BurmaNet News, May 13, 2009

[Editor]

May 13, 2009, Issue #3709


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Suu Kyi to face charges related to ‘swimmer’
AP: US consul meets American detained in Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Pro-regime web sites step up smear campaign against Suu Kyi
Mizzima News: KNU claims Burmese army Brigadier General killed

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan Press: Refugees attack NGO offices in Lada camp

BUSINESS / TRADE
DVB: Australian company pulls out of Burma

INTERNATIONAL
AFP: EU urges 'proper health care' for ailing Suu Kyi
DVB: UN forced labour report condemns Burma

OPINION / OTHER
Washington Post: Engage with Burma? – Editorial
Huffington Post: Is there a doctor in the house? Not in Burma – Jack Healy
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi’s stalker swimmer – Aung Zaw

STATEMENT
EU: Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi
Amnesty International: Myanmar: Urgent health concern of prisoners of
conscience




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Suu Kyi to face charges related to ‘swimmer’ – Thet Aung Kyaw

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been ordered to appear in
court this morning to face charges related to the US citizen who broke
into her compound last week.

The imprisoned opposition leader met with her lawyer yesterday afternoon
at 4pm to discuss the unsuccessful appeal for her release, and the
incident involving US citizen John William Yettaw.

Suu Kyi later asked lawyer Kyi Win to return to her compound, where she
has been under house arrest for 13 of the last 19 years, and told him she
had been ordered to appear in Rangoon’s Insein prison court at nine
o’clock this morning.

According to Kyi Win, authorities deem the incident involving John William
Yettaw, who was arrested last Wednesday after swimming across Inya Lake
from Suu Kyi’s compound, to be a breach of her house arrest conditions.

Speaking to DVB, Kyi Win said that Suu Kyi hadn’t invited the man to her
compound and therefore was not in breach of her conditions, under which
she cannot invite visitors.

“Daw Suu told him to go back, but he didn’t,” said Kyi Win.

“He said he was so tired and wanted to rest, but she pleaded with him.
Then he slept overnight on the ground floor.”

Suu Kyi’s caretaker Khin Khin Win, and his half-daughter, will also attend
court, along with Kyi Win, lawyer Nyan Win, and another man, Hla Myo
Myint.

The National League for Democracy leader’s current internment under house
arrest is in its sixth year.

Her release date, as stated by the Burmese government, is due for 27 May.

Kyi Win also said that her health was improving following reports that she
had been suffering from dehydration and low blood pressure.

“She looks OK,” he said.

“She has a very strong spirit.”

____________________________________

May 13, Associated Press
US consul meets American detained in Myanmar

Myanmar authorities allowed a U.S. diplomat to visit an American arrested
last week for swimming across a lake to sneak into the home of detained
democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a state television report
Wednesday.

Myanmar state television showed a still photo of John William Yettaw
meeting with consular chief Colin Furst. A U.S. diplomat confirmed the
meeting, saying it lasted 30 minutes and that Yettaw appeared to be in
good spirits and said he had been treated well.

The diplomat, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to
speak to the press, said that Yettaw had not yet been formally charged
with any crime. He did not elaborate, calling the issue sensitive.

It was the first time a U.S. Embassy official had access to Yettaw since
he was arrested May 6 after allegedly staying secretly for two days at Suu
Kyi's house.

Wednesday's TV report said the meeting took place at the Aung Tha-byay
police station in Yangon, which in the past has been used for detention
and interrogation of suspected political dissidents.

Suu Kyi's supporters fear that Yettaw's reported stay could put her in
legal jeopardy. Her personal doctor, one of the only people allowed to
visit her on a regular basis, was detained last Thursday for no publicly
announced reason.

She has been in detention for 13 of the last 19 years — including the past
six — without trial for her nonviolent promotion of democracy despite
international pressure for her release.

Myanmar's state-run newspapers reported last week that Yettaw, 53, of
Falcon, Missouri, swam about 1 1/4 miles (2 kilometers) on the night of
May 3 to the lakeside home of the 63-year-old Suu Kyi and left the same
way on the night of May 5, before being arrested the next morning. The
report said his motive was under investigation.

One of many strict rules Myanmar's military government imposes on citizens
is that they must notify local officials about any overnight visitor who
is not a family member. The law also states that foreigners are not
allowed to spend the night at a local's home.

____________________________________

May 13, Irrawaddy
Pro-regime web sites step up smear campaign against Suu Kyi – Saw Yan Naing

The confusing tale of an American man, John William Yettaw, and his
secret, three-day intrusion into the lakeside compound of pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon is still the talk of Burma.

The state-run newspapers The New Light of Myanmar and The Mirror have
published no new information since the news of the man’s arrest last week.

However, state-friendly Web sites are spewing out damaging allegations
that could hurt the pro-democracy leader’s image among her non-supporters,
and—most dangerous of all—provide an unsubstantiated foundation to deny
her release from house arrest, which is set to expire this month.

Several Burmese Web sites believed to be associated with the regime are
having a field day reporting unverified accounts of the incident.

Most Burmese inside and outside the country that have access to the Web
sites do not believe the tall tales, seeing it as propaganda, yet they
monitor the reports and search for real news.

The People Media Voice, an online journal, quoting a pro-junta Web site,
reported that the detained democracy leader could be sentenced to
three-years in prison under Article 22 if she is convicted of failing to
inform authorities that the US man entered her home and spent the night.

According to some reports, the prominent NLD politician Win Tin made a
remark about the case during a meeting with party executives.

The incident, which can be interpreted in scandalous ways by Suu Kyi’s
detractors, is not good for the party’s image, Win Tin reportedly said.

Another report claimed that Suu Kyi is now being criticized by some of her
NLD colleagues and central executive committee members, including Win Tin.

However, NLD party leaders, including Win Tin, remain steadfast supporters
of Suu Kyi, calling for her release from house arrest and greater access
to regular medical care.

A Web site, peoplemediavoice.com,  reported unsubstantiated details and
included a photograph with no information about when or where it was
taken. In the photo, a large man with short hair is identified as Yettaw
and appears to be in his sixties. He is holding a camera while sitting at
a table in a room.

The Web site alleged that Yettaw confessed to authorities that he had swam
to Suu Kyi's house during a previous visit to Rangoon from  November 7 to
December 3, 2008, and spent a longer period there. No specific number of
days was reported.

Suu Kyi’s housekeepers who live with her reportedly offered him food, the
site reported.

____________________________________

May 13, Mizzima News
KNU claims Burmese army Brigadier General killed – Phanida

The body of Brigadier General Kaung Myat of the Burmese Army, who
reportedly died during a clash with ethnic Karen rebels, will be cremated
on Wednesday.

The Karen National Union, an armed resistance group that has fought
Burma’s central government for over 60 years, said Brigadier General Kaung
Myat was killed during a recent battle.

Major Saw Hla Ngwe, Joint Secretary (2) of the KNU, on Wednesday said
Brigadier General Kaung Myat, commander of Military Operations Command No.
(5) based at Thandaung Township in Pegu Division, was killed during a
battle with the KNU on May 11th.

While the Burmese Army made no announcement of the battle, the state-run
newspaper, New Light of Myanmar, on Wednesday carried an obituary of
Brigadier General Kaung Myat. The paper, though not mentioning where the
cremation will take place, did say family members would hold a 'Swan'
offering to Buddhist monks for the deceased Brigadier General at the
family's residence in Rangoon's Thingankyun Township.

Brigadier General Kaung Myat, age 49, graduated from officer training
batch 23 and is the third son of Captain Khin Hla, who lives in Mandalay.
He is survived by his wife Khin Htwe, son Maung Kaung Kyaw Myat and
daughter Hla Myat Noe, who live in the Thingyankyun residence.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 13, Kaladan Press
Refugees attack NGO offices in Lada camp

Angry Rohingya refugees attacked and damaged NGO offices at Ledda camp,
the unofficial camp of the Teknaf union on May 11, at about 2 pm, half an
hour after the departure of a high-level European Union delegation, said a
refugee from Camp. Ten people were injured in the incident.

Eyewitnesses said that some angry Rohingyas refugees attacked the offices
of non-government organization of Muslim Aid (UK) and Islamic Relief at
ledda Rohingya refugee camp, an unofficial camp, as the delegation did not
go inside the camp.

During the incident, some embroidery machines were damaged from the
women’s training centre which was set up by the Islamic Relief, said
Halima, a refugee woman who is going to training.

Over 12,000 Rohingyas are living in Ledda camp without government or UN
assistance. The government and UNHCR are not providing food and shelter to
the camp.

Sources said the delegation went to Ledda camp under the Teknaf union on
May 11, in the morning. The team visited two NGO offices, the market and
women’s embroidery training centre and exchanged views with NGO officials.
They however did not go inside the camp, nor did they exchange views with
Rohingya refugees.

This enraged the Rohingyas, who attacked and damaged NGO offices. Later,
the Teknaf police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under
control, the sources said.

Earlier, the delegation visited the Kutupalong camp under the Ukhiya and
Nayapara camp in Teknaf.

“There were little damaged in the office which the refugee broken the
fence of the outside office,” said a source from the local village.

Nobody was arrested by the police at the time of filing of this report.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

May 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Australian company pulls out of Burma – Francis Wade

An Australian company has announced its withdrawal from Burma after
evidence arose that a subsidiary was working on designs for a new airport
in the country’s capital, despite Australia’s tough sanctions on Burma.

Downer EDI, one of Australia’s largest engineering companies, recently
announced the withdrawal of the contract for its Singapore-based
subsidiary CPG’s work on the design of a new airport in Naypyidaw, Burma’s
remote jungle capital.

The move followed an investigation by Asia Sentinel newspaper in Singapore.

Journalist Ben Bland, who carried out the investigation, said that Downer
EDI claimed they knew nothing of the contract until he contacted them.

“They said this was an ‘unintentional oversight’, which is why they have
moved to pull out of Burma so quickly,” he said.

“[They] told me that they were pulling out because ‘our group policy has
not been applied at a sub-divisional level’.”

Australia has launched numerous vocal condemnations of the Burmese regime,
and last year extended sanctions on the country.

Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council are alleged to have
used forced labour in the construction of the new capital, which in 2005
was moved 350 miles north from the previous capital, Rangoon.

“It does seem likely that a lavish new airport in the junta’s secretive
capital would benefit the generals more than anyone else,” said Bland.

Downer EDI claim to operate under a ‘zero harm’ policy, and followed the
announcement by saying it would investigate closely all contracts it
holds.

“We take Zero Harm very seriously and while not insinuating anything
against our direct client in Singapore, we believe this action to be in
keeping with the intent of our policy,” said Maryanne Graham, corporate
affairs manager at Downer EDI.

She added that whilst the design work is being undertaken in Singapore,
the project itself is based in Burma, and therefore warranted withdrawal.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 13, Agence France Presse
EU urges 'proper health care' for ailing Suu Kyi

The EU on Wednesday voiced concern over the health of Myanmar opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, urging the junta to allow "immediate and proper
health care" for the ailing pro-democracy figure.

"The European Union expresses its strong concern following reports on the
health of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," the Czech EU presidency said in a
statement on behalf of the 27 EU member states, also renewing the call for
her unconditional release from house arrest.

"The EU calls on the authorities of Burma/Myanmar to guarantee for Ms Suu
Kyi immediate and proper medical care, as well as access for her personal
attorney," the statement added.

The European Union also voiced concern over the recent arrest of her
personal physician Tin Myo Win.

"On the sad occasion of the anniversary of Ms Suu Kyi's detention, the EU
urges the authorities to halt systematic torture and denial of health care
to prisoners and to release all political prisoners," the statement said.

The opposition leader was found to have high blood pressure and
dehydration on Friday and was unable to eat when visited by her doctor's
assistant, Pyone Moe Ei.

Her political party said Tuesday that the 63-year-old was in better health
after receiving further medical attention but that her personal doctor
remained under arrest.

A spokesman for her National League for Democracy said the Nobel Peace
laureate was still suffering from leg cramps and would benefit from a full
check-up by her personal doctor who was detained by police last week on
unspecified charges.

Tin Myo Win was seized a day after Myanmar authorities arrested a US
national who had swum across a lake to Suu Kyi's off-limits compound and
spent two days there.

Her latest period of detention expires at the end of this month and the
authorities have not said if they will extend her sentence.

The US government on Monday demanded that the junta grant "immediate"
access for Suu Kyi to see her doctor, expressing fears for her condition.

The NLD won a landslide victory in elections in 1990 but the military
refused to let the party assume office. Myanmar has been ruled by the
military since 1962.

____________________________________

May 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
UN forced labour report condemns Burma – Francis Wade

May 13, 2009 (DVB)–A United Nations body has condemned the ongoing use of
forced labour by the Burmese government whilst estimating that
exploitative labour practices cost workers worldwide upwards of $US20
billion per year.

The report, entitled ‘The Cost of Coercion’, was published by the
International Labour Organisation (ILO), which includes in its mandate the
monitoring of forced labour practices by governments, businesses and
traffickers across the world.

It highlighted that lost earnings, or ‘opportunity costs’, through forced
labour practices now reached over $US20 billion.

“This presents a powerful economic argument, as well as a moral
imperative, as to why governments must now accord higher priority to these
concerns,” the report said.

Investigations found that Asia had by far the world’s biggest share of
forced labourers, and paid particular attention to the Burmese
government’s forced use of child soldiers and coercion of civilian workers
in infrastructural development projects.

“Severe and continued incidence of forced labour imposed by the state and
national authorities” in Burma were noted in the report.

As of November 2008, the ILO confirmed a total of 70 cases of forced
labour in Burma, all of which were carried out by government or military
authorities.

Furthermore, last year’s cyclone Nargis, which affected 2.4 million people
and damaged over one million acres of farmland, provided new circumstances
under which forced labour was being used.

The risks of lodging a complaint of forced labour to the ILO in Burma are
significant.

In January this year, labour activist Zaw Htay was sentenced to 10 years’
imprisonment after he helped farmers in Magwe division file a report to
the organization detailing forced labour and land seizures.

Then in March, lawyer Pho Phyu, who was representing both the farmers and
Zaw Htay, was sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Unlawful
Associations Act.

“Forced labour is the antithesis of decent work”, said ILO Director
General Juan Somavia.

“It causes untold human suffering and steals from its victims. Modern
forced labour can be eradicated, providing there is a sustained commitment
by the international community, working together with government,
employers, workers and civil society.”

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 13, Washington Post
Engage with Burma? – Editorial

AT FIRST GLANCE, the stars seem aligned for a new era of U.S. engagement
with the dictators who run Burma, the Southeast Asian nation of 50 million
people also known as Myanmar. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
has ordered a review of U.S. policy. Several humanitarian organizations
are pushing hard for change, arguing that the regime has modified its
behavior since infamously barring aid after a devastating cyclone a year
ago. United Nations officials are always eager to conduct more diplomatic
missions, the meager fruits of past efforts notwithstanding.

There's just one problem: Burma's maximum leader, Gen. Than Shwe, doesn't
seem to have gotten the memo. While advocates of engagement insist that
the regime has changed its stripes, in reality it is constantly finding
new ways to shock the conscience. The latest reminder of its nature is the
detention of Tin Myo Win, the personal physician of Burma's democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

A little background: Aung San Suu Kyi, 63, is the daughter of the hero of
Burma's battle for independence from colonial status. In 1990, when
Burma's ruling generals imagined they were popular enough to win an
election, she led her political party, the National League for Democracy,
to a resounding parliamentary victory, though she was even then under
house arrest. The generals nullified the election and arrested many of
Aung San Suu Kyi's followers. She has been held incommunicado and under
house arrest for most of the time since, even as she won a Nobel Peace
Prize and continued to espouse nonviolent change. In recent days, she has
been reported to be ill, and -- until his arrest -- her doctor had been
the only visitor she was permitted.

Burma's junta has drafted a new constitution and is planning to stage
elections in 2010 that it hopes will legitimize military rule. The
pro-engagement campaign in Washington is urging the Obama administration
to take those elections seriously, even if Aung San Suu Kyi and the
National League for Democracy are excluded. We think Desmond Tutu, a
fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former archbishop of Cape Town,
South Africa, showed a better understanding, in a Post op-ed last month,
when he urged the administration to energize its diplomacy on Burma but
also not to marginalize that country's democracy advocates -- as many as
2,000 of whom languish in terrible prisons. "[T]hose who support or have
resigned themselves to their government's approach are free to speak out,"
he wrote. "This repression cannot be rewarded; the voices of those it has
silenced must be heard as if the walls of their jails did not exist."

So, by all means, the administration should engage with Burma's leaders.
But it should insist on the ability to engage with all of them --
including those now behind bars. A good start would be to insist on the
release of Tin Myo Win and on freedom for his courageous patient.

____________________________________

May 13, Huffington Post
Is there a doctor in the house? Not in Burma – Jack Healy

The military of Burma has crushed the nonviolent monks, uses Burmese
children as soldiers, allowed a cyclone and its consequences to sweep over
100,000 Burmese to their deaths, driven a half million from their homes
and now the military will not allow the proper medical care for their
Nobel Peace Prize winner. Aung San Suu Kyi is ill and not doing well.

Having led the National League for Democracy to a massive victory in 1990,
Aung San Suu Kyi could have left Burma and traveled the world, enjoying
her freedom and the respect of the world, gathering doctorates and living
a reasonably good life. She instead stayed home in Burma. Isolated,
surrounded by soldiers who are terrified of a woman who doesn't even weigh
100 pounds.

But her life and writings are strong. Many see her as the living symbol of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She certainly is the symbol of
hope for many outside of Burma, but she is deeply needed inside of Burma.
The Burmese military are an out of control government who have the firm
support of the Chinese government. Human rights groups of all kinds strain
to tell of the brutality and monstrous actions of this government. People
like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, REM, Will Ferrell, Jim Carrey, Bono, Sting,
President Obama, the US Senate Women's Caucus and Peter Gabriel have all
sent messages of support.

But still, Burma is far away from us. Few know her name. Fewer can
pronounce it. Most do not know where Burma is. So what do we do?

We rally around her, is what we do. Just like we did for Mandela and all
the Mandela's of the world. This is one time that the US government is in
advance of the cause. Aung San Suu Kyi has the support of our president
and of the Western governments.

My search for my own symbol of hope took me to Burma in February of 1999.
My lady and I pretended to be tourists, actually antique dealers, so that
we might get a moment with Aung San Suu Kyi. It worked because we spent
many an hour walking up and down in front of the little dilapidated
headquarters of the National League for Democracy. At that time she was
allowed to give rice out to her people once a month. We found her that day
and got in line with her followers and finally met her for about 20
minutes. She is a steel flower. Bright, articulate, focused. A no nonsense
person, no wonder she won 82% of the vote. We finally took a picture and
got her autograph for my stepson. On the way out that night, the customs
people tried to find these but to no avail.
A deep fear will and has gone through the Burmese community all over the
world. They know she, their Mandela, cannot fall before the fall of
apartheid. We all live and we all die... but if the Burmese military
denies her medical support appropriate to the problems, and she dies, it
will be a devastating blow beyond all comprehension for the decent people
of Burma. We must not allow that to happen.

Her father Aung San, the founder of the military of Burma was executed
when he was 32. It was a premature death. We must not allow this to occur
to his daughter.

____________________________________

May 13, Irrawaddy
Suu Kyi’s stalker swimmer – Aung Zaw

Since John William Yettaw was arrested last week, several rumors and
speculations have been aired.

Did he really swim across Inya Lake—some two kilometers—to meet Aung San
Suu Kyi? If so, what was his motive? Had he really been there before? Who
was backing him?

Unconfirmed reports suggest that he managed to find a way into Suu Kyi’s
home once before, but was made unwelcome and told to leave.

This time—according to the rumor mill in my dissident circle—he pleaded
with Suu Kyi to be allowed to stay there for a few days. The NLD leader,
who is currently fighting for her freedom through legal channels,
obviously did not want the American stalker there. Apparently, Suu Kyi’s
caretaker even threatened to call the police.

Conspiracy theorists believe he was coaxed into breaking into Suu Kyi’s
house so that the regime would have an excuse to extend her detention.

Junta supporters would rather see it as collaboration between the Nobel
Peace Prize laureate and a foreign intelligence intermediary—a real-life
secret agent, an aquatic James Bond.

As a result, Dr Tin Myo Win is under investigation. Opposition members
fear that Suu Kyi’s personal physician may be charged if the regime
decides to implicate him in the swimmer’s case.

But informed sources conclude that John William Yettaw is no 007. He is
simply a weird character who acted alone.

The American had also turned up in Thailand; he met with some exiled
Burmese groups and reportedly told them he was working on a faith-based
book on heroism.

They said he is interested in Burma’s plight; that his heart is in right
place even if his head is not.

And this is exactly what belies the passion of his action—that he did not
think it through; that he did not consider the consequences.

If the regime leaders were looking for an excuse to extend Suu Kyi’s house
arrest, he has given them one on a plate.

Indeed, Suu Kyi can be deemed to have broken the “law”—in Burma, you must
inform the authorities if you want to invite a guest to stay overnight at
your home.

John William Yettaw probably didn’t know this; he apparently didn’t
conduct much research into the knock-on effects of his stupidity.

Burma’s pro-democracy movement has long been an attraction for fantasists,
fanatics and adventure tourists.

Apart from the usual Walter Mittys that roam the Western world, Burma’s
self-appointed saviors have included activists, experts, apologists,
lobbyists, scholars, opportunists, do-or-die religious zealots and
mercenaries.

While the Karen stronghold of Manerplaw remained undefeated in the early
1990s, foreign mercenaries—or “freedom fighters”—flocked to the border to
leap Rambo-like to the Karen front lines.

In August 1999, James Mawdsley, a young Englishman, was arrested in
Rangoon after distributing pro-democracy leaflets in the street. It was
his third visit to Burma to protest against the military regime. His
ambition was to spend time in a Burmese gulag.
He was given a 17-year sentence, but spent only 300 days in Kengtung
prison, Shan State, before being released in October 2000 due to mounting
international pressure.

Mawdsley was indeed lucky. If he were a Burmese, he would be serving a
full sentence and there would be little outcry from abroad.

Unabashed, he later authored a book titled “The Heart Must Break” and
threatened to stand in a British election.

“Mawdsley is one of the most outstanding young people Britain has produced
since World War Two,” wrote David Alton, an independent cross-bench peer
and founder of the Jubilee Campaign, in Mawdsley’s book.

But not everyone was so enthused about Mawdsley’s protest.

The Guardian reported: “In Britain, the response to him was ambivalent.
There was a degree of cynicism about his professed Christian zeal, and
suggestions that he was reckless to have stuck two fingers up at a
dictatorship that has slaughtered thousands of its own people. But there
was also grudging respect for his conviction, altruism and bravery.”

I remember a Burmese woman in her 30s who was involved in NGO work at the
Thai-Burmese border. Bluntly, she told me: “I could not stand that he was
talking about Burma and restoring democracy in my country. He has no clue
what’s going on in Burma. I’m not going to listen to what he says and I’ve
also told my colleagues not to listen to him.”

She added, “By using Burma and our problems, he has tried to seek fame and
personal gain. He was a nobody [in London], but by getting involved in
Burma, he became somebody.”

Aside from Mawdsley, there are several other do-gooders who could appear
on her hit list.

Another young misguided Brit was Rachel Goldwyn, who was arrested in 1999
for singing a protest song in Rangoon. Her “act of revolution” earned her
a seven-year sentence, but she only served two months in Insein.

Shortly before Goldwyn’s petty act of defiance, 18 foreign human rights
activists, including a handful of Thais, staged a protest in Rangoon. They
were immediately arrested and detained. Again—an international outcry and
they were soon on a plane home.

But was Burma liberated?

Critics have noted that these naïve acts cause more harm than good.

Foreign activists know that the Burmese authorities won’t keep them in
jail forever. They know that their arrest in Burma will make headlines
back home. In his book, Mawdsley discusses the special treatment he
received in Kengtung prison. He was allowed to read books, meet diplomats
and relatives, and eat Western food.

Former political prisoners of Burma have spoken ironically of these
foreign heroes. They noted that if every political prisoner received as
much attention as Mawdsley and Goldwyn there would be empty prisons around
Burma.

Make no mistake, there is no shortage of foreign volunteers and activists
who genuinely want to help Burma and its people. But they do not indulge
themselves without considering the effect of their actions on others.

Did John William Yettaw consider the consequences? Did he think for a
minute that he would do more harm than good?

Probably not. Next time a foreign activist undertakes a publicity stunt,
let’s hope they check the depth of the water before they go swimming.

____________________________________
STATEMENT

May 13, European Union
Declaration of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi

The EU expresses its strong concern following reports on the health of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy and Nobel
Peace Prize laureate, and on the recent detention of her physician, Dr Tin
Myo Win.

The EU calls on the authorities of Burma/Myanmar to guarantee for Ms Suu
Kyi immediate and proper medical care, as well as access for her personal
attorney. It furthermore recalls that her house arrest, which has been
imposed in clear breach of international norms, will expire this month,
and therefore again urgently calls for her unconditional release.

On the sad occasion of the anniversary of Ms Suu Kyi’s detention, the EU
urges the authorities to halt systematic torture and denial of health care
to prisoners and to release all political prisoners.

Contact:
Jiří Beneš, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tel.: +420 224 182 052, GSM: +420 724 602 263 056, E-mail: press at mzv.cz

____________________________________

May 13, Amnesty International
Myanmar: Urgent health concern of prisoners of conscience

Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar government to immediately
provide appropriate medical care to all political prisoners, most urgently
for those with health problems. Recent reports indicate that the lack of
healthcare in the country’s prisons has adversely affected prisoners who
are already suffering from serious medical conditions.

Moreover, the Myanmar government continues to put its political prisoner
population – which has nearly doubled to more than 2,100 since the
peaceful anti-government protests of August/September 2007 – at risk
through poor prison conditions.

Access to medical care and facilities is limited in Myanmar’s prisons as
many do not have regular prison doctors and medical officers. Health
problems commonly facing prisoners include gastro-intestinal diseases such
as dysentery and skin diseases such as scabies.

The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners provide for
the services of a qualified medical officer within prisons or detention
facilities; the transfer of prisoners and detainees who require specialist
treatment to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals; and the
provision of sufficiently nutritious food for prisoners.

The UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form
of Detention or Imprisonment also provide that “medical care and treatment
shall be provided whenever necessary” (Art. 24).

The Myanmar government maintains that political prisoners are given access
to medical care and their families. On 17 March 2009, U Wunna Maung Lwin,
Ambassador/ Permanent Representative and Leader of the Myanmar Delegation
at the 10th session of the UN Human Rights Council said that “Permissions
are also given to their family members to make family visits and necessary
health treatments are being provided to the prisoners.”

However, the health of many political prisoners has been further
compromised in a wave of prison transfers. Since November 2008, which saw
a spate of sentences handed down to critics of the government, at least
210 political prisoners have been transferred to remote prisons in the
country. At least 47 of those - including Htay Kywe, Min Ko Naing, Su Su
Nway and Zarganar – have been transferred to prisons over 1,000km away
from their families who live in the country’s main city of Yangon.

It is now much more difficult for families of the 210 prisoners to visit
their relatives in prison. The poor conditions and inadequate medical care
in Myanmar’s prisons mean that political prisoners often rely on family
members to provide them with basic medicines, food and clothing. Many
family members must undertake long journeys – in some cases up to nine
days – to visit their relatives.

In the absence of regular contact between political prisoners and their
families, and of independent monitoring of prisoners’ welfare, individuals
are even more vulnerable to harsh prison conditions which amount to cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment. The International Committee of the Red
Cross has not been able to visit prisons in Myanmar since the end of 2005.

Furthermore, in some cases, transfers to remote prisons can put prisoners
at greater risk of communicable diseases, including malaria. Several of
these prisons are in malarial areas, including Lashio Prison, Shan State
and Kale Prison, Sagaing Division, both in northern Myanmar.  Prisoners
there are known to have contracted malaria and have requested that family
members bring them malaria medication.

These transfers have also adversely affected the ongoing medical treatment
of political prisoners with existing health problems. Amnesty
International has learned of recent instances where political prisoners
have been transferred without their medical records, resulting in
disruptions to their treatment. In the absence of written proof of a
medical condition, political prisoners are not given regular medical
examinations and have their supply of prescribed medication interrupted.

In the information below, Amnesty International provides details about ten
prisoners of conscience who are suffering from chronic and serious medical
conditions.


Htay Kywe (m), 40, is being held in solitary confinement in the same block
as prisoners under sentence of death, in Buthidaung Prison, Rakhine State,
north-western Myanmar. He is known to have been tortured. He is suffering
from scabies due to inadequate bathing facilities.

Hla Myo Naung (m) who is already blind in one eye, is in danger of losing
his eyesight completely.  He was arrested in Yangon on 10 October 2007, as
he was looking for a doctor who could treat his ruptured cornea. He
subsequently lost sight in that eye.  He urgently needs surgery on his
other eye, but it is not known whether the surgery has taken place.

Ko Ko Gyi (m), 46 or 47; his health is deteriorating in prison following
repeated transfers between detention facilities in the country without
being provided adequate medical care.

Min Ko Naing (m), 46, suffers from a worsening eye condition, numbness in
his hands, gout and high blood pressure. He is being held in a small, dark
cell which is causing his eye condition to deteriorate. Initial requests
for treatment were denied and he has still not received adequate medical
treatment. He is being held in Kengtung Prison, Shan State, northern
Myanmar, where there is no regular doctor.

Myo Yan Naung Thein (m), 35, is paralysed in the lower part of his body,
possibly as a result of torture during interrogation. He has been denied
specialist medical treatment for a prolonged period. In November 2008, he
was transferred from Yangon’s Insein Prison to Thandwe Prison, Rakhine
State, where the specialist treatment that he requires is not available.

Su Su Nway (f), 37, suffers from a congenital heart defect and her health
has deteriorated while in prison. She was given mental health medication
by the prison authorities which has only made her health worse. She is
being held in solitary confinement.

The six prisoners of conscience above are in prison for their
participation in the mass demonstrations of August/September 2007.

The two prisoners of conscience below are serving sentences for their
voluntary relief efforts in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which hit
Myanmar on 2-3 May 2008.

Kay Thi Aung (f), 23, suffered a miscarriage in Mandalay Prison, central
Myanmar, on 23 January 2009; she had not received adequate medical care
during her pregnancy. She had suffered from heart problems and
malnutrition prior to her miscarriage and has still not received the
medical care she requires.

Zarganar (m), 48, is in poor health in Myitkyina Prison, Kachin State,
northern Myanmar. He is suffering from hypertension, spondylitis and
hyperthyroidism (over-activity of the thyroid gland, which can cause heart
problems). He is known to have lost consciousness for more than two hours
in his prison cell on 16 April 2009. He urgently needs the proper medical
treatment he requires.

The medical problems of two other prisoners of conscience are also of
particular concern given the long term imprisonment they face:

U Khun Htun Oo (m), 65, has received inadequate treatment for his diabetes
and high blood pressure.  He is serving a 93-year sentence and is being
held in solitary confinement. He was arrested on 9 February 2005.

U Win Htein (m), 67, suffers from numerous health problems, including
heart disease and persistent stomach pain, the cause of which has never
been diagnosed. He has received inadequate medical treatment. He is
serving a 14-year sentence and is being held in solitary confinement. He
was arrested on 22 May 1996.