News & Articles on Burma-Monday, 4 July, 2011

News & Articles on Burma
Monday, 4 July, 2011
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War continues between KIA and Burmese army
Burmese military torture and kill Kachin people
Suu Kyi Makes First Trip to Countryside Since Release
Burma's Suu Kyi on first trip since release
Aung San Suu Kyi makes first trip since her release
Suu Kyi Leaves Rangoon, Arrives in Pagan
Suu Kyi Addresses Community of Democracies
Top Myanmar diplomat seek asylum in US
Burmese Diplomat Defects to US
Kyaw Win's letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
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War continues between KIA and Burmese army
Monday, 04 July 2011 18:18 KNG

New clashes between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Burmese government troops took place on July 2nd and 3rd in different parts of Kachin State, despite efforts by both sides to negotiate a ceasefire on June 17 and 30th during meetings between representatives from the KIA and Burmese government.

On July 2nd the Mohnyin Township, Sinbo-based, KIA Battalion 5 and Burmese troops clashed after Burmese soldiers tried to enter the KIA controlled area. At least 20 Burmese soldiers died, according to an unnamed source.
kia_battalion_8

A captive Burmese soldier in a KIA post before he was freed by KIA soldiers in Battalion 8, Northern Shan State.
In Northern Shan State, KIA Battalion 9, under command of KIA Brigade 4, attacked a truck which carried around 10 Burmese soldiers while entering the KIA controlled area. The truck was destroyed and all the soldiers riding in the truck died.

Heavy fighting between KIA Battalion 15 and the Burmese government’s Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 236 and Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 348, and IB No. 144 took place in the evening of July 3rd at Sang Gang Valley, in N’mawk Township in Manmaw (Bhamo) district, when Burmese troops tried to deploy into the area near the KIA army camp.

Burmese troops fired heavy weapons during the fighting at Sang Gang. However, the number of casualties from both sides is still unknown.
http://www.kachinnews.com/news/1999-war-continues-between-kia-and-burmese-army.html
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AsiaNews.it : 4 July, 2011
Burmese military torture and kill Kachin people
by Nirmala Carvalho

Thousands of refugees have massed along the Chinese border to escape violence, but Beijing will not accept them. No international agency is able to get aid to them, as they live on two bowls of rice a day. Military junta responsible for repeated violations of human rights.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The crisis in relations between the Burmese military junta and ethnic Kachin, simmering for years, has recently reached a new peak of intensity. AsiaNews has interviewed Zau Raw, of the Kachin Refugee Committee, on violations committed against civilians in the region. "Burmese soldiers in civilian clothes - says Zau Raw - rob and assault the Kachin, in Kachin State since 9 June 2011. The soldiers in the area concerned do what they want, and there are no effective or appropriate punishments by the higher authorities. "

What is the situation of violations to the civilian population?

I can say that there are many cases of abuse, torture, rape and use of civilian forced labor which remain unknown. Their number is greater than those released by the Burmese news agencies in exile. In recent weeks, 18 women and girls were gang raped by Burmese soldiers, four of them were killed after the rape. The soldiers killed three girls and raped a woman in front of her husband, who then was forced to follow them and work for them.

How many refugees and displaced are there?

There are now more than ten thousand war refugees, although according to some there are actually more than 20 thousand, who since June 9 fled towards the Chinese border, from the Kachin Independence Army-controlled areas (Kia), but are not allowed to cross the border. The refugees live with a little help from Kia, two bowls of rice a day, but no international organization can reach them. They fled in fear of violence and torture, especially in remote areas. Which is not to say that the Kachin people living in cities are safe: they can be arrested and accused of conniving with the Kia at any time. So most of Kachin have fled to areas controlled by Kia.

Is this violence war-related?

The Kachin people, has suffered decades of violence and abuses such as forced labor, land confiscation, torture, rapes and slavery. The Kia was formed in 1961 because of lack of rights in which the Kachin people lived. Forced labor is a normal thing in our lives, imposed by the Burmese military junta. I myself have suffered as a child, until he fled to India.

What is the situation of refugees?

China does not accept refugees, and India is difficult to enter, since the end of the Second World War the two governments, India and Burma, have not opened the border crossing in Danai 'Arunachanal Pradesh. So most of the refugees take refuge in the jungle. After the ceasefire of 1994, many began to flee to Malaysia, India and Thailand. But even after that agreement, the military has continued to oppress the people of Kachin. In Malaysia, there are more than 5 thousand refugees. In Thailand they are very numerous, but we have no precise information. In India the conditions of life are not simple, and it is difficult to find work. For this we ask to be allowed to reach other countries: Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Burmese-military-torture-and-kill-Kachin-people-22001.html
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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL_ Monday, July 4, 2011 As of 5:15 PM
Suu Kyi Makes First Trip to Countryside Since Release
Associated Press

BAGAN, Myanmar—Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi visited an ancient city of temples and met with her youngest son Monday during her first trip into the countryside since her release from house arrest in November.

The 66-year-old Nobel peace laureate planned to spend four days on a private trip to Bagan, also known as Pagan, where her son Kim Aris was visiting from Britain. She last went there in 1989 for a political appearance that drew thousands of residents.

Ms. Suu Kyi also plans further trips to meet supporters outside of the Myanmar capital, though the state-controlled media last week warned her against political trips, saying they could cause chaos.

Her last political trip to the countryside in 2003 drew huge crowds but also earned the wrath of the military government, whose supporters ambushed her entourage. She eventually was detained and placed under house arrest.

On Monday, Ms. Suu Kyi flew out from Yangon, her first trip by plane since 2003. Most of the intervening time was spent under house arrest. She was met at the Bagan airport by her son, her pet dog and a host of plainclothes security police and reporters.

Ms. Suu Kyi's security aides said she will relax and unwind in Bagan.

In the past, the government has stopped her motorcades whenever she traveled outside Yangon. A trip to Mandalay by train in 1996 was aborted when authorities said her carriage had mechanical problems. During her second attempt to travel there by train in 2001, the government stopped her at the station and placed her under house arrest for 18 months. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304760604576425321406825578.html
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Burma's Suu Kyi on first trip since release

Published: 4/07/2011 at 01:32 PM
Online news: Asia

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi visited an ancient temple city in central Burma with her son Monday, in a tentative first test of her ability to travel following her release by the junta.

Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi visited an ancient temple city in central Myanmar with her son Monday, in a tentative first test of her ability to travel following her release by the junta.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, whose previously announced plan for a political tour prompted stern warnings from the regime, was greeted at Bagan airport by crowds of journalists and what appeared to be plain-clothes police.

It is Suu Kyi's first venture outside the main city of Rangoon since being freed from seven years of house arrest last November, but politics are not expected to be on the agenda.

Suu Kyi did not make any statements upon arrival and headed straight for her hotel with her youngest son Kim Aris, who told AFP he was "very happy" to be in Bagan, one of Burma's top tourist attractions.

"It's my first holiday in 13 years. She also needs a break. We're going to stay here for four days. I'm very happy," said the 33-year-old British national, who was reunited with his mother last year after a decade apart.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner's earlier plan to launch a political tour prompted a demand from the regime for her party to stay out of politics, and a warning that "chaos and riots" could ensue if she went ahead.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who met with Suu Kyi last week, urged Burma authorities to ensure her safety on her travels.

"I believe all governments around the world would be looking very carefully at how the security is provided for by the government," Rudd told reporters on Saturday during a stopover in Singapore.

Security is a major concern as Suu Kyi's convoy was attacked in 2003 during a political trip, in an ambush apparently organised by a regime frightened by her popularity.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide election victory in 1990 that was never recognised by the junta.

The party was disbanded by the military rulers because it boycotted the country's first election in 20 years, held in November, saying the rules were unfair.

The junta's political proxies claimed an overwhelming victory in the poll, which was marred by widespread complaints of cheating and intimidation. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/245383/burma-suu-kyi-tests-freedom-with-rare-trip
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4 July 2011 Last updated at 09:12 GMT
Aung San Suu Kyi makes first trip since her release
By Vaudine England BBC News, Bangkok

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is travelling outside of Rangoon for the first time since her release from house arrest last year.

Aung San Suu Kyi is making the trip to Bagan, an ancient temple city, with one of her sons, Kim Aris, who has described the visit as a holiday.

Released without conditions, Ms Suu Kyi is in theory free to travel.

The government has warned of chaos if she tries to rally public support, and there are fears for her safety.

Aung San Suu Kyi plans to visit the birthplace of her famous father, former general and independence leader Aung San.

Her son described the trip as a holiday, saying both he and his mother needed a break.
Rapturous crowds

Officials of her party have warned supporters to stay away. They fear a repeat of her last trip outside Rangoon in 2003 when her convoy was ambushed.

She was travelling in the north of the country when thugs linked to the then ruling generals attacked her convoy.

She just escaped, but was imprisoned for seven years until her release from house arrest last November.

"It's nerve-wracking. We are concerned for her safety," said Soe Aung, with the Bangkok-based Forum for Democracy in Burma.

Only last week, the new military-backed government warned her and her party to cease political activity.

A commentary in a state-run newspaper warned there might be chaos and riots if Aung San Suu Kyi travelled out of town.

It is not possible, her colleagues say, to pretend she is an ordinary woman going on holiday.

Of course people will follow her and want to talk to her, they say. She has already been greeted by rapturous crowds on arrival in Bagan.

Her organisation, the National League for Democracy, is keeping the government informed of her movements.

Separately, in Washington, the second highest-ranking diplomat in the Burmese embassy, Kyaw Win, has defected.

"Senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy," he told Radio Free Asia.

He added that the threats against Ms Suu Kyi "must be taken seriously".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14011850
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Suu Kyi Leaves Rangoon, Arrives in Pagan
By THE IRRAWADDY Monday, July 4, 2011
Aung San Suu Kyi receives flowers as she arrives at Bagan Hotel in Pagan. (Photo: AP)

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Burma’s ancient city of Pagan on Monday morning—marking her first trip outside Rangoon since being released from house arrest in Nov. 2010.

Suu Kyi arrived in Pagan about 8 a.m. this morning by an Air Mandalay flight and is staying at the Hotel River View, sources said.

Suu Kyi, however, will not conduct political activities, such as meeting with the public and giving speeches, as this is a family trip and not a political tour, said one NLD member.

Her youngest son, Kim Aris (a.k.a. Htain Lin), arrived in Pagan one day earlier by car with about 12 youth members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Suu Kyi’s party that was officially dissolved by the former Burmese military regime last year but remains active.

Four NLD members acting as security guards accompanied Suu Kyi to Pagan, where she will spend four days, said NLD sources.

“Staff on the flight and at the airport took care of her [Suu Kyi] well. Both NLD members and local authorities also provided security for her when she reached Pagan,” said one NLD member.

In May 2003, Suu Kyi narrowly escaped an attack launched by ex-junta-backed thugs when she traveled to Sagaing Division in central Burma. The attack took place in Kyee Village, on the outskirts of Depayin Township. After the attack, Suu Kyi was arrested and placed under house arrest, where she remained until her release in 2010. http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21619
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Suu Kyi Addresses Community of Democracies
By KO HTWE Monday, July 4, 2011

Ahead of her first trip outside of Rangoon since her release from house arrest last year, Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the Community of Democracies (CoD) in a prerecorded address that she expected Burma to achieve democracy in the near future.

In a video message that was played on Thursday at the Ministerial Conference of the CoD, held in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, Suu Kyi thanked democratic countries for their support of Burma's efforts to join their ranks, and said she looked forward to Burma becoming a member of the CoD.

“I was released during the period when Lithuania was at the head of the Community of Democracies. This to me, seemed a very good omen,” Suu Kyi said. “This, to me, indicates that we in Burma will achieve in the not too distant future what we have been working for for so long.”

Suu Kyi, who is scheduled to visit the ancient city of Pagan in Mandalay Region on Monday, added: “We look forward to the time when our country can be an active, energetic, powerful member of the Community of Democracies.”

With Suu Kyi planning to travel outside of Burma's former capital for the first time since she narrowly escaped an ambush by pro-junta thugs in May 2003 that claimed the lives of dozens of her supporters, many in the international community have expressed concern for her safety.

“Aung San Suu Kyi should be able to travel freely and without risk to her personal security. The international community will be watching developments closely,” said UK Foreign Secretary William Hague in a statement.

The CoD was founded in 2000 and is a global intergovernmental coalition of democratic countries. It aims to promote democratic rules and strengthen democratic norms and institutions around the world. Lithuania is the current president.

Khin Ohmar, a well-known Burma activist who spoke at the CoD's Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society, which was attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior foreign officials, said that she gave the latest information on Burma's deterioration since last year's election.

“I urged them to press for the establishment of a UN-led Commission of Inquiry as soon as possible to help stop these grave human rights violations and address issues of impunity and lack of justice in Burma,” said Khin Ohmar.

In a press release, the Non-governmental International Steering Committee of the Community of Democracies said: “Civil society around the world stands in solidarity with the thousands of activists working for democracy in Burma.” http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21618
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Top Myanmar diplomat seek asylum in US
Washington, Jul 4 (PTI)

The Deputy Chief of Mission at the Myanmar Embassy in Washington, who had previously served in New Delhi, has defected and is now seeking political asylum in the United States saying he fears for his life back home, a media report said today.

Deputy Chief of Mission Kyaw Win, 59, told Radio Free Asia (RFA), which is funded by the US Congress, that he made the decision to leave the Myanmar government because he saw little hope for the country's future and also he fears that "his life and those of his family were in danger."

Kyaw Win said that after Myanmar held historic elections last November, he expected the government to begin a transition to democracy.

Instead, he told RFA, nothing has changed and the military continues to hold uncontested power.

"Senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy," the diplomat said, adding that war with the country's ethnic groups is imminent.

Recent fighting between government troops and the ethnic Kachin army near the border with China has escalated, forcing thousands of refugees to flee the conflict zone.

He also warned of threats made by Myanmar government against Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, which he said "must be taken seriously".

Kyaw Win is a career diplomat who has worked for the Burmese Foreign Ministry for 31 years, RFA said in a press statement released late last night.

During this time he served in Madrid, Geneva, New Delhi, Brasilia, and Washington, RFA said.

But now, he says, the army of Burma's late national hero and father of Suu Kyi, General Aung San, "has been corrupted" and has become "an oppressor of the people, not a defender of the people."

According to RFA, Kyaw Win says he now supports an international inquiry into those violations.

He also called for "highly targeted financial sanctions against the government and their cronies that serve to keep them in power."

Kyaw Win, who has held the position in Washington since 2008, according to RFA, said his work reaching out to the diplomatic, governmental, and NGO communities in the US capital may have made him a target of the regime he represents.

"My reports questioning the actions of the military and urging dialogue and reconciliation... resulted in my being deemed dangerous by the government," he said, adding that he fears persecution should he return to Myanmar.

His message for Myanmar military is "not to fear democracy, but embrace it as the only way forward."

RFA said Kyaw Win is not the first high-ranking Myanmar diplomat to defect from the country.

In March 2005, former Major Aung Lynn Htut resigned as deputy chief of mission at the Burmese embassy in Washington and requested political asylum in the US for himself, his wife, a son, two daughters and a sister.

At the time, he said that he feared for his life because of an ongoing purge of the associates of former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, who was ousted in 2004 following a power struggle with more hard-line officials in the military junta. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/173515/top-myanmar-diplomat-seek-asylum.html
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July 03, 2011
Burmese Diplomat Defects to US

Appeals to US State Department for political asylum
VOA News

A still image taken from video shows the inaugural session of the Burma parliament in Naypyitaw, February 1, 2011. The first session of an elected parliament in half a century opened with hundreds of lawmakers headed into the vast compound that was built in the capital four years ago.

A senior Burmese diplomat has announced his defection in the United States, saying he has lost hope that his country's leaders will effect democratic change in the foreseeable future.

Kyaw Win, the second-ranking official at the Burmese embassy in Washington, says in a July 4 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that his efforts to push for reform have been rejected and he fears prosecution if he returns to Burma.

In the letter, he urges the United States to maintain targeted economic sanctions against the Burmese leaders and their businessmen allies, and to press for an international council of inquiry to investigate Burmese human rights abuses.

The diplomat confirmed his resignation and request of asylum in the United States by telephone to a reporter for VOA's Burmese service.

Kyaw Win is a career diplomat with 31 years experience who has served in major Burmese embassies from India to Brazil. He is also seeking asylum for his wife and three adult children, all of whom are living in the United States.

In his letter, Kyaw Win says he had hoped that, over time, Burma's military would ease its grip on power and move Burma to greater political pluralism. But, he says, the military has retained its hold on uncontested power in spite of elections last year that brought in a nominally civilian leadership.

He says that in reality, senior military officials are seeking "to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy, human rights and individual liberties." He says war against the nation's ethnic minorities is "imminent" and threats against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi must be taken seriously.

Kyaw Win appears to be referring to recent warnings of potential "chaos" if Aung San Suu Kyi goes ahead with a planned national tour this month. When she attempted a tour of upper Burma in 2003, government thugs attacked her motorcade, killing numerous people.

The diplomat says that during his time in Washington, he has tried to build bridges between the Burmese government and the international community. But, he says, his recommendations have been continually rejected and he is now considered "dangerous" by his own government.

Kyaw Win says the United States has played a special role in standing up for freedom and democracy in his country. He urges Secretary Clinton to facilitate the creation of an international body to investigate human rights abuses perpetrated in Burma's conflict zones by the military and other armed groups.

He also says that highly targeted economic sanctions can play a "critical role" in keeping the Burmese leaders and the businessmen who live off of them from having access to the international financial system. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Burmese-Diplomat-Defects-to-US-124953514.html
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Kyaw Win's letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
The Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520 Dated : July 4, 2011

Dear Secretary Clinton,

I am writing to inform you that, as of today, I have no choice but to leave the service of the
Government of Myanmar and I am formally requesting political asylum in the United States for me
and my family. After over 31 years of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I had lost confidence
and my conscience would no longer allow me to work for the government. It has always been my hope
that democratic reform could finally be realized in my country. The truth isthat, despite the election that
was held up as a democratic process, the military continues to hold uncontested power and democratic
change under this system will not happen in the foreseeable future.

As the Deputy Chief of Mission to the Myanmar embassy in Washington, I was responsible for
reaching out to the Washington, D.C.-based diplomatic community, members of Congress, the media and
the governmental and NGO circles. Unfortunately, my efforts of reaching out to groups and individuals
here, and my reports suggesting of actions to improve bilateral relation between Myanmar and the
U.S. have been continually rejected and resulted in my being deemed dangerous by the government.
Because of this, I am also convinced and live in fear that I will be prosecuted for my actions, efforts and
beliefs when I return to Naypyidaw after completing my tour of duty here.

When I first began my service in the Foreign Ministry I thought that, over time and perhaps with
the help of my efforts, the military would ease its grip and send Myanmar on a path to greater political
pluralism. However, the truth is that senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and
seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy, human rights and individual liberties.
Oppression is rising and war against our ethnic cousins is imminent and at present, threats are being
made against Aung San Suu Kyi --they must be taken seriously.

I have not left the service of my people, but I have defected from working for a government which
is against its countrymen. I know that many in the military believe, like me, that the army of General
Aung San has been corrupted and is now an oppressor of the people, not a defender of the people. I
want to urge them not to fear democracy, but embrace it as the only way forward that can bring peace to
the land we love. They too can become the heroes for whom the army used to represent by preventing
violence and take steps to ease tensions and build respect with our ethnic minorities.

Madam Secretary, I respectfully want to urge you to use the political will of the United States to
create through an international body, a council of inquiry to investigate the human rights violations
that have taken place in the conflict zones of my country by the government’s armed forces or any
other armed groups. I also respectfully urge you to fully implement highly targeted financial sanctions
against the government and their cronies that serve to keep them in power.These sanctions can play a
critical role in denying the regime, and the businessmen who live off of them, access to the international
financial system.

The United States has played a special role in standing up for democracy and freedom in my
country. Please, it is more important than ever that my country not be allowed to disappear behind the
headlines of countries experiencing their own troubles. There are many civil servants and those in the
military who can benefit greatly from greater exposure to the international community and international
norms and values. Continued engagement with my government at all levels can help open a window,
change the mindset imprinted by the regime, and let them see an alternative path towards peace and
freedom.

Recently, Mongolian President Elbegdorj, a strong supporter of democracy in my country, spoke
in Washington where he stated that “no dictatorship, no military regime, no authoritarian government
can stand against the collective will of a people who want to be free.” I could not agree more and I
hope those words start the leaders in Naypyidaw thinking about how to build meaningful peace and
prosperity in Myanmar.

I look forward to devoting my time, energy and my future to the freedom of my homeland. I
thank you for your efforts on behalf of my countrymen and, as the American people celebrate their
Independence Day, we will one day soon celebrate ours. The democracy movement in my country
cannot be crushed. It is alive and well and at some point will prevail.

Sincerely,

Kyaw Win