AFP – Laura Bush urges efforts to stop Myanmar repression
AFP – UN troubleshooter to brief Ban on Myanmar visit
Reuters – U.N. envoy Gambari concludes Myanmar visit
UPI – U2 rallies fans for Myanmar dissident
EarthTimes – Myanmar reports first H1N1 case
Chicago Tribune – Iran election protests: Fearing echoes, some authoritarian nations try to stifle Iran protest news
Xinhua – Myanmar FM, U.N. envoy discuss UN Chief visit
The Washington Post – Do Not Forget Burma
Anchorage Daily News – UN ambassador: US closely monitoring NKorean ship
The Bangkok Post – EDITORIAL: Mr Ban is needed
The Times – Support Democracy: Free Aung San Suu Kyi
Mizzima News – New rules for musicians performing abroad
The Irrawaddy – INTERVIEW: Burma Wants the Bomb
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Laura Bush urges efforts to stop Myanmar repression
Sun Jun 28, 1:37 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Former US first lady Laura Bush called for new international pressure on Myanmar in order to force its military leaders to stop human rights abuses.

“With UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas,” the spouse of former president George W. Bush wrote in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post.

“There have been 38 UN resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated,” she pointed out. “Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.”

Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, is being held in jail on charges of violating her house arrest after American John Yettaw swam to her lakeside house earlier this year. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

She has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention since the ruling generals refused to recognise the landslide victory of her National League for Democracy party (NLD) in 1990 elections.

Bush hails Aung San Suu Kyi’s “continued example of civil courage,” saying that it reminded Americans of the desire of people around the world to live in freedom.

“We should all share her hope — and add our voices to those who risk so much to protest tyranny and injustice in Burma and beyond,” Bush said, referring to Myanmar by its former name.

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UN troubleshooter to brief Ban on Myanmar visit
Sun Jun 28, 3:34 am ET

YANGON (AFP) – UN troubleshooter Ibrahim Gambari is expected to brief UN chief Ban Ki-moon on his recent visit to Myanmar, before the secretary general heads to Asia and possibly to the military-ruled nation.

Gambari flew out of Myanmar on Saturday following a two-day visit aimed at paving the way for Ban’s prospective trip early next month, which would come against the backdrop of the trial of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nigerian diplomat met twice with Foreign Minister Nyan Win in the junta’s remote administrative capital Naypyidaw before holding talks with Singapore’s ambassador and UN staff in Yangon, Myanmar officials said.

He was expected to brief Ban back in New York on the outcome of his mission before the UN chief departs for Japan on Monday, UN spokesman in Bangkok Hak-Fan Lau said.
Ban will then decide whether to go ahead with plans to visit Myanmar early next month, according to UN sources in New York.

State media in Myanmar confirmed the focus of Gambari’s meetings there was on the UN secretary general’s expected visit in early July.

The New Light of Myanmar, the state newspaper, said Gambari “called on Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win on 26 and 27 June”.

The pair “held discussions about the programme for the visit of His Excellency Mr Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary General, to Myanmar,” the newspaper reported Sunday.

But the UN special envoy to Myanmar did not meet Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi himself before flying out of the country on a Saturday evening Thai Airways flight.

The UN boss and Gambari have been trying to persuade Myanmar’s ruling generals to free all political detainees, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and steer their country on the path to democracy and national reconciliation.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, is being held in jail on charges of violating her house arrest after American John Yettaw swam to her lakeside house earlier this year. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

The case has drawn widespread international condemnation, with US President Barack Obama describing it as a “show trial” and some of Myanmar’s neighbours breaking their usual silence on the issue.

On Sunday former US first lady Laura Bush, a long term critic of the Myanmar regime, urged the UN chief to put new pressure on the country formerly known as Burma in order to force its military leaders to stop human rights abuses.

“With UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas,” the spouse of former president George W. Bush wrote in The Washington Post.

“There have been 38 UN resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated,” she pointed out in the op-ed piece.

“Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.”

Gambari was named the top UN envoy for Myanmar in 2006 but his previous visits have produced few results.

Aung San Suu Kyi refused to meet him in August 2008, apparently after he failed to secure reform pledges from the regime.

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.

More than 2,100 political prisoners remain imprisoned, according to United Nations figures.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention since the ruling generals refused to recognise the landslide victory of her National League for Democracy party (NLD) in 1990 elections.

The United States and Europe have both imposed sanctions against Myanmar, which has been ruled by the military since 1962.

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U.N. envoy Gambari concludes Myanmar visit
Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:03am IST

YANGON (Reuters) – U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari concluded his trip to army-ruled Myanmar on Saturday, clearing the way for a possible visit by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon next month.

Ban has expressed a desire to visit Myanmar and press the generals to ditch the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and free all other political detainees.

Gambari, visiting the former Burma for the eighth time, returned to Yangon after a one-day trip to the new capital Naypyidaw, where he met Myanmar Foreign Minister Nyan Win, according to state radio.

No other details were released in the radio report, which was the first mention in state media of Gambari’s trip.

“He left Yangon by air to Bangkok,” a Yangon-based diplomat told Reuters, requesting anonymity.

“We can be sure they explored the possibility of Ban visiting, but we don’t know what the results were.”

The Nigerian envoy, who made the 385 km car journey to Naypyidaw on Friday, returned to Yangon by plane early on Saturday.

He met Singapore’s ambassador to Myanmar and United Nations officials before flying to Bangkok.

Diplomats at the U.N. have said Ban is concerned the junta will use any visit by him as propaganda to try to legitimise the trial of Suu Kyi, who is charged with violating her house arrest terms by allowing an American intruder to stay at her home.

The Nobel laureate faces five years in prison if found guilty of violating Section 22 of a now-outdated security law protecting the state from “subversive elements”.

Critics have dismissed her case as a “show trial” to ensure she plays no part in planned multi-party elections next year, which are expected to entrench almost half a century of army rule.

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U2 rallies fans for Myanmar dissident
Published: June 27, 2009 at 2:41 PM

BARCELONA, Spain, June 27 (UPI) — Irish rockers U2 have asked fans attending their concerts to put on masks of Myanmar dissident Aung San Suu Kyi when they strike up the song “Walk On.”

The band provided a copy of the Nobel Prize winner’s image on its Web site so fans can print it out before the shows on the 360 Tour that begins Tuesday in Barcelona.

“Wear it to work or college,” the Web site said. “Wear it on the bus or the train. Wear it in the pub or at the shops. And don’t forget. Bring it to a U2 show.”

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, since 1990 when she won the popular election and the military junta refused to accept the results.

The Canadian Web site CHARTattack. com said U2 came up with the mask idea because “the world must not be allowed to forget Aung San Suu Kyi.”

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EarthTimes – Myanmar reports first H1N1 case
Posted : Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:53:35 GMT
Author : DPA

Yangon – Myanmar reported its first case of H1N1 in a 13-year-old girl who recently visited Singapore, state media said Sunday. The National Health Laboratory on Saturday confirmed that the girl, who has been kept in isolation at Yangon General Hospital for a week, was infected with New Influenza A (H1N1), the New Light of Myanmar reported.

The girl returned from Singapore on June 21, showing no signs of fever or flu.

The newspaper claimed that a teacher providing the girl with private lessons noticed she had developed a cough, and sent her to hospital Friday.

“The Ministry of Health is keeping all persons who have come into contact with her: her family members, her classmates, private class teacher and her family members, and does not let them go out and is giving health care to them in order to prevent possible spread and take the outbreak of the disease under control,” the newspaper said.

It has also kept 91 passengers on the same flight from Singapore under surveillance.

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Chicago Tribune – Iran election protests: Fearing echoes, some authoritarian nations try to stifle Iran protest news
By Ariana Eunjung Cha | The Washington Post
June 28, 2009

 

BEIJING — The authoritarian governments of China, Cuba and Myanmar have been selectively censoring or limiting the news out of Iran in recent days.

In China, political commentators tinted their blogs and Twitter feeds green to show support for Iranians disputing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’ s re-election. The deaths of at least 20 people in violent clashes in Tehran have drawn comparisons online to “June 4,” the date of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

“The Iranian people face the same problems as us: news censorship and no freedom to have their own voices,” blogger Zhou Shuguang, 28, said in a telephone interview.

The Chinese Communist Party has portrayed the protests in Iran as orchestrated by the United States and other Western powers, not a grass-roots movement.

In Cuba, President Raul Castro’s government has imposed a complete blackout of news on Iran’s elections. But developments are trickling through, anyway.

Havana-based blogger Yoani Sanchez, 33, said the Iranian protests — in particular, the reportedly widespread use of Twitter, Facebook and cell phones — served as “a lesson for Cuban bloggers.”

In Myanmar, the junta’s New Light of Myanmar has drowned out news from Tehran with articles on bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan. But some of the nearly 200 journals published privately in Yangon and Mandalay have seized on the topic.

“What we, the private media, are trying to do was to put in as much stories … of what’s going on in Tehran in our papers,” the editor of a Yangon-based weekly publication said in an e-mail.

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Myanmar FM, U.N. envoy discuss UN Chief visit
www.chinaview. cn  2009-06-28 11:27:46

YANGON, June 28 (Xinhua) — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s proposed visit to Myanmar has topped the discussions between his special envoy Ibrahim Gambari and Myanmar Foreign Minister U Nyan Win during Gambari’s just-ended two-day visit to the country’s new capital Nay Pyi Taw, local media reported Sunday.

However, neither of the two sides disclosed the specific date of Ban’s visit, according to a report of the official newspaper New Light of Myanmar.

Gambari arrived on Friday and ended his visit on Saturday. No reports are available about the details of his meetings with high-ranking officials and political leaders in Myanmar.

Gambari’s trip came amid the trial against Aung San Suu Kyi, her two maids — Khin Khin Win and Win Ma Ma, and U.S. citizen John William Yettaw.

The trial was in connection with Yettaw’s secret intrusion into Aung San Suu Kyi’s then restricted lakeside residence on the night of May 3 by swimming through the Inya Lake. He was arrested at the dawn of May 6 when he was swimming back after having stayed there for two days.

Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is charged with violating her terms of house arrest by accommodating Yettaw.

Despite lifting of the political leader’s five and a half years’ house arrest on May 26 for the third time, Aung San Suu Kyi continued to be detained to face the legal trial in this connection.

Along with Aung San Suu Kyi, the other three people are also being detained in the compound of Insein Prison, in Yangon, where the trial against them has been underway since May 18.

During his last four-day Myanmar mission from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3this year, Gambari met with Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein and the government’s authoritative team, led by Information Minister Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan, in Nay Pyi Taw.

Arranged by the government, Gambari also met with Aung San Suu Kyi, 64, who was then under house arrest at her lakeside residence before the incident.

Gambari’s just-ended mission was the eighth since he was appointed to the post in early 2006.

Meanwhile, Ban Ki-moon last visited the country in late May 2008 after it was struck by Cyclone Nargis early in the month which inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage in a century mainly to Ayeyawaddy and Yangon divisions, claiming lives of 84,537 people and leaving 53,836 others missing and 19,359 others injured, according to official tally.

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The Washington Post – Do Not Forget Burma
By Laura Bush
Sunday, June 28, 2009

For two weeks, the world has been transfixed by images of Iranians taking to the streets to demand the most basic human freedoms and rights. Watching these courageous men and women, I am reminded of a similar scene nearly two years ago in Burma, when tens of thousands of Buddhist monks peacefully marched through their nation’s streets. They, too, sought to reclaim basic human dignity for all Burmese citizens, but they were beaten back by that nation’s harsh regime.

Since those brutal days in September 2007, Burma’s suffering has intensified. In the past 21 months, the number of political prisoners incarcerated by the junta has doubled. Within the past 10 days, two Burmese citizens were sentenced to 18 months in prison. Their offense: praying in a Buddhist pagoda for the release of the jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. That is only the tip of the regime’s brutality. Inside Burma, more than 3,000 villages have been “forcibly displaced” — a number exceeding the mass relocations in genocide-racked Darfur. The military junta has forced tens of thousands of child soldiers into its army and routinely uses civilians as mine-sweepers and slave laborers. It has closed churches and mosques; it has imprisoned comedians for joking about the government and bloggers for writing about it. Human trafficking, where women and children are snatched and sold, is pervasive. Summary executions pass for justice, while lawyers are arrested for the “crime” of defending the persecuted.

Rape is routinely used as a “weapon of war.” In 2006, I convened a roundtable at the United Nations to address the situation in Burma and listened as Burmese activist Hseng Noung described the rape victims she had aided. The youngest victim was 8; the oldest was 80. Her words silenced the room.

Yet time and again, the women of Burma, who are often the regime’s chief targets, have responded to this brutality with inspiring courage. I will never forget visiting the remote and crowded refugee camps on the mountainous border between Burma and Thailand. There, I watched the tireless efforts of Dr. Cynthia Maung to provide lifesaving medical aid for hundreds of Burmese in need, many of them ill or injured. I sat with victims of land mines who had lost legs or feet and were waiting quietly, often for hours, for basic care. Last fall, it was my great privilege to present a Vital Voices award to Charm Tong, who testified before U.N. officials at the age of 17 and eloquently described the systematic military campaign of rape and abuse that is being waged against women in Burma’s Shan state. She spoke unflinchingly even though her audience included representatives of the very regime she condemned.

More of us in America should make such courage our courage. At this moment, Aung San Suu Kyi, 64 and in fragile health, faces sentencing on trumped-up charges that could force her to endure five more years of brutal captivity. The junta leaders wish to undermine the Nobel Peace laureate’s influence ahead of next year’s elections. Leaders from around the world — including the United States — have called forcefully for the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and the 2,100 other political prisoners it is holding. Even Burma’s closest allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have called for her to receive proper medical care and have warned that Burma’s “honor and credibility” are at stake. But the world must do more than express concern.

A new report from Harvard Law School asks the U.N. Security Council to establish a “commission of inquiry” into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. Harvard’s panel of international law experts has carefully catalogued what it deems as the junta’s “widespread and systemic” human rights violations. The Security Council has already referred the crisis in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. It should do the same for Burma.

With U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon planning to visit Burma this summer, it is crucial that he press the regime to take immediate steps to end human rights abuses, particularly in ethnic minority areas. There have been 38 U.N. resolutions condemning these abuses, yet the horrors continue unabated. Under the junta’s brutal rule, too many lives have been wasted, lives whose talents could have helped all of Burma prosper.

But Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued example of civil courage — like those brave protesters in Iran — reminds all of us that no matter how callous the regime, it cannot lock up what she stands for: the fundamental desire of all people to live in freedom and with dignity. During the brief moments that foreign diplomats were allowed to observe her show trial, Aung San Suu Kyi calmly apologized for having to greet them in a prison, saying, “I hope to meet you in better times.” We should all share her hope — and add our voices to those who risk so much to protest tyranny and injustice in Burma and beyond.

The writer is the former first lady of the United States.

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Anchorage Daily News – UN ambassador: US closely monitoring NKorean ship
The Associated Press
Published: June 28th, 2009 07:57 AM

WASHINGTON – The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the U.S. is keeping close tabs on a suspected North Korea arms ship.

An American destroyer has been tracking the North Korean freighter sailing off China’s coast, possibly on its way to Myanmar.

Ambassador Susan Rice says the U.S. is pursuing and following the ship’s progress closely. But she is not saying what the U.S. actually might do on the high seas – such as whether to contact and request inspection.

It is the first ship to be monitored under a U.N. resolution that bans North Korea from selling a range of arms and weapons-related materiel. The resolution allows other countries to request boarding and inspection of such ships, but the ships don’t have to give permission.

Rice spoke on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

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Opinion
The Bangkok Post – EDITORIAL Mr Ban is needed
Published: 28/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

United Nations special envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari arrived in Rangoon on Friday and was driven to the capital of Naypyidaw to meet Foreign Minister Nyan Win. It was Mr Gambari’s eighth visit to Burma to try to promote political reconciliation between the military government and the pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the figurehead for the National League for Democracy (NLD).

Mr Gambari flew out last night after failing to meet with either Ms Suu Kyi, who is now imprisoned in Insein Prison in Rangoon, or Senior General Than Shwe.

Through no shortage of effort on Mr Gambari’s part, such diplomatic moves have come to be accompanied by a general lack of expectation due to the obstinacy of the military regime.

This time the special envoy’s trip had been billed as a preparation for a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon early next month. Reportedly the final decision on the UN chief’s trip will be made after Mr Gambari briefs Mr Ban upon his return to the UN headquarters in New York.

Indications are that the UN chief will make the trip, and that is exactly what he should do.

Mr Ban is said to be especially keen to press the Burmese leadership on the release of Ms Suu Kyi, who is on trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing an uninvited, trespassing American man to stay in her home. The trial, which is set to resume on July 3, is a sham of course, and that fact will be all the more difficult to hide in the media attention surrounding a possible visit by Mr Ban.

According to some sources, one factor that could discourage him from coming is the possibility that the military junta could use the visit as a propaganda tool, to suggest that the UN approves of the junta’s handling of the trial against Ms Suu Kyi.

The remedy for that is simply the kind of candid commitment to human rights and democratisation that Mr Ban has shown all along with regard to Burma. In addition to pressing for the release of Ms Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, if he does decide to come Mr Ban should bring up the renewed assault on ethnic Karen by Burmese security forces, which has sent thousands fleeing onto Thai soil in recent last weeks, as discussed in a column on this page on Friday. In the past 24 years, more than 150,000 displaced persons, mostly members of ethnic groups, have fled from Burma into Thailand, which provides shelter for the Burmese at nine camps along the 2,400km border.
The army has also extended shelter to the most recent Karen arrivals, and NGOs are providing basic humanitarian assistance.

Also on Mr Ban’s agenda should be a push for transparency and the inclusion of all political and ethnic groups in the general election in 2010.

It seems clear that the military government is intent on at least putting on a show of an election, which would require some sort of presence by the NLD. According to some within the opposition camp the NLD may boycott the election altogether if Ms Suu Kyi is not released. On the other hand, there are some who feel that the NLD will be declared an illegal party ahead of the election.

As unlikely as it may be, Mr Ban should press for international election monitors.

At the same time, there can be little expectation that anything positive could come out of a trip by Mr Ban or anyone else if they adopt a purely aggressive posture with the generals. This is a job that requires true diplomacy, and success at this time may be measured in small steps and intangibles.

A high profile visit by the UN chief can only be a good thing. If the Burmese leadership were truly oblivious to world opinion they would not allow representatives from the UN in the first place. It may look as though the prospects for real change in Burma are bleak at this time, but that doesn’t mean the UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or the world should stop trying.

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Sunday, 28th June 2009
The Times – Support Democracy: Free Aung San Suu Kyi
Louise Stanton

Even in my short time in Malta, I know that if there is one thing that the Maltese value above everything else; it is democracy. Not only do the Maltese value their democratic status, they exercise their democratic rights fully and responsibly. But imagine participating in a democratic election, only to have the government not recognise the results, and then, put the democratically elected winner from the opposition under house arrest for years? This is what is happening in Burma.

Military governments have ruled Burma, one of the poorest countries in the world, since 1962. In 1990, national elections were held, and the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Nobel Peace Laureate Ms Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced ‘Owng Sun Soo Chee’), won the elections. The government ignored the result. Instead, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested as a political prisoner and has remained under house arrest. She has been detained for more than 13 of the last 19 years. The United Nations has declared her detention illegal.

On 27 May, Aung San Suu Kyi was due to be released from house arrest. Instead, she is on trial for violating the terms of her house arrest (unbeknownst to her, an American broke into her house – something which would normally imply “victim” not “accused” status), and she could face a prison term of up to five years.

June 19 was the 64th birthday of the imprisoned Burma leader. A website (www.64forSuu. org) was launched calling for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release, with the backing of high-profile supporters including politicians and celebrities such as Gordon Brown, Madeleine Albright, Paul McCartney, David Beckham and Daniel Craig. I wholeheartedly encourage the Maltese people to show your support for democracy, and for Aung San Suu Kyi, and leave a message on the website.

The UK government remains deeply concerned at the lack of progress towards democracy and respect for human rights in Burma. Our Prime Minister said he was “deeply disturbed” by the charges and he accused the Burmese military government of seeking “any pretext, no matter how tenuous” to extend Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention.

The international community has widely condemned Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest. We have strongly urged Burma’s leaders to set the country on a path to stability and prosperity by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.

The Burmese regime plans to hold an election in 2010; however, this decision has been condemned around the world as the process appears to entrench and legitimise military rule. If the 2010 elections are to have any semblance of credibility, Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma must be freed to participate. Only then will Burma be set on the road to real democracy, stability and prosperity.

The UK government will continue to work in the EU and in the UN to keep Burma high on the international agenda. We believe that now is the time for the international community to take action. On June 19, the European Council called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and urged the Burmese regime to embark on a genuine transition to democracy, bringing peace and prosperity to its people.

The UN Secretary General’s good offices mission remains our best hope for progress at this stage. Should Ban Ki-moon decide to visit Burma, he will have the UK’s full support. His personal engagement will clearly be critical to breaking the deadlock.

The campaign to release Aung San Suu Kyi grows, as more than 100 former political prisoners have added their voice to the campaign, and are also calling for the United Nations Security Council to establish a global arms embargo on Burma. The clamour for her release keeps increasing. We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the international community to speak with one voice: Free Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Stanton is the British High Commissioner for Malta.

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Mizzima News – New rules for musicians performing abroad
by Solomon
Saturday, 27 June 2009 13:16

New Delhi (Mizzima) – With instances of artistes seeking asylum in host countries going up, the Myanmar Music Association (MMA) has introduced a new regulation for singers and musicians, who go abroad to perform.

Maung Thit Min, Secretary (2) of the MMA, also known as “Gita Asiayone”, in Rangoon, said a new regulation has been introduced for singers and musicians, who wish to go abroad to perform. It is now mandatory for them to fill up a form and sign a pledge that they will perform decently and will return after their visa expires.

“We introduced the new regulation about three months ago, to warn singers and musicians to perform decently in keeping with Burmese culture and to return home after they conclude their performance,” Maung Thit Min said.

He said, singers and musicians “Who want to go abroad to perform will have to inform us of their exact schedules, details of their trip and performances and sign a commitment that they will return to the country,” he added.

But he said while the MMA has no authority to take action against singers even if they break the rules, the regulation is designed to remind them that they have signed a pledge.

“At present, a lot of singers are going around the world, so we need to make rules for them,” he said. However he added that, if the singers seek asylum in the host counties it is their “personal matter.”

In recent months, a Burmese pop singer Aung Yin was reported to have got asylum in England after visiting for a show for the Burmese community in London, he said.

Dr. Naing Win, a Burmese activist living in London confirmed that Aung Yin had come to England and had applied to the British government for asylum.

“He was granted asylum about three months ago,” Dr. Naing Win told Mizzima.

He said Aung Yin has been in London for several months but he is not aware of the purpose of his stay. But lately, he said, he was told that Aung Yin has been granted asylum by the British government.

While Aung Yin is the first Burmese singer to be granted asylum in United Kingdom, Dr. Win Naing, said there are about 3,000 Burmese asylum seekers in UK.

While it is not clear under what circumstances Aung Yin had applied for asylum, sources said his family remains in Rangoon.

The Burmese Pop singer came to limelight in the early 1990s, when he co-produced an album ‘Akyinna Einmet’ with the deceased popular singer cum composer Htoo Win Thinn.

While not wanting to comment on Aung Yin’s case, Maung Thit Min said, with the Burmese community spread out in several countries including UK, USA, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia, more and more singers and musicians are wanting to go abroad for performances.

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The Irrawaddy – INTERVIEW: Burma Wants the Bomb
Saturday, June 27, 2009

Relations between Burma and North Korea have attracted intense attention in recent weeks, as suspicions grow that the two pariah states are joining forces in a bid to thwart international sanctions against them.

Two recent developments have greatly added to worries that these two countries are becoming a double threat to regional security.

The first was the departure of a North Korean cargo ship, the Kang Nam 1, from a port near Pyongyang on June 17. The ship is believed to be heading for Burma, and is currently being pursued by the US Navy, which may act on a recent UN resolution authorizing inspections of North Korean vessels suspected of carrying banned weapons or materials.

The second was the leaking of documents and video footage showing caves and tunnels being constructed in Burma with the help of North Korean engineers—possibly as part of a controversial nuclear program by the Burma junta.

To learn more about the possible significance of these events, The Irrawaddy recently interviewed Thakhin Chan Tun, a former diplomat who served as Burma’s ambassador to North Korea from 1974 to 1975.

Thakhin Chan Tun, who was also the ambassador to Canada from 1969 to 1974 and to the People’s Republic of China from 1974 to 1976, is a veteran politician who is still actively working for national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Burma.

Question: Thakhin Chan Tun, you served as Burma’s ambassador to North Korea from 1974 to 1975. Can you briefly describe bilateral relations between the two countries from then until now?

Answer: It was very good at that time. They paid great attention to us, possibly because it was the beginning of our diplomatic relationship. But then, in 1983, Burma invited a South Korean government delegation to visit, and North Korea plotted to assassinate them at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum in Rangoon, killing 22 people. The South Korean president was fortunate to be late arriving at the place. They [the North Koreans] are the kind of people who can commit such crimes. They dare to do everything.

Now the US has imposed sanctions on Burma and the Burmese junta takes a hostile approach to the US. North Korea is also seen as an enemy of the US. So now [Burma and North Korea] are close again, as allies. What had happened in 1983 is no longer an issue between them. Since they both have a grudge against the US, the Burmese military has formed a new alliance with North Korea. I see the junta has also been trying to foster relations with Iran and Cuba, which are also antagonistic to the US.

Q: What differences do you observe in the relationship between the period of Gen Ne Win’s rule and now?

A: At that time, it was just a diplomatic relationship, based on the fact that North Korea was also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. It was like the relationship that we had with other countries around the world. In the first year of formal diplomatic ties, Burma’s foreign minister [went to North Korea], and then U Ne Win and his daughter Sandar Win made a state visit. That’s it. We severed diplomatic communication after the bombing.

Now the diplomatic relationship has resumed without any apology from them. Of course, we should forgive them, if they apologize. But North Korea has never issued a formal apology to Burma. But it is should be considered absolutely necessary if the two countries want to resume normal diplomatic relations. However, I know that people from here were the first to approach the other side.

Now communications seem better. As far as I have observed, it is basically for military purposes and especially for weapons.

North Korea is smarter than Burma in terms of weapons technology. People from here want those weapons, and they want [North Korea’s] nuclear technology. I assume they resumed relations for that purpose.

A nuclear reactor is reportedly being built here, and if they want to make a nuclear bomb from it, they may need to receive the technology from North Korea.

Q: In the world of international diplomacy, how shocking is an attack like the bombing carried out by the North Koreans in 1983?

A: It is the most serious crime.

It was insulting to Burma. The bomb went off in a building just 30-40 feet from our Martyrs’ Mausoleum, where the fathers of our nation are buried. Some Burmese ministers were also killed in the blast, along with the South Koreans.

Q: So what do you think of the resumption of diplomatic ties with a country that would commit such a crime?

A: It seems like they can just get away with anything.

Q: How will dealing with a country like North Korea, which is extremely isolated in the world, affect Burma?

A: [The Burmese junta] doesn’t think that deeply. They are unfriendly with the US, so they deal with other countries that are antagonistic to the US. The relationship itself seems to show that they don’t care about US policy.

Q: Is the relationship for their benefit?

A: Burma wants nuclear technology. To put it plainly: Burma wants to get the technology to develop a nuclear bomb. They have been sending many students to Russia for years. They study there for three to five years. Now they seem to be getting quite far.

However, Russia is a major world power, so they won’t give [the Burmese] the technical know-how [to build a bomb] because they have to maintain some ethical standards. North Korean, on the other, would be willing to provide this technology if they were approached.

To promote the relationship between the two countries, Gen Shwe Man visited there, and I have heard that the deputy foreign minister is handling the relationship. North Korea is now allowed to open an embassy in Burma.

However, I have to say it is childish of the Burmese generals to dream about acquiring nuclear technology, since they can’t even provide regular electricity in Burma.

Q: Why is China alarmed about the relationship between North Korea and Burma?

A: China understands the Burmese regime’s attitude well. Even if the generals are in a good mood now, they can easily change and become enemies in a short time. Their decisions are based on emotions. I think the same is true of the North Korean leadership.

Now China is trying to reign in North Korea. China has protected North Korea in the past, but now it is reluctant to do so again. I noticed that China didn’t object much to the UN Security Council’s recent resolution on North Korea.

Now China is advising the Burmese leaders to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, although they are not referring to her by name. They have started talking about the need for national reconciliation in Burma.

If Burma moves closer to North Korea, China’s attitude to Burma could become more like its recent approach to North Korea. China has protected these countries to some extent in the past. But China could change its stand on Burma in the UN Security Council. Even if they don’t positively support a resolution condemning the regime, they could abstain from using their veto to block it. Burma may think that it can pursue whatever course it likes without worrying about Chinese support, but the idea that China will support the Burmese regime forever is wrong.

Q: What do you think about relations between China and Russia? Russia recently reiterated its opposition to political and economic pressure on Burma. Is it true that Russia still supports Burma?

A: Russia wants Burma to be its protégé and China thinks the same. They compete with each other for influence on Burma. Now China seems reluctant to support Burma, so Russia is jumping in to support the junta.

Moreover, there are many Burmese students studying in Russia and Russia considers them to be “their” men. I assume Russia wants Burma to be its man.

Q: Burma could use money it gets from selling natural gas to South Korea to buy arms from North Korea. How could tension on the Korean peninsula affect Burma-North Korea relations?

A: South Korea started buying Burmese gas before Burma normalized relations with North Korea. It is only in the past year or two that that there have been reports that Burma was buying arms from North Korea. Now the South Korean president has started criticizing Burma, and if some parliamentarians in South Korea start complaining about [Burma’s relationship with North Korea], it may change [Burmese-South Korean relations]. It depends on the South’s position.

Burma may want to deal with both sides.

Q: North Korea is famous for its tunnel construction. Do you think this is something that the Burmese generals are particularly interested in?

A: When I was ambassador to North Korea, [Kim Il-sung] the father of the current president was still alive. He was very powerful. He used to live in tunnels and we sometimes visited him there. We went there by helicopter and then by car. His home in Pyongyang was just for show. They were always expecting war and were constantly preparing themselves for that. But we could visit him if he was in good health.

Now it is said that the Burmese junta is constructing tunnels in Kyaukse, in Minbu Township in Magway Division, in Chin State and in the Arakan Yoma mountain range with North Korea assistance. This news is spreading, so there may be something to it.

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