BurmaNet News, December 27-30, 2009

[Editor]

December 27-30, 2009, Issue #3867


INSIDE BURMA
AP: US citizen in solitary confinement in Myanmar
Irrawaddy: Living poor on soldiers' pay
DVB: Authorities demand data on opposition party

ON THE BORDER
DVB: Unusual army deployment raises eyebrows
Irrawaddy: No border guard force deadline for KIO

BUSINESS / TRADE
Mizzima: Pigeon pea prices shoot up

ASEAN
Business Mirror: Expectations, Burma case derail FTA

REGIONAL
Washington Post: Thailand deports thousands of Hmong
BBC: Burmese Muslims to be repatriated

INTERNATIONAL
BBC: Brown pledges support to Suu Kyi

OTHER
GlobalPost: Is that conflict timber on your patio?



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

December 29, Associated Press
US citizen in solitary confinement in Myanmar

An American jailed in Myanmar was placed in solitary confinement after
ending a 12-day hunger strike, prompting the U.S. Embassy to request his
return to a standard prison cell, an embassy official said Tuesday.

Myanmar-born Kyaw Zaw Lwin was arrested Sept. 3 when he arrived at Yangon
airport and has been jailed since without facing formal charges.

He started a hunger strike on Dec. 4 to protest conditions of political
prisoners in Myanmar, according to human rights groups.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin told a consular officer, who visited Monday, that he ended
his hunger strike Dec. 15 and was subsequently placed in solitary
confinement, said embassy spokesman Richard Mei.

Mei said the embassy sent a diplomatic note to authorities in the
military-ruled country asking "to have him returned to a normal prison
cell."

Kyaw Zaw Lwin, who is also known as Nyi Nyi Aung, said he was receiving
regular medical care, Mei said. The U.S. Embassy was last granted consular
access on Dec. 3.

"His health has improved and he looks much better than he did at our last
meeting," said lawyer Nyan Win, who said the court based inside the
notorious Insein Prison would decide Jan. 1 whether to charge him. Insein
is known for holding political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was tried in the prison's court earlier
this year and sentenced to another 18 months of house arrest.

When Kyaw Zaw Win made a court appearance in court on Dec. 18, lawyers
said he looked thin and weak.

Kyaw Zaw Win was initially accused of trying to stir up unrest _ which he
has denied. Prosecutors later asked the court to charge him with forgery
and violating the foreign currency exchange act.

Under Myanmar's legal system, defense and prosecution spend initial
sessions presenting their case so the judges can determine whether to
formally charge the defendant and proceed with the trial. Nine prosecution
witnesses have testified so far.

His mother is serving a five-year prison term for political activities and
his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in the 2007
pro-democracy protests, activist groups and family members said.

____________________________________


December 30, Irrawaddy
Living Poor on Soldiers' Pay – Kyi Wai

Rangoon — Sgt Aung walks through Mingladon market, searching for
ammunition to restock his cartridge magazine, which he sold when he needed
some extra money to support his family.

He quickly found several shops in the military equipment area, selling all
types of military hardware: uniforms, field equipment, cartridges,
magazines and various brands of weapons.

Similar shops can be found in many markets around military installations
in Rangoon, such as Htauk Kyant, Hlegu and Hmaw Bi markets.

Most of the shops rely on poor soldiers, who are often forced to sell
their army-issued property  when they need money and then must repurchase
it when they have funds.

Sgt Aung (not his real name) sold his cartridges six months ago for 8,000
kyat (US $7) when he needed money. They cost 15,000 kyat to buy back now,
but the shop owner offered a 2,500 kyat discount. Still, Sgt Aung is put
off by the price.

He earns 35,000 kyat ($32) a month. He decides to walk around the market
and think about it. Finally, he decides he can't afford to replace the
cartridges.If he has an inspection and is found out, he could be suspended
from duty or imprisoned.

"The poverty of soldiers isn't even comparable to civilians,” he said. “We
suffer from scarcity not only on the front line, but also in rear-base
areas. We see almost no money."

As a sergeant in the Burmese army, he could earn an extra 5,000 kyat a
month if he serves in a high-risk area.

However, his pay is never enough to meet the needs of his four family
members, Aung said.

Since 2007, he has been indebted. His wife and children try to cut back on
everything, but he still can't afford to buy even the cheapest toothpaste
or tooth brushes.

The economic strain is showing. Sgt Aung is haggard, weary and his cheek
bones sharply outline his face. His uniform is faded. He said he can't
recall how many times he has repaired family members' flip-flops.

A lance corporal also shared his story with The Irrawaddy.

"I earn less than 40,000 kyat (US $37) a month including regular salary,
hazardous duty pay and other assistance. My family can't survive on my
salary. We have no more possessions to sell. I can't even provide school
fees for my children, and my wife sends them to her relatives for
schooling," he said.

The army provides 3,000 ($2.70) kyat for each dependent child to help with
school fees, but it's still insufficient to pay expanses, he said.

Soldiers are not allowed to work outside the military, but if their wives
can work, many find it almost possible to stay even financially. However,
he said the army sometimes demands full-time labor from family members on
army farms and other production facilities.

"The family members of army men are like slaves,” he said. “Not only do we
soldiers serve, but our family members are often required to work for the
army too."

Some servicemen receive an extra benefit when officers allow a few family
members to start small businesses within an army unit's area, such as
snack or tea shops while others sell groceries or illegal liquor.

Some families breed poultry and pigs for extra income, and some earn money
with illegal or underground businesses such as selling illegal lottery
tickets or betting on soccer matches. Some soldiers run short-haul,
motorcycle-taxi services.

A private in a battalion in Mingladon Township said, "You can buy illegal
lottery tickets in our unit. Some army families just keep books for the
tickets. If you want to bet on a soccer match, they will help you to
access outside book makers."

Since April 1, 2006, a private earns 16,000 kyat ($14) a month; a
major-general earns 800,000 kyat ($750) a month. The army pays 5,000 kyat
a month for hazardous duty pay for the ranks of private through colonel.

"The salary gap between the generals and ordinary soldiers is very large,
and the privileges are also very different. The generals earn 1 million
kyat extra a month for state defense and administration fees," said a
colonel who asked for anonymity.

Since 1988, the regime has raised the salary scale four times for public
employees and military servicemen, in order to cope with inflation and
raising commodity prices.

Sometimes the government or army officers order an army unit to be
self-reliant. A soldier said a military commander in northern Shan State
ordered the units under his command to find operational cost on their own,
and the army units cut and sold timber in the area.

"It was not only our unit, but almost all army units in that area that cut
and sold logs,” he said.

Nowadays, many servicemen are given oral orders by officers to try to find
girls to marry from well-off families, who can help support an army man's
family.

A captain said, "For army officers, it's an unwritten law that we should
marry a rich lady or an educated lady."

Typically, the army will summarily dismiss soldiers infected with
AIDS/HIV, Hepatitis B or those who sustain physical disabilities, sources
said.

A medic said there are many cases of suicide if a soldier contracts
AIDS/HIV or Hepatitis B, because they can't face returning to their native
region.

"If the infected person is an officer, he may be transferred to a civil
administration post, but if the patient is a non-commissioned soldier, he
is kicked out. For those who are injured in a fighting, they are treated
at a national rehabilitation hospital and then asked to retire," the medic
said.

A veteran who lost a limb said: "If they can still walk, the veterans may
try to sell books and magazines on the street. They sell things in market.
If the veterans can't walk, they knit rattan furniture and some work as
carpenters. Some go out to the streets as beggars. The veterans get no
assistance anymore from the government, and they are not even recognized
as army veterans. They say we disgrace the pride of the Tatmadaw."

A veteran who is now surviving by begging in Insein Township said military
officials told him not to beg while wearing any military clothing and not
to say he was a veteran. He was then ordered not to beg in a public park.

Ironically, a lance-corporal from a Than-Lyin-based battalion said, "We
would be better off if I resigned from the army and begged on the street.
I could earn more money."

Pay scale for army servicemen (April 1, 2006):

1. private: 16,000 kyat basic pay. after two years, 21,000 kyats
2. lance-corporal: 22,000 kyat; after several years, 27,000 kyat.
3. corporal: 28,000 kyat; after several years, 33,000 kyat
4. sergeant: 34,000 kyat; after several years, 39,000 kyat
5. company sergeant: 40,000 kyat; after several years, 45,000 kyat
6. warrant officer II: 46,000 kyat; after several years, 51,000 kyat
7. warrant officer I: 52,000 kyat; after several years, 57,000 kyat
8. second lieutenant:100,000 kyat
9. lieutenant: 120,000 kyat.
10. captain: 130,000 kyat; after two years, 140,000 kyat
11. major: 150,000 kyat; after several years, 160,000 kyat
12. lieutenant colonel: 170,000 kyat; after several years, 180,000 kyat
13. colonel: 190,000 kyat; after several years, 200,000 kyat
14. brigadier general: 300,000 kyat
15. major-general: 400,000 kyat
16. lieutenant-general: 600,000 kyats
17. general: 800,000 kyat
18. vice-senior general : 1,000,000 kyat
19. senior-general: 1,200,000 kyat


____________________________________


December 30, Democratic Voice of Burma
Authorities demand data on opposition party - Khin Hnin Htet

Opposition party members in Burma are being forced to divulge personal
details about their families and jobs to intelligence officers, reportedly
on instruction from senior government.


Lists of National League for Democracy (NLD) members in Mandalay division,
Kachin state and Bago division have been drawn up, while birth dates of
divisional members of Mandalay’s Chanmyayttharzan township were collected
recently, NLD organizing member Myo Naing said.

“They didn’t come openly; local authorities came to ask our dates of
birth,” he said. “They said they did it under order of senior authorities.
I saw the list of the names of four to five NLD members in our ward.”

Another NLD member in Mandalay division, Tun Tun, said that it was not
clear why surveillance was being stepped up.

“They are mainly collecting [data] in rural areas. In urban areas, they
collect them in satellite towns,” he said. “When I asked them they said
they do it under instruction from the top.”

In Kachin state’s Mohnyin, NLD members are being photographed and told to
answer questionnaires. They are also told to list their siblings, their
addresses and jobs.

At the same time, NLD leaders in Mandalay sent a directive to colleagues
not to reveal data of party members, Mandalay Northwest township MP-elect
Tin Aung Aung said.

Khin Maung Swe, from the NLD’s information wing, said that authorities
have no right to collect data.

“It is not in accordance with the law for non-NLD party members to collect
details of party members,” he said. “If they did, we will investigate it
and carry out appropriate action.”

The Burmese government is preparing to hold elections next year, although
the NLD is yet to announce whether it will participate.

Critics of the government say that the 2008 constitution will entrench
military rule in the country, while detained NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi
is barred from running for office.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

December 28, Democratic Voice of Burma
Unusual army deployment raises eyebrows

The deployment of Burmese troops to an area near to Burma’s border with
China has raised suspicions of mistrust of a recently formed border guard
force in the region.

The move by the Burmese government appears all the more bizarre for its
use of troops from a battalion in Burma’s southern Irrawaddy division,
despite there being existing infantry in Kachin state, where the troops
have now settled.

According to military analyst Aung Kyaw Zaw, who is based on the
China-Burma border, such decisions are normally made in wartime, despite
the area being peaceful at present.

Furthermore, the area had been under the control of the New Democratic
Army Kachin (NDAK), which recently agreed to transform into a border guard
force and thus ally itself with the government.

The deployment was carried out because the ruling junta does not trust
border guard forces, said Aung Kyaw Zaw. Furthermore, the government
intends to disarm such groups in the future to protect its trade routes
with China.

“It [government] will try to settle down because it is a very important
business route to communicate with China,” he said, adding that there is
also a prospect of an increase in Burmese troops in the region.

“[The battalions] used to be Burma Communist Party members and surrendered
troops, so the junta cannot trust the groups. That’s why it is settling
down one of its own battalions there.”

____________________________________



December 30, Irrawaddy
No Border Guard Force Deadline for KIO – Saw Yan Naing

The Burmese military regime have lifted the deadline for agreement over
their border guard force demand with the Kachin Independence Organization
(KIO) and will continue talks, according to KIO sources.

Eight KIO leaders including chairman Lanyaw Zawng Hra, Vice-chairman (1)
Gauri Zau Seng, and general secretary La Ja met with a delegation of seven
members from the Burmese military regime led by Maj-Gen Soe Win, commander
of Northern Regional Command in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State on
Tuesday.

James Lum Dau, the KIO’s deputy chief of foreign affairs in Bangkok told
The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that there is no deadline for the KIO's armed
wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), to become part of the Burmese
regime-dominated border guard force. Both sides will continue discussions
over the issue, he said.

The Burmese junta's first deadline for the independent ethnic cease-fire
militias to transform their militias into Burmese military
regime-dominated border guard forces was at the end of October, but the
junta extended the deadline to the end of December.
Strong militias such as the KIA and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) have
yet to submit to the order, however.

During the meeting in Myitkyina on Tuesday, KIO representatives told the
Burmese delegation that they prefer the spirit of the Panglong Agreement,
Lum Dau said.

Signed in Shan State in 1947 by the then central government leader Gen
Aung San and ethnic Kachin, Chin and Shan leaders, the Panglong Agreement
aimed to form a federal Union of Burma.

It was reported earlier that junta supremo Snr-Gen Than Shwe was very
angry with recent KIO proposals, which follow the spirit of the Panglong
Agreement.

Lapai Naw Din, the editor of the Thailand-based Kachin News Group said,
“the KIO want their role to be in line with the Panglong Agreement. They
want to resolve political conflict  through political means, but the
Burmese regime doesn't want to compromise.”

Saeng Juen, an editor of the Chiang Mai-based Shan Herald Agency for News
said reports  from Shan State indicate that the Burmese military will take
action and make an example of an ethnic militia if none of the cease-fire
groups submit to the order by the end of December.

Another ethnic cease-fire group, the Shan State Army–North (SSA-N), held
meetings with members of its armed forces to explain the border guard
force proposal from 7 to 18 Dec., yet they have not announced whether they
will accept the junta demand. The SSA-N is waiting to see what the
strongest of the groups, the UWSA, decides, according to Saeng Juen.

The UWSA has agreed in principle to the border guard force order but have
not accepted that they should be dominated by Burmese military personnel
and will also hold further talks with junta authorities, according to
sources within the UWSA.

Meanwhile, the UWSA has strengthened its defenses since the Myanmar
National Democratic Alliance Army, a force of between 1,500 and 2,000 men,
abandoned Laogai, the capital of Kokang, to a column of junta troops
without putting up serious resistance on Aug. 24.

Since the junta announced its border guard force order, a few ethnic
cease-fire groups, such as the New Democratic Army-Kachin and the Karenni
National People’s Liberation Front, officially received honor ceremonies
in November marking their participation in the border guard force plan.

Official Burmese figures say there are 17 ethnic cease-fire groups that
have cease-fire agreements with the Burmese military government.

One strong cease-fire group, the DKBA, have agreed to the junta's border
guard force order but have not implemented it yet, however.

Karen sources said there is disagreement among members of the DKBA over
the border guard force issue, and several hundred DKBA members have
defected to the KNU since April, reportedly in disagreement with the
leadership's acceptance of the border guard plan.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE


December 28, Mizzima
Pigeon pea prices shoot up - Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai –  With India buying Toor (pigeon peas) from Burma, the price
of the bean and its export rate are on the upswing, said the Burma Beans
and Pulses Traders Association.

Production of crops declined given the bad weather in India and it began
importing Burmese beans and pulses pushing up the price of pigeon peas, it
is learnt.

The prevailing buying price of the bean is Kyat 905,000 (about USD 950)
per ton while the export price in over USD 1,000 per ton.

Earlier, Burma exported this variety of bean at just USD 400 per ton,
while the domestic buying price was just Kyat 350,000.

“Last year’s output of the bean accounting for about 250,000 tons has been
sold out. This year the production fell and with the demand from India
growing higher the price has gone up,” a member of the Association told
Mizzima.

In Burma also, due to bad weather, the production of pigeon beans dropped
by 40 per cent. This year the export price is the highest ever in three
decades, it is learnt.

In Burma, pigeon pea is grown in Magwe, Natmauk, Aunglan, Pyi, Pakokku,
Chauk, Yenanchaung, Kyaukpadaung, Sagaing, Monywa and Shwebo regions
between January and March. The harvesting season starts in November.

A farmer in Hnawkan village, Natmauk Township, Magwe Division said that
they got a good price this year.

“We sold our beans in Kyaukpadaung town and the current price is Kyat
30,000 per basket, a record high. Last year’s price was just Kyat 12,000.
The farmers in our village are earning good money this year and can make
offerings to monks in pagodas,” he said.

Pigeon beans produced around Pyi namely Aunglan, Sinpaungwe and Magwe are
being bought by traders from Rangoon on advance payment, a bean and pulse
brokerage firm owner from Pyi city said.

Before the price shot up, a total of 400,000 tons of beans were exported
from January to October and the export value was over USD 210 million. A
total of 240,000 tons of beans and pulses were exported during January to
October in 2008 raking in about USD 120 million, an association official
said.

About 300 Burmese companies are exporting beans and pulses to India and
about 20 Indian companies are buying it, the official said.

(Edited by Ko Wild)

____________________________________
ASEAN

December 28, Business Mirror
Expectations, Burma case derail FTA - Estrella Torres

Extremely high expectations on Europe’s part and the continuing political
turmoil in the military-ruled Burma have caused major hurdles in the
proposed free-trade deals being negotiated by members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with the European Union (EU), Canada
and the United States.

An official of the Asean secretariat in Jakarta said the negotiations with
the EU had been halted due to Europe’s high level of ambition on the
degree of liberalization it demands from the Asean members, which includes
recalcitrant Burma.

“The EU did not show any sign of sensitivity to the Asean because it wants
specific commitments,” said Anna Robeniol, head of the external economic
relations division of the Asean secretariat in Jakarta.

She said the EU should accept that Asean is composed of 10 countries with
different levels of economic development and political conditions.

The EU has been negotiating only with seven members and excluded in
particular Burma, renamed Myanmar by its military rulers, because it has
not complied with its commitment to put the country on track toward
democracy.

Europe has also included in the bilateral partnership agreement with Asean
members the need to ratify the 1998 Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court that punishes war crimes, genocide and other crimes against
humanity, seen as another high hurdle in relation to Burma.

Instead, Robeniol said the EU has been doing a “scoping study” on Asean
members to reach a degree of leverage and possibly move toward a
free-trade deal. The EU has been negotiating bilaterally with Singapore,
Vietnam and Thailand.

Meanwhile, she said the US government also does not want to negotiate a
free-trade deal with the Asean as long as its serious concerns on the
atrocities in Burma are not erased.

Washington has existing Trade and Investment Framework Agreements (TIFA)
with Asean members like the Philippines but could not pursue trade
engagement in the form of an FTA with the regional bloc since it would
require US Congress approval, seen to be dim again due to the Burmese
situation.

“Right now, its easier for the US to engage in the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation [Apec] because most of the Asean members are already there,”
said Robeniol.

The 21 Apec member-economies are planning to adopt a comprehensive
Asia-Pacific FTA to facilitate trade and investments along the Pacific
rim.

Robeniol said that Canada is also constrained to negotiate a free-trade
agreement with Asean members due to its similar serious concerns on the
atrocities in Burma.

She said the negotiations for the Asean-Canada TIFA has been very slow.
“The proposed TIFA between Asean and Canada has been drafted for the last
two or three years but both panels cannot convene a senior officials’
meeting to discuss that because Canada also has a problem on the Myanmar
situation.”

The Asean is set to implement by January 1, 2010 the Asean trade in goods
agreement (Atiga) that eliminates tariffs in more than 90 per cent of
products being traded within the region. The deal signed in November 2007
is an amendment of the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) signed in 1993.

____________________________________
REGIONAL

December 28, Washington Post
Thailand deports thousands of Hmong refugees – Tim Johnston

Bangkok -- Thailand on Monday began to deport back to Laos more than 4,000
ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers, defying intense pressure from the United
Nations, the United States and human rights groups who say the deportees
could face persecution upon their return.

After days of preparation, 5,000 troops and officials entered the Hmong
camp in Thailand's central Petchabun province early in the morning to
begin moving the asylum-seekers onto buses that would take them over the
border, a process that a military official said might take 24 hours.

Col. Thana Charuwat, the officer in charge of the operation, said that
2,100 of the camp residents had agreed to leave voluntarily and that the
army was trying to persuade the rest. But the Thai government has blocked
media and international access to the camp and mobile telephone signals in
it, making it difficult to independently confirm that information.

The migrants say they are at risk from persecution by the Laos government
if they return there. Many were soldiers or family members of soldiers --
the so-called "forgotten allies"-- who decades ago fought in a secret army
set up by the United States to combat the communist insurgents who
eventually took over the country in 1975.

In a statement on Monday, the United States urged Thai authorities to
suspend the deportation operation, noting that the Thai government had
itself deemed many of those being deported as being in need of protection.

"We deeply regret this serious violation of the international humanitarian
principles that Thailand has long been known for championing," said State
Department spokesman Ian Kelly.

The Thai government says the Laotian government has given assurances that
the returnees will be treated well.

"We have a high-level commitment that all these people will be granted an
amnesty," said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a government spokesman. He said the
government was also hoping to deport 158 Hmong who have been held for
three years in a detention center, and that four countries -- Australia,
Canada, the United States and the Netherlands -- were interviewing those
individuals with a view to giving them permanent domicile.

"Our plan is to send them back to Laos and that within a month they should
be sent out to the third countries," Panitan said.

The Thai government considers the asylum-seekers economic migrants, rather
than political refugees. "Based on the evaluation of our officers, these
people are illegal immigrants," Panitan said.

But that claim has satisfied few outsiders, and the United Nations High
Commission on Refugees says Thai authorities originally informed them that
some of the people in the camp did have protection needs.

Doctors Without Borders, the French-based non-governmental organization,
was working in the camp until May. Officials with the group say a number
of the residents had bullet and shrapnel scars, which they said were the
result of conflicts with the Laotian government.

Amnesty International said that women and girls who were sent back as a
group in 2005 were detained for 18 months; another group of six, which
returned at the same time, is unaccounted for.

Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, although
it has signed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees
the right to seek asylum. In the past, tens of thousands of refugees from
Burma have been given sanctuary in Thailand. But almost exactly a year ago
the army was accused of towing back out to sea hundreds of Burmese
Rohingya refugees who had arrived by boat, and leaving them with
inadequate food and water.

____________________________________

December 29, BBC
Burmese Muslims to be repatriated

Burma has agreed to repatriate 9,000 Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh, the
Bangladeshi government has said.

Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes made the announcement in Dhaka
after meeting his Burmese counterpart, who is on a two-day official visit.

The bilateral is also expected to cover trade deals and maritime boundaries.

Human rights groups say Rohingya Muslims have fled religious persecution
in Burma and do not want to return to their home country.


Many are said to have nowhere to live and suffer "dire conditions".

Burma has assured Bangladesh it will begin the process of repatriation "as
soon as possible", Mr Quayes said, after meeting Maung Myint, Burma's
foreign minister.

He said Bangladesh had handed over a list of 28,000 Rohingyas to Burma,
which had accepted that 9,000 people on the list were its citizens.

Dhaka says there are nearly 30,000 Rohingyas in two official camps in
south-eastern Bangladesh, and another 300,000 living illegally elsewhere.

Correspondents say Tuesday's announcement offers a partial solution to a
problem that dates back 30 years.

Rohingyas began fleeing Burma in the late 1970s, although the biggest
influx was in 1992 when an estimated 250,000 fled to Bangladesh.

Human rights groups say the Burmese junta discriminates against the
Rohingyas' Islamic faith, depriving them of free movement, education and
employment.

Earlier this year Rohingya refugees tried to escape Burma to other Asian
countries, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

December 30, BBC
Brown pledges support to Suu Kyi

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written a personal letter to Burma's
detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

In the letter, Mr Brown praises Ms Suu Kyi's selflessness and courage,
saying that his government stands "immovably" alongside her and the
Burmese people.

He urges the Burmese leadership to hold free and inclusive elections in
2010, what he calls "an historic year".

He warns anything less will prolong the country's diplomatic exclusion.

"If the scheduled elections proceed under a rigged constitution, with
opposition leaders excluded and with no international oversight, the
military rulers will be condemning Burma to more years of diplomatic
isolation and economic stagnation," Mr Brown writes.

He added that Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 20 years
under house arrest, could count on the support of the UK.

"I continue to call upon the regime to engage with you and allow you
further contact with diplomats in Rangoon, and to start a genuine dialogue
that can give the Burmese people back their future and their hope," he
writes in the letter.

The text has been passed to the Burmese leadership via the British embassy
in Rangoon which officials say is the formal channel for communicating
with Ms Suu Kyi.

Although Aung San Suu Kyi has lodged several appeals over the years, the
chances of her being released ahead of the elections seem remote.


____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

December 28,GlobalPost
Burma: Is that conflict timber on your patio?  - Patrick Winn

Bangkok, Thailand — Though America’s relations with Burma shows signs of
thawing, the regime-run country still suffers some of the U.S.
government’s heaviest sanctions.

To punish the Burmese government for human rights abuses, the U.S.
government won’t let Americans invest in Burma or import its goods. These
prohibitions are meant to prevent Americans from buying up Burma’s most
desirable resources — such as rare timber and jade — and inadvertently
funding the oppressive regime.

Still, U.S. furniture dealers continue to openly market Burmese wood,
notably teak, an increasingly rare hardwood prized for its beauty and
resilience. Despite Burma’s infamy, and toughening U.S. laws, Americans
can still purchase coveted Burmese hardwood off the Web.

WHAT’S SO TERRIBLE ABOUT BUYING BURMESE WOOD?

Sales of any Burmese goods may fund the country’s oppressive junta-run
government, accused of forced labor, systematic rape and shelling ethnic
villages. Exotic timber is one of the junta’s biggest moneymakers.

In 2007-08, timber was the junta-run government’s fourth largest export,
according to the U.K. non-profit Global Witness. The advocacy group,
famous for exposing Africa’s “blood diamonds” trade, has lobbied intensely
to clean up Burma’s timber trade.

Beyond funding human rights abuses, timber sales also help strip
already-ravaged forests. Global Witness’ forestry expert, Jon Buckrell,
calls the heavily logged region “one of the most biologically rich and
most threatened environments on earth.”

WHO SELLS "BURMESE" WOOD?

As of December 2009, many U.S. companies were openly selling wood labeled
as “Burmese” online. They include Floors To Go’s line of "Ulysses Burmese
Teak," CanTrust Hardwood’s "Solid Burmese Teak" and Corona Hardwood’s
"Burma Mahogany."

Each of these businesses was contacted for comment. Only Corona Hardwood
responded, directing questions about the wood’s origin to the importer,
Elegance Wood Flooring. That company, through e-mail, also would not
comment about its “Burma Mahogany” product, which is advertised as
originating in “Burma/Thailand” on its Web site.

WHY DO U.S. BUYERS COVET BURMESE TEAK?

It’s among the most beautiful, resilient hardwood on the planet. It’s
resistant to rotting, warping and degrading — even under harsh rain and
sun. It was the preferred wood for building Britain’s colonial-era navy.
Old-growth teak remains the choice wood for crafting patios, deck
furniture or yachts. And it’s a status symbol to boot.

HOW IS BURMESE WOOD IMPORTED INTO THE U.S.?

Though the spirit of the U.S. federal law is clearly against importing
Burmese wood, importers have long exploited legal loopholes.

The “Burma Freedom and Democracy Act,” renewed by the U.S. president each
year since 2003, bans the import of “any article that is the product of
Burma.”

To get around this law, American hardwood vendors can simply import
Burmese timber from China, where the wood is trucked across the border and
sawed into planks.

Additionally, Congress intensified illegal logging laws late last year by
amending the Lacey Act, a more than 100-year-old conservationist law. Now,
U.S. importers must declare the wood’s “country of harvest.” If that
country is Burma, importing that wood is illegal.

It’s possible to process the wood until “it may no longer be considered of
Burmese origin,” said Jessica Milteer, a spokeswoman with the United
States Department of Agriculture. But hardwoods — which many U.S.
companies offer — wouldn’t fall into this category.

Depending on whether federal agents can prove importers or dealers know
they’ve trafficked illicit wood, fines range between $250 and $500,000.
Some violations can impose prison sentences.

The amendment also says U.S. importers must now heed “any foreign law that
protects plants.” So if Chinese conservationist laws prohibit imports of
rare Burmese trees, U.S. companies are prohibited from importing that
wood. Despite China’s reputation as an unrepentant polluter, a legal
crackdown has helped reduce illicit wood imports from Burma in some areas
by 70 percent, according to Global Witness.

The U.S., however, has yet to stage a sweeping crackdown on wood
importers. The new law isn’t retroactive, so U.S. dealers are free to sell
down their remaining stock of Burmese wood.

WILL THE TIMBER SANCTIONS EVER LIFT?

Probably not. The State Department has suggested easing some sanctions to
coax better behavior from Burma’s military junta ahead of the slated 2010
election. But the U.S. is unlikely to lift sanctions that protect Burma’s
valuable forests, which have already been ravaged by logging and mining.

CAN BUYERS ACQUIRE TEAK WITHOUT FUNDING A MILITARY JUNTA?

Yes. Harsh laws and a dwindling teak supply have given rise to
“plantation” teak, often grown in tropical climes around Central and South
America. Though this teak is considered more sustainable and eco-friendly,
some boat makers and furniture dealers say it just can’t match the quality
of old-growth Burmese teak.