Myanmar political prisoners released

(CNN) -- Nineteen political prisoners were released by the government of Myanmar over the weekend, the human rights group Amnesty International reported Tuesday.

Among those released was Ma Khin Khin Leh, who was serving a life sentence because her husband, a student activist, had helped plan a protest demonstration in Bago in July 1999, according to Amnesty International USA's Web blog

Authorities prevented the demonstration from taking place, but took the woman and her three-year-old daughter into custody after failing to find her husband, Amnesty International said.

The child was released after five days but her mom, a 33-year-old school teacher, was sentenced to life in prison.

"Even by the normally harsh standards of 'justice' meted out by Myanmar's military government, the life sentence given to Ma Khin Khin Leh was extreme," the human rights organization said.

She was designated one of Amnesty International USA's priority cases. She was released with 18 others "widely considered to be political prisoners," Amnesty International said.

Myanmar's military rulers have been widely condemned for their alleged human rights abuses.

Pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been confined in her home for 12 of the past 18 years. Her last house arrest began in 2003 and has been periodically renewed.

In October 2007, clashes erupted between pro-democracy demonstrators and government security forces. As many as 110 people are believed to have been killed in that crackdown, including 40 Buddhist monks.

The protests were sparked by a huge fuel price increase imposed by the military government, and quickly escalated. Myanmar's military junta said in mid-October that it had detained more than 2,900 people amid the clashes.

In September 2008, Amnesty International reported that Myanmar, also called Burma, had released seven dissidents, among them U Win Tin, a journalist and senior official in the opposition National League for Democracy who had been imprisoned for 19 years.

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Drugs – junta’s short and straight road to Obama

By SHAN
Shan Herald Agency for News

Drugs-again-appear to be a key factor in the ruling military junta’s attempt to influence a change in the new US administration’s Burma policy in its favor.

The regime had already tried at least once during the first years of George W. Bush who came to office in 2001. Well-known DCI Associates was contracted to lobby for it. Violent crackdown on poppy cultivation in northern Shan State was launched. The campaign culminated in the visit to Washington by Brig-Gen (then Col) Kyaw Thein on 13 May 2002 to meet with the drug officials there.

However, feelings against the junta were high in the US capital, especially after the 20-June 2002 publication of License to Rape by the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF) and Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN), a scathing report on the regime’s use of sexual violence in the war against the armed opposition in Shan State. Which finally led to call it quits by Gen Khin Nyunt, the lobby’s mastermind.

Now, 7 years after, with the election of Barack Obama who has arrived amid the Hamburger crisis on the world’s stage with a vow for change, the leaders in Naypyitaw are dusting off their old lobbying strategy.

The first indication came with persistent directives to the commanders in Shan State for an all out war against poppy cultivation. They came at a time when earlier warnings by local army units, whose survival depends on the local people’s monetary and food contribution, to grow poppies “only on the nape (out of sight) and not on the forehead (in sight)” had largely become too routine to the point of being ignored by both the warners and warned.

Many fields in Southern Shan State grown within eyesight from the motor roads were thus struck down by the Army. “We have already paid our taxes for the season,” complained a farmer in Namzang, who was unaware of the orders from above. “Why are they doing this?”

Knowing the dilemma the local troops were facing, Naypyitaw even dispatched its own security units to the Shan-Kayah border to destroy several fields, reported border-based Karenni Anti-Drugs Action Committee (KADAC) in December.

Unfortunately for the farmers, though many more fields were spared by the local army columns, they were not by the gods who appeared to be in favor of the regime. According to sources from southern Shan State, a large number of fields were either washed away or sunk by the late monsoon downpours. Some of those that survived the rains were later stunted by intense frost bite.

Bu all accounts, only fields in eastern Shan State came through. “Little damage by the rains and frost,” said a pro-junta Lahu militia member in Mongton township opposite Chiangmai. “And by the time Burmese columns arrived to destroy the fields, most of them were already harvested.”

“The columns slashed down whatever that was left anyway,” he added.

Another indication came from Col Tin Maung Swe, area commander in Kunhing township, 140 miles east of Shan State capital Taunggyi, who told a meeting of government officials on 2 January that whether or not the 2010 elections would go according to plan depended on 4 factors.

* Disruptive actions by the opposition
* Continued tension with Bangladesh over territorial dispute
* Completion of national census
* Success of the drug eradication project vital in convincing the new administration in Washington

The latest haul in Rangoon on 25 January of 118kg of heroin stowed on a Singaporean flagged cargo ship involved increased cooperation not only with Chinese narcs but also with the United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), according the National League for Democracy’s Foreign Affairs Officer Nyo Ohn Myint. Not only that, he said, but a return to Washington of Lin Myaing, Burmese ambassador who was recalled following Khin Nyunt’s ouster in 2004, could be a strong indicator of the resumption of the drug lobby.

The real test of Naypyitaw’s seriousness of course would be its policy toward the United Wa State Army (UWSA), many leaders of whom are already on Washington’s blacklist.

Tension between the two sides have been on the upsurge since the termination of the nationwide referendum on the “Nargis Constitution” in May.

The group has been under heavy pressure to “exchange arms for peace,” an official euphemism for surrender, in contrast to the other main ceasefire group in Shan State, the Shan State Army (SSA) North. The latter has already been informed at least twice that talks on the “exchange arms for peace” issue will be reopened only after a new government has been installed.

Obviously, this is still a big gamble.

On 18 February, Washington, through its new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has already signaled possibility of a major shift in its Burma policy.

The question remains how Beijing will respond to it. In the meanwhile, the Opposition will be having its hands full trying to tackle with the rather uphill job for continued international support.

READ MORE---> Drugs – junta’s short and straight road to Obama...

The role of the media in Burma’s transition to democracy

By Htet Aung Kyaw

(DVB)–In much of Europe, the US, Australia and Japan, media workers are safe and sound. But in Burma, while the military junta is still in power, it is very difficult and dangerous work.

One foreign journalist was killed in the 2007 Saffron Revolution while some citizen journalists are still missing. At least twelve journalists were detained during the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and the constitutional referendum in May 2008. Some received long-term prison sentences, including bloggers Zarganar and Nay Phone Latt, while print journalists have been jailed for three to seven years.

There were three reasons why these people were arrested. One: for sending information and pictures to exile media, including DVB. Two: for reporting stories about the life of Nargis refugees, corruption in the judicial system and whatever else the government does not want the public to know about, in private journals in Rangoon. Three: for writing stories about Nargis and the Saffron Revolution on blogs. According to the Burma Media Association and Reporters Sans Frontieres, at least 12 journalists and dozens of media workers including poets and writers are still in jail.

The media in Burma

In my view, there are six kinds of media in Burma. One is the government's 100 percent controlled media, such as state-run TV, short wave and FM radio and newspapers. Two is the 75 percent government-controlled media or so-called private print media, including around 300 journals and magazines.

Three is the exile or foreign-based broadcast media, such as DVB's satellite TV, short wave radio service from DVB, RFA (Radio Free Asia), VOA (Voice of America) and the BBC's Burmese Service. Four is the internet news services based in exile, such as the English-language Irrawaddy and Mizzima, or the New Era and Network Media Group in Burmese.

Five is the ethnic language internet news service, such as the Independent Mon News Agency, Kachin News Group, Kaladan Press, Kantarawaddy Times, Kaowao News, Khonumthung News, Narinjara News and Shan Herald Agency for News. The DVB airs 30 minutes of ethnic language programmes every day while the RFA also airs some broadcasts. Six is the blogs inside and outside the country.

According to some researchers, the biggest audiences (around 5 to 10 million listeners or 10 to 20 percent of the country's population) are reached by foreign-based short wave radios – VOA, BBC, RFA and DVB, while DVB's satellite TV takes second place. The third is likely to be government-controlled TV and radio while private weekly journals are fourth. However, internet news services and blogs are gaining popularity these days, especially among young people, although the government trying to control access strictly.

What is the media doing today?

Every day in Burma, state-controlled TV just shows the generals and government officials visiting some development projects while the government radio airs the generals' speeches. The next day in the newspapers, print journalists repeat the same stories with some pictures added and harsh words to attack opposition and western countries who sanction them. So the audiences lose interest on government media but they turn on the TV to watch Korean movies and also buy the newspapers to read the obituaries and skip straight to the back page where they are found.

Journalists working for the 300 private journals and magazines have no chance to write stories on political, economic or social issues as these are censored by the Press Scrutiny Board. Instead, every week they just print pictures of sexy ladies, stories about fashion and pop music, horoscopes and foreign sport news. Even then, they are not allowed to write the country's losing sport and so all sport journals focus instead on the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and the UEFA Cup. However, the public is still buying the journals as they want to find out about local news which is rare to see in the government-controlled media or exile broadcasts.

Meanwhile, the exile or foreign-based media's main focus is the opposition and pro-democracy movement inside the country and overseas. The crackdown on the 2007 Saffron Revolution, the death toll from Cyclone Nargis and the long prison terms given to hundreds of activist have been the main stories over the past year or so. Apart from the opposition movement, most other stories focus on local authorities' abuse of power, such as the use of force labour, forced portering and guard duty, land confiscation and extortion. They also air stories on the hardship of people's daily life. But it is still rare to hear stories about education, social issues, health, the environment and grassroots activism as we are far from the ground. We also have difficulties trying to interview government officials and so some stories are still one-sided.

Censorship and self-censorship

According to RSF, the government in Burma has used a very large spectrum of mechanisms and policies to oppress journalists and suppress freedom of expression. All the news stories and articles which you see in private journals and magazines in Rangoon has been censored by Press Scrutiny Board. The main job of publishers and chief editors is to try to strike a good deal with PSB officials, which means giving gifts of whisky, tobacco or money to encourage them to approve their stories on time. All stories must be sent to the PSB a week before their publishing date so the news in private journals is never up to date.

Moreover, every journal and magazine must add at least one story from the Information Ministry – either propaganda about government activities or an attack on the opposition and the pro-democracy movement. Sometimes, when the propaganda machine is busy, chief editors are pressured to write these stories themselves. Every journalist needs permission from the relevant ministers to interview any civil servant. Young and active journalists have often been detained on the accusation that they have not had proper permission from a minister. In some cases, journalists have been beaten up by government thugs for trying to write about corruption of officials or murder cases.

Meanwhile, journalists in exile, especially donor-based media organisations, face a different form of censorship or self-censorship. "You can criticise the military regime as much as you want but leave us alone," is a big joke in our circle, referring to the unofficial warning from the pro-democracy groups. Many politicians in exile and inside the country have a limited understanding of the role of independent media. They are still not sure if we are their comrades or independent media guys. This is because most journalists working for the exile media are former activists. In actual fact, we are heading for the same goal – democracy – but in different ways.

"Now is not the right time for criticism within the movement. All it will do is benefit the enemies of the democracy movement and the military regime," some politicians have told me.

Moreover, there are different kinds of donors – some prefer to promote media freedom while others prefer to support the opposition movement. Some pro-democracy groups have sent letters of complaint to donors when we have criticised the weak points of the exile movement. This could make it very hard for those of us media organisations who want to play an independent role in the coming 2010 election, which most pro-democracy groups oppose. They are still holding on to the result of the 1990 election and are demanding this result be respected before a new election can go ahead.

What is the role of media in the 2010 election and the transition to democracy?

Many observers say that foreign-based Burmese language short wave radio stations and satellite TV will play a key role in the upcoming election, in contrast to the 1990 election. This is because DVB was only born in 1992 and RFA in 1997 while the BBC and VOA only began to play an active role after DVB and RFA were set up. But no one knows yet how much the regime will allows the foreign media to cover the run-up to the election. As we all know, the junta did not allow foreign journalists to cover the Nargis aftermath last year or the Saffron Revolution in 2007. However, all media in exile, especially DVB's satellite TV broadcast, are constantly providing up to date information. So this might continue as we approach the pre-election era.

I'm not sure how the situation will change in the run-up to the election. But one thing I'm sure of is that we now have a key role to play urging the public to tell the truth. Here in Barcelona, or in other European countries, telling the truth is normal, but it is very dangerous in Burma. One foreign diplomat was jailed for three years in Burma for using a fax machine without proper permission from the authorities in 1996. At least one MP was jailed for seven years for giving a telephone interview to the BBC in 1998. At least one more person was imprisoned for listening to our broadcast over a loudspeaker in 1999. Two men were jailed for seven years for reading the New Era Journal in 2002. Since 2002, many more have been jailed in connection with media activities but the junta no longer prosecutes them under media law but instead brings criminal charges.

In this situation, urging the public to speak out is not an easy task. But we have had people calling in every day since 2002. This is because our media – I mean all foreign-based radio and internet news services – is the one place where they can tell the truth or express their true feelings. Most of our audience's true feelings are, "Can no one take action against this regime and the local authorities who abuse their power?" The most of civilian in Burma are still used for force labour, forced portering and guard duty, or are victims of land confiscation or extortion by soldiers, police and local authorities, day in, day out. But, despite hundreds of complaint letters sent by these villagers to the government offices in Naypyidaw, no one can take action against these authorities.

"Talking to you radio stations is the only way to take action against the local authorities who abuse their power," I was told by an editor in Rangoon. "I have seen a lot of evidence of action being taken after you broadcast news stories about their abuses. This is a good sign for the media" the editor commented. That is why many members of the public, including farmer, villagers and tribespeople in the countryside talk to us. But the authorities, although they monitor our broadcasts, never reply to our enquiries.

Supporting independent media

An independent media is vital in the transition to democracy in Burma. Although there is no independent media in the country, we exile journalists and some active journalists in private journals in Rangoon are playing a key role in urging the people to speak out. I hope that telling the truth can be the first step towards acting on the truth, and perhaps in this way the people will vote for the opposition in the election and will no longer be afraid of the military.

I want to urge the EU and the Western community to use some of their money for media projects and to encourage people to tell the truth. Not only supporting the exile media, but also looking for any opportunity to challenge government control of the media and to change the mindset of the generals who see the media as their enemy. Unless the generals' negative view of independent media can be changed, it will remain hard for foreign journalists to go Burma.

Recently, some Scandinavian ministers visited to Burma with a media crew from their country to check how the military regime was using their donation of hundreds of millions of kroner to Nargis-affected areas. But the regime would not allow the media crew into the area, only the ministers. This is unacceptable to a democratic community that respects independent monitoring, transparency, accountability and credibility. Without media oversight, how can you donate millions of Euros to the military regime? Should you still donate if the military takes 50 percent of your donation? But if you do not, the people not even get that 50 percent.

Let me conclude this discussion with a comment from RSF's Asia director, Vincent Brossel: "As we usually say, 'There is no freedom without press freedom.' But in the case of Burma, we might say, 'There will be no press freedom without democracy.’”

Htet Aung Kyaw is a senior journalist for the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma. His book, "Far from Home: 20 years in Exile", was published in Thailand last month.

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Chin villagers forced to work as army porters

(DVB)–State Peace and Development Council troops have been forcing local people to work as porters during offensives against Arakan Liberation Party fighters in Paletwa township, Chin state.

Soldiers from Infantry Battalion–289 forced villagers from Mwe-Letwa, Myeikwa, Shin-Letwa and Kalachaung to carry supplies and ammunition for the army to the Indian border through high mountains.

ALP guerrillas have been ambushing Burmese army supply convoys by the sea route.

The army is carrying out the offensives to clear the rebels from the region, ALP secretary major Khaing Myo Win said.

"We ambushed the enemy and confiscated their supplies two days ago while they were carrying them by boats,” he said.

“Our people and villagers carried them for us. When the army found this out they began targeting our area mainly."

Indian border guarding troops are also close to border crossing points on the request of IB–289. Villagers are worried they will be forced out of their villages to settle in India as refugees if there are clashes.

Reporting by Khin Maung Soe Min

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Schools in Tachilek collect student money for UNICEF aid

By Hseng Khio Fah
Shan Herald Agency for News

Schools in Tachilek Township, eastern Shan State, collected money from students to get schooling materials conferred by the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), according to local sources.

Materials were reportedly handed to the Educational Department of Tachilek early this year by the UNICEF.

The UNICEF had donated stationery supplies to 9 townships in Burma, including Mudon Township, Mon State, and Tachilek, where most children don’t speak Burmese language.

The materials were distributed to the students on 14 February, said a source.

Every student from each school would be given 10 exercise books, 5 pencils, 2 erasers and a ruler.
But the teachers asked 5 Baht ($0.14) from each student before handing the materials to them.

There are 56 schools from primary to high schools in Tachilek. The number of the students is estimated about 15,000.

Students from some schools were asked to pay more from 10 to 20 Baht each, said a source.

“We don’t want to fuss about 5 or 10 baht given to the teachers because we don’t want our children to be embarrassed in their class. They’ve been doing to us like this for a long time now anyway,” said a mother of a student from Makahokham.

Each student from No.1 High School has also been required to pay 10 Baht for drinking water per month, said a mother who has a child going at that school.

The school has more than 2,000 students and each class has more than 30 students.

The said school is known to be for wealthier families, but last year, some teachers from that school were reported of demanding money from students to enter examinations.

Final examinations from primary school to middle school will begin in the last week of February.

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Two internet users detained in Myitkyina for the first time

(KNG) - For the first time in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, the police detained two local internet users on February 17, for surfing websites banned by the ruling military junta, said local sources.

The two internet users are local Kachin youths from Yuzana quarter. They were arrested from their homes by policemen soon after they came back from the internet café --- the "Empire" in Ayeya quarter, opposite No. (1) Police Station, said local sources.

They were arrested for browsing overseas-based Burmese websites ranged against the ruling junta in keeping with the junta's internet rules and regulations. They have been put in a prison cell in the No. (1) Police Station, said sources close to the duo.

At the moment, the personal details and activities of the two Kachin internet users are not known but the Empire internet café is owned by a Burmese national (Burman) and was opened last year, said sources close to the two.

Another local internet user who was in the same internet café at that time, told KNG, that they seemed to be under surveillance by the police, who were monitoring whether they were visiting websites against the ruling junta. Soon after the two Kachin internet users went back home from the café, policemen quizzed the owner of the Empire internet café and asked "Who had used the internet at that point of time and where they were from?"

He added that the policemen went and arrested the two youths from Yuzana quarter after finding out from the owner of the internet café where they lived.

In Burma, sending emails and browsing any website critical of the ruling junta is banned and a notice to this effect is pasted in every internet café, said local internet users. The junta has blocked all independent websites related to Burma based outside the country including the Kachin News Group (www.kachinnews.com) which covers news from Kachin state and Burma in English and Kachin versions.

There are less than 10 internet cafes in Myitkyina downtown unlike Mandalay and Rangoon where internet users are always under surveillance by the secret police in plainclothes, said regular internet users.

On November 10, 2008, a court in Rangoon sentenced a Burmese internet blogger Nay Myo Kyaw (28), who wrote blogs under the name Nay Phone Latt, to 20 years and six months in jail. He was also arrested for being involved in the monk-led protests in September 2007.

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Quintana says rights situation in Burma 'challenging'

In love , war and politics every bit counts to the players but to patienc...?

(DVB)–United Nations special rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana has said the human rights situation in Burma remains challenging, but noted some positive signs at the end of his second visit to the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Rangoon before he left Burma yesterday, Quintana said he could not say the situation had tangibly improved.

"The human rights situation in Myanmar is still challenging. It is difficult for me to affirm that the human rights situation has improved,” he said.

“However, I have to say, regarding my recommendations to the government, I found positive signs.”

The special rapporteur said some steps had been taken on the four human rights recommendations he set out during his last visit in August 2008.

Quintana’s proposals at that time were the progressive release of political prisoners, a review of domestic laws that do not comply with international human rights standards, reform of the military and the establishment of an independent judiciary.

Quintana said he had discussed the issue of political prisoners with the minister of home affairs, who said he would consider the special rapporteur’s recommendation.

On the issue of domestic legislation, Quintana said the Burmese government had started the process of reviewing the relevant laws.

Some steps had also been taken towards addressing the impartiality of the judiciary, Quintana said.

The special rapporteur said he had met the chief justice and discussed cooperating with independent judges and lawyers of the UN in order to start a process of reforming the judiciary.

Quintana spent six days in Burma from 14 to 19 February to assess human rights developments made since his last visit.

During his trip, he visited Pa-an and Insein prisons where he spoke to five political prisoners, and met representatives of armed ceasefire groups as well as speaking to a number of government officials.

Reporting by DVB

READ MORE---> Quintana says rights situation in Burma 'challenging'...

Palaung organisations speak out against election

(DVB)–Palaung political organisations have called on the international community not to endorse the military regime’s 2008 constitution and to oppose the planned 2010 election.

In a statement released yesterday, the Palaung State Liberation Front, the Palaung Women’s Organisation and the Ta’ang Student and Youth Organisation said the 2010 election would only prolong the junta’s rule.

The statement urged the UN and the Association of South East Asian Nations to pressure the Burmese regime into holding meaningful dialogue with the opposition, reviewing the 2008 constitution and releasing all political prisoners.

“We firmly believe that ASEAN should make a collective approach on urging SPDC to improving its human rights records and push them to conduct the meaningful of political dialogue with democratic groups and ethnic groups in the upcoming ASEAN summit in late February,” the statement said.

“This is an essential time for the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to use his personal influence to press the military regime’s plans to democratic atmosphere which can be a peaceful solution for Burma by persuading ASEAN and its neighboring countries.”

The statement also called for the cessation of all attacks against opposition forces, ethnic and religious groups.

Mai Aik, general secretary of the Palaung State Liberation Front, said the Palaung organisations were echoing the call of the National League for Democracy for a new constitution.

"The 2010 election will make official the 2008 constitution which was written with the aim of prolonging the life of this military regime,” Mai Aik said.

“We are making the same call as the NLD made recently; to review the constitution and to write a new one with conditions where everyone can participate," he said.

"We would also like to urge the United Nations secretary general Mr Ban Ki-moon to push countries in Asia, including ASEAN members and Burma's neighbours, to pressure Burma for change at the upcoming ASEAN summit."

Reporting by Aye Nai

READ MORE---> Palaung organisations speak out against election...

Activist Su Su Nway’s sentence reduced

(DVB)–The prison sentence of labour rights activist Su Su Nway, who was jailed for 12 and a half years in November 2008, has been reduced by four years by Rangoon division court, according to her lawyer.

Su Su Nway, 36, who rose to prominence after reporting forced labour practices to the International Labour Organisation, was arrested in November 2007 and was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison last November.

Her lawyers Kyi Win and Khin Htay Kywe lodged a number of appeals on her behalf, arguing that she had been jailed unfairly as she had done nothing illegal.

Last week, the sentences of famous comedian Zarganar and journal editor Zaw Thet Htway were also reduced.

Legal expert and National League for Democracy spokesperson Nyan Win said he welcomed the decision to shorten the jail terms but said the sentences had been unjust in the first place.

"They have not reduced the sentences. They have just said the sentences should be served concurrently so it looks like the sentences have been reduced,” Nyan Win said.

“As the sentences were extreme, it is good that they have shortened them but they have still not released the people,” he said.

“They are doing it for political gain, not for legal reasons. If they had followed the law, there would have been no reason for them to give such heavy sentences."

Reporting by Nan Kham Kaew

READ MORE---> Activist Su Su Nway’s sentence reduced...

70 suspects interrogated over theft

(DVB)–Around 70 people have been arrested and interrogated in the Mon state capital Moulmein after a pickpocket stole money and a mobile phone from the wife of the regional military commander, a local resident said.

The thief stole 700,000 kyat and a mobile phone from the wife of the Southeastern Command commander while she was shopping at Myoma market at around 10am on 11 February, a Moulmein resident said.

"She came to shop at the market and it's certain that she was pocketed there,” the resident said.

“That's all we know. The news spread around the town like wildfire."

As the culprit has not been caught, the authorities are continuing to interrogate various suspects at Rangoon’s main railway station, while others have also been beaten and arrested at Moulmein train station.

Those arrested have been kept in three separate police stations in Rangoon and beaten and interrogated, witnesses in Rangoon said.

When DVB contacted the local police station for comment, an officer on duty referred the reporter to the state police, who said they had not received any report on the matter.

Reporting by Nan Kham Kaew

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Popular Burmese Blogger’s Jail Term Reduced - Nay Pone Latt

The Irrawaddy News

The jailed Burmese blogger Nay Pone Latt has had his prison sentence cut from 20 years and six months to 12 years on appeal, his lawyer said on Friday.

Nay Pone Latt, who was well known for his Internet blogs, was originally sentenced to a total of 20 years and six months on three separate charges. An appeals court cut one 15 year sentence to seven years and a second sentence of three and a half years to three years. A third sentence of two years was left untouched.

One of his alleged offences was to store a cartoon depicting junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe in his email.

Nay Phone Latt’s lawyer, Khin Htay Kywe, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that she had learnt today that a two-month appeal had resulted in the reduction of two of the prison terms, which had been imposed by a special court in Rangoon’s Insein Prison.

After sentencing, Nay Phone Latt was transferred late last year to distant Pa-an Prison in Karen State.

Nay Phone Latt was the latest of several political prisoners whose sentences have been recently reduced. The popular comedian Zarganar had his 59 year sentence reduced to 24 years.

Observers in Rangoon said it was thought the reduction of some of the severest prison sentences was connected with the six-day visit to Burma by UN Human Rights Rapporteur Tomas Ojea, which ended on Thursday.

“The human rights situation in Myanmar [Burma] is still challenging,” he told a press conference at Rangoon Airport before leaving. “It’s difficult to affirm that the human rights situation has improved.”

During his visit, Quintana had talks with Burma’s Minister of Home Affairs, Maj-Gen Maung Oo, and Chief Justice Aung Toe.

Burma has an estimated 2,100 political prisoners, many of them sentenced to long terms of imprisonment for their part in the September 2007 uprising.

READ MORE---> Popular Burmese Blogger’s Jail Term Reduced - Nay Pone Latt...

NLD Criticizes Gambari-Japan Joint-statement

By WAI MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Ahead of the United Nations Security Council’s closed session on Burma on Friday, the main opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) said it disagreed with a joint-statement by UN Special Envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari and Japan’s foreign minister on Thursday.

Nyan Win, an NLD spokesperson, told The Irrawaddy, “The party issued two statements yesterday because we want to response to The United Nations Special Envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari’s co-statement with Japan’s foreign minister in Tokyo on February 12.”

“As well, as we want to make a clarification on our stand on unconditional dialogue as well as NLD willingness for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s trip to the country,” he said.

The joint-statement issued by Gambari and Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said they agreed to encourage the Burmese junta to hold general elections in 2010 in a form that could be accepted by the international community.

The NLD said it was concerned that the joint statement was not consistent with NLD demands as well as resolutions by the UN General Assembly which honor the 1990 election results.

In the joint-statement , Hirofumi Nakasone said, “Even though there are few positive moves by the Myanmar [Burma] government, it's a huge step for them to have announced that they would hold a general election in 2010, compared with two past decades of silence about its democratization process.”

“If they [the junta] take favorable action, the international community should react in a manner that encourages more positive actions,” he said.

Japan is one of the main donor countries to Burma. Japan cut its assistance to Burma after the crackdown on demonstrators in September 2007. During the crackdown, Japanese videographer Kenji Nagai was killed by Burmese security forces. Japan has never applied economic sanctions against the Burmese junta, as have the United States and European countries.

In early 2006, Japan, along with China and Russian, rejected a proposal to take the Burma issue to the UN Security Council. Analysts say that Japan has sometimes worked to tone down criticism of Burma in the UN, because it wants to counter Beijing’s influence in the regime.

In its statement, the NLD also outlined three policy principles that it said were presented to Gambari when he met with the NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD officials during his most recent visit to Burma.

The first was the release of all political prisoners unconditionally. Human rights groups claim there are more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma’s prisons.

The second was face-to-face dialogue between Suu Kyi and the junta’s leader, Snr-Gen Than Shwe, to resolve political problems in the country. The third was a review of the 2008 junta-backed-constitution.

The NLD has said it will not take part in the election unless their demands are met.

When Gambari asked what was the first NLD priority, the officials said it was the release of all political prisoners, according to the statement.

NLD sources have said that on Gambari’s visit to Burma in August 2008, the party met with him twice. In the first meeting, Gambari pushed the NLD to join the 2010 election. Party officials criticized his request, saying it went beyond his role as a mediator.

The United Nationalities Alliance, which represents ethnic parties in Burma, declared its support of the NLD on Friday, calling for the release of political prisoners, a political dialogue and opposition to the 2010 general election.

It urged the UN and the international community “to refrain from supporting the regime’s unilateral roadmap [to democracy] and planed election.”

Following Gambari’s recent four-day trip to Burma, the Karen National Union (KNU) issued a statement on Thursday.

“We are concerned that once again a United Nations envoy has visited Burma without also meeting with genuine representatives of Burma’s ethnic nationalities, such as the Karen National Union,” the statement said.

The KNU said ethnic people should not be sidelined in any future discussion on a national reconciliation process in Burma.

READ MORE---> NLD Criticizes Gambari-Japan Joint-statement...

Divide and Conquer, Than Shwe Style

By Buffalohair Gazette

With dissention throughout Burma over Than Shwe’s latest attempt to legitimize his criminal reign with his proposed 2010 election. It is all too obvious his new publication, The New Lie of Myanmar, is in need of fodder to spread vial propaganda. Already there is news of old rivalries and religious differences springing up around Burma. Clearly this is a tactic to keep a suffering nations divided with old fears and past intercessions. With everyone arguing over forgotten differences his campaign of hate can continue while people are at odds with one another. The Roman’s called it “Divide and Conquer”.

The New Lie of Myanmar already tried to smear the KNU to UN Human Rights emissary Tom Quintana with total falsehoods and blatant lies. This propaganda machine tried to place blame for the rape and murder of the Karen’s on the KNU when in fact it was committed by Than Shwe’s death squads who rape and kill with impunity. With eye witness accounts, volumes of photos and video identifying Burmese Troops as the true perpetrators, it is still odd to me why Quintana needed to go to Burma and investigate. Shades of Gambari I fear.

But nothing highlights this act of divide and conquer than an event that took place on February 10. A military unit of 70 well armed soldiers dressed in camouflaged uniforms, AK-47’s M-22’s and other Chinese ordinance, typical of the Burmese Army, robber a convoy of trucks on the bustling Mandalay-Muse border trade route according to an article in the *Kachin News. This event might have passed as a rouge group if it were not for the fact the Burmese Army has done this kind of operation time and time again. The only thing missing were the unite patches but they clearly were the same players who robbed this trade route before.

Obviously this was an attempt to cause animosity between the different ethnic groups by casting suspicions between them. There is no question The New Lie of Myanmar will identify Shan or Kachin troops or even the KNU in the blatant armed robbery. Maybe they will blame the Free Burma Rangers or me. No matter who this trash liner of a publication tries to identify, it is clear Than Shwe’s psychological warfare tactics will try to divide ethnic groups. With this in mind one must weigh the facts fore the truth will be known eventually.

With many people living in the big cities, this propaganda machine could possibly taint public opinion to show cause for continuing Than Shwe’s war on truth and democracy. The outcome would be the continued wholesale arrests and murders of all opposition to his 2010 election. There is a saying that if you tell a lie long enough people will accept it for truth. By poisoning public opinion and causing dissention between ethnic groups Than Shwe will effectively divide a country with his acts of terrorism and placing blame on others. He would also show the world that he is fighting criminals to keep the peace in Burma and justifying his holocaust. Maybe this is just a show for Quintana and the rest of the UN or an excuse the UN needed to qualify the 2010 elections. We must stand vigil since there will be more events such as the one on the Mandalay-Muse trade route. If it smells like a rat, it most probably is. And we all know Than Shwe will stoop to any level to fool the public and the world.

READ MORE---> Divide and Conquer, Than Shwe Style...

Indonesia's Foreign Minister criticises Burma's lack of progress

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda has criticised Burma's lack of progress towards democracy, as well as its human rights record.

But he says the international community must stay engaged with Indonesia's fellow ASEAN member, arguing that pressure and sanctions have proved ineffective in achieving change.

Dr Wirajuda has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program that the regional problem created by the outflow of Rohingya refugees only emphasises the need for an international approach.

"There is a sign of moving here and as a process of course you cannot expect that we can change tomorrow," he said.

"But we are all working and in fact I would say that the neighbouring countries of Burma not only ASEAN have also worked together."

The Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda is in Sydney for two days of discussions with the Australian government.

Calls for Australia to lift Indonesian travel warnings

The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda says he will keep raising the issue of Australian travel warnings, despite failing in his latest appeal for them to be lifted.

Australia says travel advisories are assessed regularly on the basis of expert advice.

But Dr Wirajuda says the there haven't been been any recent terrorist bombings, and potential threats are often exaggerated.

He's told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program, Australia should follow the example of countries such as the United States and lift its travel advice.

"It's more a matter of Australians to decide of course, but it has to be commensurated through the developments on the ground," he said.

"First there has been no incidents of terrorism bombings in Indonesia in the past three years and countries like the United States and Canada have lifted their travel warnings since last year.

"The fact there has been quite a flowing of tourists from Australia it is also a fact, the Australian people themselves decide whether to travel to Indonesia by their own judgement, so it is in this context that we see that it is timely for the Australian government to lift the travel advice.

"Indonesia is one of the most successful countries in combating terrorism so the potential threat was often overblown, our police have been very effective in their task to combat terrorism."

Radio Australia News

READ MORE---> Indonesia's Foreign Minister criticises Burma's lack of progress...

Rohingya, Tha Shwe and Burmese racism

For years we have known who and what Than Shwe is. I read so many tags about him and his junta that I lost count already.

The Rohingya have brought into the spotlight human rights in Burma once more in a more tangible way as “a regional hindrance” that needs attention. Although a very sad situation, I am thankful to the Rohingya for bring human rights into the regional focus demanding prompt attention. I wish and hope they return home to lead a peaceful life. BTW, the Rohingya are not a hindrance, the situation they have been forced by the junta to create in order to survive is.

But this Rohingya boatpeople situation has caused a bit of havoc among the community, the Rohingya lovers versus the ones against coloured skinned. True compassionless colours bloomed for the meme only, only the satin skinned Burmese deserve outside help. The dark chocolates aaaah too bitter to swallow, “ignore them or move onto someone else that needs help like the ivory skinned relations left behind”. My comment sounds racist unfortunately, I am here for ALL, no matter the color, the size, or deformities inflicted by the cruel select few junta and their litter.

The amazing part comes when I learned through a comment that Than Shwe has written to Mr Obama not once but twice asking the “skin coloured” new US President to remove the sanctions. Than Shwe won’t even shake hands with Mr Gambari, because Mr Gambari is just another “black” public servant doing his job. But the Than Shwe envoy at the United Nations had to swallow hard, smile, shake hands and accept a cheque from the Zimbabwe’s envoy as a donation towards the Nargis program.

I was told over and over again that the junta is greedy and now I think is not only the junta, the pure, satin, handsome skinned Burmese prostitute themselves not for love to humanity or their country but love for money and/or greed. (By the way for the ones lacking the language prostitute as in lowering self standards with the means to obtain something wanted)

President Obama knows who and what he is. He is a man with colour skin; he also knows he has a human value and a big brain. Mr Obama a very special person values people for who they are, whether they are Rohingya, Black Americans, Porto Ricans, Muslims or Christians etc, he feels and he is letting us know we are ALL EQUAL and we all have rights to enjoy our lives on earth.

Mr Obama wants to apply UNITY to his country and extend it to the world, we are part of that world and we also need to accept reality. We are many and we all come in different colours and shapes. There is plenty of room for ALL of us to share our corners.

For a racist who thinks life brought him into this life to live among the ‘selected few’, who feels the earth is only to be habituated by him and his kind. This person needs to think again, as one day this racist could be laying in a hospital bed waiting to extend his life a bit longer only if a blood/organ donor that matches his blood/organ type arrives on time to keep him alive.

Nobody has obligations with anybody, we are all capable to take responsibilities for our lives, some choose to help other’s choice is to be selfish. The blood donor makes a choice to donate his blood to save the racist, and the blood donor is black and ogre looking,

Oh what a dilemma… The racist comes at this point of his life and has to make a decision, “do I take the blood transfusion that will extend my life? Do I want to carry the ogre’s blood in me? Will I turn ogre look alike with the transfusion? Or do I wait for the next selfish white skinned to make up his mind to donate and save me?”

Rangoon, the Delta were savagely affected and neglected last year, accidents happen, do you think you are free from misfortune? The roller-coaster goes up and must come down we all need each other at certain point in our lives.

We just have to learn to live with each other and practice tolerance, that is if we want to practice true democracy where everybody is treated equally.

Jeg
Source: Burma Wants Freedom & Democracy


Also READ: Divide and Conquer, Than Shwe Style

READ MORE---> Rohingya, Tha Shwe and Burmese racism...

Soldiers loot trucks at gun point

(KNG) - In a daring armed robbery unidentified soldiers stopped over 30 goods trucks at gunpoint between Kutkai and Nam Hpak Ka towns in northeastern Shan state on the Mandalay-Muse border trade route, Burma's largest China border trade route on February 10 and looted an estimated 20 million Kyat (US $19,802), said local sources.

According to a resident of Kutkai, the soldiers turned robbers pulled off the daring act between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Burma Standard Time. They set off bombs and exploded three trucks injuring five people who were hospitalized in a public hospital in Muse.

The troops stopped all vehicles at gunpoint on the road. They demanded money only from container trucks with 18-wheels and 12-wheels one after another, said sources close to truck drivers who were robbed.

During the looting, some soldiers quickly demanded money from the trucks while some soldiers took up position to fight back soldiers of Burma's ruling junta should they appear on the scene, the sources close to trucks' drivers added.

A truck driver who witnessed the armed robbery said, over 70 soldiers were involved and they wore camouflage BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) and camouflage caps but it had no label. The robbers used China-made M-22 and Russian-made AK-47 automatic weapons, added eye witnesses.

Until now, no armed group has owned up responsibility and the Burmese Army is also yet to identify who organised and took part in such a daring robbery, Muse residents said.

On the Mandalay-Muse route, Burmese military authorities also frequently stop trucks calling it "supply check" and demand money from container trucks, according to truck drivers.

In the areas between Nam Hpak Ka and Kutkai, the two local ethnic ceasefire groups--- the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) operate, said residents of Kutkai and Muse.

READ MORE---> Soldiers loot trucks at gun point...

Junta Declares War on Lawyers

By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR / IPS WRITER
The Irrawaddy News

MAE SOT — To be a lawyer in military-ruled Burma is to court danger, invite arrest and risk being jailed in the country’s notorious prisons.

It is the price to be paid for what, in most countries, would be standard practice for the legal profession: defending a person facing a trial for an alleged crime that he or she has been charged with.

But the ongoing targeting of lawyers reveals that life marches to a different tune in the South-east Asian country that has been under the oppressive grip of a military dictatorship for the past 47 years.

More so if the legal battles involve the countries pro-democracy activists who dare to stand up, speak out and be counted among the eternally harassed opposition. More so if the ones facing charges in what are largely political trials have links to the National League for Democracy (NLD), the largest opposition party.

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min is among the fortunate, though. The soft-spoken, slightly-built lawyer gave the authorities the slip in Rangoon, the former capital, and fled to Mae Sot in December to relate disturbing accounts of the new pressure on his profession.

"It is difficult for pro-democracy activists to get a fair trial in Burma," said the 29-year-old during a late-night interview in the Thai town near the Burmese border that has become home to many political activists who have fled oppression back home. "I did not have rights to talk with the political prisoners in private to prepare for their cases."

"There were times when a request to meet my clients was denied," added Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min, whose legal practice has largely been dedicated to helping political activist from the NLD arrested for protesting against the junta. "There were always men from military intelligence and the special branch monitoring the discussions I was having with my clients."

What prompted his flight to Thailand was when a judge hearing a case where Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min was appearing charged him and his colleague for coming to the defence of three clients during a trial in October last year. "Our clients protested in court by turning their backs and saying that they didn’t trust the trial process," he revealed.

Not so lucky was his colleague, Nyi Nyi Htwe. The latter was arrested at a teashop on Oct. 29 and is currently serving a six months jail term. The same sentence was handed down to Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min in absentia.

Since then, three other lawyers appearing for pro-democracy activists have been jailed. In early February, the authorities issued arrest warrants for six lawyers who have been defending political activists.

And if not that, the junta has pursued an alternative route to bar opposition figures from securing legal aid during their political trials. The outcome of a case that ended in mid-February is typical: the lawyers chosen to assist two elected parliamentarians were barred from attending court proceedings until their clients were sentenced to 15 years in jail.

"There is no rule of law in Burma," says Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner who heads the Assistant Association for Political Prisoners in Burma, a human rights group based in this town. "There is no separation of powers, no independence of the judiciary."

"It is getting more difficult for lawyers to defend political activists," he revealed. "The lawyers who appear for the activists are very brave. They don’t get much money and they know that their practice will suffer."

And the need for such lawyers with courage could not have been greater, he explained, in the wake of the on-going crackdown of all dissenting voices and the harsh jail terms handed down to leading, respected political activists.

In November last year, the courts handed down verdicts for 215 political activists who were linked to the pro-democracy street protests, led by thousands of Buddhists monks, held in September 2007.

A 21-year-old student was given a 104-year-sentence, a Buddhist monk who led the protests was given a 68-year-jail term, and leading female dissident was imprisoned for 65 years.

The junta’s aggressive use of the courts to target all political dissidents became clear in late 2003, following a 106-year-sentence handed down to a leading member of the Shan ethnic community, says Aung Htoo, general secretary of the Burma Lawyers’ Council. "Since that time the regime started using the judiciary as a tool of oppression."

"This is the worst period for the non-independence of the judiciary," he added. "We are seeing outrageous rulings. The situation was bad before, but not this bad."

And the judgments delivered after the political trials do not emerge from the court proceedings either. "The Home Ministry instructs the judges and the prosecutors about the verdict they want," says U Myo, a former state prosecutor who fled Burma for Thailand. "They have to follow the orders."

Saw Kyaw Kyaw Min witnessed such travesty since he graduated in 2005 with a law degree from Burma’s Dagon University and began his practice.

"Once the trial starts, the judge, the prosecuting lawyers, the prosecuting officers, and the prosecution’s witnesses follow the (junta’s) instructions," the lawyer noted in a statement released soon after he arrived in Mae Sot.

Abuse is rampant during the trial, too, he added. "Questions asked in court by the defence lawyers are deemed inadmissible by the judge, and so are not officially recorded in the court transcript."

READ MORE---> Junta Declares War on Lawyers...

Stephen Smith welcomes Bali talks on Rohingya migrants in Thailand

(News.com-AAP)- FOREIGN Minister Stephen Smith says the issue of Rohingya migrants, cast adrift by Thai authorities, will be discussed at a regional people smuggling forum later this year.

Mr Smith and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda held a formal bilateral meeting in Sydney today, where they discussed the fate of Burma's minority Muslim Rohingya, many of whom have had to be rescued in Indonesian waters.

Human rights groups claim nearly 1000 Rohingya landed on Thai shores late last year before being beaten and towed out to sea with few supplies.

Dr Wirajuda said 400 subsequently landed on the Indonesian province of Aceh.

Earlier this month, Thailand agreed to Dr Wirajuda's suggestion their fate be decided through the "Bali process", a regional network set up in 2002 to tackle people smuggling and people trafficking.

Mr Smith said the issue would be discussed at the ministerial conference, likely to be held in Bali at the end of March or April.

"We discussed and welcomed the fact that the question of the Rohingyas will form part of the discussion of forthcoming ministerial meeting of the Bali process," he said.

Mr Smith said he and Dr Wirajuda also discussed the recent visit to Indonesia by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, April's G20 meeting in London, the global financial crisis, and Burma.

Dr Wirajuda is in Sydney for an Australia-Indonesia conference, which will be officially opened by Kevin Rudd tonight.

READ MORE---> Stephen Smith welcomes Bali talks on Rohingya migrants in Thailand...

Burma's 2010 election: New election, old promises

By Naing Ko Ko

(DVB)–An election in Burma is supposedly going to be held in 2010 by the elite generals. Within the half century from 1960 to 2010, it will be the second election held by the military.

Elections in Burma are precisely identical to scarce goods, with neither availability nor choice for the public. Since Burma became an independent state, it has had only three “democratic general elections" that were held in 1952, 1956 and 1960 respectively, all under the administration of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League which ruled Burma for 10 years.

Within the 28 years from 1960 to 1988, unsurprisingly, there were no democratic general elections held by the Revolutionary Council or the Burma Socialist Programme Party that was formed after the first military coup. However, the BSPP ran a "synthetic election" as a totalitarian and bureaucratic mechanism in 1974. As the BSPP was a military-based-party, the election was absolutely managed by the party bosses and generals. The voters did not have any choice and were ordered to vote for both the single party system and "pioneer dictators".

Although millions of people demanded democracy during the four-eights uprising, the military seized state power again on 18 September 1988 and branded itself the State Law and Order Restoration Council. The junta held its first ever multiparty democratic general election on 27 May 1990 and reappointed an election commission and promulgated a multiparty democracy election law that were both formulated by the BSPP regime during the “summer of democracy” in September 1988.

There were more than two thousand candidates from 93 political parties who stood in the 1990 election full of dreams and promise. Although the election campaigns of the 93 political parties were heavily controlled by the junta, the National League for Democracy won 392 out of 485 seats. The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy won 23 seats and the BSPP’s new incarnation, the National Unity Party, won just 10 seats. Here, most Burma watchers claimed that it was a free and fair election although there was no freedom of expression and no free international monitoring system.

According to Huntington's third wave democratisation thesis of 1993 and many other political theorists, elections are a major tool for the democratisation process. In 1990, the 38-million-strong population of Burma overwhelmingly honoured the legitimacy and authority of the election to bring about the rule of law and to manage the state mechanism. But the military generals have neither transferred state political power to the election winning parties nor convened a people's parliament.

Consequently, the elected MPs of all election winning parties have not convened a parliament themselves, though they have the moral and political responsibility to carry out the people's legitimate decision as reflected in the election result. While the winners of the 1990 election claim that they have political legitimacy, the military junta argues that it has de jure legitimacy. Consequently, the military has not honored the election result, while the 1990 MPs-elect have not formed a democratic government themselves in the sovereign mainland of Burma. Thus, Burma has become a paradox of bulletocracy and representative democracy.

In addition, the MPs of 1990 election have been applying elite-driven transition models, including policies of national reconciliation and UN-brokered dialogue with the generals, while the generals have repeatedly and officially rejected their demands. Yet again, the situation since the 1990 election has remained absolutely stagnant and the opportunity for a civilian-initiated transitional process has not yet been consolidated.

There is no comprehensive winning strategy or policy platform on how to apply a regime change model for Burma after the election, either from within the military junta or from the leaders of political parties or MPs who are regularly asking international agencies such as the United Nations, the European Union and ASEAN to intervene in the power games in Burma.

During the last 20 years, all stakeholders, the military junta and all political parties have released occasional statements calling for dialogue with the elite military generals or for parliament to be convened. But there has not been a paradigm shift regarding regime transition or a power reconfiguration resulting from the 1990 election. It has not brought about either a break-even point or a balance of power between the competing claims about democracy in Burma.

On the other hand, the generals have also applied their own non-democratic transition plans such as the National Convention, national reconciliation and the Seven-Point Road Map towards "disciplined democracy". The junta has given many promises that these plans are leading towards a democratic Burma, but there have been no tangible results yet. The people of Burma have suffered from the broken promises from the both the junta and the election winners of 1990.

Now, once more, the junta has repeatedly promised another election will be held in 2010. As the time draws nearer, there will be many political parties that aim to participate in the junta’s planned election. On the exile front, the political legitimacy of the 1990 MPs will shrink and there will be a dilemma of how to claim political legitimacy after the new 2010 election. Some demographic figures have estimated that there is a population of 56 million in Burma at the moment; there are millions of young voters who have never voted in any elections.

Will this 2010 election override the results of the 1990 election?
Will the 2010 election be postponed, or will the junta transfer political power to the 1900 election winners or share power with them?
Will the MPs elected in 1990 withdraw from being MPs or will they go back to Burma to join the armed resistance?
Will they maintain the status quo and ask the UN to fight for them to get political power?

Essentially, the people of Burma have been waiting for the fulfillment of the promises from the 1990 election winners and still millions of members of the new generations are driven to neighboring counties to meet their basic needs.

Naing Ko Ko is a postgraduate scholarship student in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is a former political prisoner.

READ MORE---> Burma's 2010 election: New election, old promises...

Junta’s Spies Active among Ethnic, Exiled Groups

"exiled organizations don’t place a high priority on security,”

By MIN LWIN
The Irrawaddy News

Burmese spies actively gather information on Burmese ethnic groups and the exiled community along the Thai border, opposition leaders have long contended.

Such claims appear to be substantiated by a confidential Burmese military intelligence report obtained by The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.

The 42-page report was compiled by the Burmese Southeast Regional Military Command based in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, and sent to three key army departments: the Bureau of Special Operation (BSO 4); the operation department of the Burmese army; and the military security affairs department, also known as the War Office, in Naypyidaw.

The report outlines details of the KNU’s 14th Congress in October 2008, includes information on its new leaders and speculates about anticipated KNLA military activities, in addition to outlining information about exiled dissident groups in Mae Sot and along the Thai-Burmese border.

The report sketched activities of numerous groups, including the All Burma Students Democratic Front, the Womens’ League of Burma, the Democratic Party for a New Society, the Democratic Alliance for Burma, the Karen Youth Organization, the Mon National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) and other groups.

Several nongovernmental organizations are mentioned including the Burma Media Organization in Thailand, the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, whose headquarters is in Chiang Mai and the Thailand Burma Border Consortium in Thailand

In addition, the report mentioned information about specific Thai military intelligence officers and also included accounts of the protests by the Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy in Bangkok in October 2008.

The report, while not containing any information of immediate strategic value, was judged to be a valuable overview of the reformed KNU and activities among exiled groups along the border.

Exiled dissident and ethnic groups have always maintained that the Burmese government uses spies, informers and police agents to keep track of what goes on inside exiled dissident groups and uses military intelligence communication units to intercept military radio transmissions and other communication of ethnic groups and exiled groups inside and outside the country.

“They [intelligence agents and spies] also get information from migrant workers and the DKBA,” said Maj Hla Ngwe, joint secretary (1) of the Karen National Union, referring to The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, which operates in alliance with the Burmese military.

It’s believed that much of the information is of a low priority, he said, and has no real intelligence value. Much of the information is believed to be similar to published news reports.

“Mostly, they pass on made-up information to their bosses,” said Hla Ngwe.

One activist in Mae Sot said, “The information is often fabricated, but based true events.”

Of more significance, perhaps, are the disinformation and psychological warfare campaigns waged against ethnic groups inside the country and the exiled community, designed to create distrust and disunity.

Hla Ngwe said Burmese Military Security Affairs distributes disinformation among dissident alliance leaders. “Exiled dissidents need to be more aware of security issues,” he said.

Htay Aung, a member of the Thailand-based Network for Democracy and Development (NDD), said opposition groups are generally lax on security matters and not fully aware of the effects of disinformation campaigns.

“The government spies can get the exiled groups’ information because the

exiled organizations don’t place a high priority on security,”

he said. “They can easily penetrate the exiled groups, because spies have no horns.”

The powerful Office of the Chief of Military Intelligence was abolished in October 2004, several months after a new military government took power. Military intelligence was weaken by the removal of hundreds of officers and renamed Military Security Affairs.

“After military intelligence was abolished, the new military security department was weak,” said Htay Aung. “But now it may have become more powerful and have more funding.”

There are those in the exiled community who believe that Mahn Sha, the late Karen National Union general-secretary, was assassinated on February 14 by junta-backed agents. The murder remains unsolved, and no arrests have been reported.

READ MORE---> Junta’s Spies Active among Ethnic, Exiled Groups...

US Sanctions Taking Toll on Burmese Gems Industry

By WAI MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Mogok, the historic center of Burma’s gems industry, is struggling to cope with the effects of US sanctions targeting the country’s military rulers and their cronies, according to industry insiders.

A gem trader in Mogok told The Irrawaddy that at least 50 mine sites in the area have decreased production and several have closed completely since the US Congress approved a law restricting gem imports from Burma last July.

“Work at many gem sites has slowed down because it is becoming more difficult to export the gems now that they are on the sanctions list,” the trader said.

He added that many investors are reluctant to spend money to fuel earthmovers and other heavy equipment because they are no longer sure they will be able to sell the gems they find.

Although the sanctions are intended to block imports into the United States, other markets are also becoming less receptive to Burmese gems. According to traders, Thailand’s cross-border imports of precious stones from Burma have declined in recent months, and many Thai traders are now offering lower prices for the gems they buy.

Chinese traders have also become relatively scarce in Mogok.

“Even Chinese gem traders are not coming to Burma like they used to,” said one Burmese journalist who closely follows developments in the gems industry. “I think if the Chinese don’t come, there won’t be any gem auctions.”

Although the Burmese junta has continued to hold gem auctions in Rangoon, buying by international jewelers has dropped by at least 50 percent, according to jewelers in the city, who say that market prices across the country have also fallen by half.

Official statistics show that Burma exported US $647.53 million worth of gems in the fiscal year 2007-08. However, Burma’s gems production decreased from 7.178 million carats in the 2nd quarter of 2007 to 6.491 million carats in the 2nd quarter of 2008, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit.

In Burma, the gems industry is owned by the state, but since the 1990s, the government has allowed private investment through join-venture enterprises. But licenses are only granted to cronies of the ruling generals, including Tay Za, who runs Htoo Trading Co, and Ne Win Tun, of Ruby Dragon Jade & Gems Co Ltd.

In May 2008, former US President George W Bush issued an executive order putting three Burmese state enterprises—the Myanmar Gem Enterprise, Myanmar Timber Enterprise and Myanmar Pearl Enterprise—on a sanctions list.

Two months later, the US Congress approved the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act, which renewed a 2007 act restricting the import of gems from Burma and tightening sanctions on mining projects.

The law said that over 90 percent of the world’s ruby supply originates in Burma, but only 3 percent of the rubies entering the US are designated as being of Burmese origin.

According to Human Rights Watch, gems mined in Burma are first exported to countries such as Thailand or India to be cut and polished, and then exported to other countries around the world.

Prime markets for jewelry made with Burmese rubies are in the US, Europe and Japan. The highest quality and most expensive stones are exported to Switzerland for onward sale to other markets, the group said.

READ MORE---> US Sanctions Taking Toll on Burmese Gems Industry...

The Islamic Development Bank group to support rebuilding of Nargis-destroyed schools in Ayeyarwady Delta

This must be a joke, Than Shwe and his junta do not want the Muslim Rohingya but
here they are accepting the Muslim's money???

Yangon, Myanmar, ReliefWeb - A group of officers from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group visited cyclone-affected communities yesterday as part of the IDB's plan to help build schools in the Ayeyarwady Delta that were destroyed after Cyclone Nargis last year.

Headed by Country Projects Officer Samih Ahmad Faruqi, the IDB Group, assisted by its implementing agency, Asian Resource Foundation, visited seven schools in the townships of Kombu, Kunyangon, Dedaye, Oyapon, and Bogale. The IDB Group plans to donate approximately US$300,000 to build five schools in the Delta to accommodate about 100 students in each school.

In Bogale Township, accompanied by ASEAN Hub Officer and ASEAN volunteers, the Group visited local communities to discuss the reconstruction of two schools in Khun Tee Chaung village of Kyunnyo Village Tract and Tha Htay Gone village of Hayman Village Tract where ASEAN volunteers are currently supporting a Tripartite Core Group pilot project (1). The schools in the two villages were almost destroyed but are still being used to accommodate about 400 students.

Sharing his view after visiting the Bogale Township, Mr Faruqi said, "Schools reconstruction project is the first IDB supported emergency assistance project in Myanmar. After the successful completion of this pilot project, the Special Assistance Office of IDB will consider funding support for projects in education and health sectors at the community level."

The IDB Group's project will complement the current ASEAN Volunteer projects in order to effectively address the needs of the community as recommended in the Periodic Review, which emphasizes cross-sectoral assistance.

Dr Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN, said "We appreciate IDB Group's cooperation and support, which further strengthens ASEAN's leading role in humanitarian assistance and recovery efforts for the cyclone-affected people of Myanmar."

A Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN Secretariat and the IDB Group was signed in September 2008 with a view to promoting economic and social development in their common constituencies. The areas of cooperation include capacity building in the areas of health, education, halal food supply and agriculture, investment promotion, and economic cooperation.

Notes: (1) The Disaster Risk Management Project in Hayman Village Tract, Bogale Township seeks to raise community awareness of disaster risk (DR) and DR management through meetings and workshops with stakeholders in the targeted villages; gather data and develop initial DRM action plan to build the community's capacity; to improve community infrastructure and plant mangrove with community participation. This project is being implemented by Mingalar Myanmar, a local NGO, in cooperation with six ASEAN volunteers from ASEAN Member States, namely Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Contact details:

ASEAN Humanitarian Task Force
Coordinating Office in Yangon
Mai Phuong Tang
Communication Officer
Tel: +951 544500 Ext. 430
Email: mai.aseanhtf@gmail.com

Source: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

READ MORE---> The Islamic Development Bank group to support rebuilding of Nargis-destroyed schools in Ayeyarwady Delta...

Three Rohingya couples flee to Bangladesh for fear of torture and imprisonment

Maungdaw, Arakan State (Kaladan Press): Three couples recently fled to Bangladesh for fear of torture and imprisonment, since they married without permission from the concerned authorities, a school teacher from a refugee camp said on condition of anonymity.

The three couples were identified as (1) Minara Begum (20) and Zakaria (30), (2) Elema Khatoon (27) and Habi Rahaman (30) and (3) Anwara Begum (25) and Md. Noor (25). All of them belong to Phur Wut Chaung village of Maungdaw town.

The three couples had submitted three applications to the Nasaka, but they did not get permission for marriage, as they were unable to bribe the Nasaka authorities. They did not get permission though a year had passed since their application.

The three couples tied the knot recently, without getting any permission from the concerned authorities. However, this information reached the Nasaka, so the Nasaka has been trying to arrest them. As a result, the three couples secretly crossed the Burma-Bangladesh border on January 23, and are currently living near the Nayapara refugee camp.

According to one of the couples, "If we are arrested by the Nasaka, we will be tortured and sentenced to at least 5 years in jail. Besides, my wife will be physically tortured and insulted."

Another couple said, "We fled to Bangladesh, fearing torture, imprisonment and physical abuse in custody."

Earlier, the concerned authorities ordered the Rohingya community not to marry without taking permission from them. To get permission, a couple has to bribe the Nasaka. Some couples are unable to pay huge amounts to the Nasaka. Therefore, they are barred from marrying.

In order to get permission for marriage, the bridegroom will have to be 24 years and the bride will have to be 18.

Besides, serious restrictions are imposed on the Rohingyas on their marriage. They are not allowed to marry without official permission which takes some two years to obtain from the authority and again no permission is granted without signing a commitment not to have more than two children. Couples caught getting married or sleeping together without this approval can be arrested. And there are innumerable cases where Rohingyas have been jailed for even seven years for not complying with the requirements of the marriage rules which are only applicable to Rohingyas in Burma.

However, the stories of groaning Rohingyas which has started since long are still continuing. They have been bleeding and their tears have been rolling down their cheeks generation after generation. Sometimes they die in silence or perish in the deep sea beyond the notice and sometimes they cry in the corner. Nobody knows when the stories of their bloods and tears will come to an end, said Faroog from Norway.

READ MORE---> Three Rohingya couples flee to Bangladesh for fear of torture and imprisonment...

Prison terms commuted for two political prisoners

By Than Htike Oo

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Two political prisoners put in prison for having contact with a Thai based opposition organization had their sentences commuted by 16 years each by a divisional court.

The authorities accused Kaythi Aung and Wei Myo Htoo of attending a training conducted by 'Forum for Democracy in Burma' (FDB) in April last year and they were sentenced and are now serving their terms in Oboe prison, Mandalay. Now they have to serve the remaining 10 years each.

"The divisional court commuted their prison terms in keeping with the law. Moreover these two pleaded guilty at the trial court and it was difficult to acquit them. They had no access to legal counsel during the court proceedings and we could not get chance to re-examine the prosecution witnesses. So we are trying to get their current prison terms commuted to lenient ones", their legal counsel Myint Thwin told Mizzima.

These two were arrested from their homes in Mandalay in September 2008. First they were held in Oboe prison and then sentenced to 26 years each on 24 November last year.

They were handed out 16 years prison term each in two cases under Unlawful Associations Act and another 10 years each in two cases charged under the Immigration (Emergency Provisions) Act.

"According to the provisions in the Criminal Procedural Code (CrPC) and court rulings, their sentences could be commuted. For instance, in four cases of Kaythi Aung, all the alleged crimes were committed on the same date and same time. And the course of events was the same too. According to the law, in such a case, if the course of crime is the same, the prison terms must be served concurrently", he said.

The news of commuting sentences of some political prisoners coincided with the ongoing visit of UN rights envoy and human rights expert Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana to Burma.

The famous comedian and film director Zargana a.k.a. Thura was first sentenced to 59 years in prison for disaffection to State and Government allegedly committed through internet and was charged under Electronic Law. However, the Rangoon Division bench commuted his prison sentence by 24 years on 13 February.

The Thailand based 'Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners in Burma' (AAPPB) Joint GS Bo Kyi said that the ongoing visit of UN right expert's to Burma has nothing to do with commuting prison sentences of some political prisoners.

"The commuting of sentences is not because of Mr. Quintana's visit to Burma. Even arresting these people is going too far. And they are not only arresting these innocent people, they are even handing out harsh prison sentences to them. And now they are commuting some of these prison sentences. I don't think it is because of Mr. Quintana's visit to Burma," he said.

READ MORE---> Prison terms commuted for two political prisoners...

Rohingya boatpeople's fate hangs in balance

By Solomon

New Delhi (Mizzima)– The fate of Rohingya boatpeople, who in recent months were stranded in Indonesia, India and Thailand, is still hanging in balance as authorities continue discussing what to do with them.

An official in India's Andaman Island told Mizzima on Wednesday that they are still waiting for representatives from the government of Bangladesh to be able to deport the Rohingya boat people.

"Their [Bangladesh government] representatives will be coming here within this week," the official said. "The representative will come and take them."

The Indian official said the boatpeople were rescued from the Andaman Sea after they were found to be adrift in boats without engines and were given necessary medical treatment.

Since December 2008, different batches of Rohingya boatpeople were rescued from the sea by India and Indonesia. Survivors said they boarded boats from Bangladesh and were first caught by the Thai Navy, who then towed them off to the sea and set them adrift.

Thailand also arrested some of the boatpeople who had arrived on their coast, saying they will be tried in a court for illegally entering the country.

Kitty Mckinsey, spokesperson of UNHCR in Thailand said, "We are trying to find a solution for them [boatpeople]. We are talking with the Thai government on what will be the best solution for them."

Thailand has detained 78 Rohingya at the Immigration detention centre in Ranong, southern Thailand while three of them are still in hospital. The UNHCR said it is still uncertain whether they will be recognized as refugees.

"That is [giving refugee status] very premature we are not discussing this right now," said Mckinsey. "There is really not much going on right now."

The UNHCR in Indonesia also said they are waiting for permission from the government to get access to the nearly 400 boat-people in Sabang Island in Ache province.

Anita Restu, spokesperson of the UNHCR in Jakarta said, "the UNHCR doesn't yet have access to the group of Rohingya. Though Indonesia has announced that it has agreed in principle to give UNHCR access but till now we are still waiting to hear about the detail of the access."

She said the UNHCR is still into discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since last week. But it is sill not certain as to whether they will be given refugee status.

"We have not decided yet on the plan of access because we are still discussing. We hope to get it this week," said Restu.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross in Indonesia said they are providing food and other necessities to the boat-people in Sabang Island.

"We have been providing them relief since January 7," said an official of the Red Cross in Indonesia.

The official said about 400 Rohingya are living in three tents set up by the Red Cross and one is under medical care in the hospital for Tuberculosis (TB).

READ MORE---> Rohingya boatpeople's fate hangs in balance...

The Truth and Legality of the Panglong Agreement

Shan Herald Agency for News

According to the state-run news paper, New Light of Myanmar Than Shwe’s message on the 62nd.anniversary of Union Day said that the Union Day marks the signing of the 'Panglong' agreement between Burmese independence architect General Aung San and ethnic leaders to form the Union of Burma in 1947 and urged the people to nurture the Burmese spirit regardless of where they were.

Only the Union Spirit is true patriotism that will ever protect and safeguard all the national races," the paper quoted Than Shwe as saying.

Has anyone ever wonder why Than Shwe gave such a speech?

1. Is he admitting that the Union of Burma was formed because of the Panglong Agreement, after being in denial for decades?
   
   
2. Is he admitting to the legality of the Panglong Agreement?
   
   
3. Is he beginning to realise that he cannot break up the Union and glue the pieces together by force?
   
   
4. Is he in trouble, and now needs the loyalty of all ethnic nationalities
   
   
5. Or could this be his first step towards reconciliation with the ethnic nationalities? If it so, wonder will never cease
   
   
6. Has he misunderstood the meaning of Panglong Agreement altogether?
   
   
7. If he meant to accept that the Union of Burma was formed due to the principes of the Panglong Agreement is he willing to accept all the clauses that are contained in the Agreement? For instance

• All ethnic nationalities are to be treated as equal partners, with equal status and opportunities?
• All states have the right to self-determination?
• Each state has the right to secede after ten years? And etc.

The Panglong Agreement is a whole package with many built in clauses. Bogyoke Aungsan and the Ethnic Leaders signed an agreement to all the clauses that made up the Panglong Agreement. The Panglong Agreement is a fact and legal

It has been decades since the military regime has been in conflict with citzens of Burma. It is about time the Generals realise that conflict can be resolved only through talking with all Leaders of the Opposition? It is about time they release all political prisoners. The citizens are tired and weary with this unresolved dire situation.

S.n. Oo
The author is from the former illustrious State of Lawkzawk in the Federated Shan States, as today's Shan State of Burma was known until 1948. Opinions expressed here are those of the author – Editor

READ MORE---> The Truth and Legality of the Panglong Agreement...

Another boat laden with refugees ready to leave for Malaysia

Kaladan Press

Teknaf, Bangladesh: A boat filled with refugees is ready for departure to Malaysia, within two days from the Bangladesh coast near Nafit Khali village of Chakoria police station under Cox's Bazaar district, Hakim from the border area said.

The broker is Habi Ullah (42), son of Nazir Ahmed, and hails from Kol-loon (Thinn Baw Gwe) village of Maungdaw Township. He fled from Burma 10 years ago and now lives in Oliabad village of Teknaf Union. He is the son in-law-of Ali Ahmed of Teknaf. Therefore, he has a lot of influence in the local area and continues trade in human trafficking for his personal benefit.

He collects refugees from Arakan, from refugee camps and border areas of Bangladesh, who have been living in Bangladesh illegally. He has collected Kyat 20,000 per head for the trip to Malaysia through the sea route

Most of the people, who died in the Andaman Sea in the last two months, were sent to Malaysia, under the broker-ship of Habi Ulla. However, he is again preparing to send refugees to Malaysia, through the risky sea route. After the death of nearly 300 people in the Andaman Sea, the concerned authorities of Bangladesh have been taking action against the people, who are involved in human trafficking. In such a situation, broker Habi Ullah still dares to send people to Malaysia, a refugee said.

On the other hand, how the new refugees were again daring to go to Malaysia by the sea route, despite knowing about the current situation through the radio, TV and the print media, was surprising, according to a Rohingya elder from Arakan.

When contacted, a new refugee, who intends to go to Malaysia by boat said, "We know very well the situation of the boatpeople, who reached Thailand, Indonesia and India. We have no alternative except to flee the motherland by sea as we have been locked in a big cage, without sufficient food, movement restriction, without work, marriage restriction, while the torture and political persecution is still continued by the military junta. It is better to die at sea, I think."

According to a trader from the border area, the authorities need to stop the boat laden with refugees before it leaves for Malaysia, or the refugees will face tremendous hardships.

Thailand has been accused of mistreating up to 1,000 Rohingya boatpeople, hundreds of whom were rescued off India and Indonesia last month, claiming that they had been beaten by Thai soldiers and dragged back to sea, with little food and water and left to die, sources said.

Consul General Ye Myint Aung wrote to his fellow diplomats in Hong Kong yesterday, explaining that the Rohingya were not actually Burmese and were not accepted as one of the ethnic groups of his country, or indeed as citizens. He wrote "You will see in the photos that their complexion is 'dark brown' and "ugly as ogres" in contrast to the complexion of Burmese, which was "fair and soft, good looking as well," according to the South China Morning Post dated 11 February 2009. But, ARNO, a political group stated on her statement dated February 13, 2009, “We know and everybody knows, the skins of the people of Burma – not the skins of Rohingya alone - have been daily faded under the iron heel of U Aye Myint Aung and his tyrannical military regime...”

According to history “until 10th century, the people of Arakan were Indians similar to that of East Bengal”. The Rohingya are the only people who look like people of East Bengal or Bengalis. The then Chairman of the Burma Historical Commission Col. Bashin stated from 1430 to 1531, for more than one hundred years, Arakan was virtually ruled by the Muslims. It is a gross lie to say that the Rohingya have no ‘historic right’, the right of the first occupier of Arakan.

In spite of clear affirmation of Rohingya as an indigenous group by the former parliamentary government (1948-1962), U Bo Hla Tint described Rohingya issue a matter of political complication in all three periods of U Nu, U Ne Win and SPDC and it has to be decided by the would-be parliament. This view contradicts the NCGUB’s earlier statement, expressed in its “Position paper on Persecution of Muslims in Arakan State” dated September 24, 1992, submitted to the United Nations, affirming “Muslim Rohingyas have lived in Arakan for centuries; Muslims Rohingyas are Burmese citizens; Muslim Rohingyas have the same rights and privileges as other citizens of Burma regardless of their ethnic beliefs or ethnic background.”, according to ARNO statement dated February 13, 2009.

READ MORE---> Another boat laden with refugees ready to leave for Malaysia...

Burmese group deported to Bangladesh by BSF

By Mithu Choudhury
Mizzima News

Guwahati/Assam - A group of 10 alleged Burmese nationals, including 4 children, have been arrested and detained by the police at Badarpur Railway Station in Southern Assam's Barak Valley in Northeastern India, on Tuesday, according to the police.

According to Additional Superintendent of Police, Himanta Kumar Das, of Assam state's Karimganj district, they have arrested and detained the Burmese nationals, who arrived in the north-eastern state from neighbouring Bangladesh, on February 10, 2009.

He said the Bardarpur police, after identifying them, had sent them back to the Border Security Force (BSF) in the Indo-Bangla border area of Mahisasan, and was awaiting the response of Bangladesh's Border Security forces to accept them.

Citing a victim's confession, Das told Mizzima that the 10 foreigners had crossed into Bangladesh from Burma's western state of Arakan. They had made their way into India, through the border state of Tripura.

Das said the police sent the group back to the Indo-Bangla border on Friday night and they were still in the custody of the BSF in Mahisasan town.

According to their confession the Burmese nationals were lured by a Bangladeshi agent, who allegedly took Rupees 35,000 and promised them better paying jobs in northern India's Rajasthan state.

READ MORE---> Burmese group deported to Bangladesh by BSF...