BurmaNet News, December 15, 2009

[Editor]

December 15, 2009, Issue #3860


INSIDE BURMA
AP: Burma allows Suu Kyi to meet ailing party elders
DPA: Myanmar opposition leader meets with lawyers to discuss appeal
DVB: Sixteen political prisoners denied lawyers
IMNA: Moulmein youths organize secret Human Rights Day celebration
Mizzima News: Stiglitz in Naypyitaw
New Light of Myanmar: Innate ability of the people can be put on record
someway by completing the longest bridge with best quality in a short time

ON THE BORDER
The Nation (Thailand): 4 more border checkpoints with Burma

REGIONAL
Network Media Group: Deaths continue in Malaysian detention camp

OPINION / OTHER
Irrawaddy: NLD must nurture young leaders – Wai Moe
Irrawaddy: Decision time for Than Shwe – Bamargyi

INTERVIEW
Inter Press Service: Q&A: ‘Cartoons are my way of protesting against
Burmese junta’



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 15, Associated Press
Burma allows Suu Kyi to meet ailing party elders

Rangoon, Burma — Burma's military authorities have agreed to allow
detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit old and ailing party
leaders at an undisclosed location, a spokesman for her National League
for Democracy party said Tuesday.

The meeting will take place Wednesday at a location chosen by the
government, said Suu Kyi's lawyer and spokesman Nyan Win, who with three
other lawyers visited the Nobel peace laureate for two hours Tuesday at
her lakeside house in Rangoon where she is detained.

In a Nov. 11 letter to Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the head of the country's
junta, Suu Kyi sought permission to meet several elderly colleagues, and
separately with other members of her party's central executive committee.
She also requested a meeting with the junta chief to discuss how they can
cooperate for the national interest.

The government's liaison with Suu Kyi, Relations Minister Aung Kyi,
informed her that she will be allowed to meet the elderly party leaders,
though not where she requested, at their homes, Nyan Win said. Police
chief Brig. Gen. Khin Yi visited Suu Kyi and party Chairman Aung Shwe to
make arrangements for the meeting, the spokesman added.

Suu Kyi will be allowed to meet party chairman Aung Shwe, 91, Secretary U
Lwin, 86, who has a spinal problem, and Lun Tin, 88.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is optimistic that the government will fulfill all
her three requests," said Nyan Win who described her as "jovial, spirited
and in good health." Daw is a term of respect used for older women.

Suu Kyi's legal team will present their arguments at the Supreme Court
next Monday appealing against the extension of her house arrest. She has
been detained for about 14 of the past 20 years.

Her party won the last elections held in Burma in 1990, but the military
refused to hand over power.

____________________________________

December 15, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Myanmar opposition leader meets with lawyers to discuss appeal

Yangon – Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was allowed a
rare meeting with her lawyers Tuesday to discuss her appeal, government
sources said.

The country's ruling military junta allowed her legal team of Kyi Win,
Nyan Win, Hla Myo Myint and Khin Htay Kywe to visit her house-cum-prison
in Yangon, where Suu Kyi has been kept under detention for 14 of the past
20 years.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate last met with her legal team on
November 26 when they disclosed that the Supreme Court had decided to hear
Suu Kyi's request for an appeal against her recent sentence of 18 months
of detention for allowing an uninvited US national to visit her home in
May.

The Supreme Court was due to decide on December 21 whether to hear Suu
Kyi's appeal.

She was originally sentenced to three years in jail with hard labour for
allowing American John Yettaw to swim to her house on Inya Lake in May, an
act that was ruled a breach of her terms of imprisonment. The sentence was
commuted to 18 months of house arrest.

Many analysts said Yettaw's bizarre swim to Suu Kyi's home in early May to
warn her of an assassination attempt he dreamed about was an unexpected
gift to the ruling generals because her previous period of detention was
about to expire.

Her latest sentence should keep her out of circulation next year when the
military plans to hold the first general election since 1990.

Yettaw, 53, was sentenced to seven years in jail but was soon allowed to
leave the country.

The United States and many Western countries have warned the junta that if
the upcoming election is to be seen as credible, Suu Kyi and the country's
other political prisoners should be released beforehand.

____________________________________

December 15, Democratic Voice of Burma
Sixteen political prisoners denied lawyers – Aye Nai

Restrictions have been placed on the permits of lawyers representing 16
political prisoners at a trial in central Burma, while family members have
been barred from entering the courtroom.

It is not know what the accused, who are active campaigners for the
release of political prisoners in Burma, are being charged with. The
sister of one of the accused, Venerable Nanda Wuntha, said that her
brother is facing seven charges.

Another relative of one of the defendants said that court officials had
instructed the 16 to hire lawyers from the proxy government organisation,
the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), at a cost of
200,000 kyat ($US200), although none had complied.

“They are speeding up the process to sentence them but they have not been
sentenced yet because we are having a problem with lawyers,” said the
sister of Myo Han.

She added that only two of the four lawyers put forward by families of the
defendants have been allowed to represent them.

“Only [lawyers] U Myint Thwin and Kyaw Soe Lin were accepted,” she said.
“We have to wait until they come out [of the courtroom]. Only then will we
know for certain whether they get the permission or not,” she said.

Restrictions on lawyers representing opposition members and witnesses
testifying for the defence are common in Burma. During the trial of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi earlier this year, courts barred all
but one of her witnesses from testifying, while the prosecution was
allowed 14.

Lawyers themselves are also at risk of harassment by the government.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma
(AAPP), 12 lawyers are currently imprisoned in Burma.

The United Nations special rapporteur for Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, in
October slammed the culture of impunity in Burma and said that the
establishment of an independent judiciary would be a signal that the junta
is moving towards democratic reform.

____________________________________

December 15, Independent Mon News Agency
Moulmein youths organize secret Human Rights Day celebration – Janu, Lyi Htaw

On December 10th of this year, a small group of Moulmein youths held a
secret celebration for Human Rights Day in their city, for the second year
in a row.

The organizers of the event informed IMNA that the celebrations were begun
last year, as part of an ongoing effort to educate their peers about the
disparities between the human rights violations suffered in Burma and the
human rights enjoyed by citizens of other nations; the celebration
organizers also informed IMNA that they hope that the event spurred
participants to actively pursue gaining increased human rights in Burma in
the upcoming 2010 election.

“The organizers of the Human Rights Day celebration welcomed the people
who attended the celebration, and fed them noodles and coffee. During the
celebration, the organizers showed a video about human rights to these
people. Some people who were in the celebration were watching the video
with surprised faces. Because they have never seen how [compared to the
outside world] the Burmese government does violence to human rights,” a
Moulmein who attended the celebration told IMNA.

“This year, 30 people attending the human rights celebration, it started
at 10 a.m and it ended at 12 p.m. Only 10 people attended the celebration
last year. [This year] three different ethnics attended the celebration.
These were Mon, Burmese, Karen and youths who are working at NGO
organizations”, the Moulmein youth who organized the celebration told
IMNA.

The event organizer also informed IMNA that the 30 people who attended the
secret event learned about the celebration via personal invite. Secrecy
was a necessary measure due to the fact that Moulmein government officials
forbade Human Rights Day celebrations; such an act, the event’s organizer
informed IMNA, only confirms the Burmese government’s desire to ensure
that the citizens of Burma remain uneducated about basic human rights.

Depending on Burma’s political situation, and the results of the 2010
elections, the event’s organizers informed IMNA that they plan to hold a
3rd annual celebration of Human Rights Day in Moulmein again next year.
____________________________________

December 15, Mizzima News
Stiglitz in Naypyitaw – Kyaw Thein Kha

Chiang Mai – Nobel Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz arrived in Burma’s
new capital Naypyitaw on Tuesday, where he will speak at a seminar on
economic development.

The Nobel Laureate is visiting the Southeast Asian nation at the
invitation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia-Pacific (UNESCAP) to advise the ruling military junta on development
policies and poverty eradication, particularly in the rural areas.

“In our Media Advisory, he’s going to participate in reforms in Burma.
They left for Burma yesterday. I believe he’s there in the city at the
moment,” an official at the Bangkok office of the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia-Pacific (ESCAP), told Mizzima on Tuesday.

Prof. Sin Theingi, a retired teacher of Rangoon Institute of Economics,
said discussions should focus more on the social and economic aspect
rather than the rural economy.

“When we discuss, instead of focusing only on the rural aspect, we should
be able to discuss the economic and social aspects. Besides, we should
also talk of health and education,” she added.

Prof. Sin Theingi said in order to develop the rural economy it is
necessary to develop the way of thinking of farmers and forming
community-based organisations to protect the environment. There is also
need for children’s health and education.

Besides, she said the market economy should be well-implemented, “They
need to really open up the market, so that it will attract the people. For
example, they also need to listen to the farmers, as often they know
better than us in several ways. If we open it up like this, it would
develop the rural area,” she added.

But a Burmese economist, who did not wish to reveal his identity, said
economic development of a country is closely linked with political
stability.

He added that the government should allow farmers to freely work in the
rural areas and provide them raw materials and capital.

Stiglitz, in one of his popular book titled “Globalization and Its
Discontents” argues, “when families and firms seek to buy too little
compared to what the economy can produce, governments can fight recessions
and depressions by using expansionary monetary and fiscal policies to spur
the demand for goods and services.”

On Tuesday, Burmese military junta’s mouthpiece newspaper the New Light of
Myanmar reported the meeting between Burmese Prime Minister General Thein
Sein and Dr. Noeleen Hezyer, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of ESCAP, led delegation. But the newspaper did not
mention Joseph Stiglitz’s visit to the country.

____________________________________

December 15, New Light of Myanmar
Innate ability of the people can be put on record someway by completing
the longest bridge with best quality in a short time

Nay Pyi Taw – Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe,
accompanied by SPDC Member General Thura Shwe Mann, SPDC Secretary-1
General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo, SPDC Member Lt-Gen Tin Aye,
Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Vice-Admiral Nyan Tun, Commander-in-Chief (Air)
Lt-Gen Myat Hein, senior military officers of the Ministry of Defence,
commanders, ministers and officials, left PyinOoLwin by helicopter and
arrived at Pakokku in Magway Division at 10 am yesterday.

They were welcomed there by Minister for Construction Maj-Gen Khin Maung
Myint, Minister for Rail Transportation Maj-Gen Aung Min, Chairman of
Magway Division PDC Col Phone Maw Shwe, Commanding Officer of local
division Col Myat Tun Oo and officials.

On the way to Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku) Project, the Senior General in a
motorcade inspected thriving crop plantations along the route in the
irrigated area of Kokkohla River Pumping Station Project.

He also inspected the alignment for Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku) that will
link Pakokku and Letpanchepaw Village on the eastern bank of the Ayeyawady
River through Bomma Ward near Kokkohla Village in Pakokku Township.

At the briefing hall, Minister Maj-Gen Khin Maung Myint submitted a
report, saying that pre-engineering tasks were carried out such as seeking
preliminary alignments of the bridge, measuring the speed of the river’s
current, and stockpiling of construction materials, machinery and vehicles
for construction of Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku).

After a thorough feasibility study, No.5 alignment was chosen among the
alignments; and that according to the alignment, the bridge will be the
longest of its kind in Myanmar, he said explaining facts about the
transport facility and the speeds of the current of the river.

On completion, the bridge will link Letpanchepaw Village in NyaungU
Township on the eastern bank, and Pakokku on the western bank of the
Ayeyawady River, and the main bridge will be 11,431 feet (2.16 miles)
long.

And the bridge will have a 28-foot-wide motorway and 14-foot-wide railroad
in parallel and two three feet and three inches wide pedestrian walkways
on it. It is of broad crest type with a 52 feet high clearance area.

The minister also reported on the bridge’s potential to have a link with
Asian highways, ASEAN highways and the highways in Mekong River Basin to
be built in Myanmar in cooperation with neighbouring countries, and
regional organizations.

Minister Maj-Gen Aung Min in his report explained that as soon as the
project is completed, the railroad section passing through Pakokku,
Myingyaint, Letpanchepaw, Thit-htaunt, NyaungU will be serviceable; and
groundwork is now in progress.

With the use of the charts of the alignments, the minister continued to
report that in addition, arrangements are being made to complete Ayeyawady
Bridge (Malun) railroad section that on completion it will link Magway-
Taungdwingyi railroad section on the eastern bank and Kyangin-Pakokku
railroad under construction on the western bank of the Ayeyawady River.

He also presented a report using charts on condition of the targeted
strategic railroads in the nation, the potential for emergence of a Union
railroad network covering all states and divisions on completion of the
ongoing railroad projects, and said that the nationwide railroad network
will be formed with some of its sections circling the respective regions.

In response to the report, the Senior General called for parallel working
of building the bridge and the railroad, saying that the bridge will be
the longest of its kind in the nation, so it must meet the standards.

Innate ability of the people can be put on record someway by completing
the longest bridge with best quality in a short time, he stressed, calling
for thoroughly and effectively implementing the project in order that it
can be referred as the exemplary project in the nation.

He inspected the map showing the preliminary alignments, and the map
showing the chosen alignment for the bridge, hearing the reports presented
by ministers. From the view desk of the briefing hall, the Senior General
inspected the project site, and cordially greeted local residents.

The Senior General and entourage in a motorcade inspected infrastructural
buildings of Pakokku, the capital on the west bank of the Ayeyawady River
such as development, regional greening, universities, schools,
departmental buildings and govermental buildings internal roads.

The Head of State and party left Pakokku by helicopter. – MNA

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 15, The Nation (Thailand)
4 more border checkpoints with Burma – Petchanet Pratruangkrai

In a bid to boost cross-border trade with Burma, the government will
support the opening of four more border checkpoints next year.

They will be at Huay Ton Nun, Mae Hong Son/Shan State: Ban Nam Khao,
Kanchanaburi/Tavoy; Three Pagodas Pass, Kanchanaburi/Taya Thon Zu; and Dan
Singkhon, Prachuap Khiri Khan/My Eik.

Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot yesterday said the government
would open these checkpoints as soon as possible, in order to facilitate
trade, investment and tourism between the two countries.

At present, there are only three checkpoints linking Thailand and Burma.

After meeting with ministers in Burma, Alongkorn also said both nations
had agreed to support the construction of a friendship bridge connecting
Tak's Mae Sot district with Burma.

The two nations will soon set up a subcommittee to identify an exact
location and set up a construction schedule, he said.

Niyom Wairatpanij, chairman of the border-trade committee of the Thai
Chamber of Commerce (TCC), said traders were greatly anticipating the
opening of more checkpoints to facilitate trade and tourism.

"The Asean Free Trade Agreement will be fully implemented early next year,
with tariffs on most Asean goods eliminated. More checkpoints will
increase trade opportunities for Thai products," said Niyom.

In addition, after meeting with TCC representatives about its "micro
action plan" aimed strengthening seven sectors plan, Alongkorn said the
government would lend its full support.

The TCC and the Commerce Ministry have agreed to set up a Joint
Public-Private Committee on Commerce, for cooperation in facilitating the
plan.

The TCC last month came up with the micro action plan, aimed at
strengthening the country's best products and most efficient services
ahead of tougher competition that is expected once Asean becomes a
seamless market by 2015.

The seven sectors are food and agriculture, gems and jewellery, textiles,
healthcare and spas, construction, tourism and border trade.

TCC vice chairman Komson Opassathavorn said the chamber would discuss the
plan tomorrow with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and that he expected
full government support.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 15, Network Media Group
Deaths continue in Malaysian detention camp – Zaw Gyi

Deaths among detainees afflicted by an unknown disease continue in the
KLIA detention camp near the Kuala Lumpur International airport in
Malaysia.

Malaysian authorities detain illegal foreigners in detention camps before
they are deported to the migrant’s country of origin. There have been
deaths among detainees since the end of August this year.

Ngaung Sapaung (45), died on December  9 in the camp of the unknown
disease, a detainee said.

"Ngaung Sapaung was critically ill. He could not get up. They sent him to
a hospital. He was in the hospital for a day. The next day at 9 p.m. he
died. Seven inmates died in the camp in four months," he added.

His legs were swollen and he could not have any food for a week before he
died. He also suffered from constipation and retention of urine. Though
other inmates informed camp authorities about his deteriorating health,
camp authorities did not send him to hospital on time.

Most detainees were moved from the Samongnyin camp because they
demonstrated demanding better health care facilities since early July.
There is lack of health care facilities and medicines cannot be brought
from outside.

"Old inmates moved from the Samongnyin camp have not been taken to doctors
or given medicines. We requested for medicines from our friends, who are
outside but the authorities do not allow us to take these medicines," he
said.

"The old detainees moved from the Samongnyin camp have their names deleted
from the UNHCR's list. Therefore, the UNHCR cannot bring them back.

"If we want to see officials from the UN, the officials come to the camp
but they cannot call out our number. There is no list of names in the
detention camp. Even though the UN has submitted a list of names, ours
have been deleted because there is no list here. So, we cannot meet the UN
officials. I have been in the camp for a year, where there are lots of
difficulties," he added.

Though the authorities have attempted to investigate the cause of the
disease but there are no answers yet. The Burmese Embassy has attempted to
send them back to Burma but they don't have enough money for the return
trip. So they continue to be in the detention camp.

"If I had the money, I would have gone back. Now I don't have enough money
and I cannot get any money from home. So, I have to stay in the camp," the
inmate said.

If a person wants to go back to Burma, he has to pay about 1,500 ringgit.
Even though an official from the Burma Embassy managed to send some of
them back with only 500 ringgit per person, now it has stopped.

There are a total of 130 Burmese in the camp. Among of them, about 30 are
suffering from the unknown disease.

Detainees said there is lack of light; improper ventilation system in the
camp, unclean water for drinking and bathing, and lack of fresh food.
Therefore the disease is spreading in the camp, inmates added.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 15, Irrawaddy
NLD must nurture young leaders – Wai Moe

Will Burma’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi resolve the
opposition’s “generation crisis” when she meets with the aging leaders of
her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in the coming days?

In late November, NLD sources told The Irrawaddy that in response to Suu
Kyi’s requests, the ruling authorities had agreed to grant her a meeting
with members of the NLD's Central Executive Committee (CEC), though it is
uncertain whether another detained leader, ex-Gen Tin Oo, would be allowed
to participate.
Senior NLD leaders attend a ceremony to mark the 89th anniversary of
Burma's National Day at the party's headquarters in Rangoon in November
2009. (PHOTO: AP)

The meeting is likely to be on Wednesday, which is a national holiday in
Burma, celebrating Karen New Year.

Originally, the generals in Naypyidaw said they would only allow her a
meeting with three CEC members—Aung Shwe, U Lwin and Lun Tin— two of whom
are octogenarians while Aung Shwe is 92.

Along with other political issues, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate is
expected to talk with her colleagues about party reform, particularly the
replacement of aging and ill CEC members with younger leaders, NLD sources
said.

“Currently there are 11 CEC members within the party. Six out of the 11
are now over 80 and not very well,” said Khin Maung Swe, 67, a CEC member
and an NLD spokesman.

In fact, with the exception of Suu Kyi, who is 64, and Khin Maung Swe, all
the other CEC members are over 80 years of age.

The NLD's most prominent other figurehead, Vice Chairman Tin Oo, who was
arrested in May 2003 following an ambush on Suu Kyi’s convey and sentenced
to house arrest, is now 83.

“Even if a total overhaul of the party cannot take place, the replacement
of those who are ill within the NLD leadership should be possible,” said
Aye Thar Aung, an Arakanese leader based in Rangoon, who is a close ally
of the NLD.

Due to Chairman Aung Shwe’s health, two CEC members, Win Tin, 80, and Than
Tun, 87, are reportedly acting chairmen of the party, according to NLD
sources.

Relative youngsters, such as Than Nyein, who is in his 70s, and Nyan Win,
who is in his 60s, are informally listed as additional members of the CEC.

Political observers inside Burma have said the NLD needs to strengthen its
presence in the country to maintain its popularity ahead of the 2010
general election.

The pertinent question is how the leading opposition party can hope to
bridge the spectrum of society when even its second row of leaders are all
over 60 years of age.

The NLD has not held nationwide party meetings for at least a decade
because of harassment by the authorities and other setbacks. Although
young members of the party recently called for party meetings across the
country, the CEC have stalled.

“The NLD has to call national party meetings at least once every four
years to resolve the generation gap in its leadership,” Aye Thar Aung
said. “Then younger members could come through the ranks.”

While the NLD finds itself in a generation dilemma, the military junta,
headed by Snr-Gen Than Shwe, organizes its hierarchy from the top down
using military rank. Although Than Shwe is 76 and his No 2, Deputy Snr-Gen
Maung Aye, is 72, the other top generals are in their early 60s and some
are still in their 50s.

The junta-backed civic organization, the Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA), has been recruiting young, respected persons to run as
candidates in next year's  election, representing pro-junta parties.

“Since early 2009, the USDA has nominated potential candidates who are
young and well-respected with good names to avoid a repeat of the 1990
election,” said a USDA source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In the 1990 election, the NLD and its allies won a landslide victory over
the junta-backed National Unity Party.

Twenty years later, the NLD lacks young candidates, but has a surplus of
members who were active in the 1988 democratic uprising against military
rule.

Imprisoned 88 Generation Students group leaders, such as Min Ko Naing, Ko
Ko Kyi, Pyone Cho and Htay Kywe, are now in their 40s and are reported to
be ready to cooperate or join Suu Kyi’s party in the greater interest of
supporting the cause of democratic reform in Burma.

“We have many young emerging prospects across the country,” said Khin
Maung Swe. “One day they will be the party's leaders.”

____________________________________

December 15, Irrawaddy
Decision time for Than Shwe – Bamargyi

There is a wide belief among democratic forces that the 2010 general
election will be good for Burma—but are these optimists really aware of
how the regime will organize it?

Fourteen prime ministers for states and divisions will be selected by the
president and will select their own cabinet ministers. Elected or selected
members of parliament will play no role in the state’s cabinet. Parliament
will convene occasionally but members will only read prepared papers.

The only viable event in the whole process is the election of the
president. As things stand, only the regime's No 3, Thura Shwe Mann, is
eligible for the post.

Like the 2008 referendum that paved the way for the 2010 election, the
poll is already a done deal.

The aftermath, however, is uncertain. Nobody knows what will happen after
the junta achieves its goal of giving itself legitimacy.

Junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe’s instruction is to change the system but
not the people behind it.

The charade is nothing new in Burmese politics. In 1974, for instance, Gen
Ne Win’s revolutionary council won legitimacy as an elected government
with the help of ballot boxes but against the wishes of the majority of
the people.

The 1974 election left the ruling council intact, with the chairmen of the
townships and town councils becoming members of parliament.

The slogan was democratic socialism but corruption became
institutionalized. The government was unpopular, including among  party
officials and elected representatives.

Than Shwe is now following the same course. The players and the timeframe
have changed but the basic plot and aims are the same.

Public opinion is the last thing on the minds of Than Shwe and the other
junta generals. Their plan and its execution do not call for the
participation of the citizens

The generals have their lackeys, minions and paid workers who will act
according to the prescribed scheme.

General Ne Win realized that he made mistakes, discovering in 1987 that he
had been badly deceived by his subordinates all along. Realizing his
errors and believing he could manipulate the situation, Ne Win abandoned
his lieutenants and turned to multiparty democracy.

But his deputies refused to enact his program for change, the Burmese
Socialist Program Party collapsed and the army took over.

A wave of oppression followed, seriously damaging the people's morale.
Then came the events of 1988 and Than Shwe's unexpected assumption of
power. By then, all efforts to save the country had been wasted.

Ne Win began his failed campaign in 1974 but realized his failures only in
1987. He chose to abandoned his colleagues and the party, which was badly
misguided and could not cope with the changes.

His attempt to change the system without changing the people behind it was
a failed endeavor from the start. Subordinates lied to him for fear of
losing their positions.

Than Shwe—who has also failed to recognize the true situation and has
miscalculated his power— is bound to repeat the same mistakes as Ne Win.

The governing council thinks that 13 percent growth is a reality. Now that
US $4 billion in natural gas revenue is sitting in the banks, it doesn't
care any more. The generals just want to enjoy their new-found wealth.

With increasing wealth and with nobody challenging his authority,  Than
Shwe naturally wants China off his back.

Now that US President Obama is proposing dialogue and a new policy on
Burma, Than Shwe might recognize the price he paid for friendship with
China, which has sought dividends by doing business with rogue states.

Than Shwe approached Russia through U Thaung, Minister of Science and
Technology, sending many young officers for training in the former
communist states. But no visible achievement was scored there.

Gaining US friendship would have been a dream two years ago, but today
it's a reality. There is only factor in the way of  making this friendship
a lasting one—the cooperation of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Until recently, Than Shwe recoiled at the very mention of Suu Kyi's name.
Today he realizes that his only chance of escaping without a scratch
depends on her.

Suu Kyi’s cooperation is not possible, however, without real change.
Political prisoners must be freed and the unresolved 1990 election has to
be settled. The new constitution also needs her blessing.

The animosity towards Suu Kyi harbored over the years has also taken hold
of Than Shwe's followers, who are like-minded people. Now Than Shwe needs
to win over their support in making friends with the democratic
opposition.

The hatred Than Shwe cultivated within the junta makes it difficult to
change his direction. He has to convince his own people how badly he needs
her friendship to move forward. Their worry is, of course,
self-preservation—if democracy flourishes, they will lose their positions
and status.

This is the critical time for Than Shwe to seize his opportunity. He has
to go against the flow and reverse the trend he himself created. The
obstacles won't be easy to overcome. A radically fresh outlook is needed.

There is still enough time if Than Shwe wants to make the election really
democratic and help form a truly democratic government.

This is the only way that he can emerged as a hero and escape Ne Win's
fate. If he sticks to his corrupt generals that fate is assured.

With Suu Kyi's help, Than Shwe could be a savior of the nation. A truly
democratic government would provide a fresh start, with Than Shwe's
influence still intact. The country would be spared turmoil as a new batch
of leaders took over.

The first step Than Shwe must take is to talk to Suu Kyi. Progress would
then naturally follow.

____________________________________
INTERVIEW

December 15, Inter Press Service
Q&A : ‘Cartoons are my way of protesting against Burmese junta’ – Marwaan
Macan-Markar

Chiang Mai, Thailand – He talks with his hands. They are in constant
motion as he expresses a view, makes a joke, mumbles.

They are the hands that have combined with Harn Lay’s wit and political
insights into exposing the oppression and absurdities in military-ruled
Burma through a flow of cartoons that have appeared in the Burmese media
in exile.

In one, 44-year-old Harn Lay depicts Burma’s strongman, Senior Gen Than
Shwe, sweeping the homes of residents under a carpet to make way for the
junta’s new administrative capital in Naypidaw. In another, he depicts the
junta leader shaped like a giant balloon to show the increasing power of
the military.

"Humour is my weapon to target the military regime in my country," says
Harn Lay, a member of Burma’s Shan ethnic minority who got his first taste
of brutal politics during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, which was
crushed by the military, leaving over 3,000 students and activists dead.

He fled Rangoon soon after the crackdown to begin his first foray as a
cartoonist and an illustrator for a Shan rebel group operating close to
the Thai-Burmese border. But work in the public relations arm of the
resistance movement was not for him.

The product of Rangoon’s School of Fine Arts Academy knew he had more to
offer. The influence of his father, who painted as a hobby, had also
shaped his interest in the visual media, including a "fascination with
cartoons."

IPS caught up with Harn Lay on the sidelines of the just concluded Mekong
Media Forum – which brought together more than 200 journalists from across
the region – in this northern Thai city to talk about his art and his
politics as a cartoonist in exile.

Q: When you first came to Chiang Mai in 2003, it was to be a journalist
for an exile media organisation. So what made you switch?

A: A friend here told me that there were many who could write but few who
could produce good cartoons. I began that way and now do it full time for
‘The Irrawaddy’, the Shan Herald Agency for News and other Burmese media
that want me to comment through humour.

Q: And in six years you have become famous for voicing anti-junta sentiments?

A: Yes but it is not because I am very good but because I have freedom of
expression and I can express my views through cartoons. It is different
for very good cartoonists inside Burma. They do not enjoy the same freedom
as I do and that is why there is a big black hole in newspapers.

And readers who like my cartoons inside Burma do so because they like the
freedom of expression. They see the art of cartoons I create as a right,
and they feel strongly about it because they do not enjoy such a right
under the military government.

Q: Where do you draw your ideas from? Is there a method to your art?

A: I go to ‘The Irrawaddy’ newsroom meeting three days a week and
sometimes I get ideas from the issues and stories they are discussing.
There are days when I come up with a cartoon, having followed an event
related to Burma very closely. Friends have also helped, suggesting ideas.

I spend lot of time thinking about the new idea, over two hours, and I
also look for relevant information before I start sketching and coming up
with the images that will tell the truth I want to express.

Q: Your cartoons echo sentiments expressed by the Burmese opposition in
exile. Are you comfortable being closely identified with such political
views?

A: Yes. Humour is my weapon to target the military regime in my country. I
draw cartoons as my own protest against the military government. And it is
part of a tradition in Burma since cartoons first appeared in newspapers
when our country was a British colony.

Q: But at least during the British colonial period, cartoonists like you
could poke fun at the rulers and still remain in the country. It is not so
now after nearly 50 years of military oppression?

A: That is true. There were many famous Burmese cartoonists during the
British era who used to expose wrongdoing during the colonial period.
Cartoons have been published since 1902. There were 30 newspapers at the
time that had very good cartoonists. And the British government accepted
that form of satire.

But since we came under military regimes since 1962, the country’s leaders
have been intolerant of satire. So cartoonists cannot express their
opinion and humour openly, freely, inside Burma because of the three
generations of military leaders we have had. The cartoonists have no space
to draw, to oppose the government through their humour.

The cartoonist is similar to the opposition party, exposing government
wrongdoings. But the governments we have do not like this tradition, so
the quality of cartoons has declined inside the country.

Q: But you have also compared a cartoonist to a child. You say so in your
book of cartoons, ‘Defiant Humour’, that the cartoon "describes the world
through pictures the way a child sees it." Where does that idea come from?

A: I was inspired by that story about the ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’. We have
a Burmese version of that tale. Children never hesitate to point out
things in public when they see something wrong. A cartoonist is like a
child in that sense, pointing out the truth or wrongdoing. Sometimes
people do not want to say aloud what they notice, but not children. They
are honest and express their views openly like the child did in the tale,
saying the king had no clothes while his courtiers were saying he was
clothed.

Q: And the Senior Gen Than Shwe, Burma’s strongman, seems to make a
regular appearance in your drawings. You spare little in the ability to
exaggerate his flaws and his physical details in a style not found in
other drawings of him.

A: I think Than Shwe is trying to hide his real identity and real
behaviour. But sometimes his true self comes out like the way he ordered
the crackdown of the Buddhists monks peacefully protesting in September
2007, or the Depayin Massacre in May 2003 (when pro-junta thugs attacked
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party’s supporters, leaving 70
people dead).

I think Than Shwe is worse than how he appears in public, so I want to
convey this real side of him – the hidden side – through my cartoons.

Q: This naturally rules you out from going back to Burma like so many
other political exiles. Your success has become a barrier.

A: Of course. I will be arrested if I go back.

Q: But are you also thankful to someone like Than Shwe for paving your
path of success?

A: (Laughs) My friends tease me with that view. They say that although I
poke fun at Than Shwe’s flaws, I really have placed a picture of him on my
desk and pray to it daily that he is the reason for my job.