BurmaNet News, September 23, 2009

[Editor]

September 23, 2009 Issue #3803


INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Suu Kyi party 'welcomes Myanmar amnesty'
AP: Myanmar accuses American of planning unrest
Mizzima News: Shwe Ohn invites political parties to unite for strong
opposition
Narinjara: Arrests continue in Arakan
SHAN: Heightened security in Shan south
DVB: Media restricted in pre-election coverage

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: US, Burma look for win-win situation: Analysts
DVB: UN chief takes credit for prisoner amnesty

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: No big change expected in US policy on Burma – Aung Zaw
Washington Post: Visit by Burmese official hints at U.S. policy shift –
John Pomfret
Asia Times: Myanmar's monks under close watch – Joel Chong

PRESS RELEASE
USCB: Activists urge governments to act on rape, crimes in Burma at
upcoming United Nations meetings; using rape as a weapon of war is crime
against humanity




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

September 23, Agence France Presse
Suu Kyi party 'welcomes Myanmar amnesty'

Yangon — Myanmar's main opposition party on Wednesday welcomed the release
of 7,000 prisoners but reiterated calls for the ruling junta to free Aung
San Suu Kyi and other political detainees.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) issued a statement almost
one week after the military regime announced that it was freeing the
prisoners so they could vote in elections due next year.

"The NLD warmly welcomes the release of 7,114 national prisoners that
included some 100 political prisoners from prisons on September 17," the
statement said.

"However we also call for the unconditional and immediate release of all
political prisoners including the NLD vice chairman Tin Oo and general
secretary Aung San Suu Kyi," it said.

Suu Kyi had her house arrest extended by 18 months in August after she was
convicted over an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to the
lakeside house where she is detained in May.

Tin Oo has also been under house arrest since 2003.

The statement said Suu Kyi and Tin Oo "have been always trying for
dialogue and national reconciliation", as had jailed members of ethnic
minority groups and students who led mass pro-democracy protests in 1988.

The NLD said Tuesday that it had written to junta chief Than Shwe urging
him to allow its central executive committee to meet Suu Kyi and Tin Oo so
they could discuss the elections.

The polls are being held under a new constitution that was passed in a
controversial referendum in 2008, days after a devastating cyclone killed
138,000 people in Myanmar.

Critics say the polls are a sham through which the military regime wants
to legitimise its hold on power.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962.

____________________________________

September 23, Associated Press
Myanmar accuses American of planning unrest

Yangon, Myanmar — Myanmar on Wednesday accused a Myanmar-born American who
was secretly detained three weeks ago of seeking to incite political
unrest.

State television news said Kyaw Zaw Lwin confessed that he plotted with
dissident groups outside the country, and accused him of being linked to
several activists inside Myanmar who planned to set off bombs.

It said authorities, acting on a tip-off, arrested Kyaw Zaw Lwin on Sept.
3 on his arrival at Yangon airport.

Fellow activists reported his disappearance, but there was no word of his
fate until Tuesday, when the U.S. Embassy announced that one of its
officers had been allowed to visit him.

The television report said Kyaw Zaw Lwin was a member of the dissident
group All Burma Students' Democratic Front. It said he had entered Myanmar
to create unrest and stir up protests by Buddhist monks.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin's mother is serving a five-year jail term for political
activities and his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role
in pro-democracy protests two years ago, activist groups and family
members said.

Authorities have tightened security because of concerns about political
unrest in mid-September. Sept. 18 was the second anniversary of the start
of massive pro-democracy protests led by Buddhist monks in Yangon that
were suppressed by the ruling military a few days later. It was also the
21st anniversary of the military's seizure of power in 1988 after quashing
an even larger pro-democracy movement.

On Sept. 17, seven small homemade explosives were set off at industrial
parks in Yangon's suburbs, but no one claimed responsibility. The TV
report said the explosions were meant to put international attention on
Myanmar during this month's U.N. General Assembly session, but did not
name any perpetrators.

It said Kyaw Zaw Lwin was a member of an anti-government student group
during the 1988 demonstrations and went into exile when the military
seized power.

The report said Kyaw Zaw Lwin had entered the country eight times between
November 2005 and September 2009 and had confessed to actively taking part
in anti-government activities and providing financial assistance to
anti-government groups inside the country.

Three people were arrested in the first week of September with C-4 plastic
explosives and satellite phones, it said.

The TV report said legal action will be taken against Kyaw Zaw Lwin and
the other detainees, and an investigation would be launched to determine
their contacts.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin's hometown in the U.S. was not immediately available.

____________________________________

September 23, Mizzima News
Shwe Ohn invites political parties to unite for strong opposition

New Delhi – The Union Democratic Alliance Organization has invited all
ethnic political parties to join hands with them to form a strong
opposition in the forthcoming 2010 general elections although they do no
hope to win and form the government.

UDAO’s organizing committee member veteran politician Shwe Ohn told
Mizzima that they invited the ethnic parties to join them for cooperation
and coordination among themselves for the sake of democracy being ushered
in Burma.

“We don’t expect to form the government. We just intend to win 25 per cent
of the seats in Parliament and start a gradual reform movement as an
opposition force. Otherwise we will not be a formidable force in
Parliament,” he said.

A statement by the UDAO on September 17, welcomed the setting up of the
Kachin State Progressive Party (KSPP) and the New Mon Party and urged
other ethnic nationalities to float political parties and join them in an
alliance.

“Our organization is comprised of all ethnic nationalities including Shan,
Burman, Kachin and Karen. We believe it will be better if all of us can
cooperate. So we urged the KSPP and the Mon Party to join us because in
our opinion it’s better to work collectively rather than individually,”
Shwe Ohn said.

The KSPP and the Mon Party responded to the invitation saying that it is
premature to join them. The UDAO maintains it extended the invitation to
join them in contesting the 2010 general elections for the benefit of a
Union State.

“We see the invitation as a good thing in principle. We’d like to join
them because joining hands with all is best for all of us. But we have to
consider the practicality and viability of the invitation. It is premature
to talk of an alliance as the election law and political parties law have
not yet been enacted and announced,” KSPP organizing committee member Dr.
Tuja told Mizzima.

Moreover the KSPP is not meant for the whole country but only to represent
Kachin State, he added.

The New Mon Party organizing committee was formed for contesting the 2010
general elections. Its organizing committee member Dr. Nai Banya Aung Moe
said, “In the theory of party politics, we should join with all if it is
beneficial. But we cannot say anything at the moment as the party is yet
to be registered”.

UDAO was formed with an 8-member organizing committee on January 26 this
year and now the number has touched 16.

The party is based on the Union Democracy policy and it has two main
parts, the core group and the alliance group. Anyone can be a core group
member regardless of their race and creed if they join the party as an
individual. If a party joins the UDAO, it will be part of the alliance.

The core group will be established as a party later and will be an ally of
the UDAO and there will be no leading party in it. The Central Executive
Committee will be selected from the CEC members of member organizations
based on their performance and merit.

The UDAO also extended similar invitations to the National League for
Democracy (NLD) to join them in early January this year but it is leant
that no response has yet been received.

(Reported by Salai Han Thar San)

____________________________________

September 23, Narinjara
Arrests continue in Arakan

Sittwe – The Burmese military authority has continued arresting Arakanese
youth and students on Monday, with the number arrested reaching 16 after a
youth from Buthidaung Township in northern Arakan was taken into custody
on Monday.

21-year-old Maung Naing Soe, the son of U Maung Tha Pru from Nyung Chaung
Village in Buthidaung Township was arrested by officers from Special
Police Force No. 2 in Rangoon.

A relative of the youth told Narinjara over the phone that a special force
police officer from Rangoon came to the village of Nyung Chaung and
arrested him with the help of local police.

Afterwards, Maung Naing Soe was taken to Buthidaung and detained at the
police lock-up there.

According to the source, the youth will be brought on Tuesday from
Buthidaung to Rangoon where at least ten Arakanese youth have been
detained since the first week of this month. The Burmese special police
force has arrested many Arakanese youth in Rangoon and Arakan State since
early this month on suspicion that they have connections with exiled
Arakanese student groups based on the Thai-Burma border.

On 7 September, special police forces arrested seven Arakanese youth and
students from Layden Ward near the former University of Rangoon Art and
Science in a raid of a hostel where they were living.

The youth and students were identified as Ko Tun Lin, Ko Kyaw Zaw Oo, Ko
Kyaw Win, Ko Khin Maung Htay, Ko Kyaw San Hlaing, Ko Zaw Tun Oo, along
with one other unidentified youth. All are from Arakan State and some of
them are college graduates.

On 13 September, special police forces arrested another four youths in
Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State. Those youth are Htoo Htoo Chay, Khing
Moe Zaw, Kalur Chay, and Maung Thu.

Among them, Htoo Htoo Chay is a son of well-known businessman U Kyaw
Thein, who is known by local Arakanese people as Kiss Kyaw Thein. Htoo
Htoo Chay is also a singer and owner of the Kiss Internet Cafe in Sittwe.

A student from Sittwe said a police team raided his internet cafe and
seized many documents from the shop after he was arrested.

On 15 September, two youths from Mrauk U, the ancient city of Arakan, were
arrested by Special Police Force No. 2 in their town and were brought to
Rangoon for interrogation.

On 19 September, Ko Aung Moe Zaw and another unidentified student, both
from Ponna Kyunt 20 miles north of Sittwe, were arrested by special police
forces.

A lawyer from Sittwe confirmed the arrest and said that all the youths
will be brought to Rangoon for interrogation because the case is being
investigated by police there.

Because authorities have been arresting Arakanese youth and activists in
Arakan, many other youth and students have gone into hiding to avoid
arrest themselves.

It has also been learned that a youth who had been working at the
Thai-Burma border revealed the inside networks of the All Arakan Student's
and Youth Congress to the Burmese military junta after he surrendered and
was taken into custody. The arrests began shortly thereafter.
____________________________________

September 23, Shan Herald Agency for News
Heightened security in Shan south

Come the beginning of September, several towns in southern Shan State have
been on high alert with civilians being forced to take turns standing
guard at night, according to local sources.

In Mongkeung, 128 miles northeast of the state capital Taunggyi, there are
11 sentry posts:

    * One  for each of the town’s six neighborhoods
    * One for each of the four compass directions
    * One in the centre of the town

“If a household member is unable to take part in sentry duty, it has to
pay Kyat 1,000 ($1),” said a townsman.

It is mandatory for government employees to take turns standing watch over
their respective offices.

The order for heightened security came from the Mongnawng-based Military
Operations Command (MOC) #2 that commands the 12 infantry battalions in
Loilem, Laikha, Namzang, Mongnai, Panglong, Mongpawn and Mongkeung.

“We have the same situation here,” said a source in Mongyai, northern Shan
State, without elaborating.

Col Yawdserk, leader of the non-ceasefire Shan State Army (SSA), said
Naypyitaw has declared a state of war in Shan State since its attack and
occupation of Kokang last month.

“The government, as usual, offers little explanation,” said a respected
local from Panglong. “But there have been some bomb attacks here.”

The first bomb exploded in the police station in Quarter #1 on 2 September
and the second in the house of Khin Maung Aye, Secretary of the Quarter #2
Council on 19 September. In both cases, there were some damages but no
casualties.

Since August, more troops, guns, ammunition and supplies are pouring into
Shan State especially in the east, where the Burmese Army is facing the
United Wa State Army (UWSA) and its ally the National Democratic Alliance
Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS). Both had rejected Naypyitaw’s demand
to transform their armed wings into junta-run Border Guard Forces.

____________________________________

September 23, Democratic Voice of Burma
Media restricted in pre-election coverage – Htet Aung Kyaw

The Burmese government has reportedly clamped down on media coverage in
the run-up to next year’s elections, according to industry workers who
were barred from running news about an election forum.

Around 60 people attended a discussion forum in Rangoon held by the
newly-formed Democratic Party, said to be close to the opposition National
League for Democracy (NLD) party.

According to party leader Thu Wei, journalists from several weekly
journals later said that they were not allowed to publish material on the
forum.

“[Authorities] told them that reporting of such news has not yet been
permitted but the permission would come soon,” he said.

“Until now, there haven’t been any election laws passed yet, and we still
don’t know when it will be held or whether it’s still going to happen [in
2010] or not.”

He said that the meeting for the formation of the group took place under
the guise of a wedding anniversary of Thu Wei and his wife, while party
discussions are often billed as merit-making events.

Media restrictions in Burma are amongst the most draconian in the world,
with journalists deemed guilty of dissent often handed lengthy prison
sentences. All published material must first be passed through the
government’s Censor Board.

Plans for elections next year have drawn criticism, with the 2008
redrafted constitution appearing to guarantee continuation of military
rule.

The NLD, whose detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi is not allowed to run for
office, are yet to announce whether they will participate.

Senior Burmese government officials, including prime minister Thein Sein,
are in New York this week to attend the United Nations General Assembly,
the first time a senior-level Burmese delegation has participated in 14
years.

Thu Wei said that the United States embassy in Rangoon had been
“attentive” to the situation faced by opposition groups in Burma.

“They have been learning about our motives
 I think they are just studying
the situation and waiting to see if there is any sign of change [in
Burma],” he said.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

September 23, Irrawaddy
US, Burma look for win-win situation: Analysts – Saw Yan Naing

The United States finally sent a green light to Burmese Prime Minister Gen
Thein Sein and Foreign Minister Nyan Win to fly to New York to take part
in the UN General Assembly, the first time in 14 years.

As part of its sanction policy, the US banned Burmese officials from
traveling to the US except to attend meetings of international
organizations such as the United Nations.

However, on his current trip, Nyan Win was allowed to visit the Burmese
embassy in Washington where he met with US Sen. Jim Webb. He is now in New
York to attend the general session at the UN General Assembly from Sept.
23-26 and 28-30.

Gen Thein Sein will also join the UN General Assembly session. He is also
expected to meet with Kurt M. Campbell, the assistant secretary of state
for East Asian and Pacific affairs, according to a report in the
Washington Post.

The Burmese generals’ travel to the U.S comes at a moment when the U.S
government is reviewing its foreign policy on Burma. The results are
expected to be announced soon.

Some Burmese observers believe the U.S and Burma may upgrade their
diplomatic relationship in a compromise for common interests.

Thakin Chan Tun, a veteran Burmese politician and a former Burmese
ambassador to China, said Burma wants to establish a better relationship
with the US.

By allowing the Burmese ministers to fly to US, the U.S government may
also be trying to influence the regime to release opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, said Chan Tun.

A Rangoon-based Arakanese politician, Aye Thar Aung, who is secretary of
the Arakan League for Democracy, said US policy on Burma hasn’t achieve
real results in pressing the Burmese regime to change its policies, and
the timing is right for a new policy on Burma.

He said, however, that he doesn’t think the US policy on Burma will change
immediately.

“If there is no significant political improvement in Burma, the policy on
Burma won’t change,” said Aye Thar Aung.

Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese observer in Chiang Mai, called the moves a good
scenario for a better bilateral relationship between the US and Burma.

“Instead of criticizing each other like enemies, at least the tension
between the two nations will be decreased,” said Aung Naing Oo.

Although powerful nations such as China and Russia support Burma, the
Burmese generals would like to have a relationship with the nation that
has imposed economic sanctions, said Aung Naing Oo.

Win Tin, a senior leader of National League for Democracy, however, said
the Burmese ministers will use the trip to distract the international
community while its army continues to use its divide-and-rule tactic to
destroy the political opposition and ethnic armed groups.

“Even if the US wants to practice constructive engagement with the Burmese
regime, targeted sanctions on Burma are still needed,” said Win Tin.
____________________________________

September 23, Democratic Voice of Burma
UN chief takes credit for prisoner amnesty – Francis Wade

The recent release of more than 120 political prisoners in Burma was down
to diplomatic negotiations between the ruling junta and United Nations
secretary general Ban Ki-moon, the UN chief said yesterday.

Fending off allegations that he has taken a soft approach to pariah
regimes since he arrived in office in early 2007, Ban Ki-moon said that he
had made “a great impact” on the ruling junta in Burma.

“The Myanmar [Burma] authorities have made it quite clear that they were
granting amnesty at the request of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,”
he said.

The UN chief failed to secure the release of opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi during his visit to Burma in July after having twice been denied a
meeting with her.

The interviewer had previously quoted Human Rights Watch (HRW) executive
director Ken Roth, who said that Ban Ki-moon was “so eager to meet with
tyrants that you give up all leverage and get nothing in return.”

Critics of the ruling junta have said that the release of all political
prisoners is a necessary prerequisite for free and fair elections next
year.

Ban Ki-moon said he would continue to seek her release and the release of
all 2,200 political prisoners in Burma “so that this election can be
credible and fair and transparent”.

World leaders are meeting this week at the UN General Assembly in New
York, where Burmese prime minister Thein Sein will lead a 15-member
delegation from Burma.

It will be the first time a senior Burmese government official has visited
the United States in 14 years.

The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced the
release of 7,114 prisoners on the 18 September, a day after a HRW report
stated that political prisoner numbers in Burma had doubled since the
September 2007 monk-led uprising.

According to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners – Burma (AAPP), 128 political prisoners are included in the
amnesty.

Senior National League for Democracy (NLD) member Win Tin said however
that the amnesty was an attempt by the junta to deflect growing
international criticism and make “bad things appear good”.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

September 23, Irrawaddy
No big change expected in US policy on Burma – Aung Zaw

A joke going the rounds in Rangoon reports that Burma’s paramount leader
Snr-Gen Than Shwe and his wife Kyaing Kyaing have been practicing their
English in preparation for a visit to the White House in Washington.

Than Shwe and Kyaing Kyaing perhaps still have plenty of time to practice
and improve their English before they receive a White House invitation.
Yet it’s no secret that the Burmese regime wants to repair its frosty
relationship with Wshington and is especially keen to see US sanctions
lifted.

US policy on Burma is likely to remain more or less the same, however,
although it would be no surprise to see more engagement and an increase of
aid inside Burma.

The regime has been sending signals to the US since President Barack Obama
entered the White House, although they are not meaningful enough to cause
the US to consider a dramatic shift in Burma policy.

Among the signals was the decision by Than Shwe to meet US Senator Jim
Webb in August and to allow him access to detained democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi, a concession denied UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he
visited Burma. Webb, a Virginia Democrat, advocates closer ties to the
junta.

Last week’s amnesty, which included a handful of political prisoners,
indicated that the regime was stepping up its public relations exercise
ahead of the UN General Assembly session and a high level Burmese visit to
New York and Washington.

Last Friday, Burmese Foreign Minister Maj-Gen Nyan Win arrived in
Washington, where he held meetings with members of the Burmese embassy, a
US-Asian business council and Sen Webb, according to Burmese embassy
spokesman Kyaw Win.

Though he did not meet any US officials, Nyan Win visited the White House,
the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Nyan Win is expected to attend the UN General Assembly session.

Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein also plans to attend the session,
the first time in 14 years that the regime has sent a high-level
delegation to the UN.

Thein Sein, who previously served under Than Shwe in the War Office, is
expected to address the UN with a defense of his government’s constitution
and plans for a general election in 2010.

Political pundits are asking whether Nyan Win’s visit to New York and
Washington is a sign of a softening US approach in its Burma policy.

For the past 20 years, the US—the strongest advocate of democratic
government in Burma—kept a distance, while applying tough sanctions,
although there have been small jabs at breaking the ice.

In 1994, Lt-Gen Chit Swe, Burma’s forestry minister at the time, paid a
semi-official visit to the US and met US congressmen, senators and
hardwood companies. His itinerary included visits to the White House and
Texas and a tour of the US warship North Carolina, which was being
converted into a museum.

The US needed 170 tons of teak to repair the 50-year-old vessel. Chit Swe
informed Than Shwe, who agreed to send the timber to the US—as a gift. To
avoid political fallout, however, the teak reportedly reached the US via
agents in Singapore.

Chit Swe is now retired but is still a keen observer of US-Burmese
relations. “We need more engagement (with the US) and we need more lobby,”
he told The Irrawaddy this week. In his memoirs he recalls fondly his 1994
visit to Texas and New York and meetings with American friends, including
Senator Richard Shelby.

Lobbying was taken seriously by the Burmese regime six years ago, when the
junta paid the Washington-based DCI Group $348,000 to lobby on its behalf.
The regime had come in for strong condemnation by the US State Department
for its human rights record.

US Justice Department records show that DCI worked to “begin a dialogue of
political reconciliation” with the regime.

Although the US downgraded its relations with Burma after the 1988
uprising, legislators including John McCain, Richard Shelby and Bill
Richardson have visited Burma. Richardson was the first US official to
meet detained leader Suu Kyi in 1994.

In May 2002, when the regime released Suu Kyi from her second term of
house arrest, the administration of former President George W Bush allowed
senior military intelligence officials from Burma to visit Washington to
explain the regime’s fight against drugs.

Then, just one year later, came the attack by pro-regime thugs on Suu
Kyi’s convoy in Daypayin and her renewed house arrest. Relations cooled
again, the US tightened its sanctions—and now the two sides are back at a
critical juncture, with the Burmese regime testing the possibilities of
narrowing the divide and the US scrutinizing the effectiveness of its
Burma policy.

____________________________________

September 23, Inter-Press Service
Junta up to its old tricks, plays with the west – Larry Jagan

Bangkok - Having released more than 7,000 prisoners in the last few days
as part of the preparations for next year’s planned polls, Burma’s
military rulers are up to their old tricks, according to Burmese activists
and human rights groups.

Most of those released are petty criminals, although around 200 political
prisoners are among the freed.

Many analysts believe these releases are intended to increase the
credibility of next year’s multi-party elections – the first in 20 years.
But activists accuse the junta of releasing political prisoners to deflect
international pressure, especially at the United Nations, where the annual
general assembly got underway this week. Burma usually comes under intense
scrutiny during this meeting.

"Every one of these prisoners is a person, and it is unacceptable that the
junta uses them as chips to bargain with and play the international
community," said Thailand-based David Scott Mathieson, the Burma
researcher for the Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based independent
organisation.

At least 127 political prisoners have been freed, according to the
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners - Burma (AAPPB) in
Thailand, which closely monitors the situation inside the junta-ruled
South-east Asian state.

So far more than 40 members of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National
League for Democracy, have been freed, three of whom were elected as
members of parliament in 1990.

Six members of the 88 Generation Students group, who were sentenced to
more than 60 years in jail for their alleged part in organising the
Buddhist monk-led mass protests two years ago against rising food prices,
were also among those released from jail. Four monks arrested after the
Saffron Revolt in 2007, four journalists, 13 students and a lawyer were
also freed, according to the AAPPB.

"These releases are a showcase to ease international pressure," Bo Kyi,
the head of the AAPPB, told Inter Press Service. "We expect more than 200
to be released within the next few days."

The government’s announcement last week that exactly 7,114 prisoners were
to be released on compassionate grounds came on the eve of the anniversary
of the current military rulers ceasing power in a bloody coup on Sep. 18,
1988, and the start of the U.N. annual meeting, to be attended by the
Burmese prime minister, General Thein Sein – the highest junta leader to
attend the U.N. session in more than 15 years. It is usually the foreign
minister and a large team of diplomats who defend the regime during these
U.N. proceedings.

"The choice of 7,114 prisoners clearly smacks of the influence of
astrologers," said Bertil Lintner, a writer and Burma specialist based in
Thailand. The regime’s leaders are known to consult astrologers to
establish the most auspicious dates and times for key events, and number
like this.

Many analysts and activists believe this amnesty is intended to deflect
criticism of Burma’s human rights’ record at the U.N. meeting and to show
the international community that the military regime is cooperating with
the U.N.

Some of the political prisoners that have been freed were on the U.N.’s
priority list submitted to the junta’s leaders by the U.N. secretary
general’s special envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, earlier this year,
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also raised this issue with the top general
Than Shwe during his failed mission to Burma in July, when the U.N.
official was refused permission to meet detained opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi.

At the time, Ban was promised that a substantial number of political
prisoners would be released before the elections in 2010.

"Clearly, this is a gesture in response to Ban Ki-moon’s request, made on
behalf of the international community during his visit to Myanmar earlier
this year," the Burma researcher for the Britain-based human rights group
Amnesty International, Benjamin Zawacki, told IPS. "And as such it is
disingenuous and insultingly insufficient." "These prisoner releases are
simply too little, too late" he added. "Too little, because releasing
around 120 political prisoners represents less than 5 percent of the more
than 2,200 political prisoners who are still languishing in Myanmar’s
jails."

"And too late, because at the current rate of release -- every 6 to 12
months -- it will be literally decades before the last of the political
prisoners are released. By then, of course, the 2010 elections will have
long since passed and many of the prisoners will have served their terms."

Diplomats in Rangoon – Burma’s former capital – believe more political
prisoners will be released in the coming months, but that these will be
freed in drips and drabs. The junta’s seven-stage roadmap to democracy
includes a mass amnesty for political prisoners. This was agreed more than
five years ago between the former prime minister, General Khin Nyunt – now
under house arrest -- and the U.N. envoy at the time, Dato Razali Ismail,
according to the former U.N. human rights rapporteur for Burma, Paulo
Pinheiro.

Few believe that the regime will honour this promise, though a few more
political prisoners may see the light of day. "Technically, there is still
time before the elections for this (recent) mass release to be only the
first step -- with many more to follow in quick succession – but all the
signs and signals suggest this will not be the case," said Zawacki.

"If the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council, as the military regime
is officially called) was serious about making the elections free and
fair, they would release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu
Kyi," said Zin Linn, a spokesman for the National Coalition Government for
the Union of Burma, the democratically elected Burmese government
currently in exile in Thailand. "They may free other activists, but the
key opposition leaders will certainly be kept behind bars until after the
election."

There is no doubt that the elections are dominating everything in Burma at
the moment – even though the polling date is yet to be announced –
according to diplomats and sources within the business community in
Rangoon.

The mass release of prisoners may also be in preparation for a possible
crackdown on the opposition during the elections. "The junta cannot afford
to allow the campaign to be free and fair," said Lintner.

"They are emptying the jails now to fill them up later – that’s what also
happened in 1988, ahead of the mass pro-democracy protests, when thousands
and thousands of activists were later locked up," he said. "The SPDC is
still playing games — cracking down and easing pressure when it suits
them, and then re-asserting their power when they need to," said Zin Linn.

It is all part of the military rulers strategy to keep control and prevent
social unrest, according to activists and human rights groups.

"Even if a handful of political activists have been free, others are still
being arrested," said Mathieson. "The message is clear: any threat to the
2010 elections will be dealt with harshly."

____________________________________

September 23, Washington Post
Visit by Burmese official hints at U.S. policy shift – John Pomfret

For the first time in nine years, the United States allowed Burma's
foreign minister to come to Washington, a sign of softening U.S. policy
toward the military junta that has run that Asian nation for nearly five
decades.

Maj. Gen. Nyan Win quietly arrived in Washington on Friday night and left
the next day after meetings with members of Burma's embassy, a U.S.-Asian
business council and Sen. James Webb, the Virginia Democrat who has
advocated closer ties to the junta, according to Kyaw Win, a spokesman for
the embassy. The foreign minister also took in some sightseeing, visiting
the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian National Air and
Space Museum. A State Department spokesman said Nyan Win did not meet with
any U.S. officials.

The main goal of the trip was to evaluate the Burmese embassy, which needs
repairs, Kyaw Win said. "The approval is a good sign though," he said. "We
didn't get permission for many years."

Nyan Win's 24-hour sojourn appears to be part of a new policy by the Obama
administration toward Burma, said officials and sources familiar with the
trip. The policy encourages U.S. officials to engage the government of
Burma, also known as Myanmar, on a higher level.

To that end, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is scheduled to
attend a meeting of the Group of Friends of Burma, established by U.N.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, on Wednesday. In addition, Burma's prime
minister, Gen. Thein Sein, will appear at the ongoing U.N. General
Assembly, making him the most senior junta member to attend the annual
gathering since the nation's second-in-command did so in 1995. He is
expected to meet there with Kurt M. Campbell, assistant secretary of state
for East Asian and Pacific affairs, according to a source briefed by U.S.
officials.

U.S. policy toward Burma has been under review for nine months; American
officials met Friday to iron out the final details, and the results are
expected to be announced soon.

U.S. officials and other sources said the Obama administration decided
that economic sanctions first imposed on the junta in the 1990s will not
be lifted but will not be tightened either. More humanitarian aid may be
approved, too. Administration officials would not comment on the possible
changes.

The United States had been considering bolder moves, including resuming
military-to-military relations and counter-narcotics cooperation,
according to a Senate source familiar with the administration's
deliberations. But earlier this year the junta again arrested and
convicted opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on security charges,
sentencing her to an additional 18 months of house arrest. Most
international observers view the sentence as a way to keep the Nobel Peace
Prize winner off the campaign trail during next year's elections. Suu Kyi
has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years and the junta is committed
to avoiding a repeat of 1990, when her party, the National League for
Democracy, won a landslide victory.

The charges against Suu Kyi stemmed from an incident in May, in which an
American, John W. Yettaw, swam to her lakeside home in Rangoon and stayed
there for two days. Yettaw said that he had a vision that Suu Kyi was to
be killed by terrorists and that he wanted to warn her. He was detained
and later deported after Webb visited Burma in August and secured his
release.

Burma recently launched a charm offensive in what some officials call an
attempt to improve ties with the West. Over the past two weeks, The junta
has released 119 political prisoners out of an estimated 2,000.

Since the late 1990s, as part of the sanctions, Burmese officials have
been banned from traveling to the United States and the European Union
except to attend meetings of international organizations such as the
United Nations. Under the 2003 Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, the
White House needs to approve a waiver to allow Burmese officials attending
the U.N. General Assembly to travel more than 25 miles out of New York.

____________________________________

September 23, Asia Times
Myanmar's monks under close watch – Joel Chong

Bangkok - "I'm being watched all the time. I am considered an organizer.
Between noon and 2 pm, I am allowed to go out of the monastery. But then
I'm followed," Buddhist monk U Manita said, referring to stepped up
government repression of the Buddhist clergy in Myanmar. "We don't want
this junta. And that's what everyone at my monastery thinks as well."

"Traditionally, we monks are not supposed to be politically active. The
military has ruled our country for more than 40 years, and they don't care
about the welfare of the people; they care only for themselves and their
relatives, and how to remain in power forever. That was why the people
rose up against them", said U Pannacara, a 27-year-old monk, referring to
street protests in 2007.

These are just two of the many monks' voices heard in "The Resistance of
the Monks: Buddhism and Protests in Burma", a new report issued by the New
York-based Human Rights Watch this week to coincide with the second
anniversary of the monk-led "Saffron" revolution in Myanmar.

Two years ago this month, crimson robes flooded the streets of Yangon and
Mandalay as thousands of Buddhist monks marched defiantly against
Myanmar's military junta. In certain instances, bystanders formed human
shields to protect the venerated monks from security force attacks.

The 2007 protests were sparked mainly by the ruling State Peace and
Development Council's (SPDC) decision to remove fuel subsidies that sent
prices of diesel and petrol, bus fares and other items soaring, adding to
the already hard times from the previous year that saw prices of basic
goods rise by 40%.

After protests that started in August 2007 were violently suppressed by
security forces in September, more than 1,000 monks had been arrested and
detained, according to the HRW. Hundreds of them were tortured in
government custody, writes the report.

Myanmar's monks continue to be the subject of suspicion, restrictions and
infiltration by a military wary of their organization, clout and moral
authority in this mainly Buddhist country of 54 million people.

A total of 237 monks remain imprisoned across Myanmar's 43 prisons and 50
labor camps, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (AAPP), which assists political prisoners and their
families in Myanmar. Many were arrested while protesting on the streets or
during violent night-time raids on monasteries across the country.

"It was quite a pivotal moment in modern [Myanmar] history when the monks
started marching on the streets," David Mathieson, HRW's Myanmar
consultant, said at the report's launch at the Foreign Correspondents Club
of Thailand.

"Buddhist monks in [Myanmar] are not just one of the key institutions in
the country. They are in some senses a barometer of social ideals. They
take to the streets, they become public actors, when things get so bad
that they can't stay silent."

In a country where monks are widely revered and wield huge influence, the
history of the Buddhist clergy, or Sangha, in Myanmar has been marked by
revolutionary and radical movements that catalyzed various events of
national importance, such as Myanmar's struggle for independence from the
British and anti-military protests in the 1970s and 1980s. "They are
probably the most powerful institution after the military in the country,"
Mathieson said.

There are about 400,000 monks in 45,000 registered monasteries across
Myanmar, according to HRW. Bertil Lintner, the author of the HRW report
and a Myanmar expert, said that "exactly how many [monks] went home [after
the September 2007 protests], we don't know". He added, "Many of the monks
fled and they disrobed themselves to disguise the fact that they were
monks on the run." Dressed in plain civilian clothes, a number were
reported to have escaped either by fleeing east toward the Thai border or
west toward India.

While compiling the HRW report, Lintner, who has three decades of
experience reporting on Myanmar, interviewed monks near the Thai border
who had managed to escape from prison. One monk he interviewed escaped by
riding a bus to the border.

"At the checkpoint before the border he jumped out and pretended to be a
busboy, tearing tickets and changing gears. The bus driver was fully aware
of what was going on but he played along. They don't check the drivers'
and the busboys' [identification] and he managed to get through, and he
finally crossed the border and lived there."

The junta has in recent days tightened its watch over the Buddhist clergy.
Exiled Burmese media reported that on August 22, the Sangha League issued
a statement saying it was working with 14 other political groups to plan a
third boycott against the military, similar to the one launched during the
2007 uprising.

Meanwhile, the junta is known to have planted monks in monasteries to
gather information about their sentiments and plans. "They want to show
that 'look, we are here and keeping an eye on you','' added Lintner. "The
monasteries are heavily infiltrated by informants."

Since the 2007 protests, government attempts to officially register monks
have also intensified. "There's just more and more background checks on
whether the monks have any affiliations or ties with political
organizations," said Mathieson. "That is by its nature an intimidating
process, basically warning monks not to get involved in any kind of
political activities."

Sermons of abbots and senior monks are also coming under more scrutiny,
and monks returning to Myanmar from overseas are sometimes arrested and
interrogated, he added. Monasteries have also been warned not to be so
visible and many have been shut down in different parts of the country,
according to Lintner.

Only three of the 7,114 prisoners released as part of a mass amnesty last
week were Buddhist monks, according to AAPP's Bo Kyi. Only 122 of those
released were considered to be political prisoners, exiled Burmese
organizations claimed.

Monks released from detention often find their situations changed. "Some
monks find it very difficult to return to their monastery as some of the
monasteries are reluctant to accept those who have been released from
prison," Bo Kyi told Inter Press Service. "They have to find out
themselves where they can stay."

Last week's amnesty announcement was notably made before Myanmar Prime
Minister Gen Thein Sein's trip to New York to attend the United Nations
General Assembly meeting, which he is expected to address on September 28.
While it's still unclear if Myanmar's monks intend to take new action
against the military regime, analysts say that dissent continues to simmer
below the surface as the government prepares for elections in 2010.

"The monks can never be the leaders of a political-social movement, [but]
they can be the catalyst ... They showed that very clearly in September
[2007] when they showed up at [detained pro-democracy leader] Aung San Suu
Kyi's house and showed her 'we're here, but you are the leader'," said
Lintner. "It doesn't matter what the military do to the monks. They are
still monks in their hearts, and they will continue being that."

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

September 23, US Campaign for Burma
Activists urge governments to act on rape, crimes in Burma at upcoming
United Nations meetings; using rape as a weapon of war is crime against
humanity

Washington, DC and New York – A leading United States-based human rights
organization today urged governments to press for action to end the
Burmese military regime's use of rape as a weapon of war, as well as other
crimes against humanity, in meetings scheduled at the United Nations next
week.

"Several bodies at the UN have documented the Burmese regime's use of rape
and other crimes against humanity, but to date no action has been taken by
the international community," said Aung Din, Executive Director of the
U.S. Campaign for Burma.  "The upcoming meetings at the United Nations are
the perfect opportunity to take action."

The Washington Times reported that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
will chair a special UN Security Council meeting on sexual violence at the
end of this month, stating that Secretary Clinton, speaking of rape
victims, said "These are crimes against humanity. They don't just harm a
single individual, or a single family, or village or group. They shred the
fabric that weaves us together as human beings. This criminal outrage
against women must be stopped."  Clinton recently visited the Democratic
Republic of Congo where she met with survivors of military-sponsored rape.

The Security Council meeting on September 30th will review implementation
of UN Security Council resolution 1820, which was adopted in June 2008 and
named sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security.  A
follow-up resolution is being considered at the Security Council to
strengthen implementation of 1820.

However, it is unclear whether the discussion will focus exclusively on
rape and sexual violence in Africa or if Council members will call
attention to the widespread and systematic use of rape as a weapon of war
in Burma as well.  Activists hope that Secretary Clinton and other
international leaders will use the UN venue to highlight the plight of
ethnic women and girls in Burma, who are victims of sexual violence by
Burma's military regime.

Nearly all relevant bodies and experts in United Nations have reported on
widespread and systematic rape and sexual violence perpetrated by the
military regime in Burma under a climate of impunity. These include:

1) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon;
2) UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women;
3) UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights in Burma
4) UN General Assembly;
5) UN Commission on Human Rights (now Human Rights Council);
6) UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women;
7) UN Special Rapportuer on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment

Despite repeated and consistent verbal condemnations by UN officials and
resolutions since 2002, the rapes and sexual violence have continued with
impunity in Burma.  Previous cases, cited by several United Nations
Special Rapporteurs, include those such as:

"Ms. Naang Khin, aged 22, and her sister, Ms. Naang Lam, aged 19, were
reportedly raped by a patrol of SPDC troops from Lai-Kha-based Light
Infantry Battalion (LIB) 515 on 16th October 2003, when they were reaping
rice at their farm in Wan Zing village tract (in Shan State).  Their
father was tied up to a tree.  Afterwards, the two sisters were taken to a
forest by the troops.  Their dead bodies were found by villagers some days
later dumped in a hole."

A November 2008 report by the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women cited the continuance of such rapes by
soldiers of the Burmese military regime, stating that "[CEDAW] expresses
its deep concern at the high prevalence of sexual and others forms of
violence, including rape, perpetrated by members of the armed forces
against rural ethnic women."  The Committee added that there had been no
justice for victims, expressing its concern at "the apparent impunity of
the perpetrators of such violence... [and regrets] the lack of information
on mechanisms and remedies available to victims of sexual violence as well
as measures to bring perpetrators to justice."

In 2009, in yet another of many rapes, Burmese military commander Khin
Maung Hsit raped two young women in Karen State, ordering them to perform
massages on them before telling them to strip their clothing so he could
rape them.

The UN Torture Rapporteur, yet another UN expert, adds that "The [Burmese]
authorities sanction violence against women and girls committed by
military officers, including torture, inter alia, as a means of
terrorizing and subjugating the population, particularly those in the Shan
state."

The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma has called the rapes
"particularly alarming," and indicated that he had received reports of
"widespread and systematic" abuses -- key language in establishing the
existence of crimes against humanity.

"The United Nations already has all the information it needs to include
Burma in its quest to implement Security Council Resolution 1820," added
Aung Din.  "The UN knows this is happening.  Now, the question is, will
governments speak out and ask the Security Council to take action on Burma
or continue to remain silent?”


Contact: Jeremy Woodrum, (202) 246-7924
U.S. Campaign for Burma
1444 N Street, NW, #A2, Washington 20005, Tel: (202) 234 8022, Fax: (202)
234 8044