News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 17 January, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 17 January, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------
Keep Targeted Sanctions in Place, Says NLD
Heavy Artillery Fire Continues in Karen State
DKBA landmine injures 10
Censor board launches new body
Asean says Burma sanctions should be dropped
Time to lift sanctions on Myanmar, ASEAN says
Burma ethnics, Asean call for sanctions lift
Asean Calls Lifting of Sanctions on Burma
Steel body proposes complex in Burma or Koh Kong
Looking to build hope in a troubled Burma
East Timor and Asean: new strategic imperatives
Burma moves to finish legendary supply route
ASEAN highlights Suu Kyi’s role in a democratic Burma
Imprisoned Poet Found Solace as a Librarian
-------------------------------------------------------



Keep Targeted Sanctions in Place, Says NLD
By THE IRRAWADDY Monday, January 17, 2011

Burma's opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), said it would continue to support targeted sanctions against the country's ruling regime while the party is reviewing other trade sanctions, according to a senior party official.

“We have consistently supported the targeted sanctions against the regime leadership and its cronies, and we will continue to do so. But as we have said, we will review trade sanctions to find out if they are hurting the people,” said Win Tin, a senior NLD leader.

His comment followed calls by the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and also by an alliance of five ethnic political parties in Burma for an end to Western economic sanctions against Burma.

“Such calls are dishonest and those who made them are merely toeing the line of the military regime,” said Win Tin, adding that the sanctions have hurt the junta and its cronies and helped the opposition in its struggle for democracy.

On Sunday, the Asean rotating chair, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, said that the international community should respond to recent developments in Burma, such as last year's general election and the release of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, by removing or easing sanctions against the country's ruling regime.

The calls from the regional body came a day after an alliance of five ethnic minorities parties that participated in the controversial Nov. 7 election issued a joint statement urging an end to the sanctions, saying that they “are causing many difficulties in the important areas of trade, investment and modern technologies for the development of ethnic regions.”

“We want to see the end of sanctions against economic investments in our country because they are hurting the people,” said Sai Saung Si, the deputy chairman of the Shan Nationalities for Democracy Party, one of the five ethnic political parties which issued the declaration on Saturday.

Since her release from house arrest late last year, Suu Kyi has expressed a desire to review the sanctions, saying she was prepared to work together with Burma's military rulers to remove sanctions that were hurtful to the people.

While the Obama administration has initiated a senior-level diplomatic dialogue with the Burmese military leadership, sanctions continue to be an important tool of US policy.

The Washington Times recently quoted a US Congressional source as saying that the Obama administration would not lift sanctions until the Burmese regime releases all political prisoners, ends attacks against ethnic groups and establishes a meaningful dialogue with opposition groups.

More than 2,000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Burma as the country prepares to convene its first session of Parliament in 22 years at the end of this month. The Parliament will be dominated by pro-military lawmakers who won in last year's polls.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Force, a party that broke away from the NLD last year to take part in the election, said that it plans to submit a bill to the Parliament that would grant a general amnesty to all political prisoners and exiled dissidents.
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20539
-----------------------------------------------------------
Heavy Artillery Fire Continues in Karen State
By SAI ZOM HSENG Monday, January 17, 2011

The Burmese army is continuing to use heavy artillery fire against a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and its allies after more than a week of intensifying clashes near the Thai border, according to DKBA and Karen National Union (KNU) sources.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a DKBA officer told The Irrawaddy on Monday that skirmishes between the armed group's renegade Brigade 5 and Burmese troops have continued amid the shelling in Manerplaw, Kasawah Lay, Nuday, Waw Lay and Phaluu.

Manerplaw is the former headquarters of the KNU, whose armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) has joined DKBA Brigade 5 in the fighting, along with troops from the All Burma Students' Democratic Front.

“Refugees in the Mae La Oo refugee camp [in Thailand] could hear the heavy artillery exploding very close to the border between 9:30 and 10:30 last night, but I heard that nobody was injured,” a Karen source said.

“The refugees from the camp are so frightened that they have started to collect their belongings in case they have to flee,” he added.

According to a KNU source, DKBA Brigade 5 has requested reinforcements from the KNLA, which has agreed to send its Brigade 5 to the area.

The source also said that the number of dead or wounded in the latest fighting is still not known, but added that there were reports of injured Burmese troops being carried from the combat zone through the Thai border town of Mae Sot to Myawaddy in Karen State.

Meanwhile, a resident of Phaluu in Karen State's Kawkareik Township told The Irrawaddy that the DKBA ambushed a Burmese military convoy in the area on Sunday. The attack targeted two trucks carrying ammunition and equipment to Burmese troops on the front line, the source said.

According to a source close to the Burmese army's Southeast Regional Command, troop reinforcements have been traveling to the front line since late last week.

“About 50 army trucks were sent to Kawkareik Township last Thursday from battalions based in Arakan State. They are under the command of the 44th Infantry Division,” the Burmese military source said.

A KNU officer said that it was unclear if the Burmese army is increasing its troop strength in the area or just sending in replacements.

“We will have to wait and see if they are sending in extra troops to try to wipe us out, or if they're just rotating their troops. Either way, the fighting will continue,” he said.

Fighting started in the area on Nov. 7, when DKBA Brigade 5, led by Col Saw Lah Pwe, clashed with Burmese troops in Myawaddy on the day of Burma's first election in 20 years.

The rest of the DKBA, which has long been a key ally of the Burmese junta, has joined a border guard force (BGF) under Burmese military command. According to an unconfirmed report, the regime’s troops have taken control of the Manerplaw area with support from the BGF.
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20538
--------------------------------------------
DKBA landmine injures 10
Monday, 17 January 2011 14:07 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A landmine planted by Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) troops injured five Burmese Border Guard Force (BGF) soldiers and five civilians near Myawaddy on Friday.

DKBA troops detonated the mine while BGF Battalion No. 1022 second-in-command Bo Cameraman was traveling in a truck on the Myawaddy-Kawkereik highway between positions taken up by the junta’s infantry Battalions 355 and 356 near Thingannyinaung village in Myawaddy Township in Karen State, according to DKBA Major Saw San Aung, head of the Kolohtupaw Strategic Command.

BGF troops and eyewitnesses said that Bo Cameraman, his wife, four BGF troops and four passengers were injured in the blast.

“No one was killed, but they received shrapnel and splinter injuries in their legs, hands and shoulders”, a BGF force member told Mizzima.

All of the wounded were treated at Myawaddy hospital. The blast created chaos among nearby junta troops who opened fire into the woods, eyewitnesses said. Whoever detonated the mine escaped.

Major Saw San Aung said that his troops attacked the BGF vehicle because the junta is reinforcing its troops and supplies in collaboration with the BGF in Myawaddy Township.

“The enemy is invading our area with heavy manpower so we showed them we could hit them in their back at any time”, he told Mizzima.

“Our intention is to show them that we can do what we want at any time in the towns. If we didn’t care about civilian casualties, we could do bigger assaults in either the daytime or nighttime. We refrain from doing because we don’t want to see civilians become cannon fodder”, said Major Saw San Aung.

Junta troops closed the Myawaddy-Kawkereik highway after the blast, but it again opens on Monday afternoon.

In a similar ambush, a tripwire mine planted by the DKBA on the Myawaddy-Kawkereik highway injured at least eight people on January 7.

The Myawaddy-Kawkereik highway is controlled by the BGF and is a major import route for cars, motorcycles, electrical appliances, foodstuffs and textiles from Thailand into Burma.

When the DKBA converted their army into the regime’s BGF, a small faction refused to accept the junta’s offer and reunited with the KNU to take up arms against the regime.

The DKBA-KNU and junta forces have been fighting each other since November 8 in Myawaddy and Kawkereik townships. http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-burma/4757-dkba-landmine-injures-10.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Censor board launches new body
By MOE AYE
Published: 17 January 2011

A new unit ostensibly charged with protecting the interests of journalists and issuing guidelines for media practice has been formed by Burma’s draconoian censor board.

Media freedom in the Southeast Asian pariah is amongst the world’s lowest – all material in the various domestic news journals and magazines in circulation has to be vetted by the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) prior to publication.

The PSRD’s role in establishing the new body, the Committe for Professional Conduct (CPC), has thus worried interested parties. It was the PSRD that last year forced newspapers to report that the pentalty for calling for a boycott of the 7 November elections was 5 to 30 years’ imprisonment.

”We really want the sort of committe which can protect and promote us,” said one Rangoon-based journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity. ”But we are disappointed because the committe is established by the PSRD.”

The PRSD has however said that it will not interfere with the workings of the 25-strong CPC, which includes 15 journal editors and two members of the censor board. Some, however, are not so sure.

”We hoped that the CPC would be independent from the PSRD and that censorship may also be loosened,” said another journal editor. ”It is now obvious that everything we had thought is totally wrong. The PSRD will be taking a leadership role in the CPC, and it is questionable if free press will emerge in the near future, despite a new government being formed.”

Another journalist likened the new body to the elections last year, which have been shrouded in controversy.

”Some politicians said the election was a big chance and that they will fight for changes in the parliament,” said a veteran Rangoon journalist. ”Some say they will boycott it because the election will not bring any changes. Indeed, we do need such a committe but it should not be like this.”

Burma was recently ranked as the world’s fourth biggest jail for journalists by the New York-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ). It also came 171 out of 175 countries in Reporters sans frontieres’ Press Freedom Index last year.
http://www.dvb.no/news/censor-board-launches-new-body/13727
---------------------------------------------------------
BBC NEWS ASIA-PACIFIC
17 January 2011 Last updated at 04:25 GMT
Asean says Burma sanctions should be dropped

Indonesian foreign ministry foto of Asean foreign ministers, Lombok, Indonesia 16 Jan 2011 Asean foreign ministers gathered for an informal retreat on Lombok, Indonesia

Asean foreign ministers have said that sanctions against military-ruled Burma should be dropped.

They echoed the call from five ethnic minority political groups in Burma who had earlier urged an end to sanctions.

Ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations said Burma's recent election warranted a positive international response.

Analysts have described the November elections as a sham, but Asean welcomed the voting exercise as a step forward.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, described the elections as "conducive and transparent" in remarks at the informal meeting of Asean ministers, held on the Indonesian island of Lombok.

Asean, which includes Burma, would like to see "the immediate or early removal or easing of sanctions that have been applied against Myanmar by some countries," Mr Natalegawa told reporters.

He described the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as "some part of the solution not the problem," in Burma.

"Asean leaders again urge, especially after the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the elections, that the policy on sanctions against Myanmar be reviewed as they have an impact on development in Myanmar," Mr Natalegawa said.
Time to act?

"Aung San Suu Kyi's release and the elections weren't enough. We encourage an open and conducive dialogue in Myanmar," he said, using the military rulers' name for Burma.

"Developments must not be allowed to dissipate," he added.

Indonesia is the current chair of Asean.

The ethnic groups said in a statement issued from inside Burma that sanctions "are causing many difficulties in the important areas of trade, investment and modern technologies for the development of ethnic regions.

"We ethnic parties together request that the United States and European countries lift sanctions," the parties said.

The five groups, which all won seats in Burma's recent elections, include: the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the Chin National Party, the All Mon Region Democracy Party and the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party.

The US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other nations impose a variety of sanctions on dealing with the military rulers of Burma.

These include bans on trade with companies tied to the ruling generals in Burma, freezes on some firms' assets and barriers to loans and some aid.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12203719
--------------------------------------------------------
The Jakarta Post
Time to lift sanctions on Myanmar, ASEAN says
Abdul Khalik and Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Lombok | Mon, 01/17/2011 10:55 AM | Headlines

ASEAN urged an easing of the sanctions against Myanmar, but urged the country’s military junta to continue efforts to reconcile with the opposition, especially with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

During their retreat meeting here Sunday, ASEAN foreign ministers spoke about the need for countries such as the US, the European Union (EU) and Canada — all ASEAN dialogue partners — to consider lifting their sanctions because the country had successfully conducted general elections and released Suu Kyi from house arrest late last year.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said there was an external dimension to the Myanmar issue, namely a belief by ASEAN countries for the early removal or easing of sanctions applied against Myanmar by several countries.

“We believe that recent developments need to be responded to the international community, especially to ensure that economic development in Myanmar can take place.

However, it should be remembered that lifting the bans and reconciliation go hand in hand,” Marty said after the meeting.

Myanmar joined ASEAN in 1997 despite strong opposition from Western nations.

The US and a number of other countries imposed sanctions — both diplomatic and economic — on Myanmar for its poor human rights record and slow move toward democracy.

ASEAN member states, Marty said, reinforced the importance of having dialogue that was inclusive to ensure that all parties concerned could contribute to Myanmar’s future development.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan said Myanmar “should cease to be a problem” this year.

“We still want them to form an inclusive government and continue to adhere to democratic principles,” he said.

ASEAN will continue to assist Myanmar if the country requested it, Surin said.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said that after elections last year, Myanmar would convene its parliament to elect a president.

“There is a return to democracy. So some countries [that continue to place] sanctions against Myanmar should wake up and nurture the democratization process, provide trade assistance and so on, to improve the quality of life of Myanmar’s people,” he said.

Marty said the sanctions hit the people of Myanmar hard, and urged that assistance to the country would help develop the country and its people.

Surin said a number of ASEAN countries looked for the opportunity to help Myanmar while businesspeople eyed the country as an investment opportunity.

“There are huge opportunities in the country,” he said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/01/17/time-lift-sanctions-myanmar-asean-says.html
---------------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post
Burma ethnics, Asean call for sanctions lift

* Published: 17/01/2011 at 06:30 AM
* Online news: Asia

Politicians within and outside Burma Sunday called on Western nations to lift sanctions against the country, whose new parliament is preparing to convene for the first time this month.

Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) foreign ministers pose for a group photo during the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) retreat on Indonesia's Lombok island. Politicians within and outside Myanmar Sunday called on Western nations to lift sanctions against the country, whose new parliament is preparing to convene for the first time this month.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) called for the lifting of the punitive measures enforced by the United States and European countries, echoing a joint declaration by major ethnic political parties in Burma.

The ethnic groups' statement said sanctions "are causing many difficulties in the important areas of trade, investment and modern technologies for the development of ethnic regions".

"We ethnic parties together request that the United States and European countries lift sanctions," the parties said of the measures imposed by the West in response to the junta's poor human rights record.

The declaration was signed by the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the Chin National Party, the All Mon Region Democracy Party and the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party.

All five groups won seats in Burma's controversial elections in November, with the largest ethnic winner being the SNDP, which will take a total of 57 seats when parliament and regional legislatures convene on January 31.

The government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed an overwhelming majority in the polls, winning 882 out of around 1,160 seats amid allegations of fraud and intimidation, plus the exclusion of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Despite major Western criticism of Burma's first poll in 20 years, Asean had welcomed November's "conducive and transparent" elections, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said at a retreat hosted for the bloc on the island of Lombok.

Asean also welcomed the release of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi from more than seven years under house arrest in Rangoon shortly after the vote. She had spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention.

"Asean leaders again urge, especially after the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the elections, that the policy on sanctions against Burma be reviewed as they have an impact on development in Burma," Natalegawa said.

Burma is a member of Asean, which has a policy of non-interference in members' domestic affairs and has engaged with Burma's government rather than imposing sanctions.

Burma remains one of the world's poorest nations following decades of mismanagement by successive military regimes, and some areas have also been wracked by decades of civil conflict between the junta and ethnic rebels.

The United States bans trade with companies tied to the junta in Burma, also known as Burma. It also freezes such firms' assets and blocks international loans for the state.

US President Barack Obama's administration launched a dialogue with Burma's military rulers in 2009, but it has said it will lift sanctions only in return for progress on democracy and other concerns.

After years of espousing punitive steps against the junta, Suu Kyi has shown signs of softening her stance, writing to junta chief Than Shwe in September 2009 to offer suggestions on getting sanctions against the country lifted.

Since her release, Suu Kyi has told AFP that she does not see sanctions as a "bargaining chip" to secure concessions from the regime, but she has not publicly spoken on the issue in detail.

In December, during the first high-level visit to Burma by a Washington envoy since her release, she discussed the economic measures with Joseph Yun, US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/216764/burma-ethnics-asean-call-for-sanctions-lift
---------------------------------------------
Asean Calls Lifting of Sanctions on Burma
By NIVELL RAYDA / JAKARTA GLOBE Monday, January 17, 2011

LOMBOK ISLAND, Indonesia — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday appealed to the international community to lift the sanctions and embargoes imposed on Burma in light of “significant developments” that point toward a more democratic system.

At the first Asean foreign ministers’ retreat under Indonesia’s leadership, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said: “Asean is keen on playing a leading role in ensuring that the sanctions are lifted or at least eased.”

The United States and other Western nations have imposed political and economic sanctions on Burma to punish the junta for its poor human rights record and slow move toward democracy.

But the release of Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the election in 2010 “are sure signs that the country is heading toward a more democratic system,” Marty said.

The election in November — the first for 20 years — was won by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party and was fraught with allegations of fraud. It has also been dismissed as a sham by many nations, including Indonesia.

As had been widely predicted, Suu Kyi was released one week after the elections, thus making her unable to contest them.

Burma’s main ethnic political parties on Sunday also called for the lifting of economic sanctions as the country’s new parliament prepares to convene for the first time.

They said the sanctions “are causing many difficulties in the important areas of trade, investment and modern technologies for the development of ethnic regions.”

The declaration was signed by the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, the Chin National Party, the All Mon Region Democracy Party and the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party.

All five groups won seats in Burma’s controversial elections in November, with the largest ethnic winner being the SNDP, which will take a total of 57 seats when parliament and regional legislatures convene on January 31.

The government-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed an overwhelming majority in the polls, winning 882 out of around 1,160 seats amid allegations of fraud and intimidation, plus the exclusion of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Meanwhile, Marty also said that Asean would like to mediate talks between Burma’s junta and the opposition.

Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said other state leaders would like to have more access to Burma, particularly to its opposition parties.

“We are encouraging the evolution of the political reconciliation inside,” he said. “I think we should have at least equal access to visit, to listen and to give encouragement to all parties.”

Burma’s Foreign Minister U Nyan Win said his country welcomed Asean’s decision to help ease the political pressure against Burma, but declined to comment on the group’s plan to mediate talks with opposition leaders.

Additional reporting from AFP http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20533
----------------------------------------------
Bangkok Post
Steel body proposes complex in Burma or Koh Kong

* Published: 17/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: Business

The government should consider establishing a steel industrial estate in neighbouring countries at a cost of up to 100 billion baht for infrastructure including a deep-sea port, says the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand.

The institute would recommend Burma and Cambodia as potential locations for a complex covering 15,000 rai, said president Wikrom Vajragupta.

Koh Kong is considered the most appropriate location in Cambodia for the estate, which will house integrated steel manufacturing including upstream smelting facility, while Dawei is recommended in Burma, as it is the site of a planned industrial and port complex worth tens of billions of dollars.

The institute hopes to propose the plan to the National Industrial Development Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwannakhiri within the first quarter for submission to the cabinet later.

"The development of a steel estate in a neighbouring country will help strengthen Thailand's capacity as the centre of Asean Economic Community (AEC)," said Mr Wikrom.

"The Thai steel industry, meanwhile, will be able to tap an abundant workforce as well as growing steel demand in the neighbouring countries if the steel estate is operated."

The master plan for the industry also envisages another option of developing the steel estate with an eco-town concept in Thailand, with five recommended locations including Songkhla, Pattani and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The institute has pushed for Thailand to establish a steel smelting plant to lower the cost of existing mid- and downstream steel manufacturers but the plan has faced heavy opposition from environmentalists.

Mr Wikrom said Thailand last year overtook Vietnam to regain its position as the largest steel market in Southeast Asia. Consumption totalled 14 million tonnes, up 40% from 2009.

This year, conservative demand growth is projected at about 6-8% to 15 million tonnes.

The automotive industry, which is expected to produce nearly 2 million cars and pickup trucks, will lead the demand growth in the manufacturing sectors along with electrical appliance and machinery makers.

The construction industry is also forecast to have strong demand for steel, thanks to planned government infrastructure projects and more private-sector work, he said.

"Steel prices are projected to surge sharply and be volatile in the first half of this year, mainly pushed by rising coal prices due to the severe floods in Australia," said Mr Wikrom. http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/216722/steel-body-proposes-complex-in-burma-or-koh-kong
-------------------------------------------
Looking to build hope in a troubled Burma
By Simon Scott
5:30 AM Monday Jan 17, 2011

Political leaders much talked about in their own time are, with a few notable exceptions, largely forgotten by history.

Their influence and fame begin to expire as soon as their hold on power does and often their lives never seem to live up to their words.

They frequently become just a name in a book on a library shelf, a paragraph, perhaps, in a student's history notes or the answer to a tricky question at a pub quiz night.

Aung San Suu Kyi, on the other hand, seems destined to outlive her time.

More than just a spokeswoman for Burma's struggle for democracy, "The Lady", as her people affectionately call her, is the embodiment of that struggle itself.

Like a modern Gandhi, she lives those timeless and universal notions which have always appealed to humans - freedom, sacrifice, endurance, peace, courage, forgiveness and most of all, hope, when there is little reason for it.

At 65 years of age, she has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest in Rangoon for speaking out against the country's repressive ruling regime and yet still remains fearless.

Released from house arrest only two months ago, she is already risking her freedom by speaking publicly about the troubles in Burma.

Although Suu Kyi has been released, more than 2000 political prisoners remain behind bars in Burma.

The daughter of Burma's famous independence leader General Aung San and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Suu Kyi became involved in politics in Burma in 1988 and led the National League for Democracy (NLD) to victory in the 1990 elections - a victory that was denied her by the ruling military regime which refused to give up power.

She is a mother of two and recently met her youngest son Kim Aris for the first time in 10 years after he was finally granted a visa to visit her in Burma.

Herald: Looking ahead in 2011, what is your vision for the future of Burma and what kind of a role do see yourself playing in that future?

Suu Kyi: Well, what I see for 2011 is the need to try to make the people understand that we have the capacity to bring about change. What I want most of all is to empower the people and make them understand 'we are the ones who can bring about change in this country'.

Herald: It seems that the Burmese people have pinned their hopes on you. Do you feel that it is realistic for them to see you as the saviour of Burma?

Suu Kyi: I think they should pin their hopes on themselves. I always tell people, that they can't hope without endeavour. If they have any hopes, they have got to work towards the realisation of their hopes. I'll do everything I can to help bring about the realisation of the hopes of our country, but they also have to do their part.

Herald: At the end of 2010 two key events occurred in Burma, the November elections and your own release from house arrest. Do you think these events can be seen as being a sign of positive change?

Suu Kyi: My release from house arrest had to do with the fact that my term of detention was over anyway and they could not legally have kept me under dentition anymore. Of course, if they wanted to they could have done anything at all, but I think that they decided that it was much better to be legalistic. So I don't think that this was anything out of the ordinary. As for the elections, it was part of the road map that they had written out - that they had blueprinted some years ago. So, I don't think it was a new development. It was just another step in the road map they had marked out.

Herald: Critics say the November vote was a charade aimed at preserving the current rule in Burma and giving it legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. Do you agree? Can you think of one positive thing that came out of the election?

Suu Kyi: I think it did make some people understand what elections should not be about, or how elections should not be conducted. I think that is positive, if people can start to get an understanding of what should not be done if elections are supposed to be democratic.

Herald: It seems that the ruling generals are in a bind of sorts. Even if they really do decide they want to move the country towards democracy, they will no doubt be fearful that by handing more power to the people they will be putting themselves at risk for retribution, such as being put on trial for crimes against humanity. Is there any way to get out of this bind?

Suu Kyi: I think that we need a new kind of thinking on both sides. The people need to be more confident of their ability to change things, and at the same time, I think those in authority have to learn to think that they should not see the people as the enemy.

Herald: Many people in New Zealand support you and your struggle for democracy in Burma. Do you have anything you would like to say to them? Is it really possible for the average New Zealander to make a difference in Burma?

Suu Kyi: Oh, yes, of course. Anybody who supports our movement gives us some strength, helps us in some way however small it may be. And I'm immensely grateful to the people of New Zealand for the interest they have taken in our movement. After all, New Zealand is far removed from us and it is a completely different sort of society and yet, the fact that they care enough, about the rights of the people in Burma, is a great boost to our morale, it does strengthen us. I have been trying to build up a network for Democracy in Burma and would like to think the people of New Zealand would be a strong and very active part of the movement.

Herald: In January 2010 the Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Area was established. This was a trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand and Asean member countries, including Burma. Do you think countries like New Zealand should sign these kinds of agreements which facilitate economic co-operation and trade with Burma?

Suu Kyi: We would very much like to be certain that whatever business activities [or] economic activities New Zealand undertakes with regard to Burma, [that they] keep in sight very, very clearly the need for certain policies in this country with regards to the rights of workers and with regards to accountability and transparency and other necessary democratic values.

Herald: What is your current advice to New Zealand tourists wanting to visit Burma and why?

Suu Kyi: We are going to work out a policy on tourism as to what kind of tourists and what way we would welcome tourists to come. How they should come and how they should go about the country. What kind of hotels they should use and what kind of facilities they should use and what they should look out for.

Herald: Do you mean doing things in such a way so that money gets directed towards the people rather than the regime?

Suu Kyi: That's right. In such a way that tourism would benefit the people rather than the powers that be.

Herald: Your youngest son Kim was recently able to come to Burma to visit you for the first time in a decade. What was it like seeing him after all that time?

Suu Kyi: Oh, it was lovely. I think the loveliest thing of all was that we didn't feel we had been apart for 10 years. It was very nice. We felt very close to each other, as close as we have ever been.

Herald: Was there any one moment or time during your son's visit that was especially memorable?

Suu Kyi: Just being together, I think, and he cooked breakfast for me one day which was very nice. I didn't have time to cook for him at all.

Herald: What did he cook?

Suu Kyi: He made me a mushroom omelette. [It was] very tasty. He is a good cook.

Herald: What are your hopes in terms of seeing him again? Do you think he will be able to visit you again?

Suu Kyi: We hope so - both of us hope very much that he will be able to come again soon. But it depends on many, many things, because he has other commitments as well.

Herald: Now that you have been released from house arrest, are you concerned about your own safety and security? Are you fearful your life is at risk or that you may be re-arrested?

Suu Kyi: Actually, I have to admit, I don't think about it very much. People keep speaking about my security, but I believe it is the duty of the Government to look after the security of all its citizens including myself. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10700075
--------------------------------------------------
East Timor and Asean: new strategic imperatives

Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation (Thailand)
Publication Date : 17-01-2011

When Burma was admitted to Asean on a fast track in 1997, it was done with one objective in mind - to manage China's southward influence into the continental Southeast Asia and beyond. The decision was made two years earlier in Bangkok albeit all the problems and uncertainties the pariah state inherited which remains the problems until today. For Asean, the unseen danger of leaving Burma alone, however, would be far greater.

Will the same criteria on Burma be used again when the Asean leaders ponder whether to admit East Timor as the 11th member of Asean sometimes soon? This frequently asked question among the Asean senior officials has no clear answer at the moment. But it does manifest a similar dilemma. President Jose Ramos Horta has reiterated that East Timor wants to join Asean by 2012 and the application will be ready this month when Indonesia takes up the Asean chairmanship. But the real admission would take a longer timeframe, which could be beyond 2015. After all, it was Horta who first asked Asean to consider its membership in Asean in November 2001 when it was still under UN East Timor Public Administration.

The timeframe has been further delayed partly because of the country's lack of human resources in Asean affairs and English-language speakers. The Jakarta-based Asean Secretariat has provided assistance and capacity-building training for the East Timorese officials for sometimes now. But truth be told, as time goes by, it is clear that beyond the often cited personnel and resource limitations, the Asean leaders have other serious concerns about East Timor.

Obviously, to compare Burma with East Timor is to compare an apple with an orange. Unlike Burma's current undemocratic status, East Timor is a young democracy despite all internecine domestic problems since independence in 2000. The country has never been isolated by international community. Foreign aids keep pouring in and their leaders are news headlines makers throughout the world. Horta received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996. However, when it comes to strategic matters, Burma and East Timor share one commonality—initmate ties with China. Both nations are rich in energy resources.

Since the country's May political turmoil in 2006, other foreign investors, uncertain of their future prospects and local political conditions, chose to leave the country. But the Chinese business community not only chose to stay but continued to increase their investment and overall presence. For the past four years, China has tripled its investment as well as foreign aids. This trend is also accelerating.

To fully understand China-East Timor relations, one has to appreciate the overall Beijing's diplomatic approach to the so-called the Community of Portuguese Language Nations (CPLN), which includes Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea Bisseau. Another Portuguese speaking country, South Tome and Principles, has a diplomatic tie with Taiwan. This network allows China to penetrate East Timor's society and market through its Portuguese speaking personnel.

On the surface, China's symbol of growing interest and presence could be seen through huge infrastructure constructions - common features of China's foreign development assistance - whether they are highways, stadiums, bridges, dams, etc. In Dili alone, Bejing has offered the gifts in the form of construction of the Presidential Palace, ministry of foreign affairs and a new defence headquarters.

One question that begs an answer is whether East Timor's membership in Asean will become a new flash point between China and Asean as was the case of Burma. After the Burma's admission, both sides consistently avoided to discuss the situation due to differences and strict observance of non-interference principle. For the first ten years after Burma's membership, the Asean members remained divided and could not muster a common approach to Burma. China also played a low profile role following Asean's views and positions on Burma.

It was not until the Asean summit in Singapore 2008 that China and Asean broke ranks and displayed their first diplomatic disagreement on Burma overtly. Beijing objected to the host's recommendation upfront that the former UN special envoy for Burma, Ismail Gambari, should brief the East Asian leaders after his visit to Burma due to the sensitivity of the issue at the time. Since then, Asean realised that if the Burma's political crisis continued, the divide between Asean and China would also be widened. After the November's poll, both sides expressed support for the Burmese military junta.

With such precedence, the Asean leaders have to think hard on East Timor's application. When Asean accepted Burma as member, the grouping was quick to achieve consensus due to pressing China's influence. In the case of East Timor, Asean has to consider vital strategic factors as well as pros and cons of additional member. In the past, Asean chose to expand quantitatively while engaging with other intra-regional organizations. For a while, number matters in the regional power politic. Now further consolidation within Asean is needed.

Beyond verbal supports, new concerns among Asean have emerged with East Timor's s ability to integrate with the grouping's overall scheme of things. Singapore, for instance, views the inclusion of a new member that is poor - in this case the poorest in Asean--and fragile could widen development gap and drag down Asean as whole as it continues to integrate new members since 1995 and implement the Asean community blueprints of 2015. Indonesia wants Asean to include East Timor as soon as possible to counter growing China's influence there. Thailand and the Philippines strongly support Dili membership as it can offer fresh views on nation-building and democracy. However, other Asean members are less sanguine.

To help East Timor, Asean would soon dispatch an assessment team to Dili to evaluate the preparation and readiness. It is interesting to note that the future expansion of Asean does not confine to East Timor as Papua New Guinea, an observer since 1986, continues to push for the grouping's membership. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed support of the PNG's long standing desire during his visit there last March. Officially, the grouping has stated that PNG is not in a Southeast Asian nation. But that does not stop Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare from coming back. Whatever decision Asean is taking in the near future will impact on the grouping's own strategic imperatives. http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=16794&sec=3
---------------------------------------------
Burma moves to finish legendary supply route

Chinese company awarded contract to complete Stilwell Road, built during the Second World War

By JONATHAN MANTHORPE, Vancouver Sun January 16, 2011 10:27 PM

For most of the last 65 years the legendary Stilwell Road linking India and China through northern Burma has been swallowed by the jungle, passable only on foot, or too dangerous a route to contemplate because of local insurrections.

But now the "Great Snake" linking India's northeastern Assam province to China's far western Yunnan is being rebuilt in a project that will reinforce Burma's prospects as a hub for southeast Asian trade.

Burma's new government, a thinly-veiled front for the military junta, has awarded a contract to the Chinese company, Yunnan Construction Engineering Group, to rebuild a 312-km stretch of the road from Myitkyina in the country's northern Kachin state, to Pangsau Pass - nicknamed Hell Pass by the original builders - on the border with India's Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh state.

This contract will largely complete the work, which started with surveys in 2005, to rebuild the road constructed between 1942 and late 1944 to ferry military supplies to the armies of Chinese leader General Chiang Kai-shek battling the invading Japanese.

Then the road, named for the American commander in the region Gen. (Vinegar Joe) Stilwell, was seen as an essential lifeline in the war against Japan.

Now it is figured the Stilwell Road could cut 30 per cent off the cost of transporting goods between China and India as well as facilitating the trade between both those countries and Southeast Asia.

There's some disgruntlement in India it's a Chinese company that has the contract to rebuild this final link in the road chain. It's hard to escape the fact that in the last few years China has taken on the reconstruction of Burma's almost non-existent infrastructure as a high priority project.

This is not simply an act of generosity toward towards Burma's ruling generals, who call the country Myanmar. It is aimed at giving China every advantage in extracting and exporting Burma's large reserves of natural resources.

There's bountiful supplies of petroleum and natural gas, timber, copper, coal, precious stones, and fish and other foods from the sea.

Beijing figures say China invested the equivalent of nearly $9 billion in Burma in the first five months of last year, much of it in infrastructure schemes.

These include a 2,000-km rail link between Burma's commercial capital Rangoon and Kunming, the capital of China's Yunnan province; a $5-billion hydroelectric plant; and a $100-million airport for the country's new capital, Naypyidaw, which the generals built in 2004 to give themselves some security in the event of an American invasion.

This feverish Chinese activity has included reconstruction and paving of the old Burma Road, which linked Rangoon to Kunming in the days when Burma was part of the British Empire and which was the supply route for Generalissimo Chiang and Chinese armies in the early part of the Second World War.

But when the Japanese over-ran Burma in 1942, this route was cut. The allies continued to supply Chiang by an airlift from India "over the Hump" of mountains in northern Burma and western Yunnan.

The Stilwell Road from the railhead at Ledo in India's Assam to the junction with the northern reaches of the Burma Road at Mong-Yu in Burma's Shan province was intended to take about 65,000 tonnes of supplies a month to Chiang.

This was far more than the airlift was able to move at the time.

However, though disease and the perils of construction in terrible terrain took 1,133 American lives - one for every mile of road built - and those of many more local labourers, the Stilwell Road never came close to matching the tonnage moved by the airlift.

Indeed, it had only just made it into full swing as a transportation route when the war ended in August 1945.

The road fell rapidly into disrepair after the war and the last clearly documented occasion on which anyone drove its full length was in 1955.

More recently, the physical problems of travelling on what has become no more than a footpath in many places and which in others has disappeared entirely was compounded by the almost continuous warfare between the military regime and the guerrillas of the ethnic minorities in the border regions.

The junta has until now been reluctant to agree to rebuilding the Stilwell Road for fear in would play into the hands of the ethnic militias in the region, especially the Kachin.

Those fears seem to have subsided and the Stilwell Road may at last have the chance to fulfil the role for which it was designed almost 70 years ago.

jmanthorpe@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Burma+moves+finish+legendary+supply+route/4117139/story.html#ixzz1BGxe2zQb
--------------------------------------------------------
ASEAN highlights Suu Kyi’s role in a democratic Burma
By Zin Linn Jan 16, 2011 9:43PM UTC

Burma’s major ethnic political parties called on Sunday for Western nations to lift economic sanctions on the country as its new parliament prepares to convene for the first time, according to AFP.

A joint declaration said that sanctions put into effect by the United States and European countries are reason for countless troubles in the important areas of trade, investment and modern technologies for the progress of ethnic regions.

The declaration was signed by the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP), the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), the Chin National Party (CNP), the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP) and the Phalon-Sawaw Democratic Party (PSDP).

The said ethnic parties collectively requested that the United States and European countries lift sanctions.

All five parties won seats in Burma’s controversial elections last November. The SNDP achieved unexpected success among ethnic parties, as it won 57 seats in parliament and regional legislatures to convene on Jan 31.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also wishes to lift sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Europe against its member Burma/Myanmar after th elections and the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it said Sunday.

As reported by Reuters, ASEAN will keep pushing Burma to build on the release of Suu Kyi by including her in the political system, but countries which uphold sanctions against the country should recognize progress made so far, said Marty Natalegawa, foreign minister of Indonesia and ASEAN chair this year.

Many foreign governments have used sanctions on Burma to transform the regime’s unacceptable behavior in the areas of human rights. The sanctions aim to stop the junta obstructing the aspirations of its own people, and force the junta to seek a peaceful solution through dialogue to reconcile the political stalemate in Burma.

The sanctions provide effective tools to advance the dialogue process. All foreign investments help finance the Burmese junta, which spent over 40 percent of national budget to develop and modernize the armed forces. Obviously, using those armed forces, the military regime has been mistreating its own citizens.

According to democratic dissidents, the impact of sanctions on the population is small because foreign investments in Burma focus on the extraction of natural resources, especially gas and oil. Investment in natural resources extraction cannot cause severe effects in terms of creating employment and small business opportunities within the country’s general economy.

Anyhow, people inside and outside of Burma are interested in Mr. Marty Natalegawa’s goodwill message by including Aung San Suu Kyi in the incoming political system in this military-run nation. Putting her in the contemporary political structure will also pave the way to lifting the sanctions. However, it may depend upon the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), led by Prime Minister Thein Sein

The USDP won the majority of 882 parliamentary seats amid allegations of fraud and intimidation in November, plus the exclusion of opposition leader Suu Kyi. The USDP is followed by the National Unity Party (NUP) with 64 seats, Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) with 57 seats, Rakhine Nationalities Development Party with 35 seats, National Democratic Force (NDF) and the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMRDP) each with 16 at three levels of parliament.

So, all the parties that will participate in the new parliament ought to consider the suggestion of Natalegawa if they really want to move the economic sanctions on Burma. Indonesia, chair of ASEAN in 2011, wants progress this year after the topic was among the first to be discussed at the three-day meeting, Natalegawa told Reuters.

Regional ASEAN summits, designed at building an economic community by 2015 that would include some 500 million people and some of the world’s fastest growing economies, have often been put in the shadow by controversy over the Burmese military junta.
http://asiancorrespondent.com/46289/marty-natalegawa-raises-suu-kyi%E2%80%99s-role-to-ease-sanction-on-burma/
-----------------------------------
Imprisoned Poet Found Solace as a Librarian
By KO HTWE Monday, January 17, 2011

Imprisoned politicians and activists in Burma who smuggle books into their cells to read have always faced severe punishments if caught by the prison guards, but that deadlock was broken by an imprisoned poet who founded two libraries where prisoners can now help themselves to literature, novels and other publications.

“This was the most meaningful thing I could possible have done in prison,” said Saw Wai who was released in May. “By setting up these libraries, I discovered the only pleasure that existed in that world of pain.”

Rangoon poet Saw Wai, 50, was imprisoned for 28 months after mocking regime chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe with his poem “14th February,” which was published in Love Journal in 2008. The poem contained seven lines in which the first word from each line formed a vertical message reading “Than Shwe is foolish with power” in Burmese language.

Saw Wai was originally sentenced to two years in prison for harming “Public Tranquility.” Last year, he was presented in absentia with a Hellman/ Mammett Award by the US-based Human Rights Watch for his courage.

“After I had been in prison for seven months, I told the prison authorities that I wanted to open a library,” he told The Irrawaddy. “After I got permission, I managed to set up a library with about 1,000 books in Insein Prison hospital.”

Some months later, he went on to found a similar library in Yamethin Prison in Mandalay Division. Now, he said, the prison libraries continue to receive donations of books, magazines and publications from private donors and organizations.

Before the International Committee of the Red Cross began monitoring abuses and conditions in Burmese prisons in 1999, prisoners risked severe penalties, such as solitary confinement, if they attempted to read books.

“Years ago, when we were banned from reading, we used to collect the filters of our cheroots [many Burmese cheroots are made from newspaper] and try to find other pieces that were from the same article or were related topics,” said U Javana, the coordinator of Sasanamoli, a Burmese Buddhist monks' organization based in Mae Sot, Thailand.

U Javana was arrested for meeting in December 1992 with the then UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma Prof. Yozo Yokota, and telling him about human rights violations in the country. U Javana was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment in 1993. He served his sentence at Insein, Tharyawaddy and Taungoo prisons.

But although prisoners are now permitted to read in their cells, some publications, especially those with political content, are strictly forbidden.

“Most of the criminals who are assigned positions as librarians are not interested in politics anyway, so they tear the books up and use them as toilet paper,” U Javana added.

The prohibition against political prisoners reading was originally introduced in the era of the Burma Socialist Programme Party under Gen. Ne Win, said Bo Kyi, the joint-secretary of Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners—Burma.

“They [the military junta] are switching the rules by allowing certain reading activities, then banning them,” he said. “By law, prisoners should have the chance to read and write. They can read certain books and magazines, but they still don't have the right to sit an exam in prison.”

Of the more than 2,000 political prisoners in Burma, at least 42 are poets, writers, journalists, bloggers and musicians, according to the Association of Assistance for Political Prisoners—Burma.
http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=20537