BurmaNet News, November 13, 2009

[Editor]

November 13, 2009 Issue #3840


INSIDE BURMA
Reuters: Myanmar's Suu Kyi's lawyers file detention appeal
NLM: Diplomatic relations established between Union of Myanmar and Kingdom
of Bahrain

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima News: Burmese currency touches record high
DVB: Dhaka restarts India-Burma pipeline talks

ASEAN
Financial Times: Asean offers US first meeting with Burma leader

REGIONAL
VOA: Clinton says Burmese elections not legitimate without national dialogue
AFP: Sri Lanka fetes Myanmar junta leader
DVB: Monks boycott junta chief in Sri Lanka

INTERNATIONAL
Irrawaddy: HRW calls on India to change its Burma policy

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: Climate change and Aung San Suu Kyi – Aung Zaw



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INSIDE BURMA

November 13, Reuters
Myanmar's Suu Kyi's lawyers file detention appeal – Aung Hla Tun

YANGON – Lawyers for Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi said on
Friday they had lodged an appeal against her house arrest with the Supreme
Court but expected no rapid decision.

The 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate was sentenced in August to three
years in prison for letting an American intruder stay in her home in May,
which contravened the terms of her previous detention. Myanmar's junta
leader later commuted the sentence to 18 months' house arrest.

"We lodged the appeal at the Supreme Court this morning. The Supreme Court
will take some time to decide whether to accept it or not," lawyer Kyi Win
told reporters.

Suu Kyi has spent more than 14 of the past 20 years in detention of one
sort or another, mostly under house arrest.

Myanmar's military, which has ruled the country for almost 50 years, plans
to hold multi-party elections in 2010.

A senior official from the Foreign Ministry was quoted this week as saying
Suu Kyi could be released soon so she could help organize her party, the
National League for Democracy (NLD), for next year's election.

However, the official, Min Lwin, told Reuters on Thursday after his return
from an overseas trip that he had been misquoted. He declined further
comment on the matter.

Critics call the proposed election a sham and say the military will still
hold the real power. The NLD has not yet said whether it will take part.

The United States is reviewing its policy on Myanmar, trying to engage it
diplomatically but without lifting trade and investment sanctions for the
time being.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called again on Thursday for Suu
Kyi to be released and said the United States would be skeptical about an
election that excluded opposition representatives.

Clinton and President Barack Obama will be in Singapore this weekend where
they are expected to attend a meeting with leaders of the Association of
South East Asian Nations, which includes Myanmar. No bilateral meeting has
been planned.

(Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by Jason Szep and Ron Popeski)

____________________________________

November 13, New Light of Myanmar
Diplomatic relations established between Union of Myanmar and Kingdom of
Bahrain

 Nay Pyi Taw — The Union of Myanmar and the Kingdom of Bahrain, desirous
of establishing friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation on
the basis of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
norms of International Law in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on
Diplomatic Relations and on Consular Relations, decided to establish
diplomatic relations between the two countries at Ambassadorial level
with effect from 10 November 2009. The Joint Communique on the agreement
.to establish diplomatic relations between the Union of Myanmar and the
Kingdom of Bahrain was signed by the Permanent Representative of the
Union of Myanmar to the United Nations and the Permanent Representative
of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York on 10
November.

Myanmar has been making efforts to expand diplomatic relations with
countries all over the world and the Kingdom of Bahrain has become the
100th country with which Myanmar has established diplomatic relations. —
MNA

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

November 13, Mizzima News
Burmese currency touches record high – Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai – The Burmese currency ‘Kyat’  touched a record high in seven
years with the black market exchange rate prevailing below Kyat 1,000
against the US dollar.

Money changers traded their USD at the selling rate of Kyat 990, which is
the second highest record after Kyat 900 against the USD in 2001.

But the money changers cautioned that the rate was not yet stable.

“The currency witnessed wild fluctuation with rates changing seven times
in a day,” a money changer in Rangoon told  Mizzima.

Over the last three days, the exchange rate was about Kyat 1,030 against
the USD.

Though the reason behind the sharp rise of the value of Burmese currency
is still not clear, economists and observers pointed out that it might be
due to trade stagnation, huge inflow of Cyclone Nargis aid money into
Burma and seasonal high demand for Burmese currency in the opium
harvesting season.

At the same time, the government is trying hard to stabilise the gold
price and USD exchange rate.

The government maintained the gold price below Kyat 600,000 per tical (16
gm) though gold price is rising in the world market.

The Minister of Mining Brig. Gen. Ohn Myint warned  gold traders at the
annual general meeting of gold traders held in October to control price of
gold in order to avoid unrest and uncertainty in the nation due to
fluctuation of prices.

“The world gold price is also fluctuating wildly and so is the price in
our country. But we must control the price in order to avoid fluctuations
and panic buying which may lead to collapse of the country,” Brig. Gen.
Ohn Myint said.

But observers pointed to the lack of reliable and accurate statistics in
this regard.

Foreign Exchange Certificate (FEC) is currently traded at around Kyat 980
against the USD. Despite the Burmese regime setting the equivalent of US
dollar and FEC while still using the fixed rate of one US dollar being
equal to 6.5 Kyat as the official rate there is more demand for the US
dollar than FEC.

____________________________________

November 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Dhaka restarts India-Burma pipeline talks – Joseph Allchin

The Bangladesh government has restarted tri-nation talks over a proposed
950-kilometer gas pipeline to run from western Burma to eastern India,
through Bangladesh.

"We have received a green signal from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
forwarded the proposal to the foreign ministry to resume negotiations with
New Delhi and Yangon [Rangoon] in this regard," Mohammad Mohsin, secretary
for the energy and mineral resources division, told Reuters.

If it goes ahead, the $US1 billion pipeline will connect Arakan state in
western Burma to India’s Western Bengal, which borders Bangladesh. Burma
holds vast offshore natural gas reserves in the Bay of Bengal.

Initial talks were held between the three governments in 2005 but
differences between Dhaka and Delhi scuppered the plan.

In return for pipeline access through Bangladesh, Dhaka had sought access
to hydroelectric power in Bhutan and Nepal via a ‘corridor’ through India.

This plan was however rejected by Delhi, much to the ire of the Bangladesh
government which since has hindered Indian attempts to connect its
troubled North East region with the rest of the country.

As a result of the fall out with Dhaka, India and Burma then considered
routing the pipeline around Bangladesh.

However the proposal to reignite discussions comes only days after the
Thailand-based Arakan Rivers Network campaign group published a report on
an Indian plan to connect these North Eastern states with the sea via a
controversial dredging project on the Kaladan River.

Observers have said that this could be indicative of the brinkmanship
between the two countries, with Bangladesh holding India hostage over its
strategic position, but not wanting to lose out on regional trade.

If the talks are successful Bangladesh could make over $100 million a year
as a fee, and more in one-off charges. It could also receive much-needed
natural gas from the pipeline.

More significantly, however, it could signal a further sign of India’s
stomach for a fight with China over a stake in Burma’s wealthy fossil
fuels and strategic regional position.

____________________________________
ASEAN

November 13, Financial Times
Asean offers US first meeting with Burma leader – Kevin Brown and Edward Luce

Barack Obama wades into a noodle soup of Asian multilateral groups when he
arrives in Singapore late on Friday in a policy of direct engagement with
regional bodies that is intended to draw a line under the George W. Bush
years.

But the new approach, which includes the first ever meeting between a US
president and the heads of the 10-member Association of South East Asian
nations, is also potentially hazardous. Since Burma is a member of Asean,
Mr Obama will become the first US president to meet Thein Sein, prime
minister of Burma, a senior member of the ruling junta.

US officials on Friday faced ticklish questions over whether Mr Obama
would take steps tomorrow to avoid being in a photo with Mr Sein. “We’re
not going to discuss photos that haven’t been taken,” said a senior
official.

The officials added that the Obama administration had chosen to engage
with the Burmese, while maintaining tight economic sanctions on the
country, in the hope of boosting the chances of restoring democracy to the
country when it holds what are expected to be another round of rigged
elections in 2010.

Human Rights Watch, the US-based campaign group, urged Mr Obama to make
human rights in Burma, and throughout the region, his top priority. “Asean
leaders have long sent mixed messages on Burma, so Obama should encourage
them to unite in a strong statement of support for real democratic
reforms,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of HRW.

Mr Obama is likely to follow the Asean leaders in calling for credible
elections in Burma next year, and for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the
veteran opposition leader.

But the reality is that Burma has been sidelined as an issue in order to
allow the US to re-engage with Asean, a region of 580m people with a
combined gross domestic product bigger than India’s. The US has never held
a summit with Asean, mainly because such a meeting could not be held
without putting a US president in the same room as a senior representative
of Burma.

Perhaps more important in US eyes will be Mr Obama’s separate meeting in
Singapore with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president of Indonesia, a country
in which the US president spent four years of his childhood and which he
has pledged to visit next year.

Officials say Mr Obama sees Indonesia as a lynchpin of America’s renewed
“outreach” to Asia against the backdrop of a China that is moving rapidly
ahead to forge stronger trade, economic and infrastructural links with
countries throughout the region.

Although never stated baldly, the underlying assumption is that the US
needs to take rapid steps to match China’s increasingly tentacular reach
following eight years of what officials describe as neglect for the region
under Mr Bush.

One such test will be in the evolution of the debate over the creation of
an East Asian Community – a body from which China is thought to want to
exclude the US, while Japan is pushing for its inclusion.

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REGIONAL

November 13, Voice of America
Clinton says Burmese elections not legitimate without national dialogue –
David Gollust

Manila – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday elections
planned in Burma next year will not be seen as legitimate unless the
military government engages in dialogue with the country's opposition and
ethnic minorities. Clinton spoke with VOA in Manila in advance of joining
President Obama in Singapore for multi-lateral meetings that could include
U.S. interaction with Burmese leaders.

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says there is no expectation that any
U.S.-Burma encounter early next week in Singapore will produce a
breakthrough like an easing of restrictions on democracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.

But she is none-the-less expressing hope for long-term change in Burma
based on, among other things, unusually accommodating treatment accorded
two senior U.S. diplomats who visited Burma last week.

In an interview with VOA, the Secretary of State said the American envoys
not only met with Burmese government officials, but also opposition
figures including an unrestricted meeting with the long-detained National
League for Democracy party leader.

"It was an open and very free exchange of our ideas with them. Secondly,
the fact that unlike in previous visits, our ability to meet with Aung San
Suu Kyi was unmonitored, unsupervised for two hours, which was quite
unusual and very helpful, the fact that the diplomats were able to meet
with representatives of the political opposition and ethnic groups. It was
a series of meetings that were more far-ranging and more open than we have
seen in reports from others who have gone," she said.

Clinton will join President Barack Obama for the summit of APEC - the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. On the sidelines of that, there
will be a meeting Sunday bringing together Mr. Obama and the leaders of
the ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, which includes
Burma.

No separate U.S. Burma meeting is planned, but both the president and
Secretary Clinton say they may have interaction with Burmese Prime
Minister Thein Sein.

Clinton told VOA if she does have a conversation with the Burmese leader,
he will again be pressed to allow a fully open electoral process.

"I would certainly reinforce the message that our two diplomats, Assistant
Secretary (for East Asian Affairs) Kurt Campbell and Deputy Assistant
Secretary Scott Marciel brought with them to Burma, underscoring the
willingness of the United States to engage with Burma, but recognizing
that if the government there holds elections there next year, they will
not be legitimate unless they engage with a dialogue with the people of
Burma and create the atmosphere for free, fair and credible elections,"
she said.

Clinton has said the United States is not prepared to lift sanctions
against Burma, including a near total ban on trade, without major steps
toward reform, including the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Earlier Friday, at a "town hall meeting" with Filipino students and
reporters, Clinton said she doubted the Singapore meetings would yield any
major announcement by Burmese authorities like an easing of restrictions
on the detained opposition leader.

She said there is no doubt that Burmese military leaders who have ruled
the country since 1962 are "on the wrong side of history" but said
bringing change to the country could be a slow process lasting years.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under various forms of detention most of the
time since 1990, when her NLD party won national elections but was barred
from taking power.

Senior U.S. officials say the detained Nobel Peace laureate told them she
supports the Obama administration's effort to engage the military, and
mobilize regional pressure for free elections.

____________________________________

November 13, Agence France Presse
Sri Lanka fetes Myanmar junta leader – Mel Gunasekera

Kandy, Sri Lanka — Dozens of dancers, drummers and three elephants greeted
Myanmar's reclusive junta leader as the elderly general began a pilgrimage
in Sri Lanka Friday on a rare foreign outing.

Schoolchildren cheered and waved paper flags of both countries and
passers-by took pictures as the visiting leader's motorcade slowly drove
through the narrow streets of the central Buddhist pilgrimage city of
Kandy.

General Than Shwe and his wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing, both dressed in white
tunic tops and gold embroided sarongs, clasped their hands in prayer as a
saffron-robed Buddhist monk invoked blessings on their arrival.

Their 26-member entourage later moved to pray and meditate at the historic
Temple of the Sacred Tooth relic, that was once bombed by the now defeated
separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 1998.

The junta leader, believed to be in his 70s, looked to have recovered from
a stomach bug on Thursday and was able to climb the stairs to the gilded
roof chamber at the temple, where the tooth of Lord Buddha is believed to
be enshrined.

He has looked physically frail since arriving on Thursday, but on the few
occasions he has spoken publicly, his voice has been firm.

He stressed the "history of close Buddhist ties" between his country and
Sri Lanka during a meeting with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on
Thursday and occasionally stopped to ask questions from officials on
Friday.

Sri Lanka and Myanmar both practise Theravada Buddhism and have had
cultural and religious ties since the 11th century. Speaking through an
interpreter, Than Shwe said he was honoured to worship at a historic
Buddhist shrine.

He is on his first overseas visit since 2004 and will leave on Saturday
for the ancient site of Anuradhapura where he will visit more Buddhist
sites, Sri Lanka's foreign ministry said.

The junta leader is due to receive blessings from Buddhist monks at a
temple outside the capital Colombo on Sunday before he leaves.

His visit has outraged Myanmar monks living in Sri Lanka, who warned
Colombo that its increasingly close relations with Myanmar's military
regime would further raise international concern over the island's human
rights record.

A spokesman for the monks, who identified himself as Nyanasyri, told AFP
Thursday that they were not demonstrating out of fears for their safety.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962 and the regime stands
accused of human rights violations, including the repression of monks,
journalists and political opponents -- most notably pro-democracy icon
Aung San Suu Kyi.

Than Shwe donated a 10,000-dollar cheque to the temple on Friday, and the
Temple custodians in turn presented him with a bronze plaque and an
intricately carved silver tea set.

They also explained the legend of how the temple's tooth was snatched from
the flames of the Buddha's funeral pyre, and was smuggled into Sri Lanka
hidden in the hair of a princess.

Than Shwe and his family, which included his daughters and grandchildren,
posed for pictures just outside the red-roof temple and planted a mango
tree to mark his visit.

As he walked around the temple, a few Western tourists eagerly followed
him around taking pictures.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse visited Myanmar in June and thanked
the junta for providing relief supplies for Sri Lankan civilians displaced
earlier this year during the final stages of fighting between troops and
separatist Tamil rebels.

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November 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Monks boycott junta chief in Sri Lanka – Htet Aung Kyaw

Burmese monks living in Sri Lanka have said they will enact a boycott of
religious services for the visiting Burmese junta chief in protest against
mistreatment of monks in Burma.

Senior General Than Shwe, who has presided over the ruling military
government since 1992, this week made a rare visit to Sri Lanka.

The notoriously reclusive leader is known to regularly shun diplomatic
meetings with foreign envoys visiting Burma, and rarely sets foot outside
of the new jungle capital, Naypyidaw.

U Awbartha, a member of the Burmese Scholar Monks Association in Sri
Lanka, said that the normally apolitical monk community would deny
religious services, a practice known as Pattanikkujjana, for Than Shwe.

“Burmese monks inside and outside of the country initiated their act of
Pattanikkujjana against the government who tortured, murdered and
imprisoned them after the 2007 Saffron Revolution,” he said. “The
Pattanikkujjana act is still in place so we would not accept any donation
[from Than Shwe]. We have also urged our fellow monks to refuse his
donations.”

He added that ties between the two countries appear to have strengthened
since the Sri Lankan government successfully defeated the rebel group, the
Tamil Tigers, last year.

The Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has been heavily
criticized by the United Nations for allegedly violating international law
during the conflict, visited Burma soon after the Tamil defeat.

The Sri Lankan conflict had ranked alongside the Burmese junta’s conflict
with the opposition Karen National Union (KNU) as one of the world’s
longest running.

“Burma doesn’t have many friends in Europe and in America,” said U
Awbartha. “Similarly, Sri Lanka hasn’t been in close relations with these
countries due to their war against the Tamils. I think these two countries
are building diplomatic ties because of this.”

Meanwhile, Than Shwe has reportedly been taken ill at the President’s
House in Colombo, where doctors are treating him for a “minor stomach
ailment”, according to the Colombo Page news agency.

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INTERNATIONAL

November 13, Irrawaddy
HRW calls on India to change its Burma policy – Zarni Mann

A leading human rights group says India should do more to promote
democracy in Burma, despite its concerns about China’s growing influence
in the Southeast Asian country.

At a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, New York-based Human
Rights Watch (HRW) said that India, as the world’s most populous
democratic country, should consider the good of the people of Burma when
dealing with the country’s ruling junta.

“The Indian government is saying that it will support democracy in Burma,
but it isn’t doing much to promote that. We think that should change,”
said Brad Adams, HRW’s executive director for Asia.

He said that India should export its democracy, press freedom and strong
civil society to Burma instead of competing with China for influence over
the country’s military leaders.

“We want the Indian government to have a much more proactive foreign
policy in promoting democracy in Burma. It’s a major neighbor and a major
influence, but it has been quiet for the last 10 or 15 years,” said Adams,
describing the country’s Burma policy as “primitive.”

Critics say that New Delhi’s relations with Burma are narrowly focused on
improving trade and combating insurgents in India’s restive northeastern
border areas. India has also come under fire for its silence on the
continuing detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other
political prisoners.

Adams also criticized the Burmese junta for clinging to power since losing
the country’s last national election in 1990. He highlighted the regime’s
brutal crackdown on monk-led protests in 2007, and condemned its efforts
to impose a military-drafted Constitution on Burma through last year’s
rigged referendum and an election slated for next year.

The 2010 election will not be free and fair unless everything about it is
changed. [The junta] lost the 1990 election, and again in 2008, they said
that more than 90 percent accepted the Constitution. It’s not credible.
It’s a joke,” he said.

Burmese activists who attended the meeting said they also hoped to see
changes in the relationship between India and Burma.

“We hope the meeting will have some effect on the Burma issue because
[Adams] can tell Indian policymakers that it is more beneficial for the
Indian government to promote democracy in Burma,” said Thin Thin Aung,
presidium board member of the Women’s League of Burma.

In the early 1990s, India actively supported democratization in Burma, but
later changed course with its “Look East” policy, designed to counter
Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.

Ties between Burma and India have strengthened steadily since 1993. India
is currently the fourth largest investor in Burma, after China, Singapore
and Thailand.

Burmese official statistics show that Burma-India bilateral trade reached
US $995 million in 2007-08, with Burma’s exports to India accounting for
$810 million.

In October, Indian Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor visited Burma and met
junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

The two countries reached an agreement to begin work on the Kaladan
Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, including the Sittwe seaport in
Arakan State, in December. India will provide $117 million.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

November 13, Irrawaddy
Climate change and Aung San Suu Kyi – Aung Zaw

The regime in Burma is like climate change—if you don’t contain it now, it
could be catastrophic.

Seeing Burma going nowhere over the past decades, friends and foes of the
regime have reached the consensus that the country needs to make
meaningful progress.

To achieve momentum in the land of “standstill,” we need some energy and a
shakeup.

Washington’s new Burma policy is indeed shaking things up. However, we
must be realistic—external forces can only inject a dose of fresh air into
political dynamism in Burma. The plain fact is that change must come from
within. So we’d better not to wait but make a move of our own.

US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell’s statement following his
visit to Burma and the briefing he gave on his talks there received
positive feedback not only in Burma but also in European and Asean
capitals.

There’s no doubt that the new US policy is comprehensive. It covers
Burma’s pressing issues, including ethnic nationalities, democratization,
the 2010 election, the need for national reconciliation and political
dialogue, the problem of narcotics and security questions. More
importantly, the US has no plans to lift sanctions until it sees progress
in these key areas.

The new policy no doubt injected positive energy and some rare hope in
Burma. The visit of two high ranking US diplomats also created a good
impression, although we all know that it will be a long and difficult
process.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that there is a lot of
work to do on Burma, saying: “We have no illusions that any of this will
be easy or quick.”

We all know that no one has the magic pill to cure Burma’s ills.

In a message directed at the principal stakeholders, regime leader Snr-Gen
Than Shwe and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, Clinton said Burma’s
problems must be resolved by the Burmese people themselves.

It could be a win-win situation if Than Shwe and Suu Kyi wanted to make
the most of the positive energy released by the new US initiative and its
policy of direct engagement.

It is understandable that many are deeply skeptical about the sincerity of
Than Shwe and the slow pace of political progress in Burma. If Than Shwe
took a pragmatic approach, however, he could make the next move and strike
a deal with Suu Kyi.

The paramount leader of the regime has delivered little of substance in
the past two decades. Nonetheless, we all know that the election in 2010
will be his personal exit strategy. He needed a safe passage out of the
political arena.

This can be an opportunity for Suu Kyi. She could demonstrate that she is
pragmatic and a deal-maker, too. She could show that she is ready to help
the national reconciliation and political process to move forward.

Since the mockery trial earlier this year, Suu Kyi is back in the
political limelight. She has won enormous support from the international
community and her popularity inside the country has no doubt surged.

There are reports in Rangoon that Suu Kyi, who has held talks with Than
Shwe in the past, is now asking for further meetings. Recently, she
expressed her gratitude to Than Shwe for allowing her to meet diplomats
and US officials.

Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), is planning to release
an important statement for the nation soon, the party spokesman said. How
important for the nation the statement will prove to be remains to be
seen.

Political pundits say the NLD statement may include Suu Kyi’s stance on
western sanctions and the 2010 election. This indicates that Suu Kyi may
make a meaningful and pragmatic offer to Burma’s paramount leader, who
wants the Lady to show “respect” and “good behavior.”

A statement by Suu Kyi and her next moves should spell out her own
“climate change” policy.