BurmaNet News, June 17, 2010

[Editor]

June 17, Issue #3984


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Rangoon photographer sent to Insein jail
Irrawaddy: Burmese Foreign Minister receives Iranian delegation
Wall Street Journal: Myanmar's golden pond

ON THE BORDER
IRIN (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs):
BANGLADESH-MYANMAR: Rush to deliver aid to thousands after landslides

ASEAN
Business Mirror (Philippines): Asean envoys sidestep Suu Kyi-Burma issue
in talks with Aquino

INTERNATIONAL
Independent (UK): Caught on camera: Burma's political prisoners
Irrawaddy: The world prepares to mark Suu Kyi birthday

OPINION / OTHER
UNHCR: Myanmar: UN Special Rapporteur calls for the immediate release of
Aung San Suu Kyi
FCO (UK): Foreign Secretary welcomes UN statement on Aung San Suu Kyi
Freedom Now: UN declares Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s
detention illegal; urges her immediate and unconditional release
The Elders: The Elders keep an empty chair for Aung San Suu Kyi
FIDH: FIDH reiterates call for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s release as UN body
declares her detention illegal for fifth time
Asian Tribune: Aung San Suu Kyi: 5349 days under house arrest, world
celebrates her 65th birthday – Zin Linn


____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

June 17, Democratic Voice of Burma
Rangoon photographer sent to Insein jail – Yee May Aung

A man who was arrested in April along with his son after photographing the
aftermath of the Rangoon bombings has been sent to Burma’s notorious
Insein prison.

Maung Maung Zeya, 55, and his son Sithu Zeya are yet to be convicted of
any offense, but have been held in detention since their arrest on 15
April following the grenade attacks which left nine dead and hundreds
injured.

The two are being kept in different cells in Rangoon’s Insein prison,
which was built by the British and has housed hundreds of Burma’s
pro-democracy luminaries. Maung Maung Zeya was transferred there from
Bahan township police station on 14 June, while Sithu Zeya was moved there
in May.

“I [visited] the two on Monday [14 June],” said wife and mother, Yee Yee
Tint.  “Maung Maung Zeya was detained in [Insein prison's] Ward 1 and
Sithu Zeya in Ward 5.

“I was only allowed to meet them one by one. They are OK apart from Sithu
complaining that he had to appear in court along with everyone and he
couldn’t bear the cigarette smoke. [Maung Maung] will be brought to the
court on 22 June and Sithu [tomorrow],” she said.

Biology student Sithu appeared in court earlier this month on two charges
of breaching the Electronics Act and holding links to so-called ‘unlawful
associations’, a label often used by the Burmese junta to tarnish exiled
media and pro-democracy groups. Maung Maung has also been charged under
the Unlawful Association Act, as well as the Immigration Act, and will
begin his trial on 22 June.

Neither party is said to have had anything to do with the bombings; the
charges stem from the Burmese government’s draconian press laws, which
target media workers suspected to be providing material to exiled news
outlets. Rangoon police chief Khin Yi told a press conference that the two
were arrested for videoing the aftermath of the incident.

Yee Yee Tint said in May that her son had told her he had been beaten and
denied food during the early stages of interrogation in April.

“Their initial [Immigration Act] charges are handed down by the
immigration department,” Yee Yee Tint told DVB yesterday. “Sithu had
previously been abroad with the passport, but [authorities] allege that he
left Burma [illegally] from Myawaddy [on the border with Thailand].

“U Zeya [father] was faces the same allegations but his case is more
serious as it was filed at the [Western Rangoon] Provincial Court,” having
previously been filed at a lower township court.

Nine people died in the incident, which was the worst attack in Rangoon
since 2005. It preceded a number of other bombings around Burma, focused
mainly on controversial hydropower projects.

____________________________________

June 17, Irrawaddy
Burmese Foreign Minister receives Iranian delegation

Burmese Foreign Minister Nyan Win met with an Iranian goodwill delegation
at the Foreign Ministry in Naypyidaw on Wednesday afternoon, according to
the state-run newspaper, The New Light of Myanmar.

The delegation, led by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali
Fathollahi, also met with Hauk Do Swam, the deputy director-general of the
Foreign Ministry's political department, and the ministry's head of 
office, Tha Aung Nyunt. Iranian Ambassador to Burma Majid Bizmark was also
present at the meeting, according to the report.

The report provided no further details about the visit, the first by an
Iranian delegation since 2006.

Although Iran is not closely allied with Burma's ruling regime, the two
countries share a similar pariah status in the international community due
to their repression of internal dissent and worries about their military
ambitions.

In recent years, the junta has reached out to several other nations that
have been singled out for censure, including North Korea, Sudan and Sri
Lanka.

China, the regime's most important ally, has also moved aggressively in
recent years to strengthen its ties with resource-rich countries
ostracized by the West.

In early June, the junta's reclusive leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, had a rare
meeting with a foreign dignitary when he held talks with Chinese Prime
Minister Wen Jiabao in Naypyidaw.

During the trip, Wen signed 15 cooperation agreements with the regime,
covering areas such as natural gas imports, a trans-Burma gas pipeline,
hydro-power dams and foreign aid.

Burma has also recently purchased 50 K-8 jet trainer aircraft from China,
according to Burmese air force sources in Meikhtila. Air force chief
Lt-Gen Myat Hein traveled to China last November to negotiate an upgrade
to the fleet of Chinese-made military aircraft already owned by Burma.
____________________________________

June 17, Wall Street Journal
Myanmar's golden pond

Kay Lar, Myanmar—In the evenings, as the sun disappears behind the hills
south of Mandalay and water laps against the hulls of wooden fishing boats
here, it's possible to imagine the outside world is slipping away.

In fact, it's Myanmar's famous Inle Lake that's disappearing.

Inle, best known for the fishermen who glide across its glassy waters in
flat-bottomed skiffs like misplaced Venetian boatmen, counts among Asia's
most magical places. But it's shrinking at an alarming rate, the causes
believed to stem from rising population density and rapid growth in the
area's two main industries: tourism and agriculture.

Floating gardens, manmade islands used to grow crops such as tomatoes and
flowers, have expanded to cover much of the area near the shoreline;
though photogenic, they are choking the lake's fragile ecosystem. Shifting
agricultural patterns in the surrounding mountains compound the lake's
problems, scientists and residents say, as forest-clearing for timber and
slash-and-burn agriculture allow more silt to wash into rivers that feed
the lake.

Inle Lake shrank by roughly a third, from 69 square kilometers to about
47, between 1935 and 2000, according to a study published in 2007 by the
Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science, a Japanese
consortium that includes several universities. Another report, prepared by
the Myanmar government in conjunction with the United Nations Environment
Program and others, measured the lake—a rough oval in shape—at 11
kilometers long and five kilometers wide in 1996, down from 23 kilometers
long and 11 kilometers wide in 1967.

Hoteliers and other residents say they believe the rate of decline has
accelerated in recent years, and this year the problem has been
exacerbated by a severe drought. During a recent visit, some areas
traditionally open to tourists were difficult to reach because water
levels were so low. One village was cut off entirely from boat traffic,
leaving boatmen to wade through mud for the final hundred meters from a
canal.

If recent trends continue, says Tin Aung Moe, a senior program officer at
UNEP's Regional Resource Center for Asia and the Pacific in Thailand, "the
lake might be gone in one or two decades."

The problems at Inle are emblematic of a country that's filled with
extraordinary natural wonders and has more green space and unmolested
wildlife than most other parts of Asia, but lacks the institutional
capacity and political will to preserve them. The military junta that has
ruled since 1962 launched a national environmental policy in the 1990s,
and has won some qualified praise for overseeing preservation of the
country's 12th-century-era Bagan ruins, another major tourist draw. But it
has failed to protect Inle and other treasures from the likes of logging,
mining and development.

Environmental policy is largely in the hands of the National Commission
for Environmental Affairs, which analysts say has limited powers and is
understaffed and underfunded. Only rarely are officials willing to work
with international organizations that have more expertise.

Scientists say Inle's problems may be reversible, and for now the lake
retains the ethereal natural beauty that has made it such an attractive
destination. In the mornings, when a blanket of mist rises and the sound
of oars striking water floats to the shores, it still feels very much
alive.

Set in a tranquil mountain valley a short flight from Yangon, Inle seems
more like Switzerland than Asia, the temperatures cool and the hills
framed in blue hues as light fades into evening. Resident and migratory
birds, including wild ducks, cormorants and herons, appear in single file
or formation over the shallow waters. And though tens of thousands of
people visit Inle each year, for now it's still large enough that in
remoter areas visitors can feel they have it all to themselves.

Tourists typically hire wooden boats with outboard motors to navigate the
lake and the narrow canals. They stop off at stilt-house villages, a
19th-century monastery and a sprawling lakeside open-air market that moves
from site to site during the week.

They also check out the beautiful but problematic floating gardens and
visit handicraft workshops and temples, including the region's holiest
site, Phaung Daw Oo Paya, a multitiered pagoda with Buddha images covered
in gold.

It's worth asking the boat operator to cut the engine in the middle of
Inle and just drift for a bit. From there one can take in the whole
scene—in the distance white pagodas and along the horizon fishermen, using
the curious local technique to move about the lake: They wrap one leg
around a wooden paddle and whip it back and forth in the water to propel
the boat. The atmosphere seems little changed from centuries ago.

But Inle is changing quickly as more people migrate in. The area's
population grew by more than 35% between 1983 and 2005, to 144,000 people.
One reason is the floating gardens, which provide a livelihood beyond
fishing. Villagers build them by assembling a mat of aquatic plant
material (like the fast-growing but invasive water hyacinth) combined with
silt, though not so much as to submerge it. After inserting bamboo poles
at intervals to keep their islands from floating away, they plant their
crops. In hopes of boosting yields, many apply agricultural chemicals,
which leach into the lake and add to its troubles.

"Farming is a good business here," said one grower of tomatoes and flowers
as he worked along a weed-clogged canal. He has expanded his farm in
recent years, he added, but now "there is no more space," as nearby farms
have also spread.

As the lake shrinks, the fish population drops—which in turn drives more
villagers to take up farming. One fisherman in his early 20s says he makes
perhaps $3 or $4 a day, catching only a handful of fish, considerably
fewer than his father caught a decade ago. The lake's shallowness—it's
mostly no more than a few meters deep, even a couple of kilometers from
the shore—is one of the features that makes it slightly surreal, but the
young fisherman says the water was deeper back when he used to go out with
his father.

"Now all you see is weeds," he says. Tangles of olive-colored plants were
visible beneath his boat.

The other big change at Inle is the rise of mass tourism. Before Myanmar
opened the sector to more investment in the 1990s, tourist arrivals in the
country came to only a few thousand people a year; today the number is
about 300,000. There are now more than 10 major hotels along Inle Lake and
more than two dozen lodges in a nearby town, compared with just two in the
area in the mid-1990s.

Most of the lakeside properties are big resorts, some quite luxurious. At
the Myanmar Treasure Resort Inle Lake, for instance, rows of
hardwood-floored cottages fan out along the shoreline, with rustic wooden
paths and gardens between them. Amenities include satellite television, a
spa offering aromatherapy massages and facials and a boutique selling
local handicrafts and clothing.

The newer hotels have made Inle more inviting to higher-end tourists. Some
hope visitors can help the situation by being mindful of their impact and
encouraging hoteliers to invest in programs to remove silt and other
waste. But scientists tracking the lake's decline say there may be more
cost than benefit.

The development "just increases the amount of garbage that has to be dealt
with, the electricity that has to be generated, the sewage that is
probably dumped into the lake, in a part of the world where infrastructure
is often lacking," says Alan Ziegler, an associate professor at the
National University of Singapore and one of the authors of the Japanese
consortium's study.

Development at Inle "is probably at the doorstep of being at a situation
where it's unsustainable," he says.

Hoteliers say they are working to limit their impact. Some have donated
money to local groups that promote conservation, though environmental
organizations are typically given limited space to operate in Myanmar's
tightly controlled political climate.

At the Myanmar Treasure Resort, general manager U Win Oo Tan says his
hotel has installed wastewater-treatment systems and introduced proper
garbage collection. The resort also requires boatmen to cut their engines
as they approach its dock and pole their way in to preserve peace and
quiet—the hotel marshlands are a gathering place for scores of wild birds.

"The authorities and the people here are very much aware" of the problems,
says U Win Oo Tan.

Myanmar authorities have established an Inle Wetland Bird Sanctuary and
instituted a number of programs and laws that in theory restrict the
expansion of floating gardens. It has employed dredges to clear out silted
areas, and boat drivers have been required to haul out hyacinth—a species
that has choked lakes around the world—whenever they travel to Nyaungshwe,
the main service center for the Inle. But residents say commitment to such
policies is sporadic at best.

Across from the Phaung Daw Oo pagoda, a sign admonishes residents to "get
rid of water weeds and hyacinths" and "limit the extension of residences
and plantations." Those goals "must be carried out with cooperation"
between the people and the military, it says. Yet all around the area,
farmers continue to expand their gardens.

Attempts to reach the Myanmar government, which rarely speaks with foreign
journalists, were unsuccessful. An official at the National Commission for
Environmental Affairs didn't respond to a list of questions.

One of Myanmar's leading environmental groups, the Forest Resource
Environment Development and Conservation Association, says it has launched
discussions with forestry officials and an army commander in the region to
boost conservation programs there, according to U Ohn, the group's vice
chairman. He says he's developing a five-year Inle Lake restoration
program that will encourage more-sustainable agriculture and forestry
practices and further increase awareness of the lake's troubles.

"It is late but not too late" to reverse the lake's decline, he says. But
he estimates it will cost at least $1 million to put the plan into action,
and says it's unlikely the government will provide more than a small
contribution.

Kyi Thein Ko, general secretary of the Myanmar Hotelier Association and
managing director of the Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort at Inle, said it's
understandable that officials have other priorities—like dealing with the
environmental toll of Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 130,000
people in 2008. But given its enormous economic value, hoteliers say, Inle
must be protected.

"One day Inle Lake may be fading away and we'll be using motor vehicles
instead of outboard motors," said Kyi Thein Ko. "Which tourist will enjoy
our hotel without water?"

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

June 17, IRIN (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
BANGLADESH-MYANMAR: Rush to deliver aid to thousands after landslides

Yangon – Governments and aid workers are scrambling to assist thousands of
people - many of them stateless Rohingya refugees - stranded after three
days of heavy monsoon rains caused severe flooding and landslides in the
Myanmar-Bangladesh border region, killing at least 99 people and wiping
out homes, roads and bridges, officials say.

In Myanmar, 46 people were killed in the Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships
of northern Rakhine State in the west, the state-owned New Light of
Myanmar newspaper reported.

Most of the population in these two hardest hit townships are ethnic
Rohingya, a stateless people denied citizenship by the Myanmar government.

"Several thousand families have reportedly been displaced and close to 40
villages are submerged," Vincent Hubin, deputy head of the UN Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar said by email.
He said agencies were assessing the situation in the field, and Deputy
Minister of Home Affairs U Phone Swe has arrived in Northern Rakhine State
and will stay for several days.

A visitor on a field trip in Northern Rakhine State was among thousands of
people trudging through deep mud from Maungdaw to Buthidaung - the two
worst affected cities - to safety.

"The road between these two places is completely destroyed," she wrote in
an email to her husband in Bangkok, who spoke to IRIN on condition of
anonymity. "The road we walked today took five-and-a-half hours. That was
the only way to take ourselves from the place we were in to the next town.

"We walked in deep mud for hours, climbed and balanced on 20cm-wide
bridges over small ravines... We're completely covered in mud from head to
toe and completely soaked. Now we have arrived at our destination, and
from here, there are boats to Sittwe [capital of Rakhine State]."

Cut off

Bridges between Maungdaw and Buthidaung were washed away, locals told IRIN.

"Some people in the town worry so much about their relatives and friends
in the rural areas, but they can't access their villages as transportation
is now cut off," a local resident from Maungdaw said by phone.

Another woman from Maungdaw said entire families were killed after a
rain-soaked hill collapsed on to Taungshwe Village in Maungdaw Township.

"The victims have no food to eat, no house to live in," she said, adding
that commodity prices in Maungdaw had spiked.

Bishow Parajuli, the UN Development Programme resident representative,
said the most urgent needs in the affected areas were drinking water,
shelter, food and blankets. "We are providing rapid response to meet
immediate needs, but people also need to rebuild roads and houses and
recover from these unfortunate events."

Rains have reportedly subsided and water levels are receding but the area
is at further risk as the monsoon season has just started, according to
OCHA.

Local authorities, the UN Refugee Agency, Médecins Sans Frontières -
Holland and Action Against Hunger have supported the relocation of
affected people using boats. Many other organizations such as Malteser
International, Myanmar Red Cross Society and others are also supporting
relief efforts, Hubin said.

UNHCR, the lead agency in northern Rakhine State, has called an emergency
meeting of partners in Yangon and is supporting coordination in the field
in water, health, shelter, food, infrastructure and protection for
families who have lost documents.

"With regards to the convoy [of essential items], UNHCR is leading the
process and is trying to organize a boat to depart from Yangon and go to
NRS (Northern Rakhine State). Departure is still planned for Saturday,"
Hubin said.

The OCHA report said emergency supplies would be mobilized from Sittwe. As
roads have been damaged, the use of boats and commercial flights will be
considered for the deployment of the emergency supplies.

Bangladesh toll

In Bangladesh, at least 53 people, including five members of the army,
were killed in landslides in Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts. Cox's
Bazar experienced 132mm of rain in 24 hours, according to a 16 June
situation report by the government's Disaster Management Information
Centre.

The Ministry of Food and Disaster Management has allocated 1.3 million
Bangladeshi taka (about US$19,000) and 150MT of rice for affected people
in the two districts.

Meanwhile, people in areas vulnerable to landslides have been evacuated,
fishing boats have been advised to remain close to the coast and measures
are being taken to save food stores at risk of inundation, the report
said.

Gias Uddin Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar, told IRIN that 15
shelter camps had been established.

There are 12,000 people in the rescue camps. We are also providing foods
to them. UNHCR gave us 700 tents and we have handed them over to the
affected people," he said, adding that some people had started returning
to their homes.

____________________________________
ASEAN

June 17, Business Mirror (Philippines)
Asean envoys sidestep Suu Kyi-Burma issue in talks with Aquino – Butch
Fernandez

PRESIDENT-ELECT Benigno Aquino III and Asean ambassadors, in a meeting at
the Aquino family residence on Thursday, sidestepped a sensitive issue
involving the long-sought release from house arrest of Burmese
prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is marking her birthday on
Friday.

Among those who met with Aquino at Times Street were: Ambassador Malai
Hajah Halimah Malai Yussof of Brunei Darussalam; Cambodian Charges d’
Affaires Tith Sarunreth; Ambassador Yohanes Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo of
Indonesia; Ambassador Leuane Sombounkhan of Laos; Malaysian Charges d’
Affaires Dato Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad; Ambassador A. Selverajah of
Singapore; Ambassador Kulkumut Singhara Na Ayudhya of Thailand; and
Ambassador Nguyen Vu Tu of Vietnam.
Aquino told reporters that the discussion focused mainly on the upcoming
Asean Summit in Vietnam late this year.

 “We talked about Asean, in general. There is a forthcoming Asean Summit
to be hosted by Vietnam toward the end of this year. We talked about the
primacy of addressing issues within our region as a unified bloc and in
that sense, the phrase was, we can be, as Asean, in the driver’s seat
affecting our own courses and our future, especially in dealing with a
lot of the superpowers.”

But he pointed out that since this was their initial meeting, “we did not
go into all details.”

Aquino explained that there was no deliberate attempt to exclude the
Burmese issue from the discussions. “There were no discussions on what can
be and cannot be discussed.

Rather, this was the first meeting, there are so many things that are
happening in the world in general, but more specifically the growth of the
Asean bloc. And the initial step has to be make sure that is the
priority.”

Asked if he shares the position of his late mother, former President
Corazon Aquino, in supporting calls for the Burmese military junta to
release Suu Kyi, Aquino replied: “I think I made a lot of pronouncements
regarding that aspect, especially as a member of the legislature. But I
think we should be courteous to our visitors at this time and not go into
a confrontation with them, especially if they are guests in our house.”

Aquino indicated to reporters, however, that he will eventually get to
deal with the Burmese issue once he gets settled in the Office of the
President. “I will ask you for a little time. We have not yet assumed
office. We do not want to create tensions with people who are our guests,
especially in this house.”

In the same interview, Aquino also confirmed plans to attend the Asean
summit in Vietnam.

 “There will be prioritization. Most probably, I will attend the Asean
summit given its importance.”

 “There is, of course, a need to go to the biggest market we have, which
is the United States. We also want to have growth as far as European
Union is concerned,” he added.

Later in the day, Aquino also met with a separate group of envoys from
Latin American countries, including; Ambassadors Alcides Gastao Rostand
Prates of Brazil; Ovid Haraisch of Chile; Tomas Javier Calvillo Unna of
Mexico; Ivan Javier Crespo of Panama; Daniel Joaquin Otero of Argentina;
Colombia Charge d’ Affaires Stella Marquez de Araneta; Venezuela Charge d’
Affaires Manuel Perez Iturbe and Cuba Charge d’ Affaires Enna Viant
Valdes.

____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

June 17, Independent (UK)
Caught on camera: Burma's political prisoners – Matilda Battersby

A ground breaking photography project by award-winning documentary
journalist James Mackay calls for the unconditional release of all Burmese
political prisoners, of whom human rights groups estimate there are over
2,000.

Many of those incarcerated took part in the democracy demonstrations in
1988, were members of dissident groups or otherwise fell foul of the
junta. Over 40 former Burmese prisoners have been photographed and their
stories recorded by Mackay for Even Though I'm Free I Am Not, which is due
to be exhibited at Amnesty International's UK headquarters next week.

Central St Martin's photography graduate Mackay has been working closely
with human rights organizations the Assistance Association for Political
Prisoners (AAPP) and the Democratic Voice of Burma for the last 18 months
to locate and talk to former prisoners, many of whom agreed to be
photographed with the name of a current political prisoner emblazoned on
their palm.

See the pictures and read the stories of Burma's ex-political prisoners by
clicking here or on the image above
[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/caught-on-camera-burmas-political-prisoners-2002989.html?action=popup]

"I came up with the idea initially then I approached the AAPP to discuss
it with them. I wanted to see if they thought people would be happy to get
involved. I was keen to do it only if the former prisoners were completely
happy about it," Mackay told The Independent Online.

"But it just took off. This is perhaps because, as you can imagine, former
prisoners form quite a tight knit group. Amnesty is taking the project
forwards as part if its main campaign for political prisoners." Most of
those included in the project have fled Burma since their release. Mackay
says there's little risk to those who have taken part because they're
living outside the country, but there is still an element of danger
involved which makes their participation all the more commendable.

Mackay has photographed over 160 former political prisoners from other
countries as well as Burma, including Japan, the UK, Norway and Thailand.
The project took second place in the political photojournalism category at
the prestigious Prix de la Photographie Paris 2010 awards last month.

The exhibition at Amnesty opens on Monday at an event during which several
former Burmese prisoners of conscience will be speaking, including Daw
Nita Yin Yin May and Khun Saing, both of whom are featured in the project.

Even Though I'm Free I Am Not opens at Amnesty International's UK
headquarters in Shoreditch, London on Monday 21 June and runs until
Thursday 24 June. www.amnesty.org.uk
____________________________________

June 17, Irrawaddy
The world prepares to mark Suu Kyi birthday – Ba Kaung

Events to mark detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's 65th
birthday will take place both inside and outside Burma on Saturday. While
foreign diplomats in Bangkok read out messages of support for Suu Kyi's
freedom to Burma's opposition in exile, her supporters in Rangoon have
said they will plant tens of thousands of trees in honor of their leader.

“We will plant 20,000 trees in 386 townships for our leader's birthday,”
said Phyu Phyu Thin, a female leader with Suu Kyi's disbanded National
League For Democracy (NLD).

Other party members said they will mark their leader's birthday by making
donations to Buddhist monks and providing financial support to the
children of political prisoners.

On Thursday in Bangkok, a coalition of 10 Burmese opposition groups held a
ceremony to mark Suu Kyi's birthday at the Foreign Correspondents Club of
Thailand (FCCT). The event included diplomats from Canada, the United
States, the Czech Republic and Thailand.

Canadian Ambassador to Thailand Ron Hoffmann said that Canada will
continue to support Suu Kyi and Burma's democratic struggle, adding that
his country has imposed the toughest economic sanctions against the
Burmese regime.

Kraisak Choonhavan, a leading member of the Thai parliament, expressed his
hope that—although his country is essentially supporting the Burmese
regime by importing natural gas— Thailand might be in a position to
pressure the regime at some time in the future. He added that he wished to
be the first person to shake hands with Suu Kyi if she is released and is
able to visit Thailand.

The FCCT event also marked the end of an international campaign denouncing
the Burmese general election that received more than 40,000 signatures
from 35 countries in two weeks.

On Saturday, supporters of the US Campaign for Burma will hold a
solidarity rally in Washington, as will members of Burma Campaign for UK,
who say they are calling for the release of Suu Kyi and more than 2,000
other political prisoners in Burma.

“We will form a line of 18 people, wearing T-shirts spelling out the
messages: 'Aung San Suu Kyi' and 'Now set her free.' We will hand out
flyers with information about Suu Kyi and human rights in Burma,” said a
statement from the London-based group.

This week, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
condemned Suu Kyi's detention in a statement, saying, “[the] continuation
of the deprivation of liberty of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi is arbitrary [and] in
contravention of articles 9,10, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.”

Suu Kyi has spent nearly 15 of the last 21 years in detention. She is
currently serving an 18-month extension of house arrest for briefly
sheltering an American citizen last year who swam uninvited to her
lakeside home in Rangoon.

The NLD was officially dissolved on May 7 after rejecting the regime's
election laws which would have required it to oust its leader, Suu Kyi,
from the party.

The regime is widely expected to hold a general election before Suu Kyi's
sentence expires in November.

____________________________________
OPINION / OTHER

June 17, Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Myanmar: UN Special Rapporteur calls for the immediate release of Aung San
Suu Kyi

Geneva – Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana:

“I urge the Government of Myanmar to heed the call of an independent
United Nations human rights body to immediately release Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently
adopted its sixth ‘Opinion’ on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which has been made
public.

As in its previous five ‘Opinions’, the Working Group has found that the
continuous deprivation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s liberty is arbitrary, and
has requested the Government of Myanmar to implement its previous
recommendations and to remedy the situation in order for Myanmar to be in
conformity with the norms and principles set forth in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

I also call upon the Government of Myanmar to release all prisoners of
conscience in order to create the conditions for an inclusive election
process and to demonstrate that it intends to take a more serious and
sincere approach to its international obligations to uphold human rights.”

For inquiries and media requests, please contact Christine Chung (Tel: +
41 22 928 9673 / email cchung at ohchr.org)
____________________________________

June 17, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK)
Foreign Secretary welcomes UN statement on Aung San Suu Kyi

Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomes UN statement on detention of Aung
San Suu Kyi
Supporters hold images of Aung San Su Kyi. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty
Images.

On 16 June, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention publicly
pronounced pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued detention a
breach of international human rights law.

Responding to the view of UN experts, the Foreign Secretary said:

“Aung San Suu Kyi is 65 this Saturday, having spent 14 of the last 20
years under house arrest. Her continued detention, and that of more than
2,100 other political prisoners in Burma, contravenes international human
rights law and casts a long shadow over planned elections in the country.
I urge the military regime to release all political prisoners immediately
and unconditionally, and respect the human rights of Burma’s people.”

Speaking in Geneva, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation
of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, said:

“I urge the Government of Myanmar to heed the call of an independent
United Nations human rights body to immediately release Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recently
adopted its sixth ‘Opinion’ on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which has been made
public.

As in its previous five ‘Opinions’, the Working Group has found that the
continuous deprivation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s liberty is arbitrary, and
has requested the Government of Myanmar to implement its previous
recommendations and to remedy the situation in order for Myanmar to be in
conformity with the norms and principles set forth in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

I also call upon the Government of Myanmar to release all prisoners of
conscience in order to create the conditions for an inclusive election
process and to demonstrate that it intends to take a more serious and
sincere approach to its international obligations to uphold human rights.”

The Foreign Office is inviting people to post birthday messages for Aung
San Suu Kyi on its Facebook wall: www.facebook.com/fcoburma
____________________________________

June 17, Freedom Now
UN declares Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention
illegal; urges her immediate and unconditional release

Washington, D.C. – Today, Freedom Now released Opinion No. 12/2010 from
the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The judgment from
this international tribunal unequivocally reestablishes that the ongoing
detention of Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is illegal and
in violation of international law.

In its opinion, the Working Group declares that ”[t]he continuation of the
deprivation of liberty of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is arbitrary being in
contravention of articles 9, 10, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. . .” The Working Group further condemned the junta’s illegal
imprisonment of Ms. Suu Kyi stating that she “was not informed of the
reasons for her arrest; had no effective remedy to challenge her
detention; no records were given to her; she was never informed of her
rights; she has been denied communication with the [o]utside world; and is
being detained because of her political views.”

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is an independent and
impartial body of the UN Human Rights Council. It currently consists of
experts from Chile, Norway, Pakistan, Russian Federation, and Senegal.
This is the sixth opinion from the Working Group finding subsequent terms
of her house arrest in violation of international law.

Ms. Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy, and its
allies won the 1990 elections in Burma with more than 80% of the
parliamentary seats. Since that election, Ms. Suu Kyi has spent more than
14 of the last 20 years under house arrest. American citizen John Yettaw’s
unannounced and illegal entry into Ms. Suu Kyi’s residence in May 2009
resulted in the most recent illegal extension of her house arrest.

In a recent statement carried by the state-run media, Burma’s foreign
ministry stated it “is a country that always respects UN declarations and
decisions as it is a UN member country.” If this is the case, then she
should be immediately released.

“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be sixty-five years old this Saturday, June
19th – another birthday spent unjustly confined,” said Jared Genser,
president of Freedom Now and international pro bono counsel for Ms. Suu
Kyi. “The military junta continues to flagrantly violate international law
and decisions of the UN Working Group by imprisoning Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi.”

Contact: Jared Genser
+1 (202) 799-4325
_____________________________________

June 17, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
FIDH reiterates call for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s release as UN body
declares her detention illegal for fifth time

Paris – In the wake of the latest judgement by an UN body that the ongoing
detention of Burmese democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is illegal,
FIDH reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of
the Nobel Peace Laureate and all other political prisoners.

June 19th marks the 65th birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of
Burma’s National League for Democracy (NLD) and her 5,351st day in
detention. She is currently being detained for 18 months following a sham
conviction on 11th August 2009 after an uninvited American man swam across
a lake to her house. The finding by the United Nations Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention that her detention is illegal and in violation of
international law, declared in May was released to the public by her
international counsel yesterday.

In May 2009, the US citizen John Yettaw broke into Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's
home, just days before she was due to be released. The junta used this
opportunity to illegally extend her detention by another 18 months. Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi has been imprisoned by the military authorities for
nearly 15 out of past 21 years under various pretexts. The Working Group
on Arbitrary Detention has previously adopted five Opinions on Daw Aung
San Suu Kyi in 1992, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008, declaring her detention
to be arbitrary in contravention of Articles 9, 10, and 19 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Later this year, the military junta plans to hold highly questionable
elections designed to legitimize its hold over the political and economic
life of the country. On March 8, 2010, the junta enacted electoral laws
compelling parties wishing to participate in the elections to expel
members who were prisoners.

“This would mean that Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for
Democracy, which won the 1990 elections by a landslide, would have to
expel her under this law. It is akin to demanding the ANC to expel Nelson
Mandela” asserted Ms Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President. It is therefore
not surprising that the NLD has decided not to take part in these unfair
and unjust elections. The NLD and the main ethnic political parties that
collectively won 95% of parliamentary seats in the 1990 election that was
dishonoured by the junta, have decided not to boycott this sham process,
rendering these organizations illegal under the electoral law.

These future elections, as yet undated, have been planned by the regime as
a cynical attempt to gain breathing space against international pressure
while at the same time strangling domestic space for human rights and
democracy.

“UN member states should follow the lead of UN Working Group judgement and
call now for the release of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi. The international
community should be united and urge the junta to change these oppressive
electoral laws, release all political prisoners, and hold a genuine
dialogue that will result in inclusive, free and fair elections” said Ms
Belhassen.

____________________________________

June 17, The Elders
The Elders keep an empty chair for Aung San Suu Kyi

Eminent global leaders say election process in Burma/Myanmar cannot
deliver credible results and call for UN-led national dialogue.

The Elders – a group of eminent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela –
say that restrictions on political activity in Burma/Myanmar make it
impossible for elections later this year to deliver credible results.

The Elders are also aware that the opposition in Burma is divided between
those who think participation in the elections is wrong, and those who are
trying to make the best of a flawed situation. They are deeply sympathetic
to the difficult decisions the people face – and pay tribute to the
ordinary citizens who are bravely trying to improve their country’s
future.

To mark the 65th birthday of their fellow Elder, Aung San Suu Kyi, on 19
June, the Elders call on ASEAN and the international community to assist
the government, opposition, ethnic minorities and religious groups of
Burma/Myanmar to begin a UN-led process of reconciliation.

Elders’ chair Desmond Tutu said: “National processes in Burma have been
usurped by the military government – they do not serve the people. The
elections due later this year will not be any different. With such deep
fractures in society, the country needs an avenue for dialogue. Without a
way to talk and reconcile with one another, the people will never achieve
the peace and prosperity they deserve.”

Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Laureate
said: “Neighbouring countries have already experienced the effects of
conflict in border areas and have the greatest interest in trying to
prevent future instability. The international community should also make
every effort to help Burma/Myanmar’s divided peoples to find a peaceful
and prosperous way forward.”

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma’s National League for Democracy, has
been detained in her home in Rangoon/Yangon by the military government for
almost 15 of the past 20 years – ever since her party won elections in
1990. She was made an honorary Elder by Nelson Mandela when he formed the
group in 2007 and the Elders always keep an empty chair for her and for
Burma’s thousands of political prisoners at their meetings.

In recent months, highly restrictive provisions in political party law
have forced the NLD to disband. Laws in Burma/Myanmar forbid prisoners to
be members of political parties. The NLD therefore decided not to register
as a political party for the election, as key members remain incarcerated.
The party has ceased to have legal status and cannot operate politically
in any meaningful way. These laws also annulled the NLD’s 1990 election
victory.

Jimmy Carter, former US President, said: “Aung San Suu Kyi is a global
symbol of moral courage in the face of repression. As she spends yet
another year in captivity, we urge the world, and especially
Burma/Myanmar’s partners in ASEAN, to recognise that it is an oppressive
and misguided regime that excludes her and thousands of other political
activists from playing a part in their country’s future.”

Commission of Inquiry

The Elders have also announced their support for the establishment of a UN
Commission of Inquiry into allegations of crimes against humanity and war
crimes committed against civilians in Burma/Myanmar. The establishment of
a Commission was proposed by the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar,
Tomás Ojea Quintana, in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in March.

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights said: “My fellow Elders and I believe it is time to
document systematically the crimes allegedly being committed against the
people by the military government.”

Humanitarian and donor assistance The Elders wish to emphasise that donors
should increase humanitarian assistance to the people of Burma/Myanmar.
The government devotes less than US$1 dollar per person per year to basic
health care and education, and one third of children under the age of 5
are malnourished. Burma/Myanmar receives less aid than most of the poorest
countries in the world – only $4 per person compared to $50 per person for
Sudan.

Ela Bhatt, founder of India’s Self Employed Women’s’ Association (SEWA)
said: “Poverty is one of the greatest forms of violence inflicted on any
society. We must not forget that political freedom in Burma/Myanmar cannot
occur without freedom from poverty.”

About The Elders

The Elders include Nobel Peace Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari
and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Other members are Norway’s first
woman Prime Minister Gro Brundtland who was also Director General of the
World Health Organisation, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique
Cardoso and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights. Their fellow Elders, Ela Bhatt and Graça
Machel, are globally recognised leaders at the forefront of the struggle
against oppression and poverty, and Lakhdar Brahimi is one of the UN and
the Arab world’s most respected and effective diplomats.

Nobel Peace Laureates Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are honorary
Elders. Having retired from public life, Mandela no longer participates in
Elders’ meetings or activities. Suu Kyi is under house arrest in
Burma/Myanmar, imprisoned by the military regime that denied her party’s
election victory in 1990.

Media contact: Katy Cronin, Communications Director
Tel: +44 (0207) 031 1707 Email: media at theElders.org
____________________________________

June 17, Asian Tribune
Aung San Suu Kyi: 5349 days under house arrest, world celebrates her 65th
birthday – Zin Linn

June 19, 2010 is an important day as far as Burma/Myanmar is concerned.
Although it will be observed in silence in repressive Burma, it underlines
the status of The Lady and raises again the reality that she is central to
the development of democracy in Burma. The day marks the 65th birthday of
Nobel Peace Laureate and Burma’s democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The birthday celebration may be a silent affair in Burma, but people
around the world are launching the 65th Grand Birthday Party of the Nobel
laureate of Burma to show that they all are standing together with her for
free Burma.

The Steel Lady, her resolve nobody can steal, would have spent 5349 days
under house arrest on her 65th birthday that day. This is the third term
of her house arrest.

For the vast majority of Burmese, The Lady possesses the true spirit of
her father, Burma’s national hero General Aung San. From him, she
inherited the backbone she has become famous for and the traditional
obligations of conciliation and mutual respect. She has toiled
relentlessly on the task of building democratic Burma and has given up her
own liberty in the interests of her fellow Burmese.

For Burma, there can be no proper consideration of a democratic system
while she, and some 2,200 fellow political leaders remain isolated from
the political culture and languish in prisons of the junta. Her service is
the epitome not only of a leader of a nation, but of the very basic tenets
of freedom and democracy itself. It is the richest irony that she, as
arguably one of the freedom icons of our generation, is subjected to such
treatment while the dictatorial military talks of democracy to the world
and to its people.

All in Burma are aware that Aung San Suu Kyi’s historic exemplars
eventually achieved their goals. Both Mahatma Gandhi and her father
General Aung San took their nations from colonialism to independence,
forging a foundation of an open society along the way.


>From Gandhi she takes her commitment to non-violence, from her father she

draws the power of integrity that takes shape in what she calls “profound
simplicity”. Although these spiritual and political figureheads are
significant, Aung San Suu Kyi has her own political ideology that orbits a
central commitment to defending human rights and human dignity at all
times.

In her famous book, “Freedom from Fear,” she argues fearlessness is the
core of her political thinking. She says it is not power that corrupts but
fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who exercise it. Fear of the
scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it. Fearlessness is the
best reaction to state violence.

In conclusion she writes, “Truth, justice and compassion are often the
only bulwarks against ruthless power”.

With such qualities, it is clear that Burma needs Aung San Suu Kyi.
Moreover, the region and the world need her. Burma, a strategically and
economically important state, is already facing failed state status and
peers over the edge of complete oblivion and chaos under the incompetence
of the generals.

For the regime, Aung San Suu Kyi is seen as a force that can stop their
dictatorial power. Yet, some even in the military must be thinking she is
their only chance at a sustainable exit strategy for they know she will
not engage in recrimination or revenge. The key issue between the Lady and
the generals is how to rebuild the country - a genuine federal union or a
namesake union. The Lady grantees the ethnic nationalities' political
aspirations of a true federal union that will allow self determination
with liberty, justice and equality. The generals totally oppose it. That's
why the ethnic groups and parties including ceasefire and non-ceasefire
forces strongly support Aung San Suu Kyi except Burmese military
dictators.

She is also the only real leader who can gain the immediate support of the
international community and be the catalyst for rebuilding Burma. It may
be that it is not just those in the democracy movement who recognize her
as the sole savior of the state of Burma.

If generals analyze the situation with intelligence and foresight – not
qualities they have displayed in the past it has to be admitted, they
might arrive at the conclusion that her release is vital for their own
future.

If, on the other hand, the junta fails to accept a ‘tripartite dialogue’
between itself, ethnic groups and the National League for Democracy, it
will surely bring down the regime together with its farcical seven-step
roadmap.

Burma’s generals must, therefore, order the immediate release of the Lady
and all political prisoners in favor of national reconciliation. It is a
rare confluence of views that have seen the international community from
the United Nations Security Council, the United States, the European
Union, and the ASEAN taking the same view on the question of Aung San Suu
Kyi.

The UN, the EU and the ASEAN must urge China to cooperate in finding a
solution to release The Lady. Regional players should urge the military
regime to abandon its recalcitrant and counter-intuitive anti-dialogue
policies in the interests of dialogue and reconciliation.

To succeed in establishing a win-win equation, the military must recognize
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as the ideal, indeed, the only relevant,
dialogue-partner for national reconciliation in Burma.

Without releasing 2,200 political prisoner, there may not be a meaningful
dialogue. Without a meaningful dialogue, there may not be a true national
reconciliation. Without a true national reconciliation, the junta's
ongoing elections cannot be fulfilled the people's political aspirations.
Instead, the 2010 elections will be a new cause for a new civil war.

Now, people around the world are launching the 65th Grand Birthday Party
of the Nobel laureate of Burma to show that they all are standing together
with her for free Burma.

Zin Linn is an exile freelance journalist from Burma.