BurmaNet News, January 13, 2011

[Editor]

January 13, 2011 Issue #4119


INSIDE BURMA
AFP: Myanmar's Suu Kyi in party ban appeal
DVB: Prisoners shackled, used as army porters
Irrawaddy: USDP forms new Buddhist organization
SHAN: SNLD: Insurrections in Burma is junta creation

ON THE BORDER
Calcutta Telegraph (India): Court junta for Northeast sake

BUSINESS / TRADE
Irrawaddy: Gov't to continue privatization: Official
AP: Release of Suu Kyi may boost Myanmar tourism

HEALTH
Irrawaddy: Suu Kyi factor helps AIDS shelters

ASEAN
Xinhua: 1st transport-related ASEAN-Japan conference to be launched in
Myanmar

PRESS RELEASE
AAPPB: 2189 political prisoners in Burma, a decrease compared to last month



____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

January 13, Agence France Presse
Myanmar's Suu Kyi in party ban appeal

Yangon—Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi appealed to Myanmar's Supreme Court
Thursday, the latest in a string of legal wranglings over the dissolution
of her political party before last year's elections.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner's National League for Democracy (NLD) was
disbanded for boycotting the military-ruled country's first election in 20
years in response to rules that seemed designed to bar her from taking
part.

"We submitted our special appeal to the Supreme Court in (the capital)
Naypyidaw this afternoon. We are waiting for their reply," said Nyan Win,
one of Suu Kyi's lawyers and a party spokesman.

Suu Kyi, a co-founder of the NLD, was released from more than seven years
in detention on November 13, a few days after the rare election in which
the junta-backed party claimed overwhelming victory.

Shortly after her release, the court refused to hear her lawsuit against
the junta for dissolving the NLD. She had unsuccessfully filed an earlier
suit with the Supreme Court aimed at preventing its abolition.

Court verdicts in the military-ruled country rarely favour opposition
activists, and a series of appeals by Suu Kyi against her house arrest --
before it expired in November -- were rejected.

The NLD was founded in 1988 after a popular uprising against the military
junta that left thousands dead. Two years later the party won elections in
a landslide but the results were never recognised by the regime.

____________________________________

January 13, Democratic Voice of Burma
Prisoners shackled, used as army porters – Aye Nai

Some 800 prisoners have been taken from their cells in central and eastern
Burma and used as porters to carry equipment for frontline troops in Karen
state, DVB has learnt.

Three porters recruited by the Burmese army in its ongoing fight against
the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have escaped to the border town
of Mae Sot in Thailand. They managed to flee after being tasked with
collecting supplies left behind in a camp close to the border.

The men told DVB that among the 800 prisoners were 30, including
themselves, from Pakokku prison in Magwe division. They were taken on 31
December and stopped overnight in the towns of Meiktila, Pa-an, and
Kawkareik. During the journey, the porters were chained and made to carry
supplies.

“The army unit that brought us made us work like animals: our legs were
shackled and we were not allowed to relieve ourselves or rear our heads
without permission,” said one man. “We had to sleep in crammed sleeping
quarters. We cannot take care of our personal hygiene. We cannot walk
properly because of the shackles.”

He added that the men were forced to dig trenches for troops to sleep in
but were themselves barred from using them, instead having to resort to
sleeping in open fields.

The use of civilians as porters for the Burmese army is common, while the
use of human minesweepers continues to occur, a tactic that would be
tantamount to a war crime.

Reports have also emerged that a number of child soldiers have deserted
the Burmese army in recent days. One 17-year-old told DVB that the army
had stopped providing food rations for troops fighting in Karen state,
thus forcing them to escape to the Thai border.

The already volatile situation in eastern Karen state has worsened in
recent days as fighting between the DKBA and the Burmese army intensifies.
Numbers of stray artillery shells have landed across the border close to
the Thai town of Mae Sot, while one Thai civilian has been taken hostage
by the DKBA.

Fighting first began on 8 November last year after DKBA troops, led by
renegade commander Na Kham Mwe, took key government positions in Myawaddy,
across the border from Mae Sot. Clashes have since continued to occur on a
regular basis.
____________________________________

January 13, Irrawaddy
USDP forms new Buddhist organization

The Burmese junta’s proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party
(USDP), has formed a Buddhist organization to discourage Burmese from
joining others religions, in a move that some observers called a misuse of
religion for political purposes.

The new organization, called Sasana Nugaha, will be chaired by Khin Shwe,
a prominent businessman who was elected to the  Upper House of Burma's
Parliament last November as a USDP candidate.

Speaking to local journalists, the US-sanctioned tycoon said that the
organization was “formed under the guidelines of the Head of
State”—referring to junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

“The main purpose is to prevent poor people in rural areas from joining
other religions,” he said. “Rural people are very poor, so missionaries
from other religions use aid to get them to change their religion.”

According to USDP sources, the organization will be structured from the
state to the village/ward level and organize Dhamma talks, or Buddhist
sermons, across the country.

Some observers criticized the move, saying it only served to politicize
Buddhism.

“I don’t think their agenda is to promote Buddhism. They are just trying
to use religion to manipulate people for the junta’s political purposes,”
said Ashin Akka, a Buddhist monk who was involved in mass monk-led
protests in September 2007.

“In 2007, we saw them beat monks and raid monasteries during the crack
down on the protests,” he said. “I don’t think we can say that they have
the good of Buddhism at heart.”

Political leaders also objected to the USDP’s creation of a religious
organization, on the grounds that it violates provisions in Burma's 2008
Constitution that bar political parties from using religion for political
purposes.

“This is against the Constitution, which says that spiritual leaders are
prohibited from involvement in politics and prohibits political parties
from forming religious organizations,” said Thu Wai, the chairman of the
Democratic Party (Myanmar).

Irrawaddy correspondent Hsat Lin contributed to this story.

____________________________________

January 13, Shan Herald Agency for News
SNLD: Insurrections in Burma is junta creation – Hseng Khio Fah

Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) met with Paul Grove, the
senior Republican aide on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee for
foreign operations to stress the fact that insurrections in Burma, which
have taken place for over six decades now, is intentionally created by the
ruling military junta. They constitute one of its ways to keep and expand
its power, according to the party’s spokesperson, Sai Leik.

“We explained to him [Mr Grove] about Burma’s problems and asked him to
help us,” Sai Leik said.

In its meeting on 11 January, SNLD explained to Senator Grove that the
reason Burma’s problem cannot be solved is not due to problems between
Burmese people and ethnic nationalities, as the ruling junta wants the
international community to believe.

“The reason is it [the military junta] doesn’t want to hand over its power
to a people-elected government. It then finds ways to make people unhappy
with them [the military junta] until the people could not bear it and
resisted,” said Sai Leik. “This is why insurrections have not ended yet.”

Without the uprisings, the junta would not have a proper reason to show
the international community why it keeps controlling the country. For
instance, it claims that ethnic areas have no peace and stability even
though the junta contributes to this lack of peace and stability.

“They are taking advantage of the situation to control the country. In
order to end the instability, there must be a tripartite dialogue,” a SNLD
secretary told Mr Grove.

To make the tripartite dialogue a reality, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and
National League for Democracy (NLD) must propagate the principles of
democracy and federalism among the people, which the non-Burma ethnic
parties will have to propagate each among its own people. Both must then
propagate them among the military until its lower ranks and officers push
the top brass to open dialogue with the democratic and ethnic movements,
he said.

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

January 12, Calcutta Telegraph (India)
Court junta for Northeast sake – Archis Mohan

New Delhi: Indian envoy to Yangon V.S. Seshadri has met pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi twice since her release from house arrest in
mid-November.

It is likely that President Pratibha Patil or Vice-President Hamid Ansari
may visit Yangon this year to meet both Myanmar’s ruling leadership and
Suu Kyi. In July last year, senior general Than Shwe had paid a successful
visit to India in July this year.

Despite occasional meetings by Indian leaders with Suu Kyi, Delhi’s close
ties with Myanmar’s ruling military junta will remain intact. Seshadri’s
meetings with Suu Kyi came about with the full knowledge of Myanmar’s
generals.

And India is unwilling to go out on a limb in supporting Suu Kyi in the
near future at the expense of upsetting the generals. Delhi believes good
ties with the military junta are indispensable for the prosperity of the
Northeast.

Delhi terms it as a misconception that India has befriended Yangon’s
present rulers — despite their poor human rights record — for Myanmar’s
oil. French and US companies have a stranglehold on Myanmar’s oil. Neither
India nor China get any oil from the country, say sources.

Central to India’s strategy is that Northeast’s tremendous potential can
only be tapped if cross-border trade between India, Myanmar and Bangladesh
increases. India and Myanmar share a 1,640km boundary. Four of the seven
northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram —
share a border with Myanmar.

Befriending Myanmar makes strategic sense as well. The ethnic composition
on either side of the India-Myanmar border is quite similar and
intra-tribe relations are as turbulent, probably more in Myanmar’s case.

Delhi takes some of the credit for spurring the generals to release Suu
Kyi on November 13 after nearly two decades of keeping her under house
arrest. India insists that its constant engagement with the generals has
paid dividends.

Delhi says it has continuously engaged Myanmar and impressed upon its
leadership — that too very categorically — the need for democratic
reforms. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took up the question of Suu Kyi’s
release with Than Shwe during their meeting in Delhi in end July.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

January 13, Irrawaddy
Gov't to continue privatization: Official

Burma's government will privatize most remaining state-owned industries as
part of the country's transition to democracy, according to a senior
regime official quoted by a local news journal.

Burma will follow the example of other newly democratized countries and
privatize 90 percent of state-owned industries, said Deputy Minister of
Industry (2) Khin Maung Kyaw, according to a report by the Bi-Weekly
Eleven on Thursday.

“This is not only happening in Burma. This is a part of the
democratization process in other countries, too,” the deputy minister
reportedly said in a speech on Jan. 9 at the annual meeting of the Burma
Engineering Society in Rangoon. He added that there would be conditions in
the process of transferring state assets to private ownership.

The Bi-Weekly Eleven reported that last year the regime privatized 110
business properties, 32 buildings, 246 gas stations and a number of ports
along the Rangoon River.

Since late 2009, the Burmese regime has transferred ownership of state-run
factories and enterprises to companies run by leading military figures or
regime cronies like Tay Za, one of Burma’s richest businessmen and a close
associate of junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Soe Myint, a senior official of the Myanmar Federation of Chambers of
Commerce and Industry, said he welcomed the news that privatization will
continue.

“This is similar to the process in countries like Vietnam, so we are
optimistic,” he said. But, he added, “There has still been no official
announcement of this from the government.”

The news came after state media announced earlier this week that Burma's
new Parliament would convene its first session on Jan. 31.

Critics say that the ruling generals are transferring ownership of state
assets to private individuals to avoid losing control of them to local
authorities after Burma's 2008 Constitution comes into effect when the
first session of Parliament convenes.

The Constitution contains a number of provisions granting states and
divisions the right to manage some of their natural resources.
____________________________________

January 13, The Associated Press
Release of Suu Kyi may boost Myanmar tourism

Inle Lake, Myanmar – The boatman turns off the engine and lets his long
boat glide along Myanmar's Inle Lake, as foreign tourists soak in the
stunning scenery of villages built on stilts dotting the shorelines of the
massive freshwater lake ringed with picturesque mountain ranges.

Ngae Ni, 35, graduated as a chemist more than a decade ago but he became a
boatman because he could not get a better job in Southeast Asia's only
military-ruled nation and one of its poorest. He earns up to $250 a month
ferrying foreigners around the lake.

"I hope that ... more tourists will come here. They should really see the
poverty in our country with their own eyes," he said during a recent trip,
flashing a smile with his betel nut-stained teeth.

He may get his wish. The release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi
from house arrest in November appears to be opening the way for more
tourists by easing concerns that visiting the country is a signal of
support for Myanmar's military dictatorship.

Suu Kyi herself, in an interview with The Associated Press shortly after
her release, said large group tourism wasn't encouraged, but "individuals
coming in to see, to study the situation in the country might be a good
idea."

International activist groups, which have long called for a tourism
boycott, have followed Suu Kyi's lead and softened their stance, now only
asking that tourists snub package tours and cruise ships, which are often
operated by government cronies.

Colorado-based Asia Transpacific Journeys, which specializes in custom
journeys and small group trips to Asia, said bookings to Myanmar have
surged 150 percent since November compared to a year ago, as more
travelers now feel more comfortable visiting the country.

Even before Suu Kyi's release, the tourism issue long divided activists
both inside and outside Myanmar.

Supporters of a boycott believed tourism dollars sent the wrong signal and
helped fund a government that still holds some 2,000 political prisoners.
But others argued that tourism gave the isolated Myanmarese a rare
opportunity to connect with the outside world, and that visitors give
moral and sometimes even financial support to communities in need.

Also, the government is less involved in tourism than in the past, with
many state-owned hotels and other tourism assets sold to private investors
in the past decade.

Myanmar, however, remains a relatively remote destination for most, and no
one expects an overnight tourism boom.

Suu Kyi's release isn't likely to draw Americans in large numbers, partly
because Asia isn't high on their travel list and many consider the country
dangerous following the military's violent crackdown on in 2007, said
Douglas Shachnow, head of the Florida chapter of the Pacific-Asia Travel
Association.

"The release is just not a big issue," he said. "There are other more
long-standing factors that will ... (limit tourism to) all but the most
interested, inquisitive, open-minded travelers with the financial
wherewithal."

Still, tourism has been growing for several years, if from a small base.

Arrivals to Myanmar surged 34 percent to 212,500 in the first nine months
of last year and may hit a record of 300,000 for all of 2010, according to
the Bangkok-based Pacific-Asia Travel Association. Asians make up about
two-thirds of the arrivals, Europeans 22 percent and Americans only 8
percent.

The total is a far cry from the 14 million who visit neighboring Thailand
every year, the 4 million who go to nearby Vietnam, and the 2 million each
to Cambodia and Laos.

Myanmar tourism revenue hit $196 million in 2009, almost double what it
was in 2002, the Pacific travel association said. Tourism isn't a main
revenue earner for the government, compared to the billions the junta
makes from natural resources such as timber, jewels, oil and natural gas.

Some of the country's tour operators are hoping for a bumper year with new
hotels set to open this year. Myanmar also joined with Cambodia, Vietnam
and Laos last year in a campaign to encourage tours combining their
countries.

The sector is hampered by a string of issues including poor
infrastructure, limited tourism facilities and difficulty in getting
visas. Many areas, especially along the country's border, are closed to
tourists. The Internet is unreliable and credit cards are useless due to
international sanctions, making it a hard-cash country.

In December, travel operators preparing for the busiest time of the year
were dealt a blow when the government suspended the operations of private
airline Yangon Airways in a move seen as politically motivated. The
carrier's owner is linked to a fractious ethnic minority group.

Despite the impediments, Myanmar appeals to travelers with its spectacular
landscape and wide offerings from ancient Buddhist monuments to jungle
trekking, bucolic villages and beach holidays.

One of its key attraction is Bagan, one of the world's most remarkable
archaeological sites where more than 2,000 ancient Buddhist temples and
stupas dot the vast dusty plain. Others include Inle Lake, home to Ngae
Ni's Intha tribe, famed for their unique one-leg rowing technique and
floating vegetable gardens.

Bernard Dufour, 62, from Reunion Island off the coast of Madagascar, said
he had skipped Myanmar in the past but decided to visit in November with
his wife on friends' recommendations. He said he made sure to support
local residents and avoid state-run facilities.

"It's a beautiful country. I don't feel it's wrong to visit as long as I
am not supporting the government," he said as he sat cross-legged on the
dusty floor of a small meditation cave nestled in a hillock near Inle Lake
during a jungle trek.

According to government data, there are some 6,000 licensed tour guides
and companies as well as more than 600 hotels and accommodation across the
country. But in a country where a third of the population lives below the
poverty line, many villagers are increasingly depending on tourism to
supplement their income.

Many young people learn English and other foreign languages to become
part-time tourist guides. Children as young as 6 are often seen at major
tourist spots, hawking souvenirs to foreigners.

Jan Zalewski, analyst with London-based research house IHS Global Insight,
said Myanmar is much more open today than it was two decades ago,
suggesting that further engagement including investment in tourism could
lead to a further opening-up.

"By supporting private ventures such as small guesthouses, as well as a
fair degree of exposure to the Burmese people, such tourism could indeed
contribute to the development of a population which might be able to
provide stronger checks and balances to the policies of the government,"
Zalewski said.

Foreign travelers have engaged and touched many poor communities along the
way.

A new one-story school block opened in a village nearby the meditation
cave in late 2009, sponsored by a Japanese couple. Some 100 tribal
children now no longer need to trek for an hour to school.

In their former school, teachers appeal for donation. The names "Mama Oo
and Mama Judy from Australia" were scrawled on a small new whiteboard that
contrasted with the bare crumbling facilities, reminding the children to
thank their benefactors who had donated books, pencils and rice.

About two dozen children, ages 6 to 10, dutifully perform a medley of
English nursery rhymes and local songs for foreign visitors, swaying their
hips and clapping their hands as they dance while standing on old wooden
chairs.

____________________________________
HEALTH

January 13, Irrawaddy
Suu Kyi factor helps AIDS shelters – Sai Zom Hseng

The international community has become much more interested in the plight
of Burma's estimated 240,000 HIV/ AIDS sufferers since Aung San Suu Kyi
was released from house arrest on Nov. 13, according to Phyu Phyu Thin, a
well-known HIV/AIDS activist and a youth leader with Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy (NLD).

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, Phyu Phyu Thin said, “We have
worked on HIV/AIDS projects since 2002, but no one seemed to recognize our
accomplishments. However, once Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released, the
world suddenly became aware of our social projects.

“When we [the NLD] initiated the HIV/AIDS project, we only intended to
educate patients and the public about the risks of HIV/ AIDS,” she said.
“But once we saw the needs of the victims, we realized we had to take care
of them.

"I would like to express my appreciation to the international community
and also the many Burmese artists, celebrities and social workers who have
become involved in our projects thanks to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” she
added.

The NLD's main social project provides for three shelters in Rangoon that
house  about 100 HIV/AIDS patients, and provides food, bedding,
antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) and other drugs.

Recently, Paul Grove, a US senator, visited the shelter in South Dagon
Township, and took note of the facilities, difficulties and costs involved
in providing for the patients, Phyu Phyu Thin said.

Since the general election on Nov. 7 and Suu Kyi's release one week later,
more and more people have expressed interest in the NLD's social projects,
she added.

Aye Thar Aung, the secretary of the Committee Representing the People’s
Parliament (CRPP), said the release of Aung San Suu Kyi has given strength
to the supporters of the NLD and to the staff and patients at the party's
shelters.

“The NLD was declared an unlawful association by the military regime and
that is why the public was afraid to become involved with their projects,”
he said. “But now, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stands in front of them. I have no
doubt that the local population and the international community will
support the NLD projects from now on.”

The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper in Burma, reported on Nov.
24 that the HIV/ AIDS shelter run by the NLD would be closed because of
the “possible spread of infectious disease from the patients,” citing
government health officials.

It concluded: “As there are many patients at the shelter in a limited
space 
 it can be a source of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases which are
a complication of HIV/AIDS.”

That report was published one week after Suu Kyi visited the shelters on
Nov. 17. Several observers said that the regime was trying to belittle the
NLD and did not want Suu Kyi to win more respect from the citizens of
Burma.

Meanwhile, The New Light of Myanmar reported on Thursday that the
availability of ARTs for the patients will be expanded in three townships:
Monywa, Myingyan and Meiktila.

Of the 240,000 people estimated to be infected with HIV/AIDS in Burma,
only about 10 percent receive treatment, according to NGOs and INGOs
reporting in 2010.

____________________________________
ASEAN

January 13, Xinhua
1st transport-related ASEAN-Japan conference to be launched in Myanmar

Yangon – An ASEAN-Japan Transport Partnership (AJTP) conference will be
launched in Myanmar's Yangon for the first time this month, aimed at
preventing the natural environment from being affected by transport
system, the local Biweekly Eleven News reported Thursday.

The conference will run on Jan. 14 at the Traders Hotel.

As part of the implementation of the ASEAN-Japan Action Plan on
Environment Improvement in the Transport Sector (AJ-APEIT), which was
proposed by Japan, the conference will discuss on reducing carbondioxide
gas exhausted from various transport systems which create global warming
to cause change in climate.

Air pollution in Myanmar, particularly vehicle pollution, is taken as an
increasing problem, especially in heavily polluted urban centers.

Meanwhile, in July 2010, the panel of ASEAN Secretariat, composed of
experts from the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, held
a workshop in Yangon to draft an ASEAN strategic transport plan (ASTP) for
2011-15.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

____________________________________
PRESS RELEASE

January 13, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma
2189 political prisoners in Burma, a decrease compared to last month

There are a total of 2189 political prisoners in Burma, a decrease in
comparison to last month’s figure of 2203. In December, 16 political
prisoners were released.

During the month of December at least 1 political prisoner was
transferred, and 16 political prisoners were released. The arrests of 5
people in December for protesting were reported in the media. These
arrests were not included in the overall figures this month, as they
remain unconfirmed at the time of reporting.

December brought the continued mistreatment of numerous political
prisoners across Burma, with at least 142 in poor health due to the harsh
prison conditions, transfers to remote prisons where there are no doctors,
and the denial of proper medical care.

One case in particular further highlighted the toll these conditions take
on political prisoners and the devastating consequences. Buddhist monk, U
Naymeinda, passed away on 8 December. He was the 146th political prisoner
to die in prison in Burma, since 1988, due to malnutrition, maltreatment
and inadequate medical care. U Naymeinda was tortured during interrogation
and later transferred to Moulmein Prison in Mon State where his health
deteriorated. He developed serious mouth ulcers, preventing him from
eating and drinking. He also suffered from a skin disease but requests for
medical treatment were ignored by authorities. His body was cremated on 9
December 2010.

Furthermore, labour union member, Naing Lin, was transferred from Insein
prison to Kale prison in Sagaing Division, 680 Miles from his home. He
suffers from Leukemia and requires a monthly blood transfusion; yet there
are no doctors in Kale prison. Without monthly blood transfusions he could
die.

Of particular note this month, was the release of 16 political prisoners.
Although this was clearly a positive development it must be noted that
each of these individuals had served their full sentence and were not
granted freedom under an amnesty. One individual had already served an
additional 4 months on her initial prison term.