Traditional Musician Missing After Arrest

Sittwe (Narinjara): A traditional drummer in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, has gone missing after being arrested by police on 11 August, 2009, said a relative.

"A police team raided U Kyaw Zan Maung's house on the night of 11 August and arrested U Tun Shwe. Since then, U Tun Shwe has been missing," he said.

A police team raided U Kyaw Zan Maung's house on the pretense that his drumming team went to Bangladesh illegally to teach drumming among the Arakanese community there.

After the raid, the police brought U Tun Shwe, who is a pupil of U Kyaw Zan Maung, to an unknown place for interrogation.

The high authority has since placed four police officers in front of U Kyaw Zan Maung's home to watch him and his drumming team's activities closely.

U Kyaw Zan Maung is a prominent drummer in Arakan State and his team is known as Saidra Tee Wai. They typically perform at Arakanese traditional festivals.

According to a local source, their are nearly 300 members on the Saidra Tee Wai drum team who are active in Sittwe against the military government.

A politician, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the authority claimed the unauthorized travel to Bangladesh was the reason for the raid on U Kyaw Zan Maung's house, but the truth is that the government is afraid the drum team might lead a demonstration in Sittwe.

Because of that fear, the police raided the drum leader’s home and arrested his student U Tun Shwe in order to crack down on them.

U Kyaw Zan Maung also served five years in prison before 2000 because his drum team had played and performed funeral music during a welcome ceremony for former Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt at Sittwe airport in 1994. At the time of the incident, Khin Nyunt was Secretary One of the SPDC.

Soon after the ceremony, U Kyaw Zan Maung was caught by the military authority and sentenced to five years in prison for the performance.

READ MORE---> Traditional Musician Missing After Arrest...

Bowing down to junta pressure a setback for Indonesia

By Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post

Civil groups, legislators and experts expressed regret over Indonesia's decision to cancel a meeting held by members of the Burmese government in exile in Jakarta, saying it has hurt the country's democracy credentials by bowing to the junta's pressure. (JEG's: the junta can do their way without nuclears what it would be once the reactor is ready to shoot?)

"Indonesia has bowed to Myanmar's military regime at the expense of its democracy and sovereignty," Indonesia's Solidarity for Burma said Thursday in a statement.

"The ban was in contradiction to the government's calls for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi and to restore democracy... Indonesia has fallen back on its commitment to push for reforms in Myanmar."

The solidarity comprised nine groups: Human Rights Watch, Kontras, Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, Imparsial, Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, Padma Indonesia, Hikmahbudhi, Arus Pelangi and INFID.

On Wednesday, Indonesian police ordered Burmese government members in exile to cancel a meeting to seek international support for reforms in the junta-led Myanmar. The junta has refused to acknowledge the victory of Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 1990 elections.

Members of parliament elected in 1990 and Burmese ethnic groups living in exile had planned to launch a proposal for a national reconciliation during the Jakarta meeting. The meeting itself had been attended by dozens of diplomats from Western countries.

The proposal features requests for a review and/or an amendment to the 2008 Constitution, the release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, and reforms in security and social security affairs.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Wednesday the ban was due to Indonesia's recognition of only one Myanmar government, and could not allow any political activities by members of its government in exile.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences senior researcher Dewi Fortuna Anwar said although it was understandable Jakarta could not recognize the government in exile, it should have not banned the meeting, aimed at wooing support for the release of Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to another 18 months of house arrest after being found guilty of allowing a US citizen to stay at her home.

"The government could have issued a statement saying it has nothing to do with the activity or the conference they convened," she said.

"They shouldn't have banned it as it will only have an adverse impact on our democracy credentials and backfire on the government."

Eva K. Sundari, a legislator and member of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), said the police had claimed the government in exile was an illegal group that might pose a threat to Indonesian-Myanmar diplomatic ties.

"We reported the meeting in May and there was no objection from the police," she said.

"Two days ago, they suddenly informed us about the cancellation in response to objections from the Myanmar Embassy to the meeting."

Legislator Marzuki Darusman, also from the AIPMC, said the ban was a big Indonesian failure at the international stage, considering Jakarta had always thrown its weight behind democracy in Myanmar at regional and multilateral forums.

"We do understand the sensitivity of the Myanmar issue, the objection from the Myanmar Embassy and the position taken by the Foreign Ministry," he said.

"However, as a democracy, the government's ban should not take place. They could have helped by finding solutions to have the meeting go on without having to insult the Myanmar government."

READ MORE---> Bowing down to junta pressure a setback for Indonesia...

Nasaka orders shooting Rohingy youth in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (KPN): On July 15, the Commander Burma’s border security force Nasaka of area No. 9 in Buthidaung Township ordered his armed forces to shoot a Rohingya youth wherever and whenever they find him as he did not comply with the order of Nasaka, said a close relative of the victim preferring not to be named.

The victim was identified as Md. Yasin (20), son of former village chairman Saber, from Paungdaw Pyin vllage of Buthidaung Township.

The victim Md. Yasin fell in love with Arafat Begum (18), daughter of Noor Mohamed, from the same village. But, this information reached the Nasaka camp through their secret agent. As a result, he was summoned to the camp, but he did not appear. The Nasaka also tried to arrest him, but failed.

The Nasaka called his father Saber to the Nasaka camp and asked him to bring his son to the camp or to pay kyat 500,000. So, the father agreed and was released after he had fulfilled their demand, said a friend of Saber.

However, after getting the money, the Nasaka again demanded extra kyat 2 million from his son. The son fled. The Nasaka Commander was very angry with him and ordered his armed forces to shoot him wherever they seem him.

Recently, the Nasaka authorities have increased their activities against the Rohingya youths whether they are involved in love affairs with girls or not and extort money,, said a local youth who declined to be named.

Nasaka has imposed marriage restrictions on the Rohingya community for a long time and the Rohingya youths and girls are facing many difficulties. Rohingya youths and girls who are able to give a huge bribe to the concerned authorities are able to tie the knot. There are many poor youths and girls who are not able to marry because of money to get marriage permission. The authorities deliberately do not give permission in time, said a local businessman requesting not to be named.

READ MORE---> Nasaka orders shooting Rohingy youth in Maungdaw...

China thought we won't care for Hu

By Hamish McDonald

Stern Hu is not Schapelle Corby. The Chinese communist chief, Hu Jintao, and his secret police might not have been too familiar with how someone becomes a tabloid media victim-celeb.

But this was the sort of calculation running through their minds in July when the Ministry of State Security was given the green light to haul in Stern Hu, a Chinese-born Australian citizen who is the Shanghai-based iron ore marketer for Rio Tinto, and three of his Chinese colleagues.

The assumption was a Western country would not get very roused by the misfortune of a citizen who didn't have a white face, someone naturalised fairly late in life and working back in his country of birth. It's a mirror of a deep-seated perception among the Chinese themselves. Some people find it hard to keep ethnicity distinct from citizenship or nationality.

If you want to hit back at a foreign country or organisation, don't pick on the obvious foreigner with a greater chance of becoming a martyr back home, pick the Chinese face. Instead of everyone assuming innocence, as with Corby, people will wonder if it's not really guilty as charged.

Hu and colleagues are detained while State Security investigates allegations they improperly obtained inside information from the Chinese steel industry during negotiations for iron ore supplies. The suggestion is this was obtained by bribery, and State Security is said to be quizzing steel company executives about largesse from Rio Tinto (which flatly denies any practice of bribery).

The Chinese system runs on the oil of bribery, kickbacks and banqueting said to amount to tens of billions of dollars a year. Foreign companies tread a wavy line separating hospitality and "facilitation" from graft.

Only this week, the Communist Party's Propaganda Ministry had to order internet search engines to block all keywords relating to allegations a company making airport security screening devices, Nuctech, run by Hu Jintao's son, Hu Haifeng, had paid bribes to win a sale in Namibia.

Why make a case against Rio Tinto now? There has been speculation the arrests were a payback for the failure of Chinalco's bid to double its stake in Rio Tinto, and/or anger at the concerns about Chinese military power raised in Canberra's Defence White Paper.

The more that comes out in China, however, the more clearly the arrest is related to the iron ore negotiations, and a battle between State and Big Capital inside China itself.

Officialdom in the Commerce Ministry had been appalled at the way the three big global iron ore suppliers, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton from Australia and Vale from Brazil, had been getting massive price rises in annual contracts with big Chinese steelworks.

While the economy was running white-hot, the big steel firms worried more about supply than price, which they could always pass on to customers, or excess supply, which they could sell at higher spot-market margins to small Chinese steel foundries which weren't authorised to import.

This year, the ministry levered the China Iron and Steel Association into the negotiations, to present a united front to the big three miners and take advantage of the economic slowdown. It was likened to medieval China's six "warring states" coming together to fight an invader.

After Japanese and other steel customers agreed on a modest 33 per cent price cut, winning a better deal for China became the public goal of the association's chief, Shan Shanghua. "The price of iron ore should be reduced by more than 40 per cent, and return to 2007 levels," he insisted.

Instead, the negotiations were in stalemate beyond the expiry of the old contracts on June 30, with the spot price of iron ore far above what the Chinese would have got with just a 33 per cent cut. It can't be any coincidence that Stern Hu was arrested on July 5, just as this self-inflicted economic blow and humiliating loss of face for the officials became apparent.

A Chinese online newsletter, the Economic Observer, quoted a Baosteel source saying this was "just the start" , and that "the Rio Tinto affair is really a struggle between the market power of China's steel companies and the political power of China's government planners".

Stern Hu can look forward to up to 19 months' detention, by recent precedent in State Security cases, before he is brought to court. He is entitled under a bilateral treaty to monthly consular visits by Australian officials, but not to a lawyer. Nor can a lawyer engaged for him carry out any investigation to prepare a defence.

When the trial is held, family and media cannot attend, diplomats may or may not be allowed to observe, witnesses are not always called and the judges are subject to direction by a Party supervisor in the backrooms. Once charges are laid, an acquittal is unheard of: the best the convict can hope for is a lenient sentence for co-operation and an early deportation on "medical grounds".

What can be done? Not much use pointing out the failings of the Chinese legal system - best to convince leaders that their officials are inflicting massive self-damage. China's claim that its would-be overseas investors like Chinalco operate separately to the state has been shot to bits. Its steel industry is paying more for iron ore than Japan's or Korea's. The "dark side" of the Chinese system is being emphasised to the outside world, undercutting Beijing's "soft power" offensive.

Australian leaders have been soft-pedalling in public. In Shanghai, the West Australian Premier, Colin Barnett, wanted to talk about China's fantastic opportunities, not the Hu case. The Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, came out of a talk with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, saying they'd agreed the case should not "get in the way generally of the bilateral relationship".

Let's hope they're saying in private just how much damage this case can do, and how much it is costing China itself.

SMH

READ MORE---> China thought we won't care for Hu...

Business Search for: News News Smith raised Hu case with Chinese

(news.com.au) -FOREIGN Minister Stephen Smith has raised the case of a detained Australian mining executive with his Chinese counterpart.

Stern Hu, who was in charge of Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in China, was arrested in early July on suspicion of spying and stealing state secrets.

The Shanghai-based executive is yet to be charged, 18 days after he was first detained.

Mr Smith said he raised the matter with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional forum, in Thailand.

"We spoke about a number of matters but I'm happy to indicate to you that, in the part of the conversation which related to Mr Hu, I repeated the representations that I and our officials had made previously, which was that we wanted the matter to be dealt with expeditiously," Mr Smith told reporters in Phuket.

Mr Smith said Mr Yang stressed China's relationship with Australia would not be compromised by the detention of Mr Hu, a Chinese-born Australian citizen.

"Both of us have been at pains to make the point that we don't see this going to the wider relationship, which we regard as very good on the economic front," he said.

Mr Smith declined to say if charges were closer to being laid, but he rejected calls from the opposition for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to directly contact Chinese President Hu Jintao.

"This is an issue which is sensitive and difficult and complex. This is not an issue which is going to be resolved by one phone call or by one meeting between ministers and ministers," he said.

READ MORE---> Business Search for: News News Smith raised Hu case with Chinese...

Hu 'likely 'persona non grata'

(news.com.au) -STERN Hu, the Australian businessman detained in China on suspicion of spying and stealing state secrets, is likely to be declared persona non grata and thrown out of the country, a US think tank says.

Private sector intelligence group Stratfor says China is now seeking to dampen what has turned into a diplomatic row between China and Australia and attracted worldwide attention.

Much of the worldwide business community has cited China's detention of Mr Hu as a cause for concern.

Mr Hu, an Australian citizen who was in charge of Rio Tinto's iron ore operations, was arrested on July 5 on suspicion of spying and stealing state secrets. (JEG's: if they were secret how could they be stolen?)

The Shanghai-based executive is yet to be charged, 18 days after he was first detained.

Earlier this week, it emerged that China's Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei had told Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on July 17 that Chinese officials were now emphasising only the bribery charges and not espionage charges relating to national security. (JEG's: because the charges are false, that is why they are only "emphasising"...)

Stratfor said that was a significant shift, even though Mr He made sure to say that commercial matters could still fall under the Chinese definition of state secrets. "It is likely that the charges against Hu will be considerably less than if he were tried for espionage, which can result in a death sentence," it said. "The most likely scenario is that Hu will be given persona-non-grata status and shipped back to Australia, unable to return to China."

Stratfor said this was a relatively common punishment for foreigners accused of espionage, as seen in the 2001 cases of Chinese-Americans Wu Jianming and Li Shaomin, who were deported after being convicted of spying for Taiwan.

Stratfor said China would not let this matter go without some form of punishment for Mr Hu and three other Rio employees who were also detained. To do so would cause China to lose face amid criticism from around the world that China's actions were solely self-serving attempts to intimidate a foreign company (*) in order to give domestic companies an edge, Stratfor said.

"However, if the Australians can find a compromise - possibly getting Rio to soften its stance in the iron ore price negotiations, or ensure some investment opportunities in Australia - then it looks like China may be willing to play nice,(*)" it said.

READ MORE---> Hu 'likely 'persona non grata'...

Counter people with people: Home Minister

by May Kyaw

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The Home Minister of the Burmese military junta had at a point of time exhorted the staff members of the General Administration Department at a meeting to ‘counter people with people and counter politics with politics’.

In the Home Ministry’s directive, a copy of which has been leaked and is with Mizzima, the Home Minister Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had given such a blatant instruction to officials of the General Administration (GA) Department at a meeting in Naypyitaw Home Ministry’s Meeting Hall on 20 January 2007.

“Counter people with people, counter politics with politics. There is no need to get involved personally. Do it carefully and do it daringly,” he had directed.

In the six-page directive, he had instructed organizing of NGOs so as to be pro-government, to mobilze people, not to confront the army, to go in for fund raising for the welfare of the Home Ministry staff members and to monitor the activities of the ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD).

Moreover Maj. Gen. Maung Oo had also said that the staff of the Home Ministry should use their power for their livelihood instead of begging.

“Regarding smuggling, arrest them. Report to the authorities, anything you seize from them, either a car or a motorcycle. Surrender them to the customs department. You will get 50 per cent reward money from these goods. So you don’t need to beg, but arrest them for your living,” the directive says.

He had also talked of the junta’s plan of holding mass rallies against the opposition forces in late 2007 to senior officials in the GA Department across the country.

Following the saffron revolution in September 2007, protest rallies were organized by the junta backed civilian organisation - ‘Union Solidarity and Development Association’ - in some States and Divisions across the country.

The meeting presided by the Maung Oo was also attended by the Burmese Deputy Home Minister and Director General of the General Administration.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Brig. Gen. Phone Swe advised GA officials to build trust and win the respect of ethnic people in their respective regions and to prepare for joining a political party.

Director General Myat Ko also informed the ‘District Peace and Development Council’ (DPDC) Chairmen and ‘Township Peace and Development Council’ Chairmen to thoroughly scrutinize before giving recommendations to establishment of social organizations and to make office expenses frugally.

The DPDC and TPDC are under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry’s GA Department. While most Chairmen of DPDC has military backgrounds, a few are selected from the civilians and there are a total of 62 districts in the Burmese administration.

Divisional and State level PDC are controlled and are under the charge of the commander of the military regional command in their respective regions.

READ MORE---> Counter people with people: Home Minister...

Burmese trying to enroll in Bangladeshi voters list arrested

Dhaka (Narinjara): Eighteen Burmese Muslims were arrested on Wednesday by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on the border when they were trying to enter Bangladesh to enroll in the country’s voters list, said an official report.

Bangladeshi election authorities are now updating the country’s electoral rolls. So some Burmese nationals are trying to sneak into Bangladesh to enroll their names in the voters list. Should they succeed in registering their names in the voters list, they will become Bangladeshi citizens, the report said.

The Burmese nationals were arrested from different areas of Nakhongshari Township, opposite MaungdawTownship in Burma during a joint operation by the Bangladeshi security forces, official sources said.

“Acting on secret information, they entered Bangladesh territory to enroll themselves in the updated voters list. We caught them on the border,” said an official.

The BDR also arrested 11 Burmese nationals from different villages in Nakhongsari Township on Sunday and Monday while they were intruding into Bangladesh.

Despite Bangladeshi border authorities arresting many Burmese Muslims and pushing them back to Burma the exodus of Muslims from the neighbouring country continues unabated.

Most from the Muslim community in Arakan are entering Bangladesh to flee the economic crisis in the State. The people as a whole in Arakan are mired in financial crisis making it difficult for them to eke out a living, reports from Arakan say.

READ MORE---> Burmese trying to enroll in Bangladeshi voters list arrested...

Rio Tinto evacuate China staff after Stern Hu arrest

By by James Regan

(news.com.au) -RIO Tinto has evacuated staff in China involved in research of the iron ore and steel industry in response to the detention of some of its iron ore traders by state authorities, The Australian Financial Review has reported.

The unsourced report from Shanghai also said other foreign groups were moving employees out of China until conditions there become more certain.

Rio Tinto spokesman Ian Head said he could not immediately comment on the report, which said the unidentified number of staff were moved out yesterday.

Stern Hu, Rio Tinto's head of iron ore marketing in China, and three other members of the Shanghai-based iron ore team were detained in early July on suspicion of stealing state secrets.

Mr Hu, a Chinese-born Australian citizen, was accused of obtaining and passing on the Chinese industry's negotiating position, sources with knowledge of the circumstances have said.

Rio Tinto's China team carry out some negotiations and manage operational details of term contracts for iron ore, a key ingredient in steel making, as well as tracking market information. (JEG's: isn't this common practice on any new business? - but then China spies on anybody but we cannot investigate where we are to put our money in, China's one way internal affairs is meddling in others business)

Reuters

READ MORE---> Rio Tinto evacuate China staff after Stern Hu arrest...

China claims proof Rio execs spied

ANY SIMILARITIES WITH DASSK's TRIAL?

ABC-The Chinese government says it has proof that four senior Rio Tinto executives detained in Shanghai stole state secrets.

Australian man Stern Hu, the head of Rio Tinto's China operations, has been detained in Shanghai along with three other Rio Tinto staff.

The Federal Government spoke to the Chinese Ambassador today and Chinese authorities have agreed to allow Australian officials to visit Mr Hu tomorrow.

China's Ministry of State Security says Mr Hu has been involved in espionage and stealing state secrets, but he has not been charged.

The arrest of Mr Hu has been the result of an independent judicial process, according to official Chinese government spokesman Qin Gang.

But his comments seem to suggest it will be hard for the chief of Rio Tinto's Shanghai operations to beat the allegations in a Chinese court.

Qin Gang says authorities have sufficient evidence to prove that Mr Hu and three other Rio employees have stolen state secrets and this has caused a huge loss to China's economic security.

He also warned against the politicisation of this issue, saying it would only hurt Australia.

But Australian politicians have weighed in on the matter since the news broke yesterday.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should personally intervene to secure Mr Hu's release.

"The Prime Minister must act immediately to ensure that our fellow Australian is treated fairly," Mr Turnbull said.

But Mr Rudd says the Government is doing all it can to secure Mr Hu's release, and he has accused Mr Turnbull of grandstanding.

"Let's not get engaged in this business of political grandstanding on the home front, let's get on with the practical business of supporting Australia in difficult circumstances and that is what the Foreign Minister and Australian officials are doing," Mr Rudd said.

"It's the right course of action."

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett says while he does not know the details of the arrest, he has contacted the Chinese consul general in Perth to express his concern.

Mr Barnett says the arrest of Mr Hu will add tension to the relationship between Australia and China which has already been strained by a number of business decisions in WA.

"Chinalco's seeming rejection by Rio Tinto - there is concern about BHP and Rio merging, there are issues relating to the Oakajee port and mid-west development," he said.

"I will be going to China at the end of next week and I'll be addressing each of those issues with Chinese business and Chinese government officials and hopefully can play a role in smoothing the waters."

The Government says it is staying in close contact with Mr Hu's wife and Rio Tinto.

READ MORE---> China claims proof Rio execs spied...

Australian Rio Tinto executive held in China

NEWS.com.au
July 09, 2009 04:00pm

* A man with "ties" to Rio arrested
* Comes after Stern Hu detained
* "Espionage and stealing state secrets"
* No explanation - Stephen Smith
* Rio Tinto: Latest share price, profile

THE iron ore chief of Shougang Corp has been arrested as part of a crackdown on raw materials trading in China, Bloomberg News reported, quoting the 21st Century Business Herald.

The man arrested was identified as Tan Yixin, Shougang’s general manager of mineral imports and exports, Bloomberg News reports. Other executives from the company were also detained.

A Shougang spokesman told the Herald he had no information on the detention and the Herald did not cite the specific source or sources used for its report.

News of the arrests comes after a senior Australian mining executive was arrested in Shanghai by secret police on charges of espionage and theft of state secrets.

The arrest of Stern Hu, the general manager for China operations at Rio Tinto's iron ore division, prompted speculation that it was linked to fraught negotiations over Australian iron ore exports to China, The Australian reports.

The Herald report said that Mr Hu had "ties" to Mr Tan but it isn't know if the new arrests are directly related to the arrest of Mr Hu and the three other Rio Tinto executives.

As the Opposition called on Kevin Rudd to use his special relationship with China to secure Mr Hu's release, analysts and Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce pointed to the protracted negotiations between Rio and Chinese steel mills over iron ore prices and the thwarted bid by state-owned Chinalco to take a strategic stake in Rio earlier this year.

Despite Mr Hu's arrest on Sunday, along with three Chinese colleagues, and diplomatic approaches to Chinese authorities in Beijing, Canberra and Shanghai, by last night Australian consular officials had yet to gain access to the executive.

Speaking in Perth last night, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith confirmed Mr Hu and the three other Rio officials were being held on suspicion of espionage and stealing state secrets.

"We're continuing to seek explanations for the reasons for the detention," he said.

"I've also seen speculation that Mr Hu's detention may be linked to commercial matters between Rio Tinto and China; I've seen no evidence and I have no basis for any such speculation but I do underline that when our officials were advised of the reason for the detention, that came as a surprise to us as it came as a surprise to Rio."

He said Australian officials in Shanghai had "immediately made contact with Chinese authorities" and Mr Hu's wife on Sunday.

The arrests come after the failed $US19.5 billion ($24.8bn) bid by Chinalco to increase its shareholding in Rio and take minority stakes in key projects, such as the Pilbara iron ore operations.

Although Chinalco expressed only "disappointment" when Rio ditched the deal in May in favour of an alliance with rival BHP Billiton, the move sparked fury in the state-owned Chinese press, which accused the Anglo-Australian miner of betrayal.

Rio has also been leading the tense negotiations between Australian miners and Chinese steel mills on the price China will pay for iron ore in the current financial year.

China has been holding out for a 40 per cent-plus cut in iron ore prices, although last night there were unconfirmed reports that the steel mills had buckled and accepted a 33 per cent drop in iron ore contract prices, matching prices agreed to by Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese steel mills.

Mr Hu has been a prominent figure in the Chinese iron and steel sector. In late 2007, as annual benchmark iron ore price talks approached, Mr Hu spoke at the annual China International Steel and Raw Materials conference, saying Australian iron ore landed at Chinese ports was much cheaper than Brazil's and that big Chinese companies were making good profits. The remarks later drew the ire of Chinese steel manufacturers.

In confirming the arrests, Rio said it would co-operate with the Chinese authorities.

"We intend to co-operate fully with any investigation the Chinese authorities may wish to undertake and have sought clarification on what has occurred," the company said yesterday.

It is understood Australia's ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, intervened with Chinese authorities yesterday to seek details about the reasons for the arrests, which threaten to undermine bilateral relations.

- with The Australian

Read more on this story at The Australian.

READ MORE---> Australian Rio Tinto executive held in China...

Spy Charges a crisis for Canberra

China's tantrums, she has to be right like an spoiled brat
this is something the junta has to watch out
it could happen to the Burmese generals anytime...

ANALYSIS: Rowan Callick

STERN Hu, or Hu Shitai, to use his Chinese name, is a rare case of a foreigner charged with stealing state secrets.

Overseas businesspeople have tended to be treated with some care in China, whose economic rise has been substantially driven by foreign investors.

But people who are ethnically Chinese tend to be treated as if they were citizens of the People's Republic, whatever their chosen new nationality.

Mr Hu is not a hapless, indiscreet entrepreneur who might have strayed over a nebulous line by mistake. He is a corporate figure, Rio Tinto's second-most senior executive in China and the head of its Shanghai office, responsible for negotiating iron ore prices and marketing iron ore into Rio's biggest market.

His best hope for fair treatment is for his case to be widely publicised. It thus appears odd that his employer and the Australian government appear to have downplayed his predicament for two or more days.

Rumours are flying inside China as to what Mr Stern is supposed to have done wrong, but it may not become clear for some time what the security services' case may be.

This is a crisis not only for Mr Stern and his family in Shanghai, but also for Canberra, because it appears to put in question Australia's main export to China - $18billion of iron ore sales last year, out of a total $32.5 billion.

Businesspeople from Taiwan have often been charged with stealing state secrets, as have journalists. A Chinese journalist spent 12 years in jail for projecting a likely move in central bank interest rates.

China Digital Times comments: "Chinese authorities often use 'state secrets' charges to arrest government critics and others who write or talk about sensitive political subjects. Yet the government has not made public a clear definition of what constitutes a state secret, making it difficult for journalists and others to protect themselves from violating an often nebulous law."

The Xinhua news agency said last week that the legislature was now reviewing the law because, said Xia Yong, head of the National Administration for the Protection of State Secrets, parts of it had become obsolete.

He said: "New situations and problems have emerged in guarding state secrets ... especially with the introduction and development of information technology and the application of e-government."

READ MORE---> Spy Charges a crisis for Canberra...

Uighurs protest outside Chinese consulate in Sydney

(SMH) - Uighur protesters have rallied outside the Chinese consulate in Sydney, demanding freedom and justice for their Muslim countrymen in China.



They chanted "freedom to Uighurs" and "shame on you murderers" in front of the closed consulate in Camperdown.

Some carried banners reading "World listen to our plea" while others draped themselves in chains symbolising the oppression of their people in China.

The rally was in response to the deaths of 156 Uighurs in a Chinese military crackdown in Xianjing in western China at the weekend during what was intended to be a peaceful protest.

Retaliatory attacks have continued and ethnic tensions remain between the Uighurs and Han Chinese.

Australian Uighur Association spokesman Kuranda Seyit contrasted the Sydney protest with the Chinese rally.

"We are gathered here today at a peaceful protest," Mr Seyit told the crowd.

"There's nobody shooting us. There's nobody hitting us with sticks. There is nobody oppressing us.

"We want our freedom and democratic rights to express our disappointment and anger with the Chinese authorities.

"This is how a free and open society can be and this is what we want in China ... for the Uighur people."

However, police tackled and arrested one protester after he threw an egg at the consulate gates.

The 41-year-old was issued with a court order for throwing a missile in a public place, police said.

Mr Seyit called on the international community to pressure China after it supported Beijing's successful bid to host the Olympic Games.

"With one hand they open their palms to welcome the people of the world and with the other they are beating and killing Uighur people," he said.

"How on earth can the rest of the world tolerate this injustice against the Uighur people?"

The Uighur association's general secretary Mamtimin Ala said about 2,000 Uighurs live in Australia.

"I strongly urge the Australian government to put diplomatic pressure on China to exercise maximum restraints to handle this problem in a more ration and moral and legal way," Mr Ala said.

Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Ikebal Patel said he deplored the attacks in China's only region with a Muslim majority.

He said a longstanding relationship between Muslims and Chinese for more than 1,400 years should not be allowed to be overtaken by violence and injustice.

"Australian Muslims appeal to the Chinese government to realise that persecution of its Muslims will not go unnoticed nor uncommented upon," Mr Patel said in a statement.

South Australian independent MP Kris Hanna has organised a rally in Adelaide on Thursday calling for the military crackdown in Xianjing to be condemned.

"Just as in Tibet, this is a disturbing case of old-fashioned imperialism by a repressive autocracy intolerant of cultural diversity," Mr Hanna said in a statement.

"In spite of our economic relationship with China, we need to tell Beijing that brutal violence and unjustified killing on ethnic or religious grounds is wrong and an offence to humanity."

AAP - July 8, 2009 - 5:21PM

READ MORE---> Uighurs protest outside Chinese consulate in Sydney...

China's Urumqi divided along tense ethnic lines

SMH

The flashpoint city of Urumqi has become China's Baghdad, a fearful resident said, as thousands of troops draw a line in the sand to prevent new ethnic unrest between the Han and Uighur people.

A demarcation line was set up along Renmin Road, the east-west artery through the city where troops carrying semi-automatic machine guns and heavy batons cut the city in half to separate the two communities.

Thousands of Han Chinese, armed with clubs, metal pipes and blunt weapons, had crossed the road the day before seeking revenge against Muslim Uighurs after riots Sunday.

Residents welcomed the security but many, especially Uighurs, expressed fears for the future.

"I'm afraid there will be more violence," said a Uighur man named Ali, who was allowed through security along with many other Uighurs to head home after spending a tense night at his workplace on the north side of the boundary.

"There was too much hatred around now. The future looks bad."

He also expressed fear about going home because of reports circulating among Uighurs that Chinese police were breaking into Uighur homes to arrest suspected rioters from Sunday.

The Han are China's dominant ethnic group, making up 91.5 percent of the nation's 1.3 billion people, according to the latest government figures.

But in Xinjiang, a vast region of deserts and mountains bordering Central Asia, eight million Turkic-speaking Uighurs make up nearly half the population.

Uighurs have consistently complained about discrimination and repression under communist Chinese rule over the past 60 years, accusations the government denies.

Many Han people also felt the dividing line between the two sides in Urumqi would likely last a long time, in a figurative if not physical sense.

"This will be very difficult to resolve. There is a lot of bad blood now because of the Uighurs," said Chen Xiping, 32.

"We needed this security because Urumqi has become our Baghdad."

But other Han were more optimistic.

"We will return to normal soon. I'm confident," said a Han man named Run as he watched army trucks rumbling along Renmin Road.

"This week we have seen the worst violence in Urumqi in 60 years. That shows that we basically have stability between the people."

However, illustrating the ethnic division, he rejected Uighur accusations of political, religious and cultural oppression by China.

"No, no, no, that's nonsense," he said.

"There is religious freedom and cultural freedom in China. They have as much freedom as we do."

But a Uighur eye doctor named Halisha said that type of attitude was one of the reasons behind the recent unrest.

"The Uighur people are always kept down by Chinese. So there will continue to be anger," said Halisha, who spent Tuesday night in his clinic in the Uighur district because he could not return to his home north of the security line.

AFP - July 8, 2009 - 4:02PM

READ MORE---> China's Urumqi divided along tense ethnic lines...

Chinese troops flood into restive Urumqi

Armed Chinese soldiers in riot gear run down a main street leading to the end of the city occupied by ethnic Uighurs in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Photo: Reuters

(SMH) -China poured troops into the restive city of Urumqi today in a massive show of force, but fresh unrest flared as Han Chinese and Muslim Uighurs armed themselves with makeshift weapons.

As one of the worst spikes in ethnic tensions to have hit China in decades showed no signs of easing, President Hu Jintao abandoned a Group of Eight summit in Italy to deal with the crisis.

In Urumqi, the capital of the remote northwest Xinjiang region where 156 people died in riots on Sunday, army helicopters circled overhead as thousands of soldiers and riot police filled the city shouting out "protect the people".

"We support this. The government has to take action to protect the people," said a Han Chinese man surnamed Run, 45, as he watched the troops roll by in trucks.

"But they should have got here sooner. It took them three days to do this. Why so long?"

After authorities blamed Muslim Uighurs for Sunday's unrest that also left more than 1000 people injured, Han Chinese took to the streets Tuesday with shovels, meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons vowing to defend themselves.

The city descended into chaos as mobs, sometimes made up of thousands of Han, surged towards Uighur neighbourhoods, only to be pushed back by security forces who fired volleys of tear gas.

After a night-time curfew was declared on Tuesday, Chinese authorities appeared determined to show they were able to maintain order, with some troops carrying rifles with bayonets affixed.

Thousands of riot police wearing helmets and carrying shields lined up on a main road in Urumqi dividing the city centre from a Uighur district, with columns of soldiers behind them.

Military trucks rolled by with loudspeakers blaring: "Everybody please cooperate, please go home."

But while the mobs had not returned and there was no more bloodshed, many Han Chinese and some Uighurs were still carrying makeshift weapons in the city centre and outlying districts, AFP reporters witnessed Wednesday.

In one incident, about 200 Uighurs armed with sticks, pipes and rocks began protesting directly in front of a police cordon that was dividing their neighbourhood from a Han-populated area, one AFP reporter said.

A smaller group of Uighurs had been trading insults and accusations with Han who were on the other side of the cordon and similarly armed with makeshift weapons.

The crowd of Uighurs grew after a helicopter dropped leaflets blaming Sunday's unrest on exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, but they also claimed police had overnight allowed Han Chinese to freely attack Muslim areas.

"Last night about 300 Han came through the security over there (pointing to the police cordon) and they attacked people's homes and smashed up a restaurant," Akbar, 20, told AFP.

It was not immediately possible to verify the accusations.

During Wednesday's stand-off the Uighurs yelled at police but there were no immediate violent clashes. Police moved foreign reporters away from the scene after about 15 minutes, stopping them from being able to witness events.

Earlier in the day and in the mainly Han-populated part of town, one woman in her 30s was seen walking on the street carrying a large stick with nails coming out of it, while others were carrying knives and steel poles.

Many shops and businesses remained closed and there were no buses or taxis running through the centre of town.

Highlighting the severity of the crisis, the government announced Hu had cut short a trip to Italy for the G8 summit.

"In light of the current situation in Xinjiang, President Hu Jintao returned to China early this morning," the foreign ministry said.

International alarm over the crisis intensified, with Muslim countries, the United Nations and the European Union expressing concern.

Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs make up nearly half the population of the region, a vast area of deserts and mountains rich in natural resources that borders Central Asia.

The Turkic-speaking people have long complained of repression and discrimination under Chinese rule, but Beijing insists it has brought economic prosperity to the region.

AFP

READ MORE---> Chinese troops flood into restive Urumqi...

Hu Jintao leaves G8 as riots in China escalate

(news.com.au) -CHINESE President Hu Jintao, on an official visit to Italy for the G8 summit, has decided to return to China due to the situation in Xinjiang where riots have claimed more than 150 lives, ANSA news agency reports.

"Given the worsening of the disorder in Xinjiang, President Hu Jintao has decided to move forward his return to China and not participate in the G8 summit'" which opens on Wednesday in the central Italian town of L'Aquila, Tang Heng, first political counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Rome, was quoted as saying.

Mr Hu, visiting Pisa in Tuscany, "is leaving this town to return to Beijing," the Italian news agency said.

State Councillor Dai Bingguo would take part in the summit of the Group of Eight and major developing countries on Mr Hu's behalf, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Fresh ethnic strife erupted in Urumqi, capital of China's remote northwest Xinjiang region, yesterday as thousands of angry Han Chinese armed with poles, meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons stormed through the streets as the flashpoint city riven by ethnic tensions descended into chaos.

Heavily armed security forces fired tear gas at the crowds and ordered a night curfew in an effort to restore calm in Urumqi, where 156 people died in weekend clashes.

G8 leaders gathering in Italy faced deepening crises in Iran and China and a warning that the worst political and social effects of the global economic downturn are still to come.

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations and a host of emerging powers meet until Friday in the city of L'Aquila, which was devastated in April by an earthquake that killed nearly 300 people.

From correspondents in Rome
Agence France-Presse

VIDEO below by Sydney Morning Herald: Violence in China: eyewitness

READ MORE---> Hu Jintao leaves G8 as riots in China escalate...

Life is cheap in the East, even cheaper in Burma

By Pascal Khoo-Thwe

(DVB)–The nineteenth-century Jewish-German writer and critic, Henrich Heine, once said, "Where they burn books, they will ultimately also burn people."

When the Nazis organized the nationwide burning of books deemed 'un-German' in May 1933, not many people could have imagined that they would go on to kill many unarmed, non-combatant and innocent people, mostly Jews, on the basis of racial ideology.

In Burma, the first military junta, led by the late General Ne Win, caused a similar shock when it seized power in March 1962. Then on this day in 1962, soldiers under the command of the 'Butcher of Rangoon', Sein Lwin, dynamited and blew up Rangoon University's student union building with around one hundred protesting students still inside it. Scores were killed. The bloodied site was bulldozed and then paved over.

Some years later, Ne Win blamed one of his officers for the infamous incident, and the latter pointed finger back at him. But tellingly, none volunteered to re-construct the building or apologized for the action as they have no desire to see the resurrection of Burmese student activism that precipitated the demand for independence of Burma from the British. True to the form of the oligarchic rulers of old Burma, they also felt that admitting the mistake would be tantamount to accepting failure. Unlike the Nazis of the Third Reich, whose overarching ambition was to create a pure race, Burma’s rulers use a policy of ‘Burmanisation’ primarily to achieve their final goal of absolute power.

It was a symbolic destruction of the future of the country, as well as a spiteful act against the students and intellectuals of the country regarded by Ne Win and his cohorts with a mixture of suspicion and jealousy. Following the incident, the junta gradually and imperceptibly downgraded the standard of education, once regarded as the best in Asia, by filling the pages of textbooks with propaganda and slogans. Passages of rational and humourous arguments were also phased out, making it harder for teachers to teach anything meaningful or useful.

Many Burmese students of that generation regard the event as the beginning of the ongoing struggle for predominance between the army and the civilians in Burma. In fact, it is also a struggle for the claimant of a definite 'Burmese' identity. The generals want to mould Burma into a uniformed, aloof and 'pure' nation while civilian leaders want it to be a nation of vibrant and prosperous people. But both sides lack well thought-out plans, the patience and diligence needed to realize their dream of a strong nation. They both put an emphasis on the importance of discipline and self-sacrifice but many are reluctant to commit themselves to their ideals. Over the years, the gap between the army and civilian life has become wider to the point where the army started to think of itself as of a special class and breed, while the people started to see the army as an alien force or a force working for alien powers occupying their country.

Tyranny prospers

To better understand the problem and impacts caused by the 7 July incident, one needs to look at the situation at the time and the mentality of the dictator and his followers, who had further sown 'the seed of the poison flower'. Having gained its independence in 1948, Burma was a country struggling with rebellions and political intrigues when Ne Win seized power from the civilian government of U Nu, regarded by the former as a group of weak and corrupt politicians. To make matters worse, the country was caught between the two main sides of the Cold War, and powerful nations were not interested in who ruled Burma, as long as the country was on their side of the great divide. Thus, tyranny was allowed to prosper and take deep root in the name of stability.

On the other hand, Ne Win was known to have harboured deep jealousy and hatred towards his more educated and charismatic peers, such as national hero Aung San, the father of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the civilian leader U Nu. A true gambler in character, Ne Win waited for his chance with patience and ruthlessness, and surrounded himself with yes-men and mindless thugs. He had enough intelligence to outwit his enemies and friends alike with the brutality and efficiency, but lacked the will to rebuild the nation as promised, once he was in power.

The combination of instability and the rule of a ruthless leader was to turn a relatively prosperous Burma into a country of recycled fear, poverty and suffering that continues to this day. Ne Win's legacy is acutely felt among new generations born after his coup, who are forced to be obedient and placid before they have the chance to be a decent and responsible human beings. Many are caught in a state of mind with which they can neither comfortably hold on to these traditions nor go forward with confidence, partly due to the widespread confusion and clash of ideas among older generations. The 'good' old traditions of Burma are only kept in words, and older generations can only watch in despair the gradual erosion of traditions by economic pressures and political hypocrisy.

Ne Win also left behind the legacy of acute mistrust and disrespect among the people caused by his 'Big Brother Is Watching You' policy. People might maintain a public show of respect and politeness outwardly, but once out of sight they bless each other with derogative terms of various forms. Thanks to years of draconian censorship, the majority of the people also lost the skill to offer critical comments and hold rational arguments, as those who do are often accused of being 'un-Burmese' or un-revolutionary, and thus sidelined or persecuted. In general, Burmese communities regard criticism of any kind with suspicion as many people can't help but use criticism as the means to attack the people they do not like.

The worst legacy left behind by the blasting of the student union building would be the callousness with which people in power, especially those with guns and money, often treat the lives of ordinary people. The derogatory remark, "Life is cheap in the East," was once added to by a Burmese student with the quip, "It's even cheaper in Burma". The impacts of the continuing occurrence of state-sponsored atrocities in Burma since 1962 also numb the minds of both the victims and perpetrators alike until they break down with disastrous results for their families and communities. Many soldiers, policemen and men with combat experiences in general find it hard to settle down in a relatively peaceful community and many of them commit violent acts on other people or themselves.

It would be far from easy to repair the physical and mental damage done to the country by successive military rulers, as the generals who succeeded Ne Win are even less subtle and scrupulous in their approach to controlling the nation. Whereas Ne Win jealously guarded the natural resources of Burma against foreign hands, his successors could not wait to sell them off to anyone who has money – in both cases, for their own benefits.

At the same time, they do not hesitate to torture or kill anyone, including monks, who are held in high esteem by the majority of Burmese, as witnessed by the crackdowns on the monk-led September 2007 Saffron Revolution. Similarly, when cyclone Nargis struck the Irrawaddy delta in May 2008, the army didn't allow aid agencies to help the survivors of the storm and the accompanying sea surge until it was too late.

Nevertheless, after nearly half a century on, student activism, along with the struggle for freedom, is still alive and kicking in various forms inside and outside Burma despite drawbacks. Students do not have to depend on a union building for their survival, partly thanks to now being able to communicate with each other on the internet or phone. But they still lack a sense of clear direction and organization which is needed to spearhead a new 'revolution' to transform Burma into a truly confident nation at peace with itself.

The best one can hope and work towards now, it seems, is the emergence of a new generation of youth and leaders who concentrate their energies on pragmatic issues rather than ideology, and who are capable of performing their varied talents in unison, rather than in unity, and coordinating their actions for a common aim. The word 'unity' has often been used and abused by both the opposition and military leaders when they have nothing else to offer to the people.

Meanwhile, the ruling junta is doing its best to perpetuate its hold on power and destroy any form that resembles unity on the part of the opposition, carrying out actions from crashing websites to arresting anyone wearing t-shirts displaying political slogans. The generals are digging tunnels, buying weapons and installing advanced technology to maintain their version of Burmese identity, while the opposition groups are fighting vigorously - sometimes, among themselves - to come up with the 'best' solution for the country. The struggle continues.

The question of who in the end will win depends on how much each side could provide a better future for the people and establishes the foundation for a solid and stable administrative system capable of governing a nation with diverse identities and interests. The successful side should not be selected on the grounds of how many guns or slogans they have. For more than anything, Burma has been a geographic entity divided and plighted by the delusion of who are the real 'Burmese', and who own it.

READ MORE---> Life is cheap in the East, even cheaper in Burma...

China riots: 156 dead in ethnic unrest

Peaceful China sitting in the Angels House of the UN,
is killing peaceful protesters back at home where no-one can see...
Why is Satan allowed to sit in the House of Peace?

By John Garnaut

(SMH) - Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region in western China, was locked locked down under curfew last night after being rocked by the deadliest officially-acknowledged violence since the Tiananmen massacres of 1989.

The state news agency Xinhua said the death toll has risen to 156 with more than 800 injured, but it still remains impossible to verify who has been killing who.

The streets of Urumqi were deserted last night. Police road blocks throughout the city ensured the trickle of authorised traffic was confined to main arterial roads.

This correspondent was corralled into a minivan whose driver worked in the local Tourism Bureau, and who took advantage of his privileged road access to charge us more than twelve times the usual fare to get to us downtown.

Foreign journalists have been ushered to the Hai De Hotel, where they can file stories and receive online information at a specially designated press centre.

In contrast to Tibet, when foreign journalists were locked out of the region, The State Council's Information Office has decided to allow foreign journalists into Urumqi under controlled conditions.

But internet connections are unavailable elsewhere across the city while mobile phone and international dialling coverage appears to remain off-limits for most Urumqi locals.

Men in camouflage uniforms loiter on an armoured personal carrier outside the Hai De Hotel. Next to them are troop-carrying trucks including one which is decorated with a huge red banner: "The People's Armed Police Love the People, Stopping Riots for the People". (JEG's: does that mean "killing innocent people to stop the riots?" but who created the riot, it was a peaceful protest, not a riot.)

Elsewhere in Urumqi, it seems, internet connections and many mobile phone services have been cut.

Chinese official media have released only sparse details of the events of the violence and their causes, including television footage of burning vehicles and bloodied and dazed civilians, who appeared to be of the dominant Han Chinese ethnic group.

There are anecdotal reports of gunfire on Sunday night which appears to be corroborated by the background sounds in amateur footage posted on video sharing sites.

Uighur people now make up slightly less than half of the Xinjiang population, but in Urumqi they are a small minority, after waves of Han and Hui (Islamic) Chinese migration from the east.

The city is deeply divided on racial grounds, with Uighurs and Han Chinese often refusing to interact with each other even in commercial transactions.

In September last year, a Han Chinese driver in Urumqi refused to let this correspondent into his taxi before apologising to my Chinese-looking assistant: "I'm sorry, I thought he was Uighur".

Uighurs routinely boycott Han Chinese stores and individuals from both groups frequently categorise the other in offensive racial terms.

Uighurs have largely missed out on the region's recent resource-driven economic boom.

Since 1997 and particularly since March last year China's security apparatus has further inflamed tensions by singling out Uighurs for special restrictions and surveillance.

Uighurs on a plane from Beijing said their Beijing homes had been under constant surveillance yesterday by plain-clothed police, though they have no knowledge of or connection to the Xinjiang violence.

Today Chinese officials have said they will release more information and conduct a guided tour of the riot scene.

As of this morning, however, there remained only fragments of information and a trickle of unverified reports about what may be the deadliest violence to have rocked China in 20 years.

READ MORE---> China riots: 156 dead in ethnic unrest...

NLD Members Convicted of Insulting Religion

By ARKAR MOE
The Irrawaddy News

Two members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were sentenced to 18 months in prison in a Twantay Township court on Tuesday on charges of insulting religion. Three other NLD members have been detained in Rangoon under the explosives act.

Chit Pe, a vice-president of the NLD office in Twantay Township, and Aung Soe Wai were each sentenced to 18 months on charges of insulting religion, according to Nyan Win, an NLD spokesman.

Both men were arrested in April after participating in a Buddhist religious ceremony with about 50 other NLD members for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. The ceremony was held at a pagoda in Twantay Township.

“Three NLD youth members were also arrested in Rangoon in June and have been detained and remanded under the Explosives Act," Nyan Win told The Irrawaddy. “Our NLD party will help them with legal aid.”

The three NLD members detained under the explosives act were not identified. No other details of their arrest were available.

“The Burmese junta has oppressed NLD members severely since 1990. I don’t want to guess politically what will happen in the future, but the NLD will practice non-violent ways and continue to oppose the regime.”

Aung San Suu Kyi , the leader of the pro-democracy NLD party, is currently in Rangoon’s Insein Prison on trial for alleged violations of the terms of her house arrest. Her trial is currently in recess and scheduled to resume on Friday. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

In the 1990 election, the NLD party won a landslide victory in the national election, but the junta refused to honor the results.

READ MORE---> NLD Members Convicted of Insulting Religion...