BurmaNet News, October 23, 2009

[Editor]

October 23, 2009 Issue #3825


INSIDE BURMA
Mizzima News: KIO demands recognition of Panlong Agreement
SHAN: Junta conducts combat training in ceasefire area

ASEAN
New York Times: Asean inaugurates human rights commission
AP: Activists call new SE Asia rights body toothless

INTERNATIONAL
Reuters: U.N. slams Myanmar, North Korea, Palestinian rights ills
Irrawaddy: US-Burma talks to be tested in coming months

OPINION / OTHER
The Nation (Thailand): Asean needs electoral standards before it can
become a community – Somri Hananuntasuk
Asia Times: How Australia can help Myanmar – David Scott Mathieson
Asia Times: US zeroes in on China's clout in Myanmar – Brian McCartan

STATEMENT
Asean Peoples Forum: Asean Civil Society Conference

PRESS RELEASE
Burma Campaign UK: Aung San Suu Kyi reaches 14 years in detention – 24th
October




____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

October 23, Mizzima News
KIO demands recognition of Panlong Agreement – Nem Davies

New Delhi – The Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), one of Burma’s
longest running rebel group, said they are willing to abandon arms
struggle if, the ruling junta guarantees equal rights to both ethnics and
Burmans agreed in the historic Panlong agreement.

KIO Secretary Dr. La Ja said the KIO had informed their stand to the
junta’s Supremo Snr Gen Than Shwe in a letter sent to him in September.
The letter states that if the junta accepts the Panlong Agreement and is
willing to uphold, the KIO is ready to abandon arms struggle, in which
case it will not be necessary to transform its armed wing into the ‘Border
Guard Force’ proposed by the regime.

“We are bringing up the Panlong Agreement again because we have to
reconsider about the ‘Union’ of Burma. If there is a ‘Union’, we must
recognize the ‘Union’ because the ‘Union’ emerged from the ‘Panlong’
Agreement,” Dr. La Ja told Mizzima from the KIO headquarters in Laiza in
Kachin State.

“The letter was sent for understanding and consideration, not for talks.
We cannot say yet if they will respond and how so. It’s up to them,” he
added.

The architect of Burma’s independence General Aung San and leaders of
ethnic Kachin, Chin and Shan gathered in Panlong town of Shan State and
signed the historic ‘Panlong Agreement’, which guaranteed equal rights for
all ethnic nationalities on 12 February 1947.

While the KIO is emphasizing on equal rights, the Thailand-based Kachin
News Group (KNG) said, the Kachin Independence Army’s 4th brigade based in
Lao Kai region of Northern Shan State is being pressurized by the regime
to divide its troops into three small groups or leave their area.

However, Dr. La Ja denied of the information.

“We have not been informed. We have not received any letter regarding
withdrawal of the 4th Brigade from the area. There is no problem for the
4th Brigade,” he said, adding that there are no tensions amounting between
the KIO and the regime in recent days.

While the regime has set October as the deadline for all ceasefire groups
to transform their armies into the Border Guard Force (BGF), KIO along
with several other groups have rejected the proposed but offered another
proposal of transforming into a ‘Kachin Regional Guard Force’ (KRGF).

“We will wait and see how they respond to our counter proposal. We expect
a positive response from the regime. We told them that we accepted
transformation and transition but we have to seek a solution peacefully
and amicably,” Dr. La Ja said, adding that the KIO do not like to solve
the problem militarily.

Though the KIO and other ceasefire groups are under pressure for
transformation, several KIO leaders have withdrawn their membership from
the group to prepare for candidacy in the 2010 election.

In early September, six KIO high-ranking officials including Dr. Mana Tu
Ja, vice-president (2) of the KIO, announced their resignation from the
armed group in order to prepare and form the Kachin State Progressive
Party (KSPP), to be contesting in the 2010 elections.

Meanwhile, the New Democratic Army-Kachin (NDA-K), another Kachin
ceasefire armed group, has accepted the junta’s offer of transforming
their army into the BGF.

____________________________________

October 23, Shan Herald Agency for News
Junta conducts combat training in ceasefire area – Hseng Khio Fah

The junta military is conducting weapons and combat trainings for its
civilian and paramilitary members in Kunhing township, where the ceasefire
group the Shan State Army (SSA) North’s 7th brigade is based, said one of
the trainees’ relative.
The training which is to last one month began on 15 October. All members
of fire brigades and local militia units in the town have to attend it,
said a resident whose nephew was in the fire brigade.

The trainees were aged between 18 and 40. They were being given basic
trainings for guerrilla and night combat tactics.

“The trainees were equipped with the Army’s old weapons like G3, G4,” he
said.

In addition, village headmen were ordered to recruit new members in order
to form new local militia units. The recruitment must be started in the
first week of November and it must combine with at least 400 members from
the whole township, said another resident.

All trainees will be provided uniforms in green color.  Moreover, they are
being told they will also receive daily supplies and some stipends.
However, the expenses were being forcibly collected from villagers.

“No one dared to oppose the order,” he added, “We were being told not to
say that the training was organized by the Army, but by the villagers
themselves for their own security.

Similar activities are also taking place in Tangyan township, 83 miles
south of Shan State North capital Lashio, where the group SSA North is
active.

On 19 October, 120 Lahu militias men from villages in the township were
being trained in combat and guerrilla tactics, conducted at the command
post of the Infantry Battalion (IB) #33. The training is being conducted
by Captain Saw Nay Aung.

At the same time, another militia unit led by Than Tin has been conducting
trainings for 30 new members in Nawngmong village tract, east of the
township.

Political analysts say that the training program is likely intended to use
the trainees in front line to fight against ceasefire groups if they
refuse to comply with the junta’ demand to become Border Guard Forces
(BGFs). Another is to use them [trainees] as campaigners for the upcoming
2010 general elections.

Since early this year, the Burma Army has been intensively and constantly
giving military trainings to members of Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA), fire service, police forces and militia units as well
as civilians in several townships in Shan State and other ethnic States
like Mon and Arakan. On the other hand, villagers are being forced to set
up militia units and provide service to the army.

____________________________________
ASEAN

October 23, New York Times
Asean inaugurates human rights commission – Thomas Fuller

CHA-AM, Thailand — Southeast Asian governments inaugurated their first
human rights commission on Friday in what they hailed as a milestone for a
region ruled by governments as diverse as the thriving democracy in
Indonesia, the hermetic communist regime in Laos and the repressive
military dictatorship in Myanmar.

But human rights activists called the body toothless and walked out of a
meeting here Friday when “civil society” representatives from five
countries were rejected by their governments.

“The commission has not been designed to be effective and impartial,” said
Debbie Stothard, a human rights activist from Malaysia.

Establishing credibility for the Intergovernmental Commission on Human
Rights, as the body is formally named, was one of several challenges for
leaders gathering at this seaside resort south of Bangkok for a three-day
summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

Poor attendance marred the start of the meeting, when leaders from some of
the largest Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, the
Philippines and Malaysia, did not show up for the opening ceremony Friday,
citing reasons ranging from weather disturbances to domestic obligations.
They were scheduled to arrive later during the weekend.

The meeting, which follows one in April that was canceled when Thai
anti-government protesters stormed the summit venue, will address
preparedness for natural disasters, the response to future economic crises
and free-trade agreements, among other issues.
The leaders of several non-Asean members — Australia, China, India, New
Zealand and South Korea — were scheduled to join the meeting later during
the weekend.

In his opening address on Friday, Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit
Vejjajiva, emphasized the achievements of Asean, which was initially set
up more than four decades ago partly as a bulwark against communism. In
recent years, Asean has adopted a charter for the grouping, signed free
trade agreements with other countries in the region and reduced tariff
levels to negligible levels — although numerous other barriers to trade
still exist between member countries.

“What remains is the onus that lies on Asean to prove that it can
implement whatever has been agreed, declared, or envisioned,” Mr. Abhisit
said, in an apparent response to criticism that the grouping is more talk
than substance.

The human rights body inaugurated Friday appeared to reinforce that
criticism. The job of the commission will be to promote human rights, but
it will have no power to investigate governments or impose sanctions.

A statement distributed by the Thai government here said the commission
would “promote and protect human rights by promoting public awareness and
education.”

Mr. Abhisit acknowledged concerns that the commission’s scope was too
limited but said it was part of an “evolutionary” process.

“The issue of human rights is not about condemnation, but about awareness,
empowerment and improvement,” Mr. Abhisit said. “We shall not only
demonstrate to the world that human rights is a priority but also show
them realistic and constructive ways to deal with it.”

Yuyun Wahyuningrum, an Indonesian human rights delegate who walked out of
the meeting with government representatives Friday, said human rights
groups supported the creation of the commission, but were concerned that
it was not independent enough. Commissioners were chosen by governments
without outside consultation, she said.

“The process was very secretive,” she said.

Southeast Asia’s human rights record is blemished at best. Myanmar’s
military government, which is a member of Asean, is currently detaining
more than 2,000 political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the
democracy leader whose party won a landslide election victory in 1990 that
the ruling generals ignored. Cambodia’s parliament passed a law on
Wednesday that bars demonstrations of more than 200 people. Malaysia’s
government detains people it deems threats to domestic security without
trial and maintains tight controls on television stations and newspapers.

Asean has ambitions to create a single market by 2015 among its 10 member
nations, which have a combined population of nearly 600 million people,
twice the population of the United States.

But its main challenge in recent months has been to tamp down long-running
conflicts and disagreements. Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have
worsened over a border dispute near an ancient hilltop temple, Preah
Vihear. Over the past year, troops in the border area have skirmished
several times, leaving seven people dead.

Cambodia’s nationalistic and authoritarian prime minister, Hun Sen,
regularly delivers diatribes against Thailand and has pointedly offered
asylum to Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted Thai prime minister who is sought
by the Thai authorities on outstanding arrest warrants.

Soon after arriving at the meeting Friday afternoon Mr. Hun Sen said Mr.
Thaksin would be allowed to stay in Cambodia and serve as his economic
adviser.

“People talk about Aung San Suu Kyi from Myanmar. Why can’t we talk about
Thaksin?” he asked.

The Cambodian government said Friday it would reject any extradition
request from Thailand if Mr. Thaksin moved to Cambodia.

The host of the meeting, Thailand, deployed more than 30,000 security
personnel for the summit to deter supporters of Mr. Thaksin from
disrupting the event. Mr. Thaksin was removed from power in a 2006
military coup.

Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia and Malaysia have failed to resolve
disputes over territory on Borneo island. Emotionally charged
disagreements over the origins of songs, traditional dances and batik
cloth-printing techniques have flared in recent months.

Territorial disputes also strain relations between the Philippines and
Malaysia and Singapore and Malaysia. In the South China Sea, Brunei,
Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam all have claims to areas rich in natural
gas deposits.
____________________________________

October 23, Associated Press
Activists call new SE Asia rights body toothless – Grant Peck

CHA-AM Thailand – Southeast Asian nations inaugurated their first regional
human rights commission Friday, a watchdog immediately derided as
toothless by activists who walked out of a meeting to protest being
cold-shouldered by five of the governments involved.

The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations earlier
began inauspiciously when half the bloc's 10 leaders failed to show up at
the opening of the three-day conference due to a tropical storm, domestic
politics, a VIP visit and a possible illness.

One of the first orders of business was the inauguration of the ASEAN
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. Critics say the commission
will do little to deter human rights violators because it focuses on
promotion rather than protection of human rights and has no authority to
impose punishments.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva defended the commission a "a
significant milestone" it is the first human rights watchdog in ASEAN's
42-year history.

"The issue of human rights is not about condemnation, but about
awareness," Abhisit said, adding that improving human rights is an
"evolutionary process."

Activists, however, condemned both the commission's powerlessness and the
exclusion of members of civil society from Thursday's summit.

"It is a big shame to our dreams for genuine democracy in the region. It's
like all of the human rights of the people in this region have been
violated," said Sister Crescenia L. Lucero, a leading rights advocate and
Roman Catholic nun.

Lucero was to have represented the Philippines at the dialogue. But she
and other civil society representatives were excluded from Thursday's
meeting, according to Debbie Stothard of The ASEAN People's Forum, an
umbrella group of non-governmental organizations.

Stothard said the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and
the Philippines rejected meeting with the activists as previously
scheduled. Instead, she said, Singapore and Myanmar flew in substitutes
from government-sponsored agencies, with Myanmar including a former
high-ranking police officer.

In response, activists from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia walked out of
the meeting in protest.

The exclusion of activists from the summit held under the motto of
"Empowering the Peoples" also drew fire from a leading international human
rights group.

"This confirms our worst fears, because an intergovernmental body has
always been second best, but an intergovernmental body that won't even
talk to its own citizens is a joke, is worthless," said Brad Adams, Asia
director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

ASEAN's 10 member countries include military-run Myanmar, communist-run
Laos and Vietnam plus several countries whose governments routinely
persecute opposition parties or political activists.

Members of ASEAN have recently escalated their criticism of Myanmar,
particularly over the detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But
the summit will again likely act by consensus, avoid confrontations and
maintain that the group's approach to engaging Myanmar works better than
the West's sanctions and threats.

The summit will also sign a declaration on climate change and discuss food
security, bio-energy, disaster management and how trade barriers can be
brought down to bring about a European Union-style grouping by 2015.

The bloc will also meet with leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, India,
Australia and New Zealand.

The opening of the summit came with only half of the region's leaders in
attendance.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was busy hosting an official visit by
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Indonesia is swearing in a new
government and Malaysia's government was presenting its budget to
Parliament, said Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was running late due to
Typhoon Lupit, the third storm in a month due to hit the Philippines, her
spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said.

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was in Cha-am but didn't show up at the
opening ceremony amid reports that he was not feeling well.

Thailand has deployed more than 36,000 military and police to keep
security both in Bangkok and at the beach resort of Cha-am, 200 kilometers
(120 miles) south of the capital.

The government is still smarting from the storming of the East Asian
Summit in April in the coastal city of Pattaya, where anti-government
protesters charged through thin police ranks and forced the evacuation of
several leaders by helicopter and boat.

A main protest organizer said no new demonstrations are planned this week
in Bangkok or at the summit venue.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

October 23, Reuters
U.N. slams Myanmar, North Korea, Palestinian rights ills

United Nations – Human rights violations in Myanmar are alarming, North
Koreans are starving and living in continual fear and Palestinians are
suffering amid Middle East tensions, U.N. rights envoys said on Thursday.

Special rapporteurs appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva
described the human rights conditions in each country to a meeting of the
192 U.N. member states.

While Myanmar rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana was able to visit the
military-ruled Asian country twice, communist North Korea denied entry to
envoy Vitit Muntarbhorn and envoy Richard Falk was stopped by Israel from
entering Palestinian areas.

"The situation of human rights in Myanmar remains alarming. There is a
pattern of widespread and systematic violations which in many conflict
areas results result in serious abuses of civilian rights and integrity,"
Quintana said.

"The prevailing impunity allows for the continuation of violations," he
added.

He also criticized the military junta for keeping opposition leader Aung
San Suu Kyi detained. Western officials fear the government wants to keep
her under house arrest during next year's election so that she is unable
to run.

Myanmar's representative, who U.N. officials identified as Thaung Tun,
described Quintana's report as less than objective, saying insurgents and
anti-government groups had been given a "sympathetic ear" and that all the
allegations made "should be taken with a grain of salt."

He said steps were being taken to organize 2010 elections in the country,
which he said would be "free and fair."

Myanmar also reprimanded the United States and Britain during the meeting
for referring to the country by its former name, Burma, while North Korea
admonished the United States for not calling it DPRK -- Democratic
People's Republic of Korea.

"PERVASIVE REPRESSION"

In North Korea, envoy Muntarbhorn said the food aid situation was
desperate with the World Food Program only able to feed about one third of
the people in need. He said torture is extensively practiced and described
prisons as purgatory.

"Freedoms associated with human rights and democracy, such as the freedom
to choose one's government, freedom of association, freedom of expression
... privacy and freedom of religion are flouted on a daily basis by the
nature and practices of the regime in power," he said.

"The pervasive repression imposed by the authorities ensures the people
live in continual fear and are impressed to inform on each other," he
said. "The state practices extensive surveillance over its inhabitants."

North Korea's deputy U.N. ambassador Pak Tok Hun rejected the report and
said the country, which has also drawn international condemnation for
nuclear and missile tests, was being "singled out for sinister political
purposes."

Falk's report on the Palestinian territories focused on human rights
concerns related to issues including the war in December and January
between Islamist militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, as
well as Israel's construction of a land barrier and disputed housing
settlements.

He said an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip means "insufficient basic
necessities are reaching the population."

Falk also spoke of the "unlawful, noncooperation" of Israel which
prevented him from visiting the Palestinian territories. Israel did not
respond to Falk's reports at the meeting.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

____________________________________

October 23, Irrawaddy
US-Burma talks to be tested in coming months – Lalit K Jha

Washington, D.C. — The next few months will be a testing period for the
US-Burma relationship, trying to determine if the generals are ready to
make meaningful changes in the tightly ruled country, said the advocacy
director of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“It is now up to them [the junta] to respond to the gestures that the
administration has made,” Tom Malinowski, the advocacy director of HRW,
told US lawmakers during a Congressional hearing here on Burma convened by
the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Malinowski, who was a special assistant to former US President Bill
Clinton and a senior director for foreign policy speech writing at the
National Security Council, said the new US Burma policy is realistic.

It doesn't place false hopes in the 2010 elections that the Burmese
government is staging or in the new Constitution that it has forced on the
people of the country, he said.

“I think it's realistic because the administration considered but rejected
the notion that's out there in some circles that a lifting of sanctions
against Burma will somehow spark the kind of economic growth and
development that we've seen in places like China and Vietnam which then
and might in turn over time lead to political change,” he said.

“If sanctions were lifted, essentially the only new investment I think
Burma would see would be in the extractive sectors––in oil, gas, gems,
timber. It would not transfer intellectual capital or create employment or
lead to positive change inside the country.

“It would probably accelerate Burma's transformation into a country like
the Democratic Republic of the Congo where foreign companies compete to
pull stuff out of the ground in a way that just corrupts and entrenches
the local authority,” he said.

He said that the next few months will be a testing period in which the
administration is going to talk to the regime and see what it is willing
to do.

“Are they going to be willing to allow the National League for Democracy
to function more normally as a political party?  Are they going to be
willing to have a process in which they discuss substantive issues
relating to the country's future with the political opposition?  Are they
going to release political prisoners?  Are they going to change the manner
in which they're going to organize these elections next year so that
there's some chance for a vote that reflects the will of the Burmese
people?” he asked.

“Are they going to pull back from the attacks on ethnic minority groups
that have created such a humanitarian disaster?  Will they even be willing
to take small steps in those directions to build our confidence and the
confidence of the opposition?” Malinowski asked.

He said there is a possibility that some of those things will happen, but
he is skeptical because over the years the regime has shown that it is
expert at time management.

“They're good at playing for time,” he said.  “I think the more likely
explanation is that they'd like to use the dialogue to give themselves the
time to focus on their internal political consolidation,” he said.

He cautioned that the administration needs to be very disciplined, and it
needs to have a time-bound approach.

“I believe they do need to be willing to enhance, strengthen, and adjust
the implementation of the sanctions if over a reasonable period of time
progress isn't made,” he said.

In his testimony, Dr Chris Beyrer, a professor of epidemiology at the
International Health and Health Behavior and Society School at the John
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said Congress needs to continue
to press the administration on implementing an arms embargo.

“An international arms embargo against this regime, particularly while
they continue these attacks on ethnic civilians and villages, seems to me
critically important.  And also the US can support the investigation of
crimes against humanity and the referral to the UN Security Council,” he
said.

“Whatever happens in the dialogue to come, the crimes that have been
committed and the continued impunity of this junta remain a real obstacle
to national reconciliation, and I think that investigation of those crimes
remains an important part of reconciliation for the future,” Beyer said.

Aung Din of the US Campaign for Burma said US engagement should be carried
out within a reasonable time frame.

“If the regime continues arresting democracy activists and attacking
ethnic minorities, the United States must respond with tightening
sanctions, organizing actions at the UN Security Council, such as the
global arms embargo, and the establishment of an inquiry to investigate
crimes against humanity in Burma,” he said.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

October 23, The Nation (Thailand)
Asean needs electoral standards before it can become a community – Somri
Hananuntasuk

AS A MEMBER of Asean, Burma is a sham. Since its admission into the
grouping in 1997, the pariah state has violated international norms
unabated. Even though the Asean Charter came into force last December, the
Rangoon regime continues to defy several fundamental principles contained
in the charter, such as the respect for the rule of law, good governance,
democracy, human rights and social justice.

In the absence of an environment conducive to the freedom of assembly,
association and expression of all the people (including all ethnic groups
and political parties) inside Burma, any move towards holding elections -
given the standards outlined in the Inter Parliamentary Union's "Free and
Fair Elections" - would be a farce.

Is there any hope of putting into place the required minimum international
standards before holding the Burmese election next year?

To ensure the successful outcome of the Asean Summit in Cha-am it is
imperative to review all existing electoral standards within Asean.

The Burmese situation underscores the need for minimum standards to be met
before holding an election. The Asean leaders (elected, nominated or
appointed) must realise that a peaceful and unified Asean Community as
envisaged in the charter requires systems that uphold international norms
and standards on free and fair elections. There is an urgent need for
collaboration among the Asean Secretariat, Asean governments and regional
civil society groups in developing, strengthening and maintaining
electoral processes that are free and fair within member countries.

Most Asean governments are averse to civil society groups raising the
issue of electoral standards because it reflects the ongoing poor practice
of undemocratic governance lacking transparency and accountability in
selecting parliaments. Apparently Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia
have developed better electoral mechanisms by setting up independent
bodies such as election commissions (the EC, Comelec and KPU), to oversee
and monitor elections.

The other Asean countries do not have independent institutions dealing
with electoral processes. These countries use political parties
(Cambodia), the military (Burma) and government bodies (Singapore,
Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Laos) to influence electoral compositions,
administration and functions. Thus they lack neutrality and transparency.

At this juncture, the Asean grouping has been perceived as a backward one
because the member countries cannot step further beyond their traditional
rules, regulations and beliefs. With a huge uneducated population within
Asean, lots of poor and economically underprivileged voters cast their
ballots according to monetary benefits (vote-buying) offered to them or
under duress of personal threat and harm. Doubtless, unqualified
politicians are elected who have subsequently ignored their
constituencies. Indeed, they have made a mockery of the motto "Democracy
of the people, by the people and for the people."

It is well known that Asean governments generally have little tolerance
for these democratic ideals and hardly permit people and media to directly
participate in the political discourse at the grass-roots and national
levels. In some form or other, there is curtailment of the freedom of
expression, assembly and association. The system of checks and balances is
only practised marginally in a few Asean countries that have a minimum of
respect for a free media.

Over the past decade, voters throughout the world have become aware of the
role played by election monitoring organisations (EMOs) and international
observers. But Asean members such as Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and
Burma are still hostile to EMOs, refusing to allow them to observe and
monitor local polls.

The EMOs have inspired citizens, including minority and vulnerable groups,
to want to increase participation in public affairs and transform
electoral processes into transparent and accountable ones. Local and
international monitoring organisations have emerged in the Philippines,
Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, and their activities have
included review of election laws and voter education. They even engage in
post-election observation and monitoring activities that promote good
governance, and monitor government projects to minimise if not eliminate
corruption.

But only half of the Asean members have ratified the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which enshrines the
principle of elections. Article 25 of the ICCPR clearly identifies the
right and opportunity of people to take part in the conduct of public
affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives. It also
stipulates the right to vote and to be elected in genuine periodic
elections that shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held
by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the
electorate.

Do all of the Asean governments and their election commissions uphold this
principle?

____________________________________

October 23, Asia Times
How Australia can help Myanmar – David Scott Mathieson

Bangkok – The long-anticipated review of United States policy towards
Myanmar was rolled out recently, and it was anti-climactic. Announced in
February by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who argued that neither
engagement nor sanctions had worked, the review dragged on for months
before concluding that the US would begin tentative "pragmatic engagement"
with the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). It would also
keep in place sanctions and other punitive measures. Senior members of the
US State Department have already begun initial talks with various members
of the regime.

Australia has an often overlooked key role to play in drawing military
ruled Myanmar out of its isolation, and is well placed to play a prominent
supporting position in international efforts to engage the SPDC.
Australia's Myanmar policy [1] is probably one of the "best rounded" in
the international community, with its emphasis on rigorous, principled
diplomacy, generous humanitarian assistance, a ban on defense exports, and
targeted sanctions against hundreds of key Myanmar military leaders and
their close family and business associates.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith are tough
talking and principled on human rights in Myanmar, especially after the
September 2007 Buddhist monk-led uprising was brutally crushed, the
initial official blocking of foreign relief aid after the May 2008
cyclone, and the political show trial this year of detained opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Kevin Rudd called Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi's conviction and
sentencing to a further 18 months under house arrest in August a "new low
for the Burmese [Myanmar] regime". Stephen Smith raised the "need to put
even more pressure on the [Myanmar] regime to move down the path of
democracy" and promised to update Australia's extant sanctions on the
regime "and keep them focused for maximum impact".

This is precisely what the SPDC needs to hear. The message roughly is: "We
don't like what you're doing, but we are dead-set on continuing to help
your people." This is also what the dithering optimism and
business-focused engagement of Myanmar's neighbors China, India, Thailand
and other Southeast Asian countries need to recognize, and modify their
approaches. Engagement is urgently needed with many facets of Myanmar
state and society, including, and in many respects especially, the
military itself.

There is a long list of issues that Australia and the rest of the
international community must not concede. The immediate and unconditional
release of more than 2,100 political prisoners in Myanmar [2], including
Suu Kyi, and serious steps taken to make the scheduled elections in 2010
genuinely fair and inclusive are core concerns that must remain atop of
the agenda.

The cessation of military operations against ethnic nationalities along
Myanmar's borderlands is crucial, as is opening up the space for foreign
and domestic humanitarian assistance programs, especially the resumption
of all International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) activities [3] in
the country, most of which have been suspended since early 2006.

For more, visit: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KJ24Ae01.html

____________________________________

October 23, Asia Times
US zeroes in on China's clout in Myanmar – Brian McCartan

Bangkok – A high-level American delegation will travel to Myanmar in
coming weeks on a fact-finding mission as part of the United States' new
engagement policy with the military ruled country. The talks will center
on improving Myanmar's human-rights situation and its claimed intention to
move towards democracy, but the subtext will be improving diplomatic
relations and fostering influence in a country widely viewed as a key
regional ally of China .

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, Kurt
Campbell, said on October 21 during hearings before the House Foreign
Affairs Committee that he will lead a fact-finding trip to Myanmar in
coming weeks to hold discussions with the regime and meet with democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as ethnic group representatives.
Campbell said the trip is designed to build momentum behind the policy
shift, however, no other details or dates were publicly disclosed.

During the hearings, Campbell reiterated that the new policy does not mean
the end of US economic and financial sanctions against the regime and its
members. "Our dialogue with [Myanmar] will supplement rather than replace
the sanction regimes that have been at the center of our Burma [Myanmar]
policy for many years," he told the committee.

The US says sanctions will only be removed when the regime makes tangible
steps towards starting a dialogue with the democratic opposition and
ethnic groups, as well as release over 2,000 political prisoners,
including Suu Kyi.

There is, however, more to the new policy than mere democracy and
human-rights promotion. A desire to build stronger ties with Southeast
Asia became clear during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's inaugural
tour through Asia in February when she attended the opening of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat in Jakarta.

This was followed by her attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phuket,
Thailand, in July. Policy analysts say a major reason for this new gambit
is a realization that Chinese influence in the region has blossomed in the
past decade while US attention was largely diverted elsewhere, especially
on the "war on terror".

Washington has become increasingly concerned about China's growing power
and influence in the region. While much of the focus has been on China's
rapidly modernizing military and its growing capacity to project power
beyond its immediate borders, including towards nearby US ally Taiwan, a
quieter competition is emerging between Washington and Beijing for
influence in Southeast Asia.

In the late 1990s, China switched to a strategy of improving diplomatic
relations and investing heavily in economic and infrastructure development
projects in Southeast Asia, a gambit many analysts have referred to as
China's "soft power". The strategy is a departure from its previous
approach to the region which emphasized confrontation and even armed
struggle as a way of pushing its interests.

Under the new approach, China has made efforts to work with the various
authoritarian and quasi-democratic regimes in the region. This has
included invitations to meetings and trade fairs, training for government
officials and special scholarships to study in Chinese universities.
Chinese development aid is often highly publicized and includes
high-profile infrastructure projects such as roads and hydro-electric dams
and prestige projects such as the main stadium for the 2009 Southeast Asia
Games to be held in Vientiane, Laos, in December and the recently
completed Council of Ministers building in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom
Penh.

China has also emerged as an increasingly important source of low-interest
loans, grants, development projects, technical assistance and foreign
investment. These projects combined with China's "no strings attached"
approach to aid have made Beijing an attractive partner to regimes with
questionable human-rights and democracy records.

In contrast, much of the West's aid comes with demands for improvements in
political freedoms and human rights and initiatives to counter corruption.

For more, visit: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/KJ24Ae03.html

____________________________________
STATEMENT

October 23, Asean Peoples Forum
Asean Civil Society Conference

At 1130pm, Thurs, Thai foreign Ministry officials informed organizers of
APF that 5 out of 10 civil society representatives were rejected from the
interface meeting with ASEAN heads of government. The remaining
representatives were told to be ready for pick up at 7.A.M., nearly 5
hours before the scheduled meeting. (see below for list of delegates).

These representatives arrived at the Dusit Hotel and were instructed that
they would not be permitted to speak at the event. The only person from
civil society allowed to make a statement would be Dr Surichai Wangaeo of
Chulalongkorn University, who was originally appointed as moderator of the
Interface.

The representatives were further shocked to learn that Singapore and
Myanmar had selected substitutes from government-sponsored agencies.
Singapore selected a substitute from a charity and the Myanmar regime
selected Sitt Aye and Win Myaing, of the Anti-Narcotics Association (Win
Myaing is a former high-ranking police officer).

These developments rendered the interface, an important space for civil
society to engage with government officials, utterly meaningless.
Therefore, the representatives of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia decided
to walk out of the meeting.

We feel strongly that the rejection of our democratically-selected
representatives is a rejection of both civil society and the democratic
process. Our delegates were selected during the 3-day APF/ACSC, Oct 18-20.
Through this action, the governments concerned are fundamentally
undermining the spirit and content of the ASEAN Charter that they ratified
a year ago.

The behaviour of the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Philippines
and Burma in rejecting their civil society representatives sabotages the
credibility of the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights
(AICHR) which is being inaugurated today.

Civil society has been committed to the objectives of a people-centred
ASEAN as enshrined in the Charter. We have remained determined in our
commitment to the essential dialogue process despite the insults and
obstacles generated by some officials. We were flexible when 2 out of 10
representatives were rejected in February. Civil society engaged with
governments for the past few months in order to improve the relationship,
however it is clear that the commitment to engagement has been one-sided,
now that 5 out of 10 have been rejected, and the rest were essentially
gagged.

We are deeply disappointed at the irresponsibility and apparent
irrationality of the governments’ position. At this time of crisis, we
were absolutely committed to an opportunity to present civil society’s
solutions. The tactics of the governments concerned prove they are not
open to discussing solutions to the urgent problems confronting ASEAN –
both governments and peoples.

Finally we plead with these leaders to stop trying to kill the spirit of
an ASEAN community. Such moves not only hurt the development of the region
but also the credibility of individual member states and ASEAN as a whole.

----
REJECTED
Ms. Khin Ohmar, Burma/Myanmar
Mr. Nay Vanda, Cambodia
Mrs. Manichanh Philaphanh, Lao PDR
Sister Crescencia L. Lucero, Phillipines
Mr. Sinapan Samydorai, Singapore.
INCLUDED BUT GAGGED
* Ms. Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Indonesia
* Mr. Moon Hui Tah, Malaysia
* Ms. Sawart Pramoonsilp, Thailand
Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thuy, Vietnam
Dato Paduka Zainal Momin, Brunei
* walked out

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

October 23, Burma Campaign UK
Aung San Suu Kyi reaches 14 years in detention – 24th October

The Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations and international
community to renew efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and
all political prisoners in Burma.

On 24th October Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 14 years in detention,
most of it under house arrest. On 11th August 2009, after a sham trial,
Aung San Suu Kyi was given a further 18 months under house arrest. Her
current period of detention is not due to expire until February 2011.
Despite an international outcry, no concrete action was taken to secure
her release.

“UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon needs to mobilise the international
community to secure the release of all political prisoners,” said Mark
Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to
use sanctions as leverage to persuade the Generals to resume dialogue, but
so far all we have is low level officials talking about talks. Aung San
Suu Kyi needs our support in pressuring the generals to start real
dialogue.”

Burma’s generals are pressing ahead with fake elections in 2010, which
will bring in a rubber stamp parliament and a new constitution designed to
legalise dictatorship. Ahead of the elections the dictatorship has
increased arrests and harassment of democracy activists, and ensured that
Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained during the period of the elections. It
is also escalating attacks on ethnic people, creating a human rights and
humanitarian crisis which has already spread to its neighbours.

Despite the slaughter and increasing instability taking place in ethnic
areas, and the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 2,100
political prisoners, much of the international community seems prepared to
sit back and wait and see if any small change comes from ‘elections’ next
year.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency about what is happening in Burma,”
said Mark Farmaner. “Aung San Suu Kyi has spent yet another year in
detention. The generals are defying the international community and
pressing ahead with an election and constitution that could keep them in
power for decades to come. It is a myth that they are not vulnerable to
pressure, they are vulnerable, but the right pressure has never been
applied. Fine words are not enough, we need action.”

The Burma Campaign UK is calling for all possible tools to be used to
persuade Burma’s generals to enter into genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu
Kyi and ethnic representatives. These should include diplomatic pressure,
targeted economic sanctions, legal pressure such as a UN Commission of
Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the
dictatorship, and a global arms embargo.

For more information about Aung San Suu Kyi visit:

http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/about-burma/about-burma/a-biography-of-aung-san-suu-kyi

For more information contact Mark Farmaner on 07941239640.