AP – N. Korean cargo ship could test new U.N. sanctionsAP – Groups fear Malaysia may deport Myanmar protesters
AFP – Suu Kyi in final witness appeal to Myanmar court
NASDAQ – UK Brown: UK Open To New Sanctions Against Myanmar
EarthTimes – Myanmar postpones Aung San Suu Kyi court hearing again
Derry Journal – Honorary degree for Burmese democracy leader
Human Rights Watch – Malaysia: Release Burmese Celebrating Suu Kyi’s Birthday
Daily Kos – What? Is North Korea not getting enough press?
UPI – N.Korea seen developing guerrilla tactics
The Washington Post – Corruption tops many Iraqis’ concerns, not security
Global Security Newswire – North Korean Ship Not Seen Carrying Missiles
Asia Times Online – Shoot first, talk later in Myanmar
The Christian Post – Aid Group Exposes Myanmar State Violence Against Christian Minority
USP – Goal of good quality medicines advanced by new agreement with 9 ASEAN countries
Fox News – Official: U.S.S. McCain Stops Monitoring N. Korean Ship, U.S.S. McCampbell Takes over
The Australian – Fears North Korea in Burma arms deal
THE NATION – Opinion: Burmese junta uses n Korean expertise to build secret tunnels
Mizzima News – Palpable tension between junta and ethnic armed groups
Mizzima News – High Court hears Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers’ arguments
Mizzima News – Police patrol Rangoon, security tightened near Insein prison
The Irrawaddy – Burma Bans North Korea Ship News
The Irrawaddy – Than Shwe Maneuvers to Retain Power
DVB News – Burma acts the bully on Thailand
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N. Korean cargo ship could test new U.N. sanctions
AP – Wednesday, June 24
SEOUL (AP) — An American destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting weapons toward Burma, as anticipation mounted Wednesday that the North could soon conduct short- or medium-range missiles tests.

The Kang Nam left the North Korean port of Nampo a week ago, and the destroyer USS John S. McCain was following as it sailed off the Chinese coast. The sailing sets up the first test of a new U.N. Security Council resolution that authorizes member states to inspect North Korean vessels suspected of carrying banned weapons or materials.

The sanctions are punishment for an underground nuclear test the North carried out last month in defiance of past resolutions. It’s not clear exactly what the Kang Nam has on board, but it has transported illicit goods in the past.

The North has said it would consider any interception “an act of war,” with its state media Wednesday accusing the U.S. of fostering “the worst-ever tension” between the Koreas.

“It’s evident that a solid peace on the Korean peninsula cannot be established unless the U.S. hostile policy and its plot to isolate our republic are put to an end,” the North’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency.

A U.S. official said last week that the American destroyer has no orders to intercept the ship, but experts say the vessel will need to stop to refuel soon on a 4,100-mile (6,660-kilometer), two-week, voyage to Myanmar. The resolution prohibits member states from providing such services to ships accused of bearing banned goods.

Nearby Singapore — the world’s largest refueling hub — says it will “act appropriately” if the ship docks at its port with suspicious goods on board.

At most, Singapore may refuse to let the ship refuel, said Hong Hyun-ik, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think tank in South Korea. He also speculated that the Kang Nam may not have banned cargo on board, knowing the ship could be subject to scrutiny.

The ship has no plan to dock at Hong Kong, according to the Internet log of Hong Kong’s Marine Department which shows planned ship arrivals and departures. In 2006, the Kang Nam was once detained in Hong Kong for safety violations, a measure taken after the U.N.’s earlier sanctions imposed following the country’s first nuclear test in 2006.

In the event that the American destroyer does ask to inspect the Kang Nam and North Korea refuses, the U.N. resolution states the ship must be directed to a port of Pyongyang’s choosing. It was not clear which port the ship would be taken to. On Tuesday, a Pentagon official said the ship was about 100 miles north of the Taiwan Strait — close to both the Chinese and Taiwanese coasts.

The North is believed to have sold guns, artillery and other small weapons to Myanmar in the past. The Southeast Asian military state is the target of U.S. and EU arms embargoes. There are concerns it could use small arms in the counterinsurgency campaigns it conducts against ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile, North Korea has issued a notice banning ships from the waters off its east coast between June 25 and July 10 citing maritime firing drills, according to Japan’s Coast Guard.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday the North may fire a Scud missile with a range of up to 310 miles or a short-range ground-to-ship missile with a range of 100 miles during the no-sail period.

Yonhap quoted an unidentified South Korean government official as saying the launch is expected from the eastern coastal city of Anbyon. South Korea’s Defense Ministry, however, said Wednesday that there was no particular signs in the area.

It had earlier been reported that the North would test a a long-range missile similar to one tested in April. Japanese media said that could happen around July 4 — the U.S. Independence Day — and the missile would be fired toward Hawaii.

But U.S. defense and counterproliferation officials said Tuesday that it was expected the North would launch short- to medium-range missiles instead. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Also Wednesday, Seoul’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that South Korea plans to expedite the introduction of high-tech unmanned aerial surveillance systems and ‘bunker-buster’ bombs in the wake of the North’s May 25 nuclear test. The paper, quoting unidentified ruling party members, also said South Korea also plans to equip the presidential Blue House and other key government facilities with systems coping with electromagnetic waves caused by a nuclear blast.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the report. But a ministry official — speaking on condition of anonymity citing department policy — said the ministry will announce plans later this week to boost its defense capability to deal with the North’s increasing military threats.

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Groups fear Malaysia may deport Myanmar protesters
By JULIA ZAPPEI,Associated Press Writer – Thursday, June 25

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Malaysian authorities might deport up to 14 Myanmar nationals who were arrested at a demonstration to mark jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday, human rights activists said Wednesday.

Police detained 16 Myanmar nationals at a rally outside a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall Friday, but two of them were released after they were found to have valid immigration documents, said Latheefa Koya, a lawyer whose opposition party helped organize the demonstration.

At least five face the threat of being sent back to Myanmar, Latheefa said. The other nine are registered by the United Nations’ refugee agency as asylum seekers who fled their military-ruled country, so they might be allowed to remain in Malaysia, she added.

Khalid Abu Bakar, police chief of central Selangor state, said officials were investigating whether the detainees were illegal immigrants. Some of them would be handed to immigration officials within two weeks, he said, but it was not clear when they might be deported.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia to free all the detainees, who joined the demonstration to protest Suu Kyi’s detention in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

“By detaining Burmese asylum seekers who were calling for democracy in their homeland, Malaysia was broadcasting support for Burma’s despotic generals,” the group’s deputy Asia director, Elaine Pearson, said in a statement late Tuesday.

The U.N. refugee agency has registered more than 48,000 refugees in Malaysia, most from Myanmar. But community leaders estimate the number of people from Myanmar living in Malaysia is about twice that.

Those caught staying illegally face arrest and can be whipped as punishment before being deported. The government said recently that those who flee persecution in Myanmar and are registered as refugees are generally not deported.

Concerts, candlelight vigils and other gatherings for Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday were held in cities worldwide last week. She has spent more than 13 of the past 19 years in detention without trial, mostly under house arrest.

Suu Kyi is being held in Yangon’s Insein Prison while being tried for violating the terms of her house arrest when an uninvited American man swam secretly to her closely guarded lakeside home last month and stayed two days. If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison.

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Suu Kyi in final witness appeal to Myanmar court
Wed Jun 24, 3:10 am ET

YANGON (AFP) – Lawyers for democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi pressed military-ruled Myanmar’s top court to overturn a ban on two key witnesses at her internationally condemned trial, her party said.

The Nobel Peace laureate faces up to five years in jail on charges of breaching the terms of her house arrest after a bizarre incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her lakeside home in May.

A court at Yangon’s Insein prison last month barred two senior members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) from giving evidence, but the Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal against the decision.

“We gave our arguments to the Supreme Court for about one hour today. We do not have a date for the decision and must wait for it to be posted on the court’s list,” NLD spokesman and defence lawyer Nyan Win said.

The two barred witnesses are Win Tin, a journalist who was Myanmar’s longest-serving political prisoner until his release in September, and detained deputy NLD leader Tin Oo.

“Regarding today’s arguments, the prosecution complained about U Win Tin as he gave interviews to foreign media. We said that that is not related to the law,” Nyan Win said. U is a term of respect in the Burmese language.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers earlier this month successfully appealed against a ban on a third witness, while a fourth has already testified.

The prosecution has so far had 14 witnesses, adding to opposition and international claims that the proceedings are a show trial designed to keep the democracy icon locked up ahead of elections scheduled by the regime in 2010.

US national John Yettaw and Aung San Suu Kyi’s two live-in aides are also on trial and face a similar sentence. All are being held at Insein jail, Myanmar’s most notorious detention centre.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention since Myanmar’s ruling junta refused to recognise the NLD’s landslide victory in the country’s last democratic polls in 1990.

The UN envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, may visit the country later this week ahead of a possible trip by the world body’s chief Ban Ki-moon in early July focusing on the trial, officials and diplomats say.

“We hope to meet Mr Gambari when he comes, as we did on his previous visits,” Nyan Win said.

Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday thanked people around the world who sent her birthday wishes and called for her immediate release as she turned 64 in jail last week.

Famous names including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Beatles star Paul McCartney and US actor George Clooney offered support on a special website while events took place in more than 15 cities.

The charges against Aung San Suu Kyi come amid a wide-ranging crackdown on the opposition that has been carried out since the ruling generals crushed protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been ruled by the military since 1962.

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Jun 24, 2009 | 12:00PM
NASDAQ – UK Brown: UK Open To New Sanctions Against Myanmar

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown reiterated Wednesday that his government would tighten sanctions against Myanmar over what he called the “sham trial” of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“At the last meeting of the European Council we sent a very powerful message that unless action is taken in Burma to free Aung San Suu Kyi, then we are prepared to take further sanctions against the regime,” Brown said in the weekly question and answer session in parliament.

Brown also called on U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to visit Myanmar.

The prime minister said the actions of the Myamnmar regime were “completely unacceptable.”

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EarthTimes – Myanmar postpones Aung San Suu Kyi court hearing again
Posted : Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:59:41 GMT
Author : DPA

Yangon – Myanmar court authorities Wednesday postponed the next hearing in the controversial trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had been scheduled to appear in court Friday. The special court set up in Insein Prison delayed the hearing indefinitely as it awaits a decision by the Myanmar Supreme Court on whether it will allow more defence witnesses, Nyan Win, a member of Suu Kyi’s defence team, said.

Insein Prison was scheduled originally scheduled to hear the testimony of Khin Moh Moh, a witness for the defence, on Friday.

On Wednesday the Supreme Court heard defence arguments for allowing two more witnesses to appear in Suu Kyi’s favour, including Tin Oo, the deputy leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, and senior party member Win Tin.

Judges said it would be impossible to accept Tin Oo as a witness because he is currently under house arrest.

They added that Win Tin, a former journalist, gave several interviews to the Democratic Voice of Burma, the BBC and Radio Free Asia, in which he had demonstrated a difference of opinion with authorities, Nyan Win said.

“We said there is no law against witnesses having different opinions than authorities,” Nyan Win said.

The Supreme Court postponed deciding on whether to allow the two to be witnesses in the trial, which has been delayed several times since it began last month. The charges have drawn widespread international criticism.

There were unconfirmed rumours that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is mulling a visit to Myanmar, maybe as soon as Friday.

The UN chief has already voiced concerns about Suu Kyi’s latest legal battle, which could see the Nobel Peace Prize laureate imprisoned for another five years.

Suu Kyi’s trial began May 11. While the prosecution was allowed to present 14 witnesses, the defence was initially allowed only one. Later a second witness was permitted and now the defence is fighting for two more.

Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention, stands accused of breaking the terms of her latest house detention by permitting US citizen John William Yettaw, 53, to swim to her home-cum-prison on Yangon’s Inya Lake May 3 and spend two nights there before swimming away.

Critics acucsed the junta of using the case as a pretext to keep Suu Kyi in jail during a politically sensitive period leading up to a general election planned for next year.

Suu Kyi is the leader of the National League for Democracy, which won the 1990 general election by a landslide but has been blocked from power by Myanmar’s junta for the past 19 years.

The new trial of Suu Kyi, whose most recent six-year house detention sentence expired May 27, has sparked a chorus of protests from world leaders and even statements of concern from its regional allies in the Association of South-East Asian Nations.

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Wednesday, 24th June 2009
Derry Journal – Honorary degree for Burmese democracy leader

Burma’s jailed democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be awarded an honorary degree by the University of Ulster.

The Nobel Peace Laureate will be awarded the honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in absentia at the university’s forthcoming graduation ceremony in Derry.

The pro-democracy activist has led peaceful and non-violent resistance against the Burmese dictatorship for more than 20 years and won the right to be prime minister in the 1990 election despite being put under house arrest.

She continues her fight for democracy and freedom for the people of Burma despite her imprisonment by the Burmese authorities.

The degree will be accepted on her behalf by Mra Razam Linn who will deliver a speech written by Aung San Suu Kyi at the graduation ceremony which takes place at Derry’s Millennium Forum on Tuesday, July 7.

Also receiving an honorary degree at the Derry graduation ceremony will be singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Brady.

The Strabane-born artist is to receive the degree of Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of his services to traditional Irish music and songwriting.

He started performing at the age of 16 and was a member of several rhythm and blues bands before recording an album of traditional Irish music in 1976.

He went on to record many other albums in genres spanning rock, pop and Irish, while also enjoying considerable success as a song writer.

Brady has penned songs for artists such as Tina Turner, Garth Brooks and Santana

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June 23, 2009
Human Rights Watch – Malaysia: Release Burmese Celebrating Suu Kyi’s Birthday
Rights of Asylum Seekers Should Be Protected

(New York) – District police in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia should free Burmese asylum seekers detained since June 19, 2009, at a peaceful celebration of the 64th birthday of the Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Human Rights Watch said today.

“The Malaysian authorities only made themselves look ridiculous by cracking down on a peaceful celebration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “By detaining Burmese asylum seekers who were calling for democracy in their homeland, Malaysia was broadcasting support for Burma’s despotic generals.”

The scheduled gathering in Malaysia was one of many held worldwide to condemn Suu Kyi’s arbitrary detention and her current trial in Rangoon. The Nobel laureate has spent 14 of the last 20 years in some form of detention.

In connection with the birthday celebration, Malaysian authorities carried out surveillance, intimidation and eventually arrests, which infringed on the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly. The Malaysian opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance) and the Petaling Jaya City Council jointly organized the celebration, which was to feature performances by Malaysian and Burmese participants. From approximately 7 p.m., uniformed and plainclothes police used video and still photography to document the presence of organizers who were preparing the city park and the arriving attendees. Other officers questioned local and Burmese participants.

Efforts by participating organizations to discuss the police action were ignored by the police, who even refused to name the officer in charge. Police blocked all roads leading to the park. In all, more than 100 police officers, including a police riot squad, were dispersed to deal with an event that attracted about 50 participants.

Around 9 p.m. officers arrested 16 Burmese who had arrived to attend the celebration on suspicion of immigration offenses although the police initially mentioned “security concerns” and “illegal assembly.” Due to the arrests, organizers called off the event.

Two of the 16, who had valid residency documents, were released. Of the 14 remaining in police custody, nine hold UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) documents but some have not yet completed the refugee status determination process. The five others are not registered with UNHCR.

The Petaling Jaya officer in charge of the police district, Arjunaidi Mohamed, was reported in the media as saying that the detained Burmese would be transferred to the Immigration Department, the first step in a lengthy process leading to deportations. As of June 22, the 14 remain in police custody. Human Rights Watch called upon the authorities to allow UNHCR full access to those arrested, including those who have not obtained UNHCR registration.

Detention of refugees and asylum seekers is contrary to well-established standards of UNHCR’s governing body, called the ExCom. ExCom’s Conclusion No. 44 (1986) states that, because of the hardship it involves, detention of refugees and asylum seekers should normally be avoided. If necessary, detention is only permissible on grounds prescribed by law to verify identity; to examine the basis for claims of refugee status or asylum; in cases involving destroyed or fraudulent documents to mislead local authorities; or to protect national security or public order. While ExCom conclusions are not legally binding, they are adopted by consensus by the ExCom member states, broadly represent the views of the international community, and carry persuasive authority.

Human Rights Watch has long criticized Malaysia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. They, as well as undocumented migrants, are subject to arrest at any time and are often deported without adequate screening of their international protection needs. All face harsh conditions of detention that violate their rights, including whipping, other violence and maltreatment, and overcrowding, poor food, insufficient water and insufficient access to medical care.

Human Rights Watch said that the Burmese detainees should under no circumstances be deported to any place where their life or liberty would be at risk. This includes the Malaysia-Thai border, where they are likely to face further threats from human traffickers and criminal gangs. Burmese deported to the border who are able to pay can often return to Malaysia with the aid of smugglers or traffickers. But many who cannot pay are sold to Thai fishing boats, plantations, or brothels. On June 16, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 downgraded Malaysia to tier 3, its lowest ranking, and expressed concern about the trafficking of Burmese at the border.

Human Rights Watch reiterated its call to the Malaysian government to ratify the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, among other major human rights treaties. At Malaysia’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last February, Malaysia rejected a recommendation from several member states that it ratify the Refugee Convention.
“Malaysia’s poor record with respect to migrants and refugees is no secret,” said Pearson, “One way for the government to signal a fresh start would be in its treatment of Burmese pressing for a democratic government at home.”

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Daily Kos – What? Is North Korea not getting enough press?
by Bill Tchakirides
Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 07:21:10 AM PDT

“If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will … wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all,” says the North Korean Central News Agency on reports that a US destroyer was following the Kang Nam, a N. Korean vessel transporting illicit weapons to Myanmar, against United Nations sanctions. Ironically, the ship following the Kang Nam is the USS John S. McCain.

One of the accusations that North Korea is throwing out at the US is that wenintend to start another Korean War. In fact, if the McCain stops to inspect the Kang Nam, according to the recent Security Council resolution for all members, the N. K.’s have said that they will consider that act a declaration of war.

It is expected that the North Koreans are going to test short to medium missiles, which could cover from 100 to 350 miles… certainly enough to do some destruction around allies like Japan and, of course, South Korea. They will also be trading with Myanmar’s military government, which has bought weapons from them in the past.

Meanwhile, China, Russia and South Korea are trying to get North Korea back to the diplomatic table for talks on disarming. These broke up some time ago and Kim Jong Il doesn’t seem interested in rejoining them.

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N.Korea seen developing guerrilla tactics
Published: June 23, 2009 at 7:02 AM

SEOUL, June 23 (UPI) — Nuclear-armed North Korea may also be seeking to improve guerrilla warfare tactics to include roadside bombings, the U.S. commander said in Seoul Tuesday.

Speaking to a group of South Korean army personnel, Gen. Walter Sharp said in the event of a full-fledged conflict on the Koran Peninsula, the North Koreans might use such improvised explosive devices or IEDs both against the civilians and South Korean and U.S. forces stationed in the country, Yonhap news agency reported.

“I believe we will face IEDs, insurgent forces in addition to large conventional attacks,” warned Sharp, commander of 28,500-U.S. military force in the region.

Concerns about a conflict on the peninsula have risen since North Korea conducted its second nuclear test last month and following it up by scrapping the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Sharp called for “realistic training” to ensure the forces are “fully prepared for a thinking enemy, an enemy that will use IEDs, hide among the population and strike our rear forces and civilians.”

“This enemy will require us to use our weapons much more precisely, to reduce civilian casualties and collateral damage.”

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The Washington Post – Corruption tops many Iraqis’ concerns, not security
By Aseel Kami, Reuters
Wednesday, June 24, 2009; 4:42 AM

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Many Iraqis, inured to violence after years of slaughter between Shi’ites and Sunnis, seem more worried about the corruption that has crept into every corner of life and is eating away at Iraq’s nascent public institutions.

The violence triggered by the 2003 U.S. invasion is fading and as it does, Iraqis focus more and more on the problems plaguing their daily lives, such as intermittent electricity, a lack of clean drinking water and an overwhelmed sewage system.

Topping the concerns of many is a pandemic of corruption, which is undermining efforts to rebuild and provide basic services and could ultimately brew so much discontent that the flagging insurgency may find rich soil in which to renew itself.

“I cannot move one step without bribing people,” said Adel Hamza, who as head of public relations at a foreign construction company is responsible for getting contracts signed, stamped and authenticated by Iraqi authorities. “Everyone has got their mouths open as if I am feeding birds.”

It is difficult to find someone in the government who can put a figure on the amount being embezzled or paid in bribes for government contracts, passports or other official paperwork.

One senior official, speaking on condition he not be identified, said at least $4 billion of Iraq’s $58.6 billion 2009 annual budget was expected to go astray.

As oil prices surged to historic highs last year over $147 per barrel, the Iraqi economy was flooded with cash. Only Somalia and Myanmar were seen as more corrupt than Iraq in 2008, according to corruption watchdog Transparency International.

MALIKI VOWS CRACKDOWN

The end of June will mark the start of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, when the combat troops that invaded to topple Saddam Hussein pull out of Iraqi cities, leaving security in urban centres in the hands of Iraqi police and soldiers.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other politicians have warned that Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and other violent groups are likely to try to take advantage of the U.S. pull-back to launch more attacks in a bid to reignite sectarian warfare.

A spate of bombings around Baghdad and in other areas killed 27 people Monday and a massive truck bomb Saturday killed 73 outside a mosque near the northern city of Kirkuk.

Haider Abdul-Muhsin says that when he needs to get Interior Ministry officials to sign identification documents, he has to spread money around like confetti.

“From the entry gate where a security guard stands till I get to the officer, I have to pay money to get my paperwork processed. This is not normal,” said Muhsin.

He believes corruption lies behind the dilapidated state of his neighborhood, where sewage pools in cracks in the pavement. A renovation project begun three years ago was never finished. Muhsin said he heard the contractor took the money and ran.

“My district looks like it was hit by a rocket,” he said.

In the wake of corruption allegations against officials in the Trade Ministry, which oversees Iraq’s massive food subsidy program and imports billions of dollars worth of wheat, rice and sugar every year, Maliki vowed to crack down on graft.

Former trade minister Abdul Falah al-Sudany was arrested last month after a plane he was flying on to Dubai was ordered to turn around. One of his brothers is also under arrest and another is on the run. The ministry has denied wrongdoing.

“Financial and administrative corruption is more dangerous than terrorism because terrorism kills a person or two or even 100, but corruption kills millions by depriving them of projects, from getting access to good quality medicine … and it does not encourage international investors,” said Ghazi al-Kinani, an economic analyst.

Housewife Najat al-Azzawi said the lack of public services six years after the invasion made her nervous about the future.

“Security was previously the problem, now corruption heads the list,” she said.

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Global Security Newswire – North Korean Ship Not Seen Carrying Missiles
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A North Korean cargo ship being monitored for potentially violating a recent U.N. arms embargo is not likely to be carrying missiles or other sophisticated technology, the Christian Science Monitor reported yesterday.(see GSN, June 22).

(Jun. 23) – The North Korean ship Kang Nam 1, shown at port in 2007, is not likely to be transferring missiles or related technology, reports indicated (Khin Maung Win/Getty Images).

While a South Korean media outlet earlier reported that the Kang Nam 1 might be ferrying missile technology, others have argued the cargo is probably more basic. The ship is believed to be bound for Myanmar, an impoverished nation with a modest place in the world. “Myanmar — they’re not a missile-buyer,” said James Schoff, an Asia-Pacific studies scholar with the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis.

The ship’s cargo more probably includes artillery, rifles or other small arms, according to the Monitor.

A U.N. Security Council resolution passed earlier this month, in response to the North’s May 25 nuclear test, prohibits Pyongyang from exporting or importing any weapons. It calls on U.N. states to intercept any ships believed to hold illicit material.

A U.S. Navy destroyer might still intercept the Kang Nam. However, the United States could also wait to see if the ship attempts to refuel in Singapore.

Singapore is a U.S. ally and has said it would respond should the North Korean vessel attempt to dock there while transporting weapons illegally. “Singapore does not want to be thought of as a contributor to the illicit arms trade,” Schoff said.

Under the resolution, ports are urged not to provide fuel or other material to ships believed to be carrying weapons unless the captain permits the vessel to be checked out (Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor, June 22).

The ship today passed by the Chinese city of Shanghai, the Associated Press reported (Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press I/Yahoo!News, June 23).

A South Korean intelligence source yesterday also said he believes the Kang Nam is bringing small arms to Myanmar, AP reported.

Myanmar, like North Korea, is viewed as a pariah by the United States and the European Union, which have sought to block its access to weapons. It has bought North Korean arms before.

A coalition of journalists exiled from Myanmar, who run a well-reputed online magazine called Irrawaddy, reported that the ship is scheduled to call at the port of Thilawa sometime in the next few days.

If the U.S. Navy tries to intercept the Kang Nam before it reaches Myanmar, an armed conflict is not likely to follow, said Korean defense expert Baek Seung-joo. While the North Korean sailors probably have rifles, “It’s still a cargo ship,” Baek said. “A cargo ship can’t confront a warship” (Hyung-Jin Kim, Associated Press II/Google News, June 23).

The USS John McCain, which has been shadowing the Kang Nam as it has made its way down the Chinese coast, has not made any moves to engage the North Korean vessel, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

“Right now, we’re just watching,” said one Pentagon official.

Some analysts told the Journal that fears about unconventional weapons proliferation to Myanmar are not totally unfounded.

“Given North Korea’s nuclear trade to Syria, its attempts to sell Scuds to Myanmar, and its ongoing sales of conventional arms, there’s reason to be worried about a WMD relationship,” said Michael Green, a Myanmar expert and former adviser to then-President George W. Bush.

Analysts at Yale University several weeks ago released photographs of workers constructing a network of tunnels beneath Myanmar’s capital city of Naypyitaw with North Korean collaborators, and some Burmese expatriates have spoke of plans for an offensive nuclear program. Still, U.S. and U.N. officials said there is no “smoking gun” indicating Myanmar would be in the business of purchasing anything but basic munitions from the North (Solomon/Dreazen, Wall Street Journal, June 23).

Meanwhile, North Korea has warned boats away from a sector off its east coast due to military exercises expected to continue through July 10, Agence France-Presse reported.
Observers have taken this as a sign that the North is planning a series of short- and medium-range missile trials.

There is also suspicion that the North might send an ICBM in the direction of Hawaii. A Japanese newspaper reported last week that Pyongyang is planning to test a Taepodong 2 missile sometime between July 4 and July 8 (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, June 23).

Elsewhere, a U.S. delegation visited Beijing to discuss China’s crucial role in helping enforce the recent U.N. sanctions against North Korea, AFP reported.

“China and the U.S. discussing the situation on the Korean Peninsula is a natural thing and we take this consultation very seriously, and hope that we can get positive results from it,” said Qin Gang, a spokesman for Chine’s Foreign Ministry.

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Jun 25, 2009
Asia Times Online – Shoot first, talk later in Myanmar
By Brian McCartan

MAE SOT, Thailand – Fighting between government forces and ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar’s Karen State has in recent weeks pushed thousands of refugees into neighboring Thailand. The upsurge in hostilities stems from the military regime’s drive to transform the ethnic ceasefire armies into government-controlled border guards and in the process assert central control in the contested territories ahead of general elections scheduled for 2010.

Attacks led by the government-aligned Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and supported by Myanmar army soldiers commenced on June 2 against the Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) battalions and general headquarters, situated along the Thai-Myanmar border. The offensive has shifted international media attention away from the trial of pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and short-circuited a recent Thai diplomatic overture to mediate a ceasefire between the government and insurgent group.

The struggle between the insurgent Karen and Myanmar’s ruling military junta has ground on for 60 years, making it the world’s longest-running insurgency. Fighting along the Thai-Myanmar border has been a source of friction between the two Southeast Asian countries, especially since Myanmar’s military has asserted greater control over long-contested border regions.

Some analysts contend that’s raised the temperature of a long-time regional security hot spot, made hotter in recent years by frequent cross-border incursions and shoot-outs often involving drug traffickers. The recent scaled-up attacks will no doubt have been noticed in Washington.

Officials in President Barack Obama’s administration had earlier promised a policy review towards Myanmar, whose abysmal rights record has been met with a raft of US economic and financial sanctions. Any move towards conciliation that is undermined by the launch of the controversial trial against Suu Kyi and the intensified military assault on the Karen is expected to bolster Congressional critics of any move to relieve pressure on the regime.

The plight of Myanmar’s ethnic minorities has won increased attention in the US, including a visit to a Karen refugee camp by then-first lady Laura Bush in August 2008. The Karen’s position has been made more desperate by a series of battlefield reversals, starting with the fall of the insurgent group’s political arm’s Karen National Union (KNU) headquarters in 1995. The defeats have gradually diminished the once large territory under control of the the KNLA’s 7th Brigade to a small number of border enclaves near the small Thai town of Mae Salit.

The KNLA’s misfortunes stemmed largely from the December 1994 creation of the breakaway DKBA, which promptly allied itself with the Myanmar government. With its inside knowledge of the KNU/KNLA’s structure and strategy, the armed group swiftly seized control of large areas in central and southern Karen State. Human-rights groups have accused the DKBA of various rights abuses, including summary executions, torture and forced labor. New allegations have surfaced with the latest offensive.

The ruling junta has bid to portray the new fighting as a purely ethnic-on-ethnic issue and denied any involvement in the offensive. A press statement by Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on June 13 claimed, “As a matter of fact, the fighting took place between the two armed groups – DKBA and KNU/KNLA. Members of the government armed forces had no role whatsoever in the recent scuffles.”

Senior KNLA military officers who spoke with Asia Times Online claimed that Myanmar army units are in reality deeply involved in the ongoing military operation by committing around 2,000-2,500 troops from two battalions of the Southeast Regional Command and six battalions of the 22nd Light Infantry Division to the attack.

To obfuscate those deployments, an estimated 500 DKBA troops from its 333rd, 555th and 999th Brigades have been stationed on the frontline as an assault force, while the Myanmar army units have been positioned behind them. Those government forces have in recent weeks provided external security, evacuated casualties, transported food and ammunition and given artillery support to the DKBA.

Although heavier artillery is believed to be stationed in the area, the army has restricted shelling to smaller caliber mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, known to be used by the DKBA. KNLA sources claim that around 150 DKBA and Myanmar army troops have been killed and wounded, many from landmines, in the new fighting. Hospitals in the Myanmar border villages of Ko Ko and Meh Th’Waw are reportedly full of wounded DKBA soldiers.

After several weeks of fighting, the KNLA decided late last week to withdraw most of their troops stationed at border camps in favor of conducting hit-and-run guerrilla attacks. The tactic, they say, will reduce their own casualties and allow attacks from behind on the Myanmar army while protecting Karen civilians, who would inevitably be caught in the crossfire of a DKBA frontal ground attack against the KNLA’s entrenched positions.

An estimated 4,000 refugees have fled the fighting in the areas, although exact figures vary between the Thai government, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Karen relief organizations. Refugees are currently living in seven sites along the Thai-Myanmar border, but Thai government officials have said they will consolidate these into three sites in the coming days. Most of the refugees are woman and children, many under the age of 13, according to NGOs monitoring the situation.

DKBA officers have reportedly told village leaders and at least one Thai military officer overseeing the area that the refugees can safely return to Myanmar. “The villagers want to stay in their area,” said Nan Paw Ghay of the Karen Information Center (KIC), a rights advocacy situated on the Thai-Myanmar border. “But they are afraid it is a trick and they will be used as forced labor.”

One villager interviewed by KIC escaped on June 7 from being forced to serve as a porter to carry mortar ammunition for the DKBA. He said that other forced porters were told by DKBA commander Colonel Maung Chit Thu that they had been recruited to build a pagoda. Others were told that they were tapped to work in a rubber plantation, according to the villager.

The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) claims that around 50 villagers initially fled the fighting, but their numbers soon swelled as hundreds of others fled due to fears they would be forced to haul ammunition or be used as human minesweepers. Saw Em Wee, a 43-year-old Karen villager, said, “The Burmese army came to both sides of our village. We were afraid to be used as porters or to walk in front [to sweep for landmines], so we fled.

Muddied motivations
Military operations in Myanmar typically are mounted in the dry season, when roads and mountain trails are dry and units may be more easily supplied. Driven during the rainy season, the current offensive is strategically unusual and the timing of the attacks has generated much speculation among KNLA leaders and border watchers.

That includes theories that the junta wants to consolidate its control in the area before the controversial 2010 elections. Some political analysts believe the junta also wants to put pressure on the Thai government for its critical stance towards the ongoing trial of pro-democracy icon Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest.

The recent attacks have overtly undermined recent attempts by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya to broker ceasefire talks between the KNU and the Myanmar government. Although the KNU agreed to negotiations in April during a meeting with Kasit, apparently at the request of Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, no follow-up contacts have been made, according to the KNU. Senior KNU leaders, including Vice President David Thakabaw and Joint Secretary-1 Major Hla Ngwe, said that the renewed attacks prove the Myanmar government was never serious about negotiations.

Indeed, it could work to the government’s strategic advantage to ramp-up hostilities, particularly if it were successful in driving a weakened KNLA into the mountainous and remote Papun township, where it would have a more tenuous supply and information line to Thailand. Trapped in the mountains, the KNLA would present little strategic threat to the regime, while an ongoing low-level insurgency would provide pretext to maintain a large standing army and draconian political policies in the area, even after the introduction of purported democratic rule after the 2010 elections.

KNU and KNLA officers, for their part, discount the notion that the current offensive against their positions is directly connected to the upcoming 2010 general elections. The KNU has labeled the upcoming elections a “sham” in statements and media interviews, and called on the international community to shy from endorsing them. In a June 8 statement on the fighting, the KNU called for a tripartite dialogue between the regime, ethnic groups and the democracy movement to foster national reconciliation in advance of political changes.

In contrast to other ceasefire groups in the Shan State, the DKBA has not maintained a political wing since 1995, nor is it expected to form one for the upcoming elections. One KNU source, however, speculated that while some DKBA members may stand in the upcoming election, the ruling junta has likely already decided who will win in the area.

Yet others see a connection between the attacks and preparations for the polls, including the government’s controversial new Border Guard Force (BGF) program. The surrender or transformation of ethnic armed groups into so-called border guard units under the control of the Myanmar army is a government-stated prerequisite for holding the general elections in border areas.

The DKBA represents the largest ceasefire group to accede to the junta’s proposal to transform its militia into a border guard force. Other major ceasefire groups, including in the Shan State, Kachin State and Mon State, have all rejected the junta’s proposal, stating that they favor maintaining their own armies and political control over previously agreed territory, and would prefer to wait until after the elections before deciding whether to join any government initiatives in their areas.

Military makeover
Under the BGF program, ethnic armies will be placed under a department of the Myanmar army. The program will be overseen by an administrative committee and under operational control of another committee, both staffed by Myanmar army officers. The new 326-man border battalions will be largely made up of ethnic soldiers and officers, although with Myanmar army officers in key positions.

All training, weapons and salaries will be provided by the army and as part of the agreement the new battalions must replace their individual ethnic army names and badges with new patches that bear the BGF logo. Analysts see the transformation as a way of emasculating the ethnic groups by removing their armed wings from control of their political organizations.

According to the junta’s logic, analysts say, once “disciplined democracy” is in place following the general elections, there will be no need for the ethnic groups to maintain armies in a peaceful democracy where cooperative economic development is prioritized. In reality, the ethnic minority border areas will not be demilitarized and in some areas will likely have an even greater military presence.

Minutes from a May 15 meeting of DKBA commanders indicate that the armed group intends to expand its force from its current estimated 3,000 troops to around 9,000 as part of the BGF transformation process. Conscription began in April and, according to a KHRG report, was stepped up after the May meeting.

The move has reportedly been unpopular among the DKBA’s rank and file and DKBA officers have threatened to arrest those who refuse to join for a required three-year enlistment period. Some analysts say the timing of the current offensive may have also aimed at keeping DKBA officers critical of the BGF transformation occupied until the deadline has passed.

Others see economic motivations. The border region has in recent years seen increased investment in contract farming for corn, rubber and other crops. There are also long planned economic zones in the works for the Hlaing Bwe area, directly to the west of the current fighting. Karen sources say key DKBA commander Maung Chit Thu has announced that he plans to build a “proper road” from Hlaing Bwe town to the border town of Mae Salit to stimulate cross-border trade.

As part of their initial ceasefire deal, the DKBA was given economic concessions to develop Karen State and its border areas. That presumably included the right to smuggle and traffic unimpeded narcotics, especially methamphetamines, but in more recent years has also come to encompass lucrative legitimate trade in agricultural goods, contract farming and transportation services.

The DKBA is, however, expected to lose some of its economic concessions once it joins the BGF and its soldiers become paid members of the Myanmar army, though militia leaders are expected to be allowed to maintain certain lucrative concessions as incentive to join the program. The DKBA itself has maintained among the local population that it will remain responsible for the development of Karen State.

Meanwhile, the armed assault is expected to intensify. More Myanmar army units have reportedly been moved closer to the border and analysts believe that when the current operation is completed fighting may shift to areas under the command of the KNLA’s 6th Brigade in south Karen State. KNLA sources say fighting is also expected to resume in northern Karen State towards the end of the rainy season, in either September or October.

The upshot is that the Myanmar government looks set to gain control over all of central Karen State and a major stretch of the border with Thailand for the first time since the country achieved independence in 1948. Although democratic elections are planned for next year and the government has greater control over the region than ever before, greater militarization under an unpopular insurgent group-turned-government militia means stability for Karen State is far from assured.

Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. He may be reached at brianpm@comcast.net.

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The Christian Post – Aid Group Exposes Myanmar State Violence Against Christian Minority
By Nathanael Ng, Christian Post Correspondent
Tue, Jun. 23 2009 06:50 PM EDT

A Christian persecution aid group has released a report describing the state violence underlying the recent mass exodus of the Myanmar ethnic Karen people.

Since it mounted a renewed offensive against Karen rebels on June 6, the Myanmar military has attacked the mountain villages, shooting the inhabitants as they run for their lives or capturing them and giving them extremely hard labor, literally working them to death as slaves and sometimes even using them as human land mine sweepers, the Barnabas Fund reported.

The aggressors then set fire to Karen villages or plant landmines around the homes and the bodies to kill anyone who tries to return. Many of those who flee to the surrounding jungle die there from snake bites, disease or starvation, the report stated.

There have been numerous reports of families being driven out of their homes and children losing their parents and wandering alone in the jungle. In one case, 17 families were found hiding together in a bamboo thicket in a small ravine.

Moreover, Christian orphanages that were set up to provide a safe haven for destitute children badly affected by the Cyclone Nargis tragedy and to give them stability, security, daily nourishment and the opportunity for an education have been a target. Soldiers recently stormed an orphanage where 90 children lived, destroying or taking everything they could lay their hands on, including blankets, mattresses, clothes, kitchen utensils and school supplies.

Fortunately, those who ran the orphanage managed to get the children out of the building before the arrival of the soldiers.

Mainly Christian, the Karen people have faced extensive ethnic and religious discrimination from the military regime, according to Barnabas Fund.

The Christian NGO is supporting the provision of food and shelter for Karen orphans, together with the running costs of a number of Christian orphanages set up in response to poverty and cyclone damage. It is also supporting partners who are working in the jungle to care for the Karen orphans and providing funding for pans, water containers, medicines, notebooks, pencils, blankets, mosquito nets, towels, mats, pillows and warmer clothes.

At the end of its report, Barnabas Fund International Director Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo made an appeal to the public for help. “The Karen people have suffered for decades at the hands of the Burmese military junta, who persecute them for their ethnicity and for their Christian faith. Please help us to take this opportunity to help Karen children in desperate situations at this time.”

More than 100,000 residents of Myanmar, most of them Karen, have fled to Thailand, according to the United Nations.

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Public release date: 24-Jun-2009
The United States Pharmacopeial (USP)
Goal of good quality medicines advanced by new USP agreement with 9 ASEAN countries

Rockville, Md., June 24, 2009 — Furthering its mission to improve the quality of medicines worldwide, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has signed a cooperative agreement with nine countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In a drive to strengthen capacities and certification status of national drug quality control laboratories, officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had formed an ASEAN Reference Materials Working Group (ARMWG) to focus on modern, international measurement standards for medicines in the region. The agreement with USP is the culmination of discussions that started in 2008 with the aim of improving the production, precision and quality of ASEAN Reference Substances (ARS).

According to Roger L. Williams, M.D., chief executive officer of USP, “This agreement is a milestone in our shared goal of improving the quality of medicines in the region and around the world. We all recognize the importance of long-term strategies to ensure the availability of good quality medicines, and we believe that by working together that goal becomes more readily achievable.”

At an event to commemorate the signing of the agreement, Mr. Niphon Popattanachai, the deputy director-general of the department of medical sciences at the Thai Ministry of Public Health, said, “We have been working for many years to strengthen the pharmaceutical sector within ASEAN countries, and to become more self-reliant in training scientific staff within our drug quality control laboratories. Our partnership with USP—as well as with the World Health Organization (WHO), the British National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, and others—will offer valuable collaborative resources and scientific exchange.”

Areas of potential collaboration under the agreement include working toward WHO and ISO measurement standards for medicines; promoting ISO certification for ASEAN drug quality control laboratories; support for joint studies and scientist exchange programs; and mutual development of ways to combat counterfeit and substandard medicines.

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Fox News – Official: U.S.S. McCain Stops Monitoring N. Korean Ship, U.S.S. McCampbell Takes Over
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

SEOUL, South Korea —  The U.S. Navy vessel that had been monitoring a North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons has handed over duties to another Navy destroyer, officials told FOX News.

The USS John C. McCain has pulled back into port and is no longer monitoring the North Korean Kang Nam, according to U.S. defense officials.

The Kang Nam, which is currently in the Taiwan Straits and appears to be on course for Myanmar, is now being monitored by the the U.S.S. McCampbell, according to two senior U.S. defense officials.

One official told FOX News, “Think of this as a baton race, and the baton has been handed off now.”

The U.S. Navy will honor North Korea’s notice to mariners that warns ships to stay out of international waters off its coast from June 25 to July 10, another official said.

The North Koreans have asked that a 19,000-square-mile portion of the sea off of its south eastern city of Wonsan be cleared during that period.

North Korea is believed to have begun boosting its military capabilities in the wake of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq, North Korea claimed it would be the next target.

North Korea’s has one of the world’s largest armies with 1.2 million troops, including 180,000 special forces.

The Kang Nam which left the port of Nampo last week is the first ship being monitored under the U.N. sanctions imposed earlier this month following North Korea’s defiant underground nuclear test in May.

But confrontation — which North Korea has said it would consider an act of war — seems unlikely since the resolution calls on U.N. members with “reasonable grounds,” to inspect North Korean vessels only after getting consent from the nation whose flag is on the ship — in this case, North Korea’s.

If the country refuses U.N. members not to provide ships in question with fuel or other services.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said his country will “strictly observe” the resolution and urged other nations to do the same and “refrain from acts that might escalate the tension.”

Singapore, the world’s busiest port and a top refueling center, said officials would “act appropriately.”

The Kang Nam is expected to dock at Burma’s Thilawa port in the next few days, according to the Irrawaddy, an online magazine operated by independent exiled journalists from Burma, citing an unidentified port official.

North Korea is believed to have sold guns, artillery and other small weapons to Burma, said Kim Jin-moo, an analyst at Seoul’s state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and North Korea’s neighbors were discussing how to deal with the increasingly defiant country amid signs it may be preparing a long-range missile test.

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens said the U.S. “remains willing and eager to engage North Korea” through diplomacy. But she said Washington and its allies have begun outlining defensive measures should the North continue with provocative acts.

“We’re committed to do what is necessary to protect” the American people and their allies, she said at a Seoul forum also attended by ambassadors from China, Japan and Russia.

The vice defense ministers of Japan and South Korea also met Tuesday in Seoul, nuclear envoys from South Korea and Russia were slated to hold talks Wednesday in Moscow and a U.S. defense official was in the region for talks this week in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.

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The Australian – Fears North Korea in Burma arms deal
Correspondents in Seoul | June 24, 2009

A NORTH Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons cruised through waters off Shanghai yesterday en route to Burma, as regional military officials and a US destroyer kept a close eye on the vessel.

Washington’s top military commander in South Korea, meanwhile, warned that the communist regime is bolstering its guerilla warfare capacity.

General Walter Sharp, who commands the 28,500 US troops in South Korea, said the North could employ roadside bombs and other guerilla tactics if fighting breaks out again on the Korean peninsula. The two Koreas technically remain at war because their three-year conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, in 1953.

North Korea is believed to have begun boosting its urban, night-time and special operation capabilities in the wake of the US-led war in Iraq, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said. After the US invasion of Iraq, North Korea claimed it would be the next target.

With 1.2 million troops, North Korea’s army is one of the world’s largest. About 180,000 are special operation forces.

Last Wednesday, a North Korean-flagged vessel left the port of Nampo and was being trailed by a US destroyer.

It is the first ship being monitored under the UN sanctions imposed earlier this month following North Korea’s defiant underground nuclear test last month.

The new resolution seeks to strengthen efforts to stop North Korea from developing its nuclear and missile programs and selling its technology.

The Kang Nam, accused of transporting illicit goods in the past, is believed to be carrying banned small arms to Burma, a South Korean intelligence official said on Monday.
However, a high-seas interception – a move North Korea has said it would consider an act of war – is unlikely.

The resolution calls on UN member states to inspect North Korean vessels if they have “reasonable grounds” to believe that its cargo contains banned weapons or materials. But it must first get the consent of the nation whose flag the ship is flying – in this case, North Korea’s.

The North is unlikely to allow any inspection of its cargo.

If Pyongyang refuses, authorities must direct the vessel to a port. UN members have been ordered not to provided suspected ships with services such as fuel.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China will “strictly observe” and implement the resolution. He urged other nations to also heed the UN guidelines.

“Under the current circumstances, we call upon all parties to refrain from acts that might escalate the tension,” he said yesterday.

Singapore, the world’s busiest port and a top refueling center, said officials would “act appropriately” if asked to confront a North Korean ship believed to be carrying banned cargo.

“Singapore takes seriously the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials,” a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said yesterday. “If the allegation is true, Singapore will act appropriately.”

The South Korean broadcaster YTN said the ship was traveling in waters 370km southeast of Shanghai at a speed of about 18.5km/h.

The Kang Nam is expected to dock at Burma’s Thilawa port, 30km south of Rangoon, in the next few days, according to the Irrawaddy, an online magazine operated by independent exiled journalists from Burma, citing an unidentified port official.

North Korea is believed to have sold guns, artillery and other small weapons to Burma, said Kim Jin-moo, an analyst at Seoul’s state-run Korea Institute for Defence Analyses.

An American destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, is relatively close to the North Korean vessel but had no orders to intercept it, a senior military official said last week.

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THE NATION – Opinion: Burmese junta uses n Korean expertise to build secret tunnels
Published on June 24, 2009

Several senior military Burmese officials have been dismissed in recent weeks following the recent publication of photographs of secret tunnels built by North Korean experts between 2003-2006 inside Burma, sources revealed.

The sources, who asked not to be identified because the information they gave could endanger their lives, said that Burmese intelligence officials have began massive investigations to identify the source of the leak. They have combed the city of Rangoon and interviewed associates of former intelligence chief, Lt-General Khin Nyunt, to search for persons who might have leaked one of their most secretive programmes. They have already arrested several suspects, including journalists, who might have got access to these sensitive photos and documents.

Swedish journalist, Bertil Litner, detailed Pyongyang’s efforts in helping Rangoon to build underground bunkers in various locations. The author said the photographs, which were obtained by the Democratic Voice of Burma, showed an extensive network of underground installations that was built near Burma’s fortified new capital, Naypyidaw, 450km north of Rangoon.

The photographs, which first appeared in YaleGlobal Online on June 8, have puzzled the Bangkok-based diplomatic community. “We are interested in the news and we are following it closely,” said a senior diplomat from an Asean country, who asked not to be identified.

A Thai intelligence source yesterday confirmed the existence of the tunnels but did not express any serious concern. “The Burmese generals fear outside attacks, so they are building these underground hiding places,” he said. Thailand is also watching closely Burma’s efforts to build its nuclear capacity.

These tunnels are equipped with underground facilities, including communications and strategic rooms, which would enable the Burmese leaders to survive any attack from their peoples and the outside world. Some tunnels are big enough for military and transport vehicles to go through. Sources also revealed that dozens of tunnels are also dug near the Thai-Burma border. They said the construction of these tunnels were disguised as part of the country’s plan to lay fibre optic cables throughout the country
Bertil wrote that a well-hidden complex ensures there is no danger of angry civilians storming government buildings as they did during the massive pro-democracy uprising in August-September 1988. It could also serve as their deep bunkers in case there are air strikes of the kind that the Taleban faced in Afghanistan.

According to the author, it is not clear how North Korean experts got paid. The payment could have been in the form of food or goods that Burma has. The country is rich in mineral wealth and agricultural products.

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Mizzima News – Palpable tension between junta and ethnic armed groups
by Solomon
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 21:35

New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Burmese Army has significantly increased its military presence in northern and eastern Burma, where ethnic ceasefire armed groups are based, following their widespread rejection of the junta’s proposal to transform to a border guard force.

An official of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) told Mizzima on Wednesday that they have witnessed the Burmese Army relocating more troops along with arms including mortars in bases near their controlled areas in eastern Shan State.

“We have seen the Burmese Army moving in more troops, in what seems like a preparation for a war,” the official said.

He told Mizzima that the junta is likely to mount more pressure on them after they rejected the proposal to transform their army into a ‘Border Guard’ force.

“Changing our army’s name is not a problem but if we accept their proposal, we will lose our forces, so it’s not possible for us,” he said.

In late April, the junta proposed to ceasefire armed groups to change their armies into a ‘Border Guard’, which will be supervised by the junta.  According to the junta’s plan, each battalion of the border guard will consist of 326 soldiers out of which 30 soldiers from the Burmese Army will be included.

However, most of the ceasefire groups including the UWSA have reportedly rejected the junta’s proposal, triggering renewed tension between the Burmese Army and the rebels.

But the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), an ethnic Karen rebel group  which split from the mainstream Karen resistance army – the Karen National Union, have not rejected the junta’s proposal.

“We do not anticipate war, nobody wants to fight, we are still open to talks with them [junta] but we need to defend ourselves, so now, we have alerted all our troops to be ready,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added.

UWSA controls two special regions in northern Shan State, bordering China and eastern Shan state, bordering Thailand.

Meanwhile, sources said, the Burmese junta has also increased its military presence in northern Burma’s Kachin State in areas controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/A).

Awng Wa, an activist working inside Kachin state said, troops have been reinforced in the Burmese Army, based near the KIO’s main headquarter in the Sino-Burma border town of Laiza.

“More soldiers have arrived in battalion 2 at Daw Hpum Myang [which is close to Laiza],” said Awng Wa.

He said the junta has reinforced the army battalions with more troops since they began proposing the transformation of the KIA into a border guard force.

“It looks to me that a conflict might break out between the KIO and the Burmese Army anytime soon,” he added.

An unconfirmed report received by Mizzima said, leaders of the KIO including Vice-President (1) of the KIO Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng, during a meeting with a Burmese junta official in Myitkyina of Kachin state last week, rejected the proposal.

But when contacted by Mizzima, Gauri Zau Seng declined to clarify the matter and referred to the KIO’s spokesperson Colonel Gun Maw. But Col Gun Maw, however, could not be reached for comment.

Sources said, the KIO has been holding meetings within the organisation to discuss the junta’s proposal and had formed a seven-member committee to deal with the issue and to negotiate with the junta. Lt-Gen Gauri Zau Seng is the leader of the team.

As part of its preparation, KIO in turn has stepped up recruiting new cadres and has called back old comrades. They are also returning into the forests, sources said.

Similarly, the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), which has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the junta, said the Burmese Army has also been expanding its presence in eastern and northern Shan states.

Major Long Sai of the SSA-S told Mizzima, that it is the fallout of rejecting the junta’s proposal by ethnic ceasefire groups and the military junta is likely to launch stronger military operations.

“They [junta] are despatching more artillery battalions,” said Long Sai. “They always regarded us as their enemy but we are only fighting for our rights and freedom,” he added.

“I want to call on all ceasefire groups to continue trying what we want and we all have the same goal,” said Long Sai.

Since the beginning of June, the Burmese Army along with their allies – the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) – launched a military offensive against the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU.

In the operation, which forced thousands of Karen villagers to flee to Thailand, the joint forces of the Burmese Army and the DKBA overran the bases of KNLA’s 7th Brigade.

But a Sino-Burma border based analyst Aung Kyaw Zaw told Mizzima that so far there is no sign to indicate that the junta will conduct a fresh military offensive against the ceasefire armed groups. Not until the junta completes its planned elections in 2010, he said.

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High Court hears Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyers’ arguments
by Mungpi
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 19:26

New Delhi (mizzima) – Burma’s High Court on Wednesday heard defense arguments for allowing two more witnesses in the controversial trial against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but did not make any ruling on the matter.

Nyan Win, a member of Aung San Suu Kyi’s legal team, said the defense team argued it is in accordance with the law to allow the remaining two witnesses – Tin Oo, Vice-Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and Win Tin, a veteran journalist and Central Executive Committee member of the NLD.

“The High Court doesn’t make immediate decisions and will take some time before announcing their decision. And we don’t know when that announcement will be,” Nyan Win said.

However, Nyan Win added that the High Court judges told them it might be impossible to accept Tin Oo as a witness as he is currently under house arrest.

The judges further explained, according to Nyan Win, that as Win Tin has given several interviews to the exile-based Democratic Voice of Burma, BBC and Radio Free Asia, in which he demonstrated a distinct difference of opinion to that of the authorities, he may not qualify either.

But Kyi Win, Aung San Suu Kyi’s primary lawyer, said the law prescribes that in finding the truth even criminals serving a death sentence can be brought as witnesses.

“My instinct told me that this will be the kind of excuse they would use to reject Tin Oo. But the law permits the accused to call anybody as a witness, as long as the witness has relevance,” Kyi Win said.

He added that during his experience as a lawyer he has seen judges order a commission be sent to prisons to hear the testimony of prisoners claimed as witnesses for the accused.

With regard to the judges’ complaint concerning Win Tin, Kyi Win elaborated that everybody has the right to have their own opinion and having a different opinion to the government is not a crime.

“What we are fighting is for equal representation in front of the court and since the lower court [at Insein prison] has not mentioned any reasons for rejecting the defense witnesses, it is against the law [to exclude the candidates],” he added.

The Insein prison court where Aung San Suu Kyi is facing trial originally scheduled the hearing of the second defense witness– Khin Moh Moh – for Friday. But Kyi Win said there would be no hearing until the High Court makes the decision on whether to allow more witnesses.

The Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate, who has been under some form of detention for more than 13 of the past 19 years,  is currently facing trial under charges of breaching her previous term of detention by ‘harboring’ an American man for two days at her lakeside home in early May.

Observers and opposition elements believe the trial, which could see Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to up to five years of further imprisonment if found guilty, is a pretext to continue detaining her in order to further clear the way for the junta’s planned 2010 general election – the country’s first since the military annulled a 1990 ballot, which saw the NLD emerge the clear winner.

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Mizzima News – Police patrol Rangoon, security tightened near Insein prison
by Myint Maung
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 22:16

New Delhi (Mizzima) – There is heightened security in Rangoon with at least 30 army trucks with uniformed riot police personnel, patrolling the city on Wednesday.

The army trucks are each carrying at least 20 policemen and are patrolling various townships of Rangoon, eyewitnesses said.

“We can see about 30 to 40 army trucks carrying uniformed policemen patrolling the city. It looks like they are on high alert. They also have machine guns mounted on the trucks. They came to our township at about 3 p.m. (local time),” an eyewitness from Insein Township told Mizzima.

“Earlier, when they patrolled like they are doing now, the police would carry shields but today they had a policeman standing on the truck with a machine gun mounted on the hood,” he added.

Another local resident said he had seen about three army trucks, full of riot police, patrolling downtown Rangoon near the City Hall, which is one of the busiest places in town.

“They had the trucks covered with shields and had batons and guns in their hands,” he said.

A source near the Insein prison told Mizzima that the riot police No. (8) have been relocated and repositioned near the Insein prison.

Some of the townships, where eyewitnesses saw army trucks patrolling include San Chuang and Dagon South.

The reason for the sudden tightening of security, however, remains unknown but some believe it could be because of the United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who reportedly is planning to visit the country later this week.

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The Irrawaddy – Burma Bans North Korea Ship News
By AUNG THET WINE, Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Burma’s military-controlled censorship board has banned all journals and magazines from publishing news about a North Korean ship which will soon dock near Rangoon and is believed to be carrying arms for Burma.

Weekly newspapers such as Weekly Eleven, 7 days, Yangon Times and The Voice have tried to translate and publish articles based on foreign media sources about the voyage of the cargo ship, which is being tracked by a United States destroyer.

A Rangoon editor told The Irrawaddy, “Most journals tried to print something about the voyage of the North Korea ship, but the Burmese Censorship Board rejected all the stories.”

In Burma, all news outlets inside the country fall under the strict surveillance of the state censorship board under the Ministry of Information—officially known as the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division—and are also held in check by various publication laws.

Prior censorship is imposed on all local media and is strictly applied against any news that might cast the government in a bad light.

The North Korean ship, Kang Nam 1, is believed to be carrying arms for the military government. It departed from the North Korean port of Nampo one week ago, and the USS John S. McCain destroyer has tracked it as it passed along the Chinese coast.

Burmese citizens are relying on foreign-based radio stations for news of the cargo ship, sources said.

A 40-year-old Rangoon resident said, “The BBC, VOA and other international broadcasting agencies air news about the ship. Most Burmese people are very interested in it because a US military vessel is involved.”

According to a port official in Rangoon, the North Korean ship will dock at Thilawa port, some 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Rangoon, in the next few days.

The Kang Nam 1 docked at the port in 2004, at that time raising suspicions about the nature of its cargo. Speculation centered on convention arms, missiles or some type of nuclear weaponry.

In 2007, two Burmese journalists working for the Japanese television news agency Nippon News Network (NNN) were arrested and detained for two nights and three days for covering the arrival of the Kang Nam 1, which docked secretly at the Thilawa port, saying it was seeking refuge from a storm and in need of supplies.

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The Irrawaddy – Than Shwe Maneuvers to Retain Power
By AUNG LYNN HTUT, Wednesday, June 24, 2009

If Burma’s State Peace Development Council (SPDC) holds a successful election in 2010, the Burmese people will lose all hope of freedom and the generals who now rule the country will retain their power.

There are three nominations for presidency in the 2008 constitution—one from the military, one from the Senate or ethnic leaders’ hluttaw and one from Congress members. The Senate and the House then vote to choose the president of Burma.

According to the latest information from Naypyidaw, the military will nominate Gen Thura Shwe Mann and he will be Burma’s president. The Senate will nominate a prominent ethnic leader and the House will nominate a member of the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), Kyant Phut.

After the 2010 election, Shwe Mann will issue a state order that Snr-Gen Than Shwe, Vice Snr-Gen Maung Aye and remaining SPDC members become patrons or advisers of the National Security Council of a new Burmese government. It means Than Shwe and his party will retain their grip on state power.

The military gets 25 percent of the seats at state, regional, district, township and village levels of the Burmese administration, according to the 2008 constitution. The military has a plan to assign deputy regional commanders as “second men” of regional administrations, deputy regiment commanders as “second men” of district administrations, majors or captains for township administrations and other ranks for village administrations.

After Than Shwe assumed state power in April, 1992, he arranged to hold a National Convention. He instructed Secretary (1) Gen Khin Nyunt and Secretary (2) Tin Oo to ensure that the military’s leading role should be one of the principal aims of the National Convention.

Khin Nyunt and Tin Oo objected, saying civilian politics would then disappear in Burma. Than Shwe ignored them, saying he had a long-term plan for a military role in future Burmese politics.

Although he appoints current ministers and the members of USDA who will organize the 2010 election, he still worries about its success. Because of his fear of losing control, he tries to get as many of his people in every sphere of government and pressures others to accept them as well. He is worried about the support he commands and whether his orders will be followed.

To achieve his aims, Than Shwe is using government money instead of his own. He promises that the 2010 election will be fair and honest, so he cannot use his power to influence its outcome without arousing international anger.

There is much discussion among the generals about where Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) stand. They are aware that if the NLD participates, the party stands a high chance of winning, just as it did in 1990.

There’s a fear among the generals that even among the 25 percent representation reserved for the military, as much as 15 percent might support the NLD. With that prospect in mind, some generals are seeking to exclude NLD officials from running for office.

Ultimately, the generals still have to wait for Than Shwe’s orders. Until recently, he tried very hard to ignore the NLD and to force his ideas on Burma.

The trial of Suu Kyi and the worldwide wave of condemnation it provoked have forced Than Shwe to reconsider his position.

Last month, he sent Shwe Mann to China to seek assurance of support for the junta.
The Chinese leaders requested a meeting with the junta’s No 2, Maung Aye, who visited Beijing on June 15. Foreign Minister Nyan Win is shortly to visit the United Nations in New York.

The ethnic ceasefire groups pose another problem for Than Shwe. The ethnic groups dislike the 2008 constitution and the election plan, and they don’t want to surrender to the Burmese military. They accuse Than Shwe of diminishing Burma’s federal policy and of destroying the Union of Myanmar.

Than Shwe promised ethnic leaders that if the armed groups agreed to non-disintegration of the Union, national solidarity and the perpetuation of sovereignty, he would be ready to talk to them. He promised government support for development in ceasefire areas.

He also promised to allow ethnic politics to be discussed at the National Convention, but then went back on that pledge.

After approving the 2008 constitution, he instructed the ethnic ceasefire groups to surrender and lay down their arms and proposed that their troops should serve as border security guards. The proposal was rejected by the largest ceasefire groups.

Than Shwe will take time to decide on a verdict for Suu Kyi’s trial, hoping international pressure will ease. There are two sayings to describe his frame of mind: “He doesn’t care what anyone thinks. People will forget in seven days” and “If there is tension, he will reduce it. If there isn’t tension, he will create it.”

In the 2010 election, Than Shwe will use his military power and influence to affect the outcome as much as possible.  He realizes the importance of this election on his future.

If he wins, Burma will be under his tyranny for a long time to come. If he loses, he knows he faces possible arraignment before an international court.

Because of the importance of this election and the future of the people and country, we must try to educate and influence civilians as well as military officials. Other nations are monitoring Burma very closely, so General Than Shwe feels the pressure and cannot make dishonest decisions.

The author is a former officer in the counterintelligence department of the Office of the Chief of Military Intelligence (OCMI) and former deputy chief of the Burmese embassy in Washington. He lives in Washington is seeking political asylum in the United States.

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DVB News – Burma acts the bully on Thailand
Larry Jagan

June 24, 2009 (DVB)–Relations between Thailand and Burma are set to deteriorate dramatically following Bangkok’s warning that the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi could all but destroy Burma’s already fragile credibility.

Thailand’s current position on Burma is stronger than usual, bolstered by concerns that Burma’s behaviour, by implication, would also impact on the credibility of the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. The junta of course dismisses these concerns, citing the ASEAN mantra of non-interference in its defense. But this time Burma’s political games are certain to be met with more pressure from its Asian allies and neighbours, especially Thailand.
The vexed issue of Burma is high on the agenda of Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s current visit to Beijing. He will certainly discuss the issue with his counterpart, Wen Jiabao, and the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, according to Thai government officials. The junta’s antics are all the more pressing now with detailed information emerging on the regime’s connection to Pyongyang; and now the North Korean ship en route to Rangoon has increased the temperature.

Apart from North Korean missiles and possible nuclear technology, there is much for Bangkok and Beijing to discuss during this trip. A key issue will also be the preparations for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers retreat in Phuket, and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) where the problems in Burma will also overshadow other important issues at time when the region is reeling from the effects of the international financial crisis and credit crunch.

A statement prepared for the meeting by the Indonesians is likely to be endorsed by China. China understands that at present its best strategic position is to strongly support Thailand as the ASEAN chair, as later this year Vietnam takes over and Hanoi will be less inclined to engage the Chinese.

Under the Thai chairmanship, ASEAN has begun to take a more aggressive position on Burma, and issued a strongly worded statement after Aung San Suu Kyi was put on trial last month. “With the eyes of the international community on Myanmar at present, the honour and the credibility of the Government of the Union of Myanmar are at stake,” the statement said.

But the Thais went a step further and specifically raised the issue of the pro-democracy leader’s detention. “The Government of the Union of Myanmar is reminded that the ASEAN Leaders had called for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,” said the statement. This was a reference to the Chairman’s statement at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh in July 2003, after she was attacked by pro-government thugs and detained in May that year. It was later endorsed by the ASEAN leaders at their summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in October.

The Burmese government, as expected, reacted angrily. “Thailand’s statement is not in conformity with ASEAN practices, incorrect in facts, and interfering with the internal affairs of Myanmar,” was the official response. But behind the scenes, relations between the countries are in free-fall, according to diplomats based in Bangkok and Rangoon. “There is no doubt that the offensive against the Karen [along the border with Thailand] is in part intended to be a warning to Thailand not to interfere,” the Burmese academic based at Chiang Mai University, Win Min told DVB. While it may not be in direct response to the Thai statement, it is clearly aimed at sending a cautionary message to the Thai government that any interference in Burmese affairs will bring about a strong Burmese reaction. Gone is the conciliatory approach in discussions between the country’s two foreign ministers in April, when the Thai foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, went to Naypyidaw and was asked to help broker peace talks with the Karen National Union.

Now Thailand is increasingly alarmed at Burma’s plans to acquire nuclear technology, including for military purposes. Recent revelations of the myriad of tunnels being built by North Korean engineers and workers in Naypyidaw and along the Thai border in Shan state, has given the Thai authorities a significant jolt. But even more disturbing is the news that North Korea may be about to provide Burma with medium-range missiles, sophisticated anti-aircraft and radar systems, including surface-to-surface (SCUD) missiles with a 700 kilometer range, that can only be aimed at Thai territory. It is highly likely that the cargo of the North Korean Kang Nam ship includes missiles, according to South Korean intelligence sources.

Thailand of course is still searching for a means to maintain the pressure on Burma, while trying to find ways to lessen the tension between the two countries. Thailand’s position on Aung San Suu Kyi, and the national reconciliation process, will not weaken, even under the Burmese blackmail threats.

In a recent interview, the Thai prime minister made the government’s position clear: “Clearly our stance has been and will always be that the political process in Myanmar will have to be inclusive to gain the acceptability and respectability of the international community. Otherwise, obviously, Myanmar’s credibility and ASEAN’s credibility will be affected.”

When the former Thai foreign minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, tried to support the Burmese regime’s plans for political reform – Khin Nyunt’s roadmap to democracy — through his creation of the Bangkok process in 2003, he was roundly condemned by the junta’s top leaders.

“We reject Thailand’s ‘mega-phone’ diplomacy”, the deputy leader of Burmese military intelligence, Major General Kyaw Win told me. This was a reference to the Thai foreign minister’s frequent briefing of Thai and foreign journalists on the progress of negotiations and talks – sometimes elaborating his views which were not always directly communicated to his counterpart beforehand.

But of course the regime has no qualms about resorting to a megaphone approach when it suits them. Its latest tirade against the Thai government was an article by Kyaw Ye Min accusing the Thai authorities of aiding and abetting the insurgent movements – especially the Karen – by allowing refugee camps in Thailand.

The junta was irritated by the Thai foreign minister’s suggestion that jailing Aung San Suu Kyi was in effect a threat to the region. “At present relations between the two countries are under [a] strain which is unprecedented in history,” said the writer in the state-mouthpiece New Light of Myanmar newspaper. He suggested the only way for harmonious relations to be reestablished was for Bangkok to “cooperate with us in genuine goodwill”. In other words, stop publicly criticising and pressuring Burma – something the Democrat-led government is unlikely to do.