BurmaNet News, May 26, 2009

[Editor]

May 26, 2009, Issue #3719


INSIDE BURMA
Guardian (UK): Aung San Suu Kyi tells Burmese court she did not break
terms of house arrest
AFP: Myanmar ends Suu Kyi house arrest, keeps her detained: party
AFP: Suu Kyi to call detained deputy as witness: lawyer
DVB: Bomb accusations ‘to discredit’ opposition groups
DVB: Frequency of rape by Burmese army appalls researchers

ON THE BORDER
Kaladan Press: Cyclone Aila lashes Burma–Bangladesh border and coastal belts

ASEAN
DPA: Singapore politician says ASEAN should consider expelling Myanmar

REGIONAL
Bangkok Post: Kasit rejects junta charge
Reuters: ASEM condemns N.Korea, urges Myanmar to free detainees
Mizzima News: Indian MP urges junta to release Suu Kyi

INTERNATIONAL
AP: Security Council wants Myanmar's Suu Kyi released
Irrawaddy: UN receives petition with 600,000 signatures
Washington Post: Trial may further isolate Burma

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: The generals are angry – Kyaw Zwa Moe

PRESS RELEASE
Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now: Accept nothing less than the release
of Burma's political prisoners: Over 650,000 global citizens urge Ban
Ki-moon

STATEMENT
AIPMC: ASEAN MPs call on tougher ASEAN actions on Myanmar including
Suspension





____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

May 26, Guardian (UK)
Aung San Suu Kyi tells Burmese court she did not break terms of house arrest

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader, told a court today that
she had no prior knowledge of an American man's plan to visit her home in
Rangoon and had not broken the terms of her house arrest.

She faces up to five years in prison for allowing John Yettaw to spend two
days at her lakeside compound earlier this month. She has already spent 13
of the last 19 years in detention.

"I didn't know about [the visit] immediately. I was informed about it at
5am. My assistant told me that a man had arrived," she told the court,
according to reports.

Asked whether she reported his visit immediately to authorities, she
answered: "No, I did not."

Suu Kyi said she gave Yettaw "temporary shelter" and that he left just
before midnight on the same day.

A small number of diplomats and Burmese journalists were allowed into the
court today to see proceedings on the seventh day of the trial, most of
which has been conducted behind closed doors.

"Thank you for your concern and support. It is always good to see people
from the outside world," Suu Kyi said as she was escorted out of the court
by four policewomen following testimony that lasted just 25 minutes.

Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Burma, told the Guardian that Suu
Kyi looked "composed and confident", and had suggested that some of the
questions directed at her should instead be asked of Yettaw, seated just a
few metres away.

Canning said the regime had been "taken aback" by the strength of
international opposition to Suu Kyi's arrest. "That's why they have
allowed us to attend some of the hearings, to give the impression they are
being transparent in the hope of warding off any more criticism," he said.

Though few expect Suu Kyi to be acquitted, Canning said continued pressure
could force the court to consider a lighter sentence. "There's no doubt in
my mind that this will end in a guilty verdict, but they may trim their
custodial ambitions and give her another year under house arrest rather
than five years in prison.

"That way they can keep her out of the way during the elections next year.
That is what this is all about."

Suu Kyi's denials came as the country's military junta claimed it had
considered releasing her from house arrest, but had changed its mind after
she provided food and clothing for Yettaw.

"These things infringed on existing law and we unavoidably and regretfully
had to take legal action against her," Brigadier General Myint Thein told
reporters. Suu Kyi had been scheduled to be freed tomorrow after six
consecutive years under house arrest.
Yettaw, 53, said he swam across a lake to Suu Kyi's residence using
homemade flippers on 4 May, apparently to tell her of his premonition that
she was about to be assassinated.

Her lawyers say she asked Yettaw to leave immediately and only allowed him
to stay when he complained of feeling unwell and too tired to swim back
across the lake.

Thein said the junta had been prepared to free her from house arrest on
humanitarian grounds and because she is the daughter of Burma's founder,
Aung San.

Defence lawyers complained they had been given little time to prepare
after prosecutors suddenly decided not to call their last eight witnesses,
a move that reinforced fears that the trial is being rushed to conclusion,
perhaps as early as this week.

"It could be that they have already written the verdict," her lawyer, Nyan
Win, said.

Four witnesses are expected to testify in Suu Kyi's defence, including Win
Tin, Burma's longest serving political prisoner until his release last
year, and Tin Oo, the vice-chairman of Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy (NLD), who has been under house arrest since 2003.

Suu Kyi pleaded not guilty to the charges last week, but observers believe
she will be found guilty to allow the government to detain her during
elections scheduled for next year. The NLD won elections in 1990 but the
military, which has ruled the country since 1962, ignored the results and
placed her in detention.

Britain and the US have condemned the trial, and last week Thailand
expressed "grave concern" over Suu Kyi's treatment, saying her trial
threatened Burma's "honour and credibility".

Although Burma has ignored Western threats to impose sanctions, it is
unaccustomed to defending itself from criticism by fellow members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations [Asean] and yesterday accused
Thailand of interfering in its domestic affairs.

"It is sadly noted that [Thailand] failed to preserve the dignity of
Asean, the dignity of [Burma] and the dignity of Thailand," it said in a
statement.

Today, Thailand said its criticism "reflects the desire for the process of
national reconciliation in [Burma] to move forward on the basis of
inclusiveness".

The British foreign office minister, Bill Rammell, who is attending the
meeting of European and Asian foreign ministers (Asem) in Hanoi, called on
the international community to step up pressure on Burma's generals to
release Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and begin the process of
reconciliation.

"I don't think it is too late for that to happen," he told Reuters at the
Hanoi summit. "I think during the course of discussions in Asem I detect a
change in tone from the Asian neighbours, whereas previously the first
point of reference was this is a matter for Burma, it is a matter of
sovereignty.

"Now there is a willingness to acknowledge that what Burma is doing has
actually cost the rest of the region. For example, the significant number
of refugees is beginning to impact on a number of the regional neighbours
and there is change in tone and we need to push that further."

Two female members of Suu Kyi's party who lived with her are standing
trial on similar charges. Both have pleaded not guilty. Yettaw, who has
also been charged with breaking security laws, initially proclaimed his
innocence but now wants to enter a guilty plea, reports said.

____________________________________

May 26, Agence France Presse
Myanmar ends Suu Kyi house arrest, keeps her detained: party

Myanmar officially ended Aung San Suu Kyi's six-year house arrest Tuesday
- but she remains in jail facing charges over an incident in which a US
man swam to her house, her party said.

Nyan Win, a spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD), said a
senior policeman gave Aung San Suu Kyi papers notifying her that the
restriction orders keeping her at her lakeside home had been lifted.

But he said her supporters "don't know whether we should be happy or sad"
since she is currently held at Yangon's notorious Insein prison facing a
five-year jail term on charges of breaching the terms of her house arrest.

"Police Brigadier General Myint Thein came to the prison and read out an
order cancelling the continued restriction order, released and dated
today. They gave one copy to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," Nyan Win told
reporters.

"It means that she is free from detention" under the relevant section of
Myanmar's draconian Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of
Subversive Elements, he said.

Her lawyers had argued that her six years under house arrest were due to
expire Wednesday, and pointed to a UN panel?s ruling that her house arrest
was already illegal under both Myanmar and international law.

Myint Thein, the police official, had told reporters and diplomats just
hours before the order was lifted that the military regime had the legal
right to keep Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for another six months.

"We don't know whether we should be happy or sad, because she is still in
detention on these charges. I cannot guess the verdict but according to
the law she should be completely free," Nyan Win said.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house
arrest since the military junta refused to recognise the NLD's landslide
victory in the country's last elections, in 1990.

She was charged on May 14 with violating the terms of her house arrest by
assisting American man John Yettaw, who swam to her house under cover of
darkness and spent two nights there.
____________________________________

May 26, Agence France Presse
Suu Kyi to call detained deputy as witness: lawyer

Lawyers for Myanmar pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi said they will
call the detained deputy leader of her opposition political party as a
witness at her trial.

Tin Oo, the vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), has
been under house arrest since he was arrested with Aung San Suu Kyi after
an attack on their motorcade during a political tour in 2003.

Party spokesman Nyan Win, who is also part of the legal team, said Tin Oo
was one of four witnesses on a list that would be submitted on Tuesday to
the court at the Insein prison near Yangon.

Asked whether he thought the ruling junta would allow Tin Oo to testify,
Nyan Win told AFP: "They have to. Otherwise it will be one-sided."

The other witnesses are Win Tin, Myanmar's longest-serving political
prisoner until his release last September, a lawyer named Kyi Win -- not
Aung San Suu Kyi's main defence lawyer, who has the same name -- and
another lawyer called Khin Moe Moe, he said.

Myanmar has been faced with international anger over the trial, amid
claims by critics that it is an excuse for the military regime to keep
Aung San Suu Kyi locked up during elections due next year.

Aung San Suu Kyi has pleaded innocent to charges that she breached the
terms of her house arrest in connection with an incident in which an
American swam to her lakeside house earlier this month.

She faces up to five years in jail if convicted. She was expected to
testify on Tuesday, Nyan Win said.

The opposition leader has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention, and
the latest six-year period of her house arrest since the 2003 attack on
the motorcade is due to expire on Wednesday.

The junta has not said if it will extend the term, although her lawyers
say to do so is illegal as it would exceed the maximum period of detention
under Myanmar's security laws.

In February, Myanmar authorities extended the house arrest of Tin Oo for
another year.

____________________________________

May 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Bomb accusations ‘to discredit’ opposition groups – Aye Nai

Government accusations that a bomb found on a train heading towards
Burma’s capital is the work of opposition groups was an attempt to weaken
anti-government movements, said a member of the accused group.

On Sunday the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that a
bomb had been found on train destined for the remote jungle capital,
Naypyidaw.

Information was found, it said, which pointed towards student-group All
Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) as likely being responsible.

“ABSDF
is now plotting to commit subversive acts such as attaching
anti-government posters to the walls of buildings
and planting mines with
the intention that they will explode if the posters are taken off,” it
said.

The ABSDF is part of coalition group Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB),
whom the article stated had been “organizing members of antigovernment
groups for explosive courses and anti-government courses”.

FDB general secretary Naing Aung said the accusations were part of
government plans to discredit opposition groups prior to the 2010
elections.

“[It is] also to prevent the public, who have awoken politically due to
current situation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, from going further up to
anti-government movements,” he said.

“The government is creating a lot of political confusion for the people,
such as attempting to disarm ceasefire groups, putting Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi in trial and declaring groups like the Burma Lawyers’ Council
illegal.”

____________________________________

May 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Frequency of rape by Burmese army appalls researchers – Rosalie Smith

Rape of women by Burmese soldiers in Kachin state is common, and could be
part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Burmese army, a group
investigating human rights abuses in northern Burma has found.

Despite a ceasefire agreement in 1994 between the Burmese army and the
Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), human rights violations remain
very serious, said Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) who recently
conducted a three-week research trip in Kachin state.

“We heard many stories of land confiscation, religious discrimination,
human trafficking and various other violations,” said Benedict Rogers,
South Asia’s Advocacy Officer for CSW.

Rogers was particularly appalled by the frequency of rape. In the CSW
report, a Kachin claims that Burmese army soldiers raping Kachin women is
a deliberate policy aimed at “mixing blood”, designed to achieve “ethnic
cleansing”, although the report acknowledge the difficulty in verifying
this accusation.

Earlier this month, however, a group of British MPs urged the United
Nations to investigate “a campaign of ethnic cleansing Burma’s military
regime is carrying out against its ethnic nationalities,” including use of
“rape as a weapon of war”.

The report highlighted the impunity which the Burmese army can operate
under, documenting cases of rape and human trafficking that went ignored
by authorities.

“We met for example a 21-year-old woman who had been raped just a few
months ago. She had been getting off a train on her way to her village to
visit her mother,” he said.

“Two soldiers had approached her, raped her and then strangled her and
left her for dead.”

Like many others, she has filed complaints to the authorities but the
perpetrators have not been punished.

Another threat to Kachin women is human trafficking. The report states
that since 2006, there have been 138 documented cases of human trafficking
in Kachin state.

The cases have primarily involved women between the ages of fifteen and 30
years who are usually trafficked to China and sold as wives to local men.
Many of them have been sold multiple times.

The tense situation in Kachin state has been compounded since the Burmese
regime asked the KIO to disarm and turn into border guards, which the KIO
seem unlikely to accept, say CSW.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

May 26, Kaladan Press
Cyclone Aila lashes Burma–Bangladesh border and coastal belts

Cyclone Aila ripped through the Burma-Bangladesh border area, accompanied
by heavy rains and raised river tide levels, burst mud embankments,
flooded homes, and destroyed houses, schools in Maungdaw yesterday, a
local elder said.

Heavy rainfall and high tidal waves damaged large tracts of cropland,
shrimp enclosures and several houses totally or partially, some trees were
also uprooted, he added.

The tidal surges, heavy wind and rainfall hit the lound Dun village; some
17 houses were badly affected where most of the villagers very poor, he
more added.

The Alay Than Kyaw and the border town of Taungbro are still under water
due to heavy rains and high tidal waves, an official of Maungdaw TPDC
said.

Some schools and thatched roofs were destroyed by heavy winds, he added.

The authorities of Maungdaw did not have any contingency plan about the
flooded areas, and the areas, damaged by Cyclone Aila. The local people
are trying to save themselves, a school teacher from Maungdaw said.

On the other side of the border, Bangladeshi authorities deployed relief
operations with 42,000 volunteers with armed forces and it has allocated
about 1,000 tonnes of rice and Taka 12 lakh in cash for relief operations,
where Cyclone Aila hit the costal area, said Abdur Razzaq, Disaster
Management Minister.

This is the second storm in the Bay of Bengal in less than a month. Some
people were killed and hundreds of thatched houses destroyed in Cox's
Bazaar and the border area on April 17. 'Aila' centred at 12 pm about 430
kms southwest of Chittagong Port, 420 kms southwest of Cox's Bazaar Port
and 230 kms south southwest of Mongla Port, a special weather bulletin of
the Meteorological Department said.

Aila, the second of the North Indian Ocean cyclones this season, hit the
West Bengal coast near Sagardwip at about 2:00pm, and the eye of the storm
crossed the coast, near Diamond Harbour, at around 3:00pm. It was moving
northwards and weakening gradually, the Met Office said.

The highest 95 mm of rainfall during the period was experienced at
Rangpur, which was followed by 55 mm in Mongla, 49 mm in Cox's Bazaar, 37
mm in Satkhira, 32 mm in Kutubdia, 22 mm in Feni, 18 mm each in Chittagong
and Khulna, 17 mm in Sylhet, 16 mm in Teknaf, 12 mm each in Rangamati and
Jessore and 11 mm in Sandwip, the Met Office recorded.

The Kaladan News correspondent in Cox’s Bazaar said at least 2000 houses
in Cox’s Bazaar town, Kutubdia, Pekoua, Sha Parir Dwip and St Martin’s
Island in Teknaf, were washed away at 10:00 am by the three to four feet
high tidal waves in the coastal areas of the district. The coastal
embankment was also severely damaged at several places from Teknaf to
Kutubdia. The Cox’s Bazaar-Teknaf Marine Drive became vulnerable at
Himchhari point.

Twenty-one fishing trawlers are missing with 400 fishermen onboard. Most
of the fishermen were Rohingya people, he added.

The tidal surges hit the St. Martin Island three times since morning; some
15 houses were badly affected, said Firoz Ahmed Khan, Union Parishad
Chairman.

Md Shamsul Karim, executive engineer of the Cox’s Bazaar Water Development
Board, said that more than a hundred kilometres of coastal embankments
were badly damaged by the tidal waves.

Ehsan E Elahi, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Chittagong said
that the district administration took all measures to decrease the impact
of the storm. "We have opened control rooms to coordinate the measures of
all sectors. We have stored dry foods and rice and medicines," he said.

The death toll from Cyclone Aila rose to 53, following recovery of more
bodies from different cyclone-battered coastal districts in Bangladesh,
according to sources.

Meanwhile, ATN Bangla reported that 62 people had been killed in the
Cyclone that also battered West Bengal in India.

____________________________________
ASEAN

May 26, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Singapore politician says ASEAN should consider expelling Myanmar

South-East Asia's main political grouping has failed in its efforts to
make Myanmar more democratic and should consider expelling it, as well as
imposing limited sanctions, a Singaporean politician said Tuesday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) intended to reform
Myanmar, also known as Burma, when it voted it into the regional grouping
in 1997, but that has failed, Charles Chong, a 21-year member of
Singapore's parliament, said Tuesday.

"ASEAN has failed to influence Burma in any way," Chong said. "ASEAN must
consider, regretfully, suspending Burma from the association."

He said limited sanctions - such as freezing the assets of members of
Myanmar's ruling junta - should also be considered although that could
prove problematic because they could "hurt the people more than the
government."

Chong added his voice to a growing chorus condemning Myanmar's human
rights record, and most currently the trial of independence icon Aung San
Suu Kyi.

Chong spoke at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club in
Bangkok where the campaign Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now! said more
than 650,000 people from more than 200 countries and territories have
signed their petition since it was launched March 13.

The petition calls on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to "make it his
personal priority to secure the release of all political prisoners in
Burma."

Myanmar joined ASEAN in 1997 amid staunch objections from the EU and US
and considerable debate within ASEAN itself. In addition to Myanmar, the
regional grouping includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Myanmar's membership has been controversial since day one and has been
reignited with the current trial of Suu Kyi.

“We don't want to be drawn down to the level of Burma," Chong said of ASEAN.

Chong made it clear he was expressing his personal views and not speaking
for the Singapore government, but said behind the scenes there is growing
frustration with the junta in Myanmar.

Myanmar's military regime ranks among the world's pariah states. It has
kept Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, under house
arrest for 13 of the past 19 years.

Myanmar legal expert said her current detention term is set to expire on
Wednesday, but but a Myanmar police brigadier general claimed Tuesday the
term was not due to end until November 27.

She faces another three to five years if she is found guilty of allowing
US national John William Yettaw, 53, to swim into her compound-cum-prison
on Yangon's Inya Lake earlier this month.

Suu Kyi has been charged with breaking the terms of her detention, a
charge that carries a minimum of three years in jail and a maximum of
five.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

May 26, Bangkok Post
Kasit rejects junta charge – Thanida Tansubhapol

Thailand has denied interfering in Burma's affairs with its demand as the
chair of Asean for the junta to release opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi. Mrs Suu Kyi has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of violating
her house arrest rules.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the statement issued by Thailand on
May 18 reflected the concern of Asean members on the situation in Burma.

He said the statement was approved by top foreign ministry officials of
the grouping.

''It did not interfere in Burma's internal affairs,'' Mr Kasit said in
Hanoi, where he was attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem). ''Like the
situation in Thailand, many countries expressed concern over the street
protests as well as the conflict in the South because it affected
stability in the region and progress in Asean.

''Thailand did not want to see any obstacles on the move towards the
reconciliation process in Burma.''

He said the release of Mrs Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma
was an important step for reconciliation and general elections next year.

Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said some Asean countries were
fretting about the situation in Burma.

The Thai move received support from the European Union. The EU praised the
Thai statement on Burma, Czech Foreign Minister and EU senior official Jan
Kohout said in Hanoi on the sidelines of the Asem meeting.

Burma's anger was reflected in the New Light of Myanmar newspaper on
Sunday, which said its government strongly rejected the statement by Asean
condemning the trial of the pro-democracy leader.

''The statement issued by the alternate Asean chair _ which is not in
conformity with Asean practice, incorrect in facts, and interfering in the
internal affairs of Myanmar _ is strongly rejected by Myanmar,'' it said.

Burma's state-run newspaper also said: ''It is sadly noted that the
alternate Asean chair failed to preserve the dignity of Asean, the dignity
of Myanmar and the dignity of Thailand.''

The Burmese issue is tabled in talks among Asian and European foreign
ministers being held in Hanoi.

It is expected to be raised again this week in Phnom Penh where Southeast
Asian foreign ministers will meet their European counterparts in the
Asean-EU dialogue.

The EU called at the Hanoi Asem for the ''immediate release'' of the 1991
Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The message was conveyed to Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win on the
sidelines of the meeting, Mr Kohout said.

''I don't have a positive feeling'' about the release of Mrs Suu Kyi, he
said.

The issue was discussed between Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the external relations commissioner of the
European Commission, at Government House yesterday.

Mrs Suu Kyi, who was taken from her house to Insein Prison, faces up to
five years in jail if convicted of breaching the terms of her house arrest
after an eccentric American, John Yettaw, swam to her lakeside house.

Her six-year house arrest is due to end tomorrow.

The pro-democracy leader will testify today, as the prosecution's
withdrawal of its nine remaining witnesses suggested the military
government wanted to quickly wrap up the proceedings.

One of Mrs Suu Kyi's lawyers, yesterday said her defence team was unhappy
that it was not given sufficient time to consult with their client about
her planned testimony.

____________________________________

May 26, Reuters
ASEM condemns N.Korea, urges Myanmar to free detainees – John Ruwitch

Asian and European foreign ministers condemned North Korea's nuclear test
on Tuesday, and urged Myanmar to free detainees and lift political
restrictions as Aung San Suu Kyi defended herself in a controversial
trial.

As the two-day meeting ended, several diplomats applauded China for taking
what they considered a strong position on both issues at the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) foreign ministers' conference in Hanoi.

China is the closest thing that North Korea has to an ally and is a strong
backer of the junta running the former Burma. Pressure from Beijing is
widely seen as key to resolving both issues, and China, a permanent U.N.
Security Council member, is being looked to for leadership on a range of
other issues.

In a statement, the ministers said they "strongly urge" North Korea not to
conduct further tests and to comply with U.N. resolutions, and called on
Pyongyang to immediately return to six-party talks aimed at ending its
nuclear programme.

"Bearing in mind the need to maintain peace and stability in the region
and the international non-proliferation regime, ministers condemn the
underground nuclear test ... which constitutes a clear violation of the
six-party agreements and the relevant UNSC resolutions and decisions," it
said.

ASEM groups 44 countries, including Myanmar, and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat.

A separate, more general statement at the end of the meeting said the
ministers had discussed Myanmar "in light of the concern about the recent
developments" relating to Suu Kyi. "They called for the early release of
those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political
parties," it added.

The statement also called for more humanitarian assistance to Myanmar and
the ministers "affirmed their commitments to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity" of Myanmar.

Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Sweden, called it a "major step forward
and said it went beyond anything previously endorsed by China or Vietnam.
"It's a substantial increase on the political pressure on the regime in
Burma," he said.

Jan Kohout, foreign minister of the Czech Republic, which holds the
presidency of the European Union, went a step further in his closing
remarks, saying Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was an "indispensible
partner in the dialogue leading to national reconciliation" and should be
released immediately.

CHINA'S ROLE

Some diplomats sensed that China had adopted a fresh tone on Myanmar and
had been constructive on North Korea.

"We can certainly say that they have not been pushing on the brake. I'm
not saying that they're pushing on the accelerator either, but they are
not holding things up," Finland's Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said.

Another senior European diplomat, who declined to be named, said that
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi did not mention Suu Kyi by name in
closed-door remarks, "but he de-facto did".

"It was a new tone from China on the question of Burma. That, I think, can
be said. There's no question about it," he said.

Yang declined to comment specifically on Tuesday. Asked about the
statements, Yang told Reuters: "It's a consensus".

Last week, after the military junta that rules Myanmar put Suu Kyi on
trial, China's foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said Myanmar should be
left to handle its own affairs. In Beijing on Tuesday he said there had
been no change in this position.

Ian Holliday, a Myanmar expert at the University of Hong Kong, suggested
China may have acted tactically but it would be unlikely to change its
Myanmar policy unless it sensed a clear threat to stability or its access
to Myanmar's resources.

"Even though it possesses a veto over those forums in some ways, it's hard
for China to maintain all of its other relationships intact if it's
really, really hard-nosed about Burma," Holliday said.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win declined repeatedly to comment to
journalists on the sidelines of the Hanoi meeting, but diplomats said that
in bilateral meetings and the larger forum he defended the regime's
charges and the trial of Suu Kyi.

(Additional reporting by Ho Binh Minh in Hanoi, Ben Blanchard in Beijing
and James Pomfret in Hong Kong)

____________________________________

May 26, Mizzima News
Indian MP urges junta to release Suu Kyi – Salai Pi Pi

An Indian Member of Parliament and activists on Tuesday echoed the
international outcry for the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, facing a trial in Rangoon’s Insein prison.

Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) party and a Member of Parliament
of India from Bihar State in the Rajya Sabha(Upper House), said he
supports the international community’s demand  for the release of Aung San
Suu Kyi.

“We are here to mobilise world opinion. The whole world is asking the
junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and to pave the way for democracy,”
Yadav said in a seminar organized by South Asian Forum for Peoples’
Initiative at the Gandhi Peace Foundation in New Delhi on Tuesday.

However, the military junta is not paying heed to the international
community demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and democratic change
in Burma, Yadav said, “Nobody can stop freedom,” he said expressing hope
that Burma will soon achieve freedom.

Yadav’s call is among the first few among Indian politicians who have
raised their voice for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi after she was put
on trial by the junta in Burma’s notorious Insein prison since the first
week of this month. Earlier leaders of the Forward Bloc, a Left
constituent had condemned the junta and demanded her release.

On the sidelines of the seminar, Sudhindra Bhadri, General Secretary of
the South Asian Forum for Peoples’ Initiative, expressed concern over
India’s silence regarding the trial against Burma’s pro-democracy leader
saying that the Indian government should also take steps in calling for
the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

“On behalf of the people and peoples’ organization, I also request the
Indian government to take some steps to air their concern because
 we are
a democratic system,” Bhadri said.

“Therefore all democratic people, governments and nations should support
the call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi,” he added.

Bhadri also said, though India is busy with the formation of a new
government, it should strongly voice concern about the deteriorating
situation and the trial against the Burmese recipient of India’s most
honourable award – the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International
Understanding.

Burma’s military regime has charged the Nobel Peace Laureate for breaching
her terms of detention and allowing a U.S. citizen, John William Yettaw,
to enter her house after he allegedly swam his way into her lakeside home.

She was charged under section 22 of the penal code of Burma’s 1974
constitution. She is being tried since May 18, and on Tuesday she gave a
testimony in court.

The trial had triggered international criticism. The United Nations,
United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, the European Union and Asian
countries such as Japan, Pakistan and ASEAN members have all issued press
statements expressing their concern over Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial and
calling for her unconditional and immediate release.

Though the international community has voiced its outrage over the trial
against Aung San Suu Kyi, the world’s largest democracy, India, has been
conspicuous by its silence over the ongoing trial against the Burmese
democracy icon.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

May 26, Associated Press
Security Council wants Myanmar's Suu Kyi released

The U.N. Security Council on Friday called for the release of all
political prisoners in Myanmar including Aung San Suu Kyi and expressed
concern at the "political impact" of the pro-democracy leader's trial.

A press statement approved by all 15 council members reiterated the need
for Myanmar's military leaders "to create the necessary conditions for a
genuine dialogue" with Suu Kyi and other opposition and minority groups
"to achieve an inclusive national reconciliation."

The United States had initially urged the council to adopt a stronger
presidential statement, which becomes part of the council's official
record. But diplomats said it was downgraded to a press statement to get
approval from China and Russia, which have close ties to Myanmar's
military government.

The statement was issued as a court in Myanmar accepted the charge that
Suu Kyi violated the terms of her house arrest after an American man swam
to and entered her lakeside home earlier this month. She has been in
detention without trial for more than 13 of the past 19 years, and the
court's decision means that her trial will likely proceed to a verdict
that could see her jailed for up to five years.

Earlier Friday, the ruling junta alleged that anti-government forces
engineered the visit to Suu Kyi's house to embarrass the regime and
aggravate its relations with the West. Suu Kyi, two women who live with
her and the American have all pleaded innocent.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. The current junta
seized power in 1988 and refused to honor the results of a 1990 general
election won by Suu Kyi's party. If she is imprisoned as a result of the
current trial, she will be out of the government's way during upcoming
elections in 2010.

In the press statement, "the members of the Security Council express their
concern about the political impact of recent developments relating to Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi."

Council members reiterated the importance of their first-ever statement on
Myanmar in October 2007 and a second presidential statement in May 2008
"and, in this regard, reiterate the importance of the release of all
political prisoners." Their statement did not single out Suu Kyi.

But Britain's U.N. Ambassador John Sawers said "the reiteration of our
call for the release of all political prisoners is very pointed when the
most prominent of those political prisoners is standing in the dock on,
frankly, charges which stand no credibility."

U.S. deputy ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo said the council has now added its
voice to those of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations and other leaders from the region and elsewhere.

So far, however, Myanmar's government has ignored all appeals for Suu
Kyi's release.

"We will continue speaking out to get that impact that we need," DiCarlo
said. "We know Rome wasn't built in a day and one statement isn't
necessarily going to do the trick but we will continue to do so."

____________________________________

May 26, Irrawaddy
UN receives petition with 600,000 signatures – Arkar Moe

A petition with 600,000 signatures in support of the release of all
political prisoners in Burma has been sent to UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, accordingly to the
Campaign Committee of the Free Burma’s Political Prisoners (CCFBPP).

The signatures were gathered from more than 150 countries and by more than
200 groups in support of Burma over a 10-week period.

The CCFBPP held a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday to announce the
petition, on this the seventh day of the trial of pro-democracy leader
Aung San Suu Kyi by the Burmese military government.

International condemnation of the trial has been widespread, including
unprecedented criticism from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean).

The petition campaign has been led by the Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) and the Forum for Democracy in Burma,
representing former political prisoners and pro-democracy activists.

Since October 2008, more than 350 Burmese political activists have been
sentenced to harsh sentences of up to 104 years. Burma now has 2,100
political prisoners, according to the AAPP.

Bo Kyi, a co-founder and joint-secretary of the AAPP, said, “We intend to
urge the secretary-general to take more measures in the Security Council.
It’s time for the international community and for the Burmese people to
demand more from the UN.”

A broad-based consortium of Burmese exiles and solidarity groups around
the world worked to secure the petition signatures, including Avaaz, an
online community of activists.

Avaaz executive director Ricken Patel said, "Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's
Nelson Mandela. The UN secretary-general must insist that her release be
the condition for any further international engagement with the Burmese
junta."

Since the campaign launched on March 13, commemorating Burma's Human
Rights Day, one person has signed the petition every 10 seconds.

____________________________________

May 26, Washington Post
Trial may further isolate Burma – Tim Johnston

The decision by Burma's government to put Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition
leader and Nobel Peace laureate, on trial has chilled relations with some
of the ruling military junta's traditional allies and made it less like
likely that international sanctions against the nation will be eased,
according to U.S., European and Asian officials.

The issue has dominated the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting, which is being
held in Hanoi this week. Benita-Maria Ferrero-Waldner, the European
Union's External Affairs Commissioner, said she would press for the
release of Suu Kyi and the 2,100 other political prisoners held in the
country when she meets with Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win.

A little more than four weeks ago, the E.U. reviewed its sanctions, which
target the members of the junta, their families and businessmen who profit
from their rule, and left them unchanged for another year. But officials
said there had been a major argument behind the scenes between nations
such as Germany and Italy, which wanted to relax sanctions, and others
that wanted them unchanged or strengthened.

The court case against Suu Kyi has strengthened the pro-sanctions lobby.
Suu Kyi was charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest after a
Missouri man, John Yettaw, swam across a lake behind her home and entered
her house uninvited.

"It's not the moment to lower sanctions; it's the moment in any case to
increase them," Javier Solana, the head of foreign policy for the E.U.,
said last week.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who in February called for
a review of the sanctions imposed on Burma, called Suu Kyi's trial
"outrageous."

The Burmese government has shown before that it is little concerned with
the outrage of Western nations whether accompanied by sanctions or not,
but it is unused to vocal criticism from within the region.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, pioneered what it
calls "constructive engagement" with Burma, also known as Myanmar, when it
was admitted in 1999, but officials from the regional group said they are
starting to lose patience.

Thailand, which holds the rotating chair of ASEAN, issued a statement last
week that, although bland by international standards, was a strong
condemnation in regional terms.

"Thailand, as the ASEAN chair, expresses grave concern about recent
developments relating to Aung San Suu Kyi, given her fragile health," the
statement said. "The Government of the Union of Myanmar, as a responsible
member of ASEAN, has the responsibility to protect and promote human
rights."

That provoked a strong response from authorities in Burma.

"This statement issued by the alternate ASEAN chairman -- which is not in
conformity with ASEAN practice, incorrect in facts, interfering in the
internal affairs of Myanmar -- is strongly rejected by Myanmar," said a
government statement quoted in the official New Light of Myanmar
newspaper.

One of the reasons Burmese authorities have been able to ignore the
sanctions is that China, the country's biggest trading partner, has
refused to become involved.

"Myanmar's issue should be decided by the people of Myanmar," Ma Zhaoxu,
spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said last week. "As a neighbor
of Myanmar, we hope that relevant parties in Myanmar can realize
reconciliation, stability and development through dialogue."

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

May 26, Irrawaddy
The generals are angry – Kyaw Zwa Moe

Even during her trial, Aung San Suu Kyi has the ability to make her
captors—the powerful ruling generals—angrier and more rancorous than ever.

The generals are now angry not only with Burma’s pro-democracy leader but
also with neighboring Thailand which, as current alternate chair of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), issued a fairly critical
statement against Suu Kyi’s trial and imprisonment.

During a meeting with three diplomats from Singapore, Thailand and Russia
last week in the Insein Prison compound, Suu Kyi told the Thai diplomat
that she looked forward to working with Asean one day.

How did Burma’s ruling generals interpret her remark?

To work with the regional grouping, Suu Kyi would have to be a leader or
high-ranking official of the Burmese government. To the generals—who are
hypersensitive about power-sharing—her words were clearly defiant, a
challenge to their authority.

They probably thought, “How dare you? You’re a criminal who violated our
law. And you are standing trial!”

Allowing thirty Rangoon-based diplomats to attend Suu Kyi’s trial for one
day last week backfired. The junta wanted to give an appearance of
openness, of conducting a legally correct judicial proceeding.

But Suu Kyi grabbed the opportunity to use her political podium. The
63-year-old Nobel Peace laureate told the diplomats, “There could be many
opportunities for national reconciliation if all parties so wished
,”
according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore,
whose ambassador met with Suu Kyi in the compound of Insein Prison.

She also expressed the view that “it was not too late for something good
to come out of this unfortunate incident,” referring to her trial
following the arrest of an American John William Yettaw, who swam across
Inya Lake and stayed overnight in her compound, thus violating—in the
junta’s eyes—the terms of her house arrest.

On Sunday, an angry Burmese government strongly rejected Thailand’s
statement, claiming “The statement of Thailand issued as the alternate
chairman of Asean deviates from the principles of the Asean Charter and is
tantamount to interfering in the internal affairs of Myanmar [Burma].”

It said that to issue statements, Asean must prepare a draft at the level
of a senior officials meeting and then submit it to the foreign ministers
level to seek further approval.
Statements are to be issued only after a consensus, it said, and “Thailand
did not allow it to be discussed. It informed the foreign ministers only
after the issue of the statement.”
Obviously, the generals are angry with any person, or any country, that
challenges their maniacal hold on power.

It’s most likely they underestimated the outrage and pressure from the
international community that’s erupted since Suu Kyi was arrested and
charged on May 14.

Her trial has led to the US renewing its sanctions policy and strengthened
the likelihood that the US policy will be tougher following its current
policy review.

Also, on Friday, the UN Security Council issued a council statement
expressing its concern about Suu Kyi’s arrest and trial and the current
deadlocked political situation.

Suu Kyi will be sentenced to from three to five years, either under house
arrest or in prison. The best alternative is, of course, house arrest,
avoiding the onerous and dangerous conditions at the infamous Insein
Prison.

Either way, the generals will have succeeded in keeping Suu Kyi out of the
public eye and off the political stage during the buildup to the 2010
general election.

Angry at Suu Kyi. Angry at Thailand. Angry at the meddlesome international
community—the generals are angry.

Now the question is: Who’s afraid of the angry generals, and how will the
international community deal with them?

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

May 26, Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now
Accept nothing less than the release of Burma's political prisoners: Over
650,000 global citizens urge Ban Ki-moon

A global campaign for the release of Burma’s political prisoners has
secured over 650,000 petition signatures in just ten weeks, according to
campaign organisers.  Signatures have come from 220 countries and
territories. "This is the largest global coordinated action for Burma the
world has ever witnessed," said Dr Naing Aung, Secretary-General of the
Forum for Democracy in Burma.

The petition calls on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to make it his
personal priority to secure the release of all political prisoners in
Burma, as the essential first step towards democratization in the country.
It comes at a time when Ban Ki-moon is negotiating a visit to the country
with the ruling military government, and has said he is "deeply concerned"
about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention. The closed-door trial of the Nobel
Peace Prize winner and leader of the National League for Democracy is
today entering its seventh day.  International condemnation of the trial
has been widespread, including unprecedented criticism from the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Since October last year,
more than 350 of Burma’s 2,100 political prisoners have been sentenced in
similar trials, to harsh sentences of up to 104 years.

Co-founder and Joint-Secretary of the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) Bo Kyi said, “The eyes of the world are on Ban Ki-moon
now. He must do whatever it takes, and accept nothing less than the
immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all
political prisoners. Without their release, there can be no national
reconciliation in Burma."

The campaign has been led by the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (Burma) and Forum for Democracy in Burma, representing former
political prisoners and pro-democracy activists.  A broad-based consortium
of Burma exile and solidarity groups around the world has worked to secure
the signatures, including Avaaz, a massive online community of activists.

Avaaz Executive Director Ricken Patel said, "Aung San Suu Kyi is Burma's
Nelson Mandela. The UN Secretary-General must insist that her release be
the condition for any further international engagement with the Burmese
junta."

Since the campaign launched on 13 March, Burma's Human Rights Day, one
person has signed the petition every 10 seconds.

For media interviews, please contact:

Bo Kyi, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
+66(0)813248935
Naing Aung, Forum For Democracy in Burma +66(0)818837230
Khin Ohmar, Forum For Democracy in Burma +66(0)818840772
Ricken Patel, Avaaz + 34 608934971 or media at avaaz.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

THESE STATISTICS HAVE BEEN UPDATED

1.	The Campaign By Numbers
•	A broad-based consortium of over 200 Burma exile and solidarity groups
have participated in the campaign, in 32 countries across 5 continents.
•	Over 650,000 people rom over 220 countries and territories have signed
the 	petition.
•	One person has signed the petition every 10 seconds since the campaign
launched on 13 March, Burma's Human Rights Day.
•	In Thai-Burma border areas, over 60 roundtable discussions about
political prisoners have taken place, for migrant workers and in refugee
camps
•	Over 40,000 signatures were collected inside Burma
•	Over 23,000 signatures were collected from refugee camps on the
Thai-Burma border.
•	Over 47,000 signatures were collected from migrant workers in Southern
Thailand.
•	Over 23,000 signatures were collected in the Thai-Burma border town of
Mae Sot.

2.	Political Prisoner Statistics

•	There are currently 2,156 political prisoners in jails and labour camps
all over Burma (statistics provided by the Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (Burma)  )
•	Since October 2008, more than 350 democracy activists in Burma have been
sentenced to harsh sentences of up to 104 years.  Since November last
year, more than 230 have been transferred to remote prisons all around the
country, far from their families.

3.	Campaign Consortium

The campaign is led by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
(Burma) and Forum for Democracy in Burma.  Follow this link for a full
list of all endorsing organisations involved in the campaign: 
http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=1750

Annex: Media Contact List for the FBPPN! petition campaign in Asia

Australia:	Charlotte Long (+ 610 405 712 458); Iqbar aka Tin Hlaing (+61
0401377986 mobile or +61 0395466108)
Hong Kong: 	Rey Asis (+ 852 9588 9491)
India:		Htun Htun (+ 91 9891 280 954)
Indonesia:	Swandaru (+ 62 8125274819)
Japan:	Phone Myint Tun (+ 81 90 4221 1988); Than Zin Oo (+ 81 80 5674
1960); Arata Kumazawa (+ 81 90 7182 5594)
Korea:		Nay Tun Naing (+ 82 10 8962 3414)
Malaysia: 	Ye Min Tun (+6017 6995 103); Ms. Latheefa Koya (+6012 3842 972)
Philippines:	Egoy Bans (+63920 9132472)


____________________________________
STATEMENT

May 26, Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus
ASEAN MPs call on tougher ASEAN actions on Myanmar including Suspension

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) calls on ASEAN to
suspend Myanmar’s membership in the regional bloc if the country’s
military regime continues to detain its democracy leader, and Nobel Peace
Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s unjust current six-year house arrest is due to expire
on 27 May 2009, but the regime has brought on further trumped-up charges
against her and is likely to detain her for a further three to five years.

Several ASEAN member states have expressed deepening concern about the
regime’s detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
However, ASEAN leaders have failed to take the measures necessary to
compel the regime to end violations of human rights.

AIPMC parliamentarians strongly call on ASEAN to stop protecting Myanmar’s
regime and instead remove them from the grouping until and unless Aung San
Suu Kyi is free and genuine efforts to begin national reconciliation are
underway.

The AIPMC further urges ASEAN member states to consider imposing targeted
sanctions on the military regime generals, and its administration, should
they still fail to respect the ASEAN Charter and continue to oppress its
people.

Efforts by the international community to hold the regime accountable for
its criminal acts, via targeted economic sanctions and UN Security Council
actions, have been cushioned by ASEAN’s and China’s economic and political
buffering of the regime.

The regime’s ruthlessness causes increasing numbers of internally
displaced persons in Myanmar. It continues to use rape, torture and
extrajudicial killings as state policies to suppress citizens. The
military’s state projects, such as dams, further subject people to
unabated suffering.

Change cannot be achieved in Myanmar if ASEAN’s current positions and
policies remain. ASEAN must assume its responsibility by supporting, if
not calling for, decisive measures such as an international commission of
inquiry into the widely documented crimes against humanity allegedly
committed by the regime. ASEAN cannot afford patience any longer.

For more info on AIPMC please visit www.aseanmp.org and for media contact
or to facilitate an interview with Parliamentarians, please
call: Roshan Jason (AIPMC Executive Director) at +6-012-3750974.