BurmaNet News, February 18, 2009

[Editor]

February 18, 2009, Issue #3654


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: NLD calls for dialogue without preconditions
Reuters: U.N. rights envoy heads for Myanmar capital
Mizzima News: Prison terms commuted for two political prisoners
Irrawaddy: Burmese Junta sees satellite TV as threat
Xinhua: Myanmar lifts ban on visiting jade producing area by foreign tourists

ON THE BORDER
IHT: Traumatized Rohingya flee squalid life in Bangladesh
IMNA: Relatives of 54 suffocated Burmese migrant workers receive
compensation in Ranong today

BUSINESS / TRADE
Narinjara: Bangladesh business team to visit Burma

HEALTH / AIDS
Myanmar Times: Myanmar travel Asia in search of healthcare

REGIONAL
Jakarta Post: RI wants Myanmar junta to allow Suu Kyi in elections
Japan Times: Myanmar refugees to try resettling
Philippines Star: 10 Myanmar nationals barred at Clark airport

INTERNATIONAL
Washington Post: Clinton signals possible shift in U.S. policy on Burma
Travel Weekly (UK): Operators defend Burma stance

OPINION / OTHER
Bangkok Post: The UN's 'showboat' mission to Burma

STATEMENT
NLD: Special statement No. 2/12/09




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

February 18, Democratic Voice of Burma
NLD calls for dialogue without preconditions – Nan Kham Kaew

Feb 18, 2009 (DVB)–The National League for Democracy has issued a special
statement supporting the United Nations’ call for dialogue without
preconditions and urging the military regime to accept the proposal.

The statement, which was issued yesterday, addressed the ruling State
Peace and Development Council’s claims that the party’s calls for
sanctions against the regime were harmful to the country.

"Section 7 of the SPDC statement No. 1/2007 says that confrontation, utter
devastation, severing of economic ties and total blockades are not useful
to the nation and the people,” the statement said.

“Therefore, to prevent these, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi notified the
authorities through liaison minister U Aung Kyi that [the NLD] is ready to
issue statements regarding bilateral cooperation and agreements,” it
continued.

“Therefore, the NLD seriously urges again with good intentions that the
two people who could decide these matters should meet for discussions."

The party also refuted claims that detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi
had refused to meet the government’s liaison minister.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi didn't refuse to meet with liaison minister U Aung
Kyi on 2 September 2008, she was just unable to do so at that time,” the
statement said.

The statement also echoed calls by the UN for dialogue between the
opposition and the ruling junta without preconditions.

“On 5 February 2009, the UN secretary-general issued a statement which
says that the SPDC, the NLD and pro-democracy groups should hold dialogues
without preconditions, with the aim of attaining national reconciliation
and meaningful dialogue,” the statement said.

“The NLD welcomes that statement. On this subject, the NLD has always
tried to walk a path to reconcile both sides by means of negotiations,
while the SPDC has never made an effort to make dialogue happen."

The NLD’s Thein Nyunt, who read out the statement, said the party had
wanted to clarify its position on preconditions to dialogue.

"Recently, when it comes to the dialogue, we have seen some news reports
implying that the NLD has imposed preconditions unilaterally,” Thein Nyunt
said.

“When it comes to dialogue, the NLD has never imposed any preconditions.
The NLD doesn't want tensions between groups,” he said.

“One point is to emphasise is that the NLD has not set out any
preconditions and the UN secretary-general issued a statement on 5
February urging dialogue without preconditions,” he explained.

“Based on this, if the secretary-general himself comes to Burma to make
the situation better, the NLD will welcome his trip in accordance with our
policy of cooperation with the UN,” he went on.

“The third and most important point is that the people who have the
ability to decide the fate of the nation, general Than Shwe and Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi, should engage in dialogue pragmatically and quickly."

____________________________________

February 18, Reuters
U.N. rights envoy heads for Myanmar capital

The United Nations' human rights envoy for Myanmar headed on Wednesday for
the country's new capital, Naypyidaw, for possible meetings with senior
junta figures.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, U.N. Special Human Rights Rapporteur for Myanmar,
arrived on Saturday for his second mission to the country and visited
political prisoners earlier in the week.

"He left for Naypyidaw this morning but we are not sure who exactly will
receive him," a diplomat based in the main city, Yangon, told Reuters.

The U.N. says Quintana had asked the military government for access to "a
number of prisoners of conscience" but it was unclear if he would be able
to visit opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house
arrest in Yangon for 13 of the past 19 years.

The generals moved the capital to Naypyidaw, about 380 km north of Yangon,
in 2005.

Quintana was in eastern Kayin State on Sunday and Monday, visiting the
prison in the local capital, Pa-an, and meeting leaders of ethnic groups
opposed to the junta.

Later on Monday he went to the notorious Insein Central Jail on the
outskirts of Yangon, where he met political prisoners including Tin Min
Htut and Nyi Bu, elected MPs from the main opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD).

They were sentenced to 15 years in prison in a closed trial on Friday, the
day before Quintana arrived.

The two men had been arrested last August after they wrote an open letter
to the U.N. criticising the military regime's proposed political reforms.

State media made no mention of the U.N. envoy's visit.

Under a new constitution brought in last year, multi-party elections are
to be held in 2010, although the generals will be handing over little real
power to the elected leadership.

Suu Kyi's NLD believes the results of the last election in 1990 should be
respected and form the basis for any transition to democracy. The NLD won
a landslide victory, only to be denied power by the military, which has
run the country since 1962.

The NLD has not said publicly whether it will take part in the election
but it has called on the regime to set up a multilateral commission to
review the constitution.

All three state-owned papers, which are generally considered to be the
mouthpiece of the junta, urged the opposition on Wednesday to take part in
the 2010 vote.

"If they really want to serve the interests of the nation and the people,
they should recognise the benevolent attitude of the government and stand
for elections fairly in line with the law," the English daily New Light of
Myanmar said in a commentary.

The NLD for its part issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a meeting
between Suu Kyi and regime supremo Senior General Than Shwe.

"It will be the best way to bring about significant advantages for the
country if the two leaders, who have the decisive power, meet and talk
immediately without any preconditions instead of arguing with each other,"
it said.

____________________________________

February 18, Mizzima News
Prison terms commuted for two political prisoners – Than Htike Oo

Two political prisoners put in prison for having contact with a Thai based
opposition organization had their sentences commuted by 16 years each by a
divisional court.

The authorities accused Kaythi Aung and Wei Myo Htoo of attending a
training conducted by 'Forum for Democracy in Burma' (FDB) in April last
year and they were sentenced and are now serving their terms in Oboe
prison, Mandalay. Now they have to serve the remaining 10 years each.

"The divisional court commuted their prison terms in keeping with the law.
Moreover these two pleaded guilty at the trial court and it was difficult
to acquit them. They had no access to legal counsel during the court
proceedings and we could not get chance to re-examine the prosecution
witnesses. So we are trying to get their current prison terms commuted to
lenient ones", their legal counsel Myint Thwin  told Mizzima.

These two were arrested from their homes in Mandalay in September 2008.
First they were held in Oboe prison and then sentenced to 26 years each 
on 24 November last year.

They were handed out 16 years prison term each in two cases under Unlawful
Associations Act and another 10 years each in two cases charged under the
Immigration (Emergency Provisions) Act.

"According to the provisions in the Criminal Procedural Code (CrPC) and
court rulings, their sentences could be commuted. For instance, in four
cases of Kaythi Aung, all the alleged crimes were committed on the same
date and same time. And the course of events was the same too. According
to the law, in such a case, if the course of crime is the same, the prison
terms must be served concurrently", he said.

The news of commuting sentences of some political prisoners coincided with
the ongoing visit of UN rights envoy and human  rights expert Mr. Tomas
Ojea Quintana to Burma.

The famous comedian and film director Zargana a.k.a. Thura was first
sentenced to 59 years  in prison  for disaffection to State and Government
allegedly committed through internet  and was charged under Electronic
Law. However, the Rangoon Division bench commuted his prison sentence by
24 years on 13 February.

The Thailand based 'Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners in
Burma' (AAPPB) Joint GS Bo Kyi said that the ongoing visit of UN right
expert's to Burma has nothing to do with commuting prison sentences of
some political prisoners.

"The commuting of sentences is not because of Mr. Quintana's visit to
Burma. Even arresting these people is going too far. And they are not only
arresting these innocent people, they are even handing out harsh prison
sentences to them. And now they are commuting some of these prison
sentences. I don't think it is because of Mr. Quintana's visit to Burma,"
he said.

____________________________________

February 18, Irrawaddy
Burmese Junta sees satellite TV as threat – Wai Moe

The Burmese junta believes information technology, particularly satellite
TV, is a decadent threat that undermines nationalism and has warned the
people to avoid satellite TV programs.

On Tuesday, the junta-controlled newspapers, The New Light of Myanmar,
Myanma Alin and The Mirror, published a commentary blasting satellite TV.

“In reality, satellite [TV] programmes are particularly designed to wield
influence, making use of media and arts,” the newspapers said.

“Today, certain countries are brazenly interfering in the internal affairs
of their targeted countries by inciting political problems, instigating
mass demonstrations, and demoralizing the characters [sic] and undermining
the nationalistic sense of the people through decadent programmes.”

The article was titled “We should not continue to allow decadent satellite
programmes,” in the English-language daily The New Light of Myanmar, and
“Don’t Continuously Water a Poison Plant!” in the Burmese-language
newspapers, Myanma Alin and The Mirror.
The article said that watching satellite TV in Burma “should have been
remedied” because “many of those channels [on satellite TV] can demoralize
the people, hurt national spirit and patriotic spirit [sic], and arouse
emotional feelings.”

TV programs received through a satellite receiver include news stories
that “are against the government policy as well as the sense that may hurt
national culture, customs, traditions and character of the people [sic],”
the article claimed.

If the government disregards and ignores the problem, the nation and the
people will face evil consequences, the article said.

The article claimed that the Chinese government prohibits Chinese citizens
from watching satellite TV programs and many countries prohibit and
control such broadcasts to protect their national interests.

Soon after the crackdowns on mass demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in
September 2007, the junta attempted to control citizens’ watching
satellite TV, in particular the Norway-based Democratic Voice of
Burma(DVB) as well as the international channels for Al Jazzera, CNN and
BBC.

In early 2008, the junta ordered a missive hike in the annual satellite TV
license fee. At the time, the license fee was increased 166-fold.

As alternatives to the Burmese government’s propaganda TV channels, MRTV
and Myawaddy, many people in urban and rural areas watch DVB which
broadcasts in the Burmese language and provides Burma related news,
according to viewer surveys.

DVB, run by Burmese exiles, is a “multimedia organization promoting press
freedom, democracy and human rights,” according to world-newspapers.com.

In recent years, Burmese authorities have tried to counter satellite TV,
particularly DVB, by permitting the pay TV, government-controlled channels
MRTV 4 and MRTV 5. Both channels are managed by the Ministry of
Information. Audiences can access international news broadcasts, music and
movie channels. News from international broadcasts is censored.

Most teashops in urban areas have satellite TV receivers and people who
cannot afford to buy a receiver watch satellite TV programs at teashops.
Journalists in Rangoon say teashops with satellite TV get more customers.

To reach a larger audience via satellite TV, the Washington-based Voice of
America (VOA) Burmese Service reportedly has plans to expand its programs
from radio broadcasts to satellite TV in the Burmese language.

___________________________________

February 18, Xinhua
Myanmar lifts ban on visiting jade producing area by foreign tourists

Myanmar has lifted restriction on visiting Phakant, one of the famous jade
producing areas, by foreign tourists, the 7-Day News quoted tour companies
as reporting Wednesday.

Foreign travelers are set to obtain entry visa into the jade mining area
in the northernmost Kachin state 14 days ahead of their journey, the
report said.

Visiting to Phakant by foreigners was banned in February last year
according to the Myanmar authorities' then announcement but that to
Myitkyina through kanpaithi entry point was permitted, the report added.

Phakant is among the six popular areas in Myanamr under gem and jade
exploration. The five other areas are Mogok, Mongshu, Khamhti, Moenyin and
Namyar.

Myanmar occasionally introduced gem mining blocks in these areas for
engagement by domestic entrepreneurs to promote gem production in the
country.

For the development of gem industry, Myanmar has been holding gem shows
annually starting 1964 and introducing the mid-year one since 1992 and the
special one since 2004. On each occasion, the country's quality gems,
jade, pearl and jewelry worth of millions of dollars were put on sale
mainly through competitive bidding.

The authorities designated the proceeds from the sale of gems at these
emporiums as legal export earning to encourage the private sector in the
development of the gem industry.

Myanmar, a well-known producer of gems in the world, boasts ruby, diamond,
cat's eye, emerald, topaz, pearl, sapphire, coral and a variety of garnet
tinged with yellow.

Of Myanmar's 6.043 billion U.S. dollars' exports in 2007-08, gem products
stood the third after natural gas and agricultural produces with 647.53
million dollars, according to official statistics.

The government's Central Statistical Organization also revealed that in
the fiscal year 2007-08, Myanmar produced 20,235 tons of jade and 22.668
million carats of gems which include ruby, sapphire, spinel and peridot,
as well as 225,611 mommis (846 kilograms) of pearl.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

February 15, International Herald Tribune
Traumatized Rohingya flee squalid life in Bangladesh – Mark McDonald

It's there in their faces, in the dark night of their eyes and in the sag
and slump of their shoulders. It's unmistakable, the despair of the
Rohingya, the fear for departed husbands and fathers, the daily abrasions
of poverty, sadness and the world's indifference.

More than a quarter-million Rohingya - an ethnic Muslim minority from
western Myanmar - have come here to southern Bangladesh to escape the
hunger, humiliation and official brutalities in their homeland. Many have
landed in a place called the Kutupalong Makeshift Camp.

It is an obscenity, this camp, a festering hell of lost hope and inhuman
squalor. No water, power, schools or medicine. Occasional stoop-labor jobs
carrying bricks or making salt. Huts made of leaves and branches. There is
no music.

"The worst conditions you could imagine anywhere on earth," says a
well-traveled international aid worker. "Total despair," says another.

These are the luxuries in the camp: a packet of cookies, a crayon, a new
battery for an old radio, a small breeze on a sweltering night.

Difficult enough are their journeys from Myanmar to the camp. Even more
dangerous are the attempts by thousands of Rohingya men and boys to
emigrate each year, starting with perilous sea voyages to Thailand. After
that comes an overland trek to Malaysia, a country that has become a kind
of Muslim El Dorado for the Rohingya. There might be friends or family
connections there, and perhaps jobs that allow for money to be sent to
families back in the camps.

These trips often begin in leaky boats that are underpowered and
overloaded. Hundreds of Rohingya die at sea each year, and hundreds more
are rescued, adrift at sea, by navies in the region. And thousands are
detained each year by the Thai authorities. Human rights groups were
outraged recently when it became known that the Thai military had roughly
detained several dozen Rohingya men on a remote island, then packed them
into a boat with few provisions and towed them back out to sea.

"Pushbacks" is what aid workers are calling this tactic.

How to measure or comprehend the terror - or perhaps it's the love - that
propels a man to leave his family, quite possibly forever, and climb
penniless into a boat to find uncertain work a thousand miles away in a
place where he knows he'll be both unwelcome and liable to arrest? For
that matter, what hellish existence could send a family fleeing to a
refugee camp where conditions resemble, charitably, the 12th century?

The Rohingya number about 750,000 in Myanmar. But the military junta does
not recognize them as one of the 135 "national races" in the mostly
Buddhist nation. And so, in the face of forced labor, arbitrary arrest,
stolen land and even starvation, they flee to the makeshift camp. (An
adjoining settlement of 20,000 residents has water, electricity and other
basic services. Run by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees, it is known as the official Kutupalong camp. Some Rohingya have
lived there for more than a decade.)

Every day more Rohingya arrive at the Bangladeshi camps, stateless,
sun-blasted refugees carrying their meager bundles. The newcomers, largely
from Rakhine State in Myanmar, are often so traumatized that they're
unable to tell aid workers what they have fled.

Another one million Rohingya are scattered about the world - there has
been a major diaspora from South Asia in recent decades - and they have
flung themselves from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan to Thailand to Indonesia.
The men lay asphalt and pour cement in Riyadh. They haul fishing nets in
the Andaman Sea. They pull rickshaws in Jakarta. The children, with their
small hands, peel shrimp and weave carpets in Karachi.

But no country claims the Rohingya. No country welcomes them. For many,
Islam is the only sanctuary left. "They still have faith," says an aid
worker, "that Allah will protect them."

This article was reported by a reporter for the International Herald
Tribune in Cox's Bazar and by Mark McDonald in Hong Kong. It was written
by McDonald.

____________________________________

February 18, Independent Mon News Agency
Relatives of 54 suffocated Burmese migrant workers receive compensation in
Ranong today

Relatives of the 54 Burmese workers who suffocated to death last year in
the back of a container truck received compensation from an insurance
company in Ranong today. The exchange was monitored by authorities from
the Thai and Burmese governments, as well as representatives of the
Federated Trade Unions – Burma (FTUB), World Vision, the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) and other non-government organizations
(NGOs)

The payments began this morning at a "Safety House" arranged by IOM and
World Vision, a source in the FTUB told IMNA. According to the source, 41
family members were present though 46 family members had been contacted.

After receiving checks for 35,000 baht ($992.51 USD) from the Thai Liberty
Insurance Company, the workers then attempted to cash them at a Thai bank.
According to the FTUB source, 9 family members were unable to exchange the
checks for cash because they had insufficient documentation.

Following the trip to the bank, Burmese police and immigration authorities
escorted the family members back to Burma. According to a source at
another NGO involved in the affair, Burmese authorities had arranged for
the family members to pass through immigration checkpoints into Thailand,
and had helped arranged their lodging at the police station and World
Vision office across the border in Kawthaung, Tenasserim Division.

The involvement of officials from Thailand and Burma as well as a variety
of NGOs is explained by the international profile had by the initial
incident. A major media outcry followed the death of the 54 migrants, who
suffocated as they attempted to secretly travel to Phuket, Thailand, where
they hoped to find work. According to one NGO source involved in the
incident, the families would never be receiving compensation had the
incident not drawn such attention.

It is unclear, however, what will happen to the family members now that
they have returned to Burma with the substantial sums of money. Whether
they will be taxed by Burmese authorities – whom watchdog group
Transparency International lists as the second most corrupt in the world –
remains to be seen.

According to a source in a Lamine Sub Township, some family members
worried that they would be harassed and extorted by Burmese officials
following their payment. This fear, said the source, explains why 5
relatives failed to show up for the exchange though they had been notified
they were eligible for substantial compensation.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

February 18, Narinjara
Bangladesh business team to visit Burma

A Bangladesh business delegation will visit Burma tomorrow to discuss a
direct banking arrangement and border trade to accelerate business between
the two countries.
The delegation will be led by Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank Ziaul
Hasan Siddiqui. According to an official source, the team will visit Burma
from 19 to 26 February to have detailed discussions with the concerned
authorities.

Other members of the delegation include Trade Consultant of the Commerce
Ministry Shafiqul Islam and Syed Mahmudul Huq, president of Bangladesh -
Myanmar Business Promotion Council, and Managing Director of NCC Bank
Mohammad Nurul Amin.

Bilateral trade between Burma and Bangladesh now stands at US $140
million. The two countries were in a tug-of-war two months back over
maritime boundaries following Burma's exploratory geological survey in the
Bay of Bengal.

Sources said during the visit the delegation members will visit markets on
the Chinese and Thai borders with Burma to discuss with the respective
authorities how to start direct banking arrangements or open letters of
credit.

The delegation will also explore ways of opening a border market between
the two countries.

____________________________________
HEALTH / AIDS

February 17, Myanmar Times
Myanmar travel Asia in search of healthcare

WELL-OFF Myanmar citizens with health concerns travel to a wide range of
mainly Asian countries for first-rate healthcare at relatively low cost,
industry experts say.

One major destination is Thailand, which in 2007 received 36,257 Myanmar
patients for medical treatments from a total of 75,183 Myanmar travellers.

Thai statistics show that 1.4 million foreigners entered Thailand for
medical treatment in 2007, and the number in 2008 is expected to rise to
1.69 million. Of the 2007 total, the citizens of ASEAN countries numbered
100,773 patients, of which Myanmar patients were the largest group, at
36pc, followed by Cambodia (24pc).

But Dr Surapong Ambhanwong, the managing director of Phyathai Hospitals
Group, told The Myanmar Times that Thailand was not the only destination
for healthcare. Some wealthy Myanmar go as far as Germany for medical
treatment. But the number of visitors going to Thailand for healthcare had
increased because of the quality of the medical service and value for
money, he said.

Dr Surapong who is also chairman of a committee on business healthcare
service, said

"Myanmar has the potential to be developed for health tourism depending on
the medical associations and also the national policy. But Myanmar medical
staff still need help to access training."

U Maung Maung Swe, the managing director of SM Tours and Travel Company,
which has been authorised as an official representative for the Phyathai
Hospitals Group, said Myanmar patients had been seeking medical treatment
in Singapore and Malaysia since 1990. Thailand has been rapidly expanding
in popularity as a destination for medical treatment since 2000.

"Most Myanmar patients go to hospitals in Thailand for a medical check-up
or an operation," he said. "Our company arranges the medical documentation
for patients to Phyathai hospitals, arranges appointments and advises
patients." U Maung Maung Swe said three Phyathai hospitals were taking
care of more than 2000 international patients daily.

U Aung Thurein, the managing director of Vertex, which is an authorised
agent for AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata, India, said Myanmar travellers
started going to India for health treatment five years ago, mostly for
liver ailments or kidney transplants.

"Myanmar patients chose India because the country has advanced information
technology with good medical services, its weather and food are similar to
Myanmar, and the expenses were lower than in an established medical
destination like Singapore," he said.
U Aung Thurein said the cost for medical treatment in India was 40 to 50
per cent lower than in Singapore.

"India is attracting more travellers for medical treatment from
Bangladesh, Bhutan, the United Kingdom and the United States," he said.
"We offer referral services for AMRI hospitals. Depending on the disease,
the price of our documentation services ranges from FEC20 to FEC50.

Meanwhile, Dr Su Naing, the medical liaison officer from the Myanmar
office of Parkway Health Information Centre (PHIC) for Parkway Group
Healthcare, said Singapore was considered good value as a medical
destination for Myanmar patients, particularly since 2000.

"The hospitals in Singapore have advanced technology with qualified
doctors and good facilities, but the expenses were 50 per cent higher than
in Thailand," she said.

Dr Su Naing said Myanmar-based PHIC opened in August last year as an
information centre for three hospitals -Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and
East Shore Hospital under the management of Parkway Health Group in
Singapore.

She said Gleneagles Hospital had 130 international patients including 10
Myanmar citizens who took treatment successfully for liver transplant in
late 2007. The hospital has the Asia Centre for liver disease and
transplants.

Gleneagles especially attracted patients for liver disease related
treatments and also had about 10 to 15 patients from Myanmar a monthly.

"Most Myanmar who came to Mount Elizabeth Hospital for medical treatment
were cancer patients, and we had about 15 to 20 patients from Myanmar a
month. But we haven't had any Myanmar patients at East Shore," she said.

"PHIC gives medical advice to patients who want to receive health
treatment at any of those three hospitals, and we also report to the
hospital about our patient's personal medical documents."

"Also we provide free service for air ticket booking, apply visa or D-Form
for our patients who receive medical treatment to Parkway Group's
hospitals but the patients have to pay the fees for airfare, visa and
D-form," said Dr Su Naing.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

February 17, Jakarta Post
RI wants Myanmar junta to allow Suu Kyi in elections

Indonesia wants Myanmar to allow detained pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu
Kyi to participate in the military junta's planned referendum and
elections in order to make the process credible and inclusive, Foreign
Minister Hassan Wirayuda said Wednesday.

"Our concern is ... to allow the participation of groups including Madam
Suu Kyi, (her) NLD party as well as minority groups," Hassan said after
meeting his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Myanmar has told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) its
new constitution, slated for referendum in May, would in essence bar widow
Suu Kyi from running in elections because she married a foreigner.

Suu Kyi married British-born Michael Aris, who died of cancer in 1999, and
her two sons have British nationality.

But Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) has insisted Suu Kyi's
family has unrivaled national credentials because her father, Gen. Aung
San, gave his life to lead the struggle for independence from Britain.

If approved, the constitution would clear the way for elections in 2010 --
the first since NLD won by a landslide in the 1990 polls, which the junta
never recognized.

Hassan said Indonesia welcomed Myanmar's decision to allow UN special
envoy Ibrahim Gambari to return in the first week of March, which would be
his third visit to promote reconciliation.

Analysts have, however, sneered at such a speech by citing less than
considerable results out of ASEAN's approach to one of its youngest
members.

____________________________________

February 18, Japan Times
Myanmar refugees to try resettling – Mariko Kato

As Japan prepares to take in Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps, it is
important that the communities they resettle in fully support their
integration into society, experts said at a recent Tokyo symposium held by
the Foreign Ministry.

In fiscal 2010, Japan will begin a three-year pilot program to accept 90
refugees residing in Thailand just across the border from junta-ruled
Myanmar, becoming the first Asian country to take in refugees living in
foreign camps.

Refugees are increasing in number, but their resettlement in third
countries is not keeping up with the pace, Mitsuko Shino, a Foreign
Ministry director of humanitarian affairs, told the Feb. 5 symposium.

"Japan will take social responsibility by starting this program," she
said, adding the project will reflect the viewpoint of the receiving
community.

There are currently 110,000 Myanmarese refugees in Thai border camps,
which have existed for more than 20 years, but not all of them want to
move away. Since the 2005 start of a resettlement program, about 30,000
have been relocated to other countries, mainly the United States as well
as Canada and Australia.

Japan plans to select 30 refugees a year from the Mae La camp in Tak
Province in northwest Thailand, after interviewing people approved by the
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Those chosen will receive three to four weeks of classes on Japanese
language and culture and undergo health checks prior to leaving Thailand.

Daniel Alkhal, a representative for UNHCR, which identifies refugees in
need of resettlement and assesses their eligibility, praised the quality
of the program despite its small scale, and expressed hope that the people
selected ultimately gain permanent residence and citizenship in Japan.

"Integration is a psychological process on both sides," said Dominique
Collinge, a minister counselor for the Permanent Mission of Canada in
Geneva.

Canada has to date taken in 2,600 Myanmarese from Thai refugee camps,
according to UNHCR, and grants permanent resident status upon arrival and
citizenship after three years. The government runs the Host Program, where
native families are coupled with immigrants to share evening entertainment
or trips to the supermarket.

"We accept resettlement refugees because they need us, not because we need
them," Collinge said, noting refugees bear the responsibility of having to
pay back the loan for initial travel and medical costs.

"We tell them you will not be assisted all the time; you will have to
work. And they have the pride of reimbursement," he said, noting 90
percent have paid their debt.

According to Irena Vojackova-Sollorano, a regional representative for
International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental agency that
oversees part of the resettlement process, refugees from tropical forests
may have a hard time adjusting to colder, urban environments, and their
education level is varied.

"Some of them have never had monthly salaries, so we practice job
interviews with them. We also teach them how to behave on a plane," she
said. "But the most important point is that they are very much eager to
learn and work."

Upon arriving in Japan, the refugees will reside in specially allocated
facilities in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They will receive food and
clothes for a week and undertake a six-month assistance program, including
language training, employment consultations and help in sending their
children to school.

"This is necessary to reach the minimum standard needed to live in Japan,"
said Hiroshi Karube, director general of the Refugee Assistance
Headquarters, a quasi-governmental organization.

After the assistance program is completed, the refugees will continue to
receive periodic support in various areas.

According to UNHCR, there are 11.4 million refugees worldwide, more than
half of them in Asia. About 1 percent are in need of resettlement, with 19
countries currently taking 69,610 a year. Of them, the U.S. takes in
50,000.

Japan has accepted about 11,000 Indochinese refugees since the late 1970s
until recently.

One who resettled in Japan was Ponnareth Kugo. Born in 1964 in Cambodia,
she fled to Thailand during the bloody Pol Pot regime.

"The resettlement country is like a foster parent," said Kugo, who married
a Japanese in 1988 and obtained Japanese citizenship. "Refugees do not
need sympathy. Their greatest joy is to be treated as equal."

Collinge noted: "It really takes time to make a resettlement refugee
program successful. You have to ask the refugees what they want — it must
be a dual process. You have to make the refugees love Japan, and you do
that by making them feel welcome."

When asked how to increase public support, he replied, "by talking about
it, like this."

____________________________________

February 18, Philippines Star
10 Myanmar nationals barred at Clark airport – Ding Cervantes

Ten Myanmar nationals who arrived from Kuala Lumpur were barred by the
Bureau of Immigration (BI) from entering the country last Sunday via the
Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here.

The Myanmar nationals apparently intended to stay in the Philippines and
then fly to Palau on Feb. 25 via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(NAIA) in Manila, but they arrived here without any local hotel
reservations.

In a report to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, the immigration
bureau here said the foreigners arrived via Air Asia. They had stayed in
Malaysia for 15 days prior to their arrival in Clark. The group intended
to stay for another 10 days in the Philippines before proceeding to Palau.

Heranio Manalo, chief of the BI’s airport operations at the DMIA, cited
records of  Myanmar nationals  using the Philippines as a transit point.
He noted that the  foreigners did not have return tickets to Myanmar.

Manalo said the group had been sent back to Malaysia on the same Air Asia
flight because “they could become public charge” in the country should
they be allowed to stay. “We are also preventing human traffickers from
using the country as a transit point,” he said.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

February 18, Washington Post
Clinton signals possible shift in U.S. policy on Burma – Glenn Kessler

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that economic
sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western governments had
failed to pressure the repressive Burmese government, signaling a
potentially major shift in U.S. policy.

Clinton, at a news conference here, did not deny that easing sanctions was
one of the ideas under consideration by the Obama administration as part
of a major review. "We are looking at possible ideas that can be
presented," she told reporters and said that she had discussed the issue
with Indonesia officials here.

"Clearly the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn't influenced
the Burmese junta," she said, adding that the route taken by Burma's
neighbors of "reaching out and trying to engage them has not influenced
them either."

Burma, also known as Myanmar, is regarded as one of the world's most
oppressive nations. The National League for Democracy, the party of Nobel
Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won a landslide electoral victory
in 1990, which the military leadership refused to accept. She has been
held in confinement repeatedly since then.

Any move by the Obama administration to scale back sanctions on Burma
could face strong opposition in Congress, where lawmakers have imposed a
series of increasingly tougher restrictions on the Southeast Asian nation.
The Bush administration also invested significant diplomatic capital into
moving Burma for the first time onto the agenda of the United Nations
Security Council, although proposed resolutions criticizing the junta's
behavior have been vetoed by Russia and China.

Vice President Biden last year was the key mover in the Senate of the
Block Burmese JADE act, which renewed restrictions on the import of
Burmese gems and tightened sanctions on mining projects there. The act
also imposed new financial sanctions and travel restrictions on the
junta's leaders and their associates and created a post for a high-level
envoy and policy coordinator for Burma.

But some humanitarian organizations have begun to question the sanctions
policies. In an influential report issued in October, the Brussels-based
International Crisis Group argued that humanitarian aid should begin to
flow into the country and bans on Burmese garments, agriculture and
fishery products and restrictions on tourism should be lifted.

"It is a mistake in the Myanmar context to use aid as a bargaining chip,
to be given only in return for political change," the report said. "Twenty
years of aid restrictions -- which see Myanmar receiving twenty times less
assistance per capita than other least-developed countries -- have
weakened, not strengthened, the forces for change."

While Clinton has been careful not to tip her hand on the direction of the
policy review, she has used strikingly mild language about the Burmese
government, describing "the unfortunate path" taken by Burma, leaving it
"impervious to influence from anyone."

____________________________________

February 18, Travel Weekly (UK)
Operators defend Burma stance - Edward Robertson

Tour operators have defended their decision to send tourists to Burma
despite being ­accused of supporting the country's brutal regime.

Tourism Concern has ­accused 15 British tour operators of using hotels and
resorts "with known links to Burma's military regime and those
­individuals who personally profit from the repressive ­activities and
human rights abuses that it perpetrates."

The charity is now hoping the forthcoming tightening of European
legislation will close the loophole and prevent this happening in the
future.

However, Bales Worldwide one of the companies named, defended its decision
to feature the destination in its programme. Sales director Iain Fenton
said: "We are a non-political organisation and there is a lot of potential
harm you can do by isolating a country.

"At this point in time we have no reason to believe that [Tourism
Concern's claims] are the case."

TransIndus product director Shivjit Bagga, whose company was also named,
added: "I would want Tourism Concern to give more facts and supporting
evidence before I defend anything."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

February 18, Bangkok Post
The UN's 'showboat' mission to Burma – Larry Jagan

Newspaper section: NewsThe United Nations' human rights envoy to Burma is
nearing the end of a six-day trip to the country. So far he has been able
to visit several political prisoners in Rangoon's Insein prison and in two
regional prisons - one in Karen state which borders Thailand and the other
in Kachin state bordering China.

Political prisoners, and their release, have been the top issue for the
special rapporteur, Tomas Ojea Quintana, on this his second visit to
Burma. He still hopes to meet detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
before he leaves the country tomorrow, according to UN sources.

But most analysts and diplomats in Rangoon believe the envoy's trip is
only a "showboat" mission, agreed to by the junta to give them face before
the meeting of Southeast Asian leaders (Asean) in Thailand later next
week.

"The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] invited the UN VIPs only
to prevent a strong declaration being adopted at the Asean summit
criticising them," a senior diplomat told the Bangkok Post on condition of
annonymity.

Pro-democracy activists and human rights advocates believe the visit is
very timely, as more than 300 political dissidents have been sentenced to
stiff jail terms in the past six months - around 20 leading student
activists from the pro-democracy movement were each sentenced to 65 years
in prison for their alleged involvement in the anti-prices protests or
"Saffron Revolution" in September 2007.

But the regime's scant regard for UN officials and the need for an
improvement in the human rights situation was reinforced when, on the eve
of the envoy's visit, the junta extended the National League for
Democracy's deputy chairman U Tin Oo's house arrest for another year, and
sentenced two other party activists, Nyipu and Tin Min Htut, to 15 years
in jail on three offences, including the Electronic Act which means
breaking the regime's ban on the unauthorised use of computers. More
importantly, their lawyers were denied access to the court during their
trial.

On the eve of his visit, UN officials told the Bangkok Post that the envoy
had hoped to meet senior members of the junta, opposition leaders and
representatives of the country's ethnic minorities. He is particularly
keen to talk to Mrs Suu Kyi, according to UN sources, but is not overly
hopeful that a meeting with her will be arranged.

During his mission to Burma last August, Mr Quintana suggested to Burma's
ruling junta that they should implement four key human rights elements
before the national elections, which are scheduled to held in 2010. These
include legislative reforms to ensure human rights protection, the
progressive release of political prisoners, the independence for the
judiciary and training on human rights for the army.

But it is the issue of political prisoners that is certain to dominate
this visit. The UK-based human rights group Amnesty International says the
number of political prisoners doubled last year to over 2,100. The
opposition NLD has begun a renewed campaign for the release of all
political prisoners. Last week the NLD launched a petition calling on the
country's military rulers to free all political prisoners, including the
group's leader, Mrs Suu Kyi, who has spent more than 13 of the last 20
years under house arrest.

The signature campaign is aimed at showing the government and the world
that Burma's people support freedom for all political dissidents, said
Nyan Win, the NLD spokesman. These signatures will be collected from all
over Burma, despite restrictions on political activity by the country's
military rulers, he added.

"The release of political prisoners is by far the most important issue for
Burma at the moment," said the Burmese dissident and democracy campaigner,
Aung Din, now living in exile in the United States. "How can there be free
and fair elections if most of the opposition politicians are behind bars,"
he added.

Mr Quintana is also expected to seek clarification of the legal status of
Mrs Suu Kyi's detention. Lawyers for the opposition leader insist that
under the country's draconian security regulations, she can only be held
for a maximum of six years. That was what happened last time when she was
released in July 1995, a few days shy of six years under house arrest.
This should run out at the end of May, according to opposition sources.
But as the opposition leader was held in prison immediately after her
arrest in 2003 and was allowed to have a hysterectomy before being
returned to house arrest, the regime believes October is the date her
detention started.

Most analysts and diplomats in Rangoon believe there is no way she will be
released any time soon. The regime does not want senior opposition figures
to compete in the elections planned for next year, or boycott the process,
though they would like a token contest to prove the elections are free and
fair. The Constiution already bars Aung San Suu Kyi from standing, as she
was married to a foreigner - the renowned British academic and Tibet
scholar Michael Aris.

No matter what the regime may be thinking, political prisoners and a
genuine dialogue between the military and pro-democracy leader are the key
issues that are going to dog them in the international arena, as well as
at Asean. The regime knows this only too well, and over the last few
months has been conducting a diplomatic charm offensive.

Three weeks ago, Ibrahim Gambari, the UN special adviser to the UN
secretary-general, made another unsuccesful foray into Burma's piolitical
minefield. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guiterrez is
also expected to visit Burma in the next few weeks.

Mr Quintana made his first visit to Burma last August, and is keen to see
what developments there has been since, before he reports to the UN Human
Rights Council, scheduled for later next month.

But most analysts and activists are undertsandably pessimistic that the UN
envoy will emerge from this visit with any concrete results.

"We have seen it all before, the regime allows high-profile UN visits to
help deflect international attention and pressure from them," said Zin
Linn, the former political prisoner and spokesman for the Burmese
government-in-exile.

"They come, they talk and they leave, and nothing really changes."

____________________________________
STATEMENT

February 18, National League for Democracy
Special statement No. 2/12/09

1. The State Peace and Development Council issued the Statement No. 1/2007
on 4th October, 2007 regarding the dialogue between Senior General Than
Shwe, the Chairperson of SPDC and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary
of NLD. Instead of arguing each other about some facts described in the
paragraph (7) of above mentioned statement, these two people who are
playing a decisive role for the future of our country, should meet each
other without prior conditions. Therefore, it would be the best way for
them to solve the problems face to face instead of corresponding each
other.

2. Dialogue becomes an international practice in the age of globalization
in order to solve domestic as well as international problems. NLD has also
been attempting to bring about a dialogue for the benefit of the country
and its people. NLD always welcomes the authorities' remarks saying the
door for dialogue is always open. It is also needed to meet one another
and solve problems through the 'open door of dialogue'.

3. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly issued her position on 6th May, 2002,
in which she said that she would accept any dialogue in flexible manner in
order to have best result for Burmese people.

4. Confrontation, utter devastation, economic sanctions and total block
which are described in the paragraph (7) of SPDC's Statement No. 1/2007
are not beneficial to the country and all people. Therefore, Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi informed authorities through U Aung Kyi, Minister for Relation,
that she was ready to cooperate and issue the joint communiqué to prevent
these problems from happening. NLD, with a good will, urges again these
two people who could decide the country's problems, to make a dialogue.

5. It is not true that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet U Aung Kyi,
Minister for Relation on 2nd September, 2008. In fact, she was not able to
meet him at that time. It is important that dialogues benefit the country
and its people.

6. When the NLD CEC members including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met with Mr.
Ibrahim Gambari on 2nd February, 2009, we explained lack of rights to
defend with lawyers and lack of rights for lawyers to enter court room
when authorities placed lawsuits against democracy and human rights
activists, long sentences and lack of proper procedures on legal appeals,
and so on, to demonstrate lack of rule of law. In so doing, we just
emphasized the 'rule of law' which is one of authorities' political goals.

7. Another point we discussed with special envoy was about economic
development for our country. NLD representatives responded that it could
not be discussed as we still did not know the causes for economic
development and how to bring about it.

8. Moreover, UN General Secretary issued a statement calling for the SPDC,
NLD and democratic forces to meet one another without prior conditions
with intention for the National Reconciliation and meaningful dialogues.

9. NLD welcomes the above mentioned statement. However, although NLD has
been attempting to bring about a dialogue in flexible manner, SPDC is
still absent to do so to bring about the dialogue.

As per the decision of the Central Executive Meeting held on 16-02-09,

Central Executive Committee
National League for Democracy, Rangoon