean and the international community would help them win favours
from the junta leaders and subsequently secure the country's future energy
and natural resources need. Indeed, the energy dependence on Burma was
exaggerated to justify Thailand's closer ties with Burma, including its
passivity.

Throughout the year 1999-2000, before Thaksin came to power, the Burmese
people's struggle for democracy and open society was at its peak with all
the support of the international community. Asean was far more united as
far as peer pressure on Burma was concerned. Thailand dutifully played the
leading role on Burma throughout by bringing in the international
community. Former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, currently the Asean
secretary-general, pushed Asean to engage in enhanced dialogue with Burma
as well as emerging transnational issues affecting the region.

However, soon after the arrival of the Thaksin-led government in early
2001, Thai policy towards Burma turned upside down. After a few weeks of
border tension and tough talks on Burma's role on cross-border illegal
drugs trade, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra unexpectedly
softened his Burmese policy, much to the chagrin of the international
community. Since then, Thailand's credibility on Burma has disappeared.

During the Cambodian conflict, Thailand's role in Asean as a frontline
state was well recognised as it was pursued based on the region's
interest, not tempered with vested personal interests. Asean helped to
internationalise the conflict playing out at the UN continuously for
nearly a decade, which gave Asean an international voice, before the Paris
peace agreement in 1989. In Burma's case, it was the opposite. Thailand
failed miserably to assert itself in the Asean overall approaches albeit
it was the most affected by the Burmese growing oppression. Bangkok's
willingness to play second fiddle to Burma further divided Asean and
stymied broader cooperation with international community.

Subsequent revelations by Surakiart Sathiratai, foreign minister in the
Thaksin government, showed that investment and commercial deals with Burma
at that time were not honest as they were coaxed with conflict of
interest.

The scandal over the Export and Import Bank of Thailand's Bt4-billion loan
to the junta was just one example. Like rubbing more salt into the wounds,
former prime ministers Samak Sundravej and Somchai Wongsawat made
ridiculous remarks defending Burma.

Samak was the most embarrassing as he praised the military junta leaders
as peace-loving leaders and boasted about their closed friendship. Under
the Surayud Chulanont government (2006-7), Thailand maintained a strict
policy of no new contacts or improvement of existing ties.

Burma could have made a transition to democracy if the Thai governments in
question had not indulged in personalising, nationalising and making the
Burmese problem bilateral. The leader's personal and group interests
linked to Burma weakened not only Thai credibility, it also belittled
Bangkok's voice within Asean. That helps explain why in the absence of a
Thai role, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have become more pro-active
in shaping the grouping's views and positions on Burma.

Coming to power at this juncture poses serious challenges to both Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit on Burmese policy.
They have to revitalise and synergise the role of Thailand, Asean and the
international community to move the situation in Burma forward.

At present, the Asean Charter, imperfect as it is, will serve as a useful
tool to encourage reluctant Asean countries to get more involved on issues
of human rights and democracy. The rumblings over the charter's
ratification in Indonesia and Philippines were indicative of the strong
desire for such endeavour.

As the Asean chair, Thai leaders will adopt a comprehensive strategy on
Burma that put together various parts and needs from within region.
Furthermore, this strategy must also work in tandem with the current
international efforts, especially through the offices of the United
Nations and related agencies and its special envoy.

After all, the Burmese quagmire is not the problem of any particular
country or regional community.

It must be kept at the multilateral level so that all stakeholders can
work together to end the current impasse and sufferings.

____________________________________

January 5, Irrawaddy
Junta determined to 'guide' 2010 polls – Marwaan Macan-Markar

Burma’s military regime ended 2008 with greater resolve to steamroll over
opposition voices in order to pave the way for a junta-friendly government
when the country holds general elections in 2010.

On December 30, nine supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
were arrested when they staged a protest in Rangoon, the former capital,
calling for her release. Some of the protesters were wearing the colors of
the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party that she heads.

Burmese soldiers parade during a ceremony marking the country's Armed
Forces Day in the country's new capital, Naypyidaw. (Photo: AFP)
The risk these activists took in placing their lives on the side of
political freedom has been heightened in the wake of harsh judgments
delivered against leading voices of the country’s struggling democracy
movement in November. Some of them were given long jail terms and Min Ko
Naing, a widely respected former university student leader, was put away
for 65 years.

The November verdicts, which saw 215 political activists sentenced, were
largely linked to the peaceful, pro-democracy street protests, led by
thousands of Buddhist monks, held in September 2007.

Buddhist monks who were in the vanguard of the protests, which was crushed
by the junta, were not spared. U Gambria, a leader of the All Burma Monks’
Alliance, was sentenced to 68 years in jail.

The verdicts delivered by a military-controlled court inside Rangoon’s
notorious Insein prison were as harsh on Burmese who led a humanitarian
effort to aid the victims of the powerful Cyclone Nargis, which tore
through the country’s Irrawaddy Delta in early May, killing tens of
thousands and affecting millions.

Zarganar, a well-known comedian who was arrested for leading a team of
entertainers to help the cyclone victims, was slapped with a 59-year
sentence.

"This is all part of an aggressive campaign to jail good, pro-democracy
activists who could run in the 2010 elections," says Debbie Stothard of
ALTSEAN, a regional human rights group monitoring abuse in Burma. "Anybody
who could be a viable opposition figure has been locked up. There are no
signs of the regime easing up."

Even token pressure from marginal voices in the country is being stifled,
she revealed in an IPS interview. "The New Year will see more arrests.
They are creating another Zimbabwe."

Such ability to crush an already beleaguered people has become possible
given the ease with which the junta succeeded in bullying and bluffing the
United Nations through the year.

Other members of the international community, including giants China and
Russia, also played their part to help the Burmese military dictatorship
impose its roadmap for a "discipline flourishing democracy."

The junta’s success at reducing the world body to a minor irritant became
more evident after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon cancelled plans to
visit Burma, or Myanmar, in December. That the junta was in no mood for
Ban—or for a push by his office for concrete issues to be discussed during
such a visit—was hardly a surprise.

Ban’s predicament highlighted a defining feature of how the Burmese regime
was responding to international pressure. In May, Ban became the first UN
chief to visit Burma following the devastating Cyclone Nargis. But all the
assurances he got from the military regime for more openness to enable
humanitarian assistance to the victims amounted to little.

The UN received another embarrassing snub from the junta in August, when
Ibrahim Gambari, the world body’s special envoy to Burma, was treated like
an unwelcome guest and relegated to meeting minor officials during a visit
aimed to prod the regime towards democratic reform. Earlier in 2008,
Gambari had received a tongue-lashing from Burma’s information minister,
removing all doubt about the contempt with which the junta views the
Nigerian diplomat.

Yet at the same time, sections of the international community still place
faith in the UN to deliver. In early December, for instance, a group of
more than 100 former heads of governments and states wrote a letter to
Ban, asking him to travel to Burma to secure the release of Suu Kyi and
the over 2,100 political prisoners by December 31.

"It is important that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travel to the country
himself and engage in serious dialogue with the military regime and
impress on them the calls by leaders and lawmakers from Asia and around
the world for the release of all political prisoners," Kraisak Choonhavan,
a Thai parliamentarian, said at the time.

Among the leaders who signed this unprecedented petition were former US
presidents George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter, former Australian prime
minister John Howard, former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and
former Philippines president Corazon Aquino.

The petition to Ban drew attention to developments in the UN Security
Council in October 2007, when a presidential statement had urged the
prompt release of all political prisoners in Burma.

Yet what has prevailed since that rare pressure on the junta from the UN’s
most powerful body illustrates the aggressive and defiant position Burma’s
military regime is pursuing. In mid-2007, the number of political
prisoners stood at 1,200; now it has nearly doubled to over 2,100.

The military regime "will stop at nothing to prevent people from joining
demonstrations or be influenced by the voices of the democracy activists,"
says Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner who heads the Assistance
Association for Political Prisoners in Burma, a human rights group based
on the Thai-Burma border. "They want to create a greater climate of fear
among the general public."

It is all part of the junta’s plan to be certain of victory at the 2010
polls "even before the elections," Bo Kyi explained in an interview. "They
want to avoid a repeat of the 1990 elections."

At that poll, held after the regime brutally crushed a pro-democracy
uprising in 1988, where close to 3,000 activists were shot to death, the
NLD trounced the junta-backed National Unity Party with a thumping
majority. But the regime refused to recognize the results and began
targeting the elected parliamentarians.

Burmese political activists like Bo Kyi believe that only the
international community in 2009 can stall the junta’s plans to hijack the
2010 polls. "The international community needs to exert real pressure that
they will not accept the results of the 2010 elections without the release
of all political prisoners and a free environment for the polls."

____________________________________

January 4, The New Light of Myanmar
Government in pursuance of lofty goal of building peaceful, modern,
developed democratic nation with flourishing discipline

The following is a translation of the message sent on the 61st Anniversary
Independence Day by Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
Senior General Than Shwe.

I would like to extend my warmest and cordial greetings to all national
people residing in the Union on the 61st Anniversary Independence Day of
the Union of Myanmar, an auspicious day.

Myanmar has stood tall as a sovereign nation with own monarchs in the
global community since time immemorial.

In late 19th century, Myanmar lost sovereignty, following the
colonialists' aggression. However, national brethren of the Union who
hated being under the yoke of colonialism equipping themselves firmly with
Union Spirit and patriotic spirit and exerting bravery, tenacity and
vigour launched anti-colonialist struggles sacrificing lives, blood and
sweat. So, the Union of Myanmar regained independence and sovereignty.
Independence is in its 61st anniversary today.

Historic events bore witness that throughout the period of independence
struggles, national brethren had been rising in unity against the
colonialists, demonstrating strong fervour to make sacrifices in the
interest of the nation and the people and cherish and value sovereignty,
as well as high sensibility to any forms of attempts to harm own
literature, culture and national prestige and integrity. The entire people
have to bear in mind the historical background of independence struggles
for ever and will have to continue to safeguard the motherland for
ensuring perpetuity of the nation and sovereignty.

Today, neo-colonialists are practising various forms of neocolonialism
such as interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, putting
pressure on and coercing other countries to serve as their minions, and
resorting to all possible ways of forcing a government to serve as a
puppet one that will dance to their tune with the intention of harming the
sovereignty of their targeted countries. Moreover, they are using some
international organizations to gain support for their schemes, and driving
a wedge among national people and inciting riots to undermine national
unity, peace and stability of a nation. Under the circumstances, the
entire people are duty-bound to safeguard the motherland through the might
of national unity for ensuring non-disintegration of the Union,
non-disintegration of national solidarity and perpetuation of sovereignty,
while keeping a watchful eye on attempts of neo-colonialists to harm the
sovereignty of the country.

Today, the government, in pursuance of the lofty goal of building a
peaceful, modern and developed democratic nation with flourishing
discipline, is implementing the 24-special region development project and
the rural development project it has laid down for community peace and the
rule of law, constructing more and more economic infrastructures,
development of human resources and ensuring equitable development of all
parts of the nation. At the same time, it is implementing the State's
seven-step Road Map step by step. In the process, the State Constitution
of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar has been approved with the votes
of the great majority of the people since May 2008.

In conclusion, on such an auspicious occasion of Independence Day of the
Union of Myanmar, I would like to urge the entire national people to
materialize with a sense of duty the four objectives of the 61M
Anniversary Independence Day:

(1) All the national people to constantly join hands for ensuring the
perpetuity of independence and sovereignty of the State;

(2) All the national people to collectively strive for non-disintegration
of the Union and non-disintegration of national solidarity;

(3) All the national people to harmoniously make all-out efforts for
building up a modern, developed discipline-flourishing democratic nation
in accord with the new State Constitution that has been approved by the
votes of the great majority of national people;

(4) All the national people to cooperate in realizing the State's
seven-step Road Map with Union Spirit and patriotic spirit

with the firm resolution to build up a peaceful, modem and developed
democratic nation with flourishing discipline.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

January 5, Karen Women’s Organization
KWO demands accountability for SPDC rape and killing of 7-year-old girl

The Karen Women’s Organization is demanding the immediate arrest and
prosecution of an SPDC soldier who raped and killed a young girl in
Burma’s northern Karen State last week, as well as punishment of his
commanding officer for failing to take action over the crime.

The body of the 7-year-old girl was found near her house with gunshot
wounds in her chest and signs of rape in the village of Ma Oo Bin, Kyauk
Kyi Township, Nyaunglebin District, in the evening of December 27, 2008.
Villagers had seen a soldier from SPDC Light Infantry (LI) 350 enter the
village shortly beforehand, and then heard sounds of a girl crying out and
rifle shots.

The girl’s parents and village leaders went to report the case the next
day to Captain Thet Khaing, the local commander of SPDC LI 350, stationed
near the village, but no action has been taken yet.

The KWO is appalled at this horrific crime, and that the SPDC authorities
have failed to take any action over the case. If such impunity continues,
the SPDC military will continue to commit such crimes, threatening the
lives of women and girls throughout the country.

The KWO demands the immediate arrest of the rapist and prosecution in
accordance with the severity of his crime. His commanding officer, Captain
Thet Khaing, must also be held accountable for this crime and be punished
for failing to ensure prosecution of the offender.

The KWO urges the international community to pressure the SPDC authorities
to take action over this case, and to ensure that the victim’s family and
other community members face no retaliation for their attempts to seek
justice.

Contact person:

Blooming Night Zan – 081 973 6471

____________________________________
OBITUARY

January 5, Mizzima News
Ethnic veteran political leader Saw Mara Aung dies

Burma's veteran ethnic politician Dr. Saw Mara Aung died on Monday evening
at his Rangoon residence, political allies said.

Dr. Saw Mara Aung (92), chairman of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD)
passed away at about 7 p.m. (local time), Nyan Win, spokesperson of
Burma's main opposition party – National League for Democracy – said.

The veteran Arakanese politician was an elected member of Parliament from
Marauk-U constituent No. 1 in Burma's last general election in 1990, which
the ruling military junta refused to recognize.

Saw Mara Aung, like many of his political allies,was arrested and detained
by the military for his political activities and was released in 2001.

He served as Chairman of the Committee Representing Peoples Parliament
(CRPP), a committee formed in 1998 to convene Parliament based on the1990
election results.

Nyan Win said, "I heard that the burial will take place on Tuesday morning."