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News & Articles on Burma, Saturday, 26 September, 2009

Sep 26th, 2009

Myanmar premier travels to attend UN General Assembly session
Suu Kyi Offers to Help Lift Sanctions
U.S. Issues Formal Myanmar Complaint
Aung San Suu Kyi writes to Myanmar’s junta on sanctions
PTT names lubricant supplier for Burma
Torture of U.S. Citizen is First Test for New U.S. Policy Towards Burma
21st anniversary of the military coup in Burma: 18 September
US policy change puts ball in junta’s court
US policy change puts ball in junta’s court
Burma needs true democracy not a junta-sponsored sham
China tells Myanmar to protect Chinese residents
Confusion Surrounds Burmese Migrant ‘Passport’
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Myanmar premier travels to attend UN General Assembly session
Posted : Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:29:17 GMT
By : Cecil McCartney

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Yangon – Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein left for New York on Saturday afternoon to attend the 64th session of United Nations General Assembly, an official source confirmed. “Prime Minister General Thein Sein left from Nay Pyi Taw via Yangon international airport on Saturday afternoon. He will be heading to New York via Bangkok,” an official who requested anonymity said.

Thein Sein is scheduled to speak the general assembly. He is accompanied by Science and Technology Minister U Thaung and some senior officials from Ministry of Foreign Affair, the source said.

The prime minister would be the highest-ranking official to attend a UN General Assembly since Maung Aye, currently vice senior general, attended the 50th anniversary special commemorative session in 1995.

Political sources in Yangon said Thein Sein was likely to outline the ruling junta’s plan to introduce limited political reform in his speech to the assembly.

Copyright DPA http://www.earthtim es.org/articles/ show/287313, myanmar-premier- travels-to- attend-un- general-assembly -session. html
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Suu Kyi Offers to Help Lift Sanctions
By KO HTWE Saturday, September 26, 2009

Detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has written a letter to the head of Burma’s ruling junta with suggestions about how to get Western sanctions lifted, according to her lawyer.

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s letter is her thinking on how to work together to lift the sanctions,” Nyan Win, Suu Kyi’s lawyer, told The Irrawaddy on Friday.

According to diplomatic sources, Suu Kyi also asked for permission to meet with her family and senior members of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), and requested a meeting with the junta’s top general, Snr-Gen Than Shwe.

Suu Kyi said that she wants to know how many sanctions have been imposed on Burma and how many people are negatively impacted by them. She also said she wants to hear the opinions of other countries through their ambassadors based in Burma, according to Nyan Win.

“To implement the proposal for lifting sanctions, we need to know all things,” Suu Kyi told Nyan Win. The letter will be sent to Snr-Gen Than Shwe in a few days, he added.

News of Suu Kyi’s letter comes two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans for a major policy shift that will include engaging with Burma’s military junta as part of an effort to promote political reform in the country.

Suu Kyi last asked the Burmese junta to cooperate with her to lift sanctions in 2007.

She said that sanctions could be lifted for the benefit of the country and its citizens, but added that she could not end the sanctions herself because they were imposed by the West, not her.
Suu Kyi said she agreed with the Obama administration’s plans to engage in direct high-level talks with the junta, according to Nyan Win.

Clinton announced the new US approach on Wednesday at the United Nations after meeting with counterparts from a number of countries that are trying to convince Burma’s authoritarian regime to reform, allow dissent and release thousands of political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.

Clinton said US sanctions against members of Burma’s leadership would remain in place but that those measures would now be accompanied by outreach. Clinton had earlier stated that the sanctions alone were having little impact.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Burma due to its continued detention of Suu Kyi and its refusal to recognize the NLD’s victory in the country’s last election in 1990.

The junta sentenced the 64-year-old Suu Kyi to an extra 18 months in detention at her lakeside home in August after an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her house.
http://www.irrawadd y.org/article. php?art_id= 16864
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* AMERICAS NEWS: * SEPTEMBER 26, 2009, 1:20 A.M. ET
U.S. Issues Formal Myanmar Complaint
Associated Press

YANGON, Myanmar — The U.S. Embassy said Friday it has made a formal complaint to Myanmar’s military government after a Myanmar-born American claimed he was mistreated in prison.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin was secretly arrested Sept. 3 on arrival at Yangon airport. Dissident groups reported his disappearance but his whereabouts were unknown until he was allowed a U.S. consular visit Sept. 20 at Myanmar’s notorious Insein Prison.

The London-based human rights group Amnesty International said Thursday that “trusted sources” reported that he had suffered torture and other ill treatment in custody.

Myanmar authorities on Wednesday accused Kyaw Zaw Lwin of seeking to incite political unrest, according to reports on state radio and television. They claimed he had confessed to plotting with dissident groups outside the country, and accused him of being linked to several activists inside Myanmar who planned to set off bombs.

“The embassy early this week submitted an official complaint to the government, protesting mistreatment of the American citizen,” embassy spokesman Drake Weisert said Friday. He declined to disclose details about the alleged mistreatment.

“He is a U.S. citizen and we will continue to give him consular access and provide assistance anyway we can,” Mr. Weisert said. According to dissident groups, Kyaw Zaw Lwin is a resident of Maryland.

Myanmar’s government does not have an official spokesman and there was no immediate official reaction to the embassy’s complaint.

Amnesty International said Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s torture included beatings and kicking.

“He was deprived of food for seven days and moved between different interrogation centers. He was not allowed to sleep at night and was kept awake during interrogation by the authorities, ” it said in a statement, adding that he had been denied medical treatment for the injuries inflicted on him.

Another American, 53-year-old John Yettaw, said he was not mistreated during the three months he spent in Insein Prison after being arrested for sneaking into the house of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr. Yettaw, of Falcon, Missouri, was sentenced to seven years in prison but was released on humanitarian grounds and deported on Aug. 16.

Wednesday’s official news report said Kyaw Zaw Lwin entered Myanmar to stir up protests by Buddhist monks, who earlier spearheaded pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007 that were brutally suppressed by the junta.

The report said Kyaw Zaw Lwin is a member of the dissident group the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front.

Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s mother is serving a five-year jail term for political activities and his sister was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her role in the 2007 pro-democracy protests, activist groups and family members said.

Copyright © 2009 Associated Press http://online. wsj.com/article/ SB12539419657564 3343.html
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Aung San Suu Kyi writes to Myanmar’s junta on sanctions
Posted: 26 September 2009 1613 hrs

YANGON: Detained Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has written to the chief of the ruling junta with suggestions about how to get Western sanctions lifted, her lawyer said on Saturday.

The move represents a change of heart for the Nobel Peace Laureate, who has previously espoused punitive measures against the military regime as a way of pushing for democratic reform in the Southeast Asian nation.

“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has written a letter to Senior General Than Shwe regarding her thinking on the lifting of sanctions that have been imposed on the country,” her lawyer Nyan Win told AFP.

“In the letter, she submits her thinking about what must be implemented for sanctions to be lifted,” said Nyan Win, who is also the spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD).

Nyan Win would not give further details about what the suggestions were, saying that they were waiting for the letter to be formally received by the government.

The move comes just days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced plans for a major policy shift that would see Washington engaging with Myanmar’s ruling generals.

Clinton raised the possibility of an eventual easing or lifting of sanctions if US engagement produces political changes in Myanmar, a statement that was welcomed by Suu Kyi earlier this week.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Myanmar due to its continued detention of Suu Kyi and its refusal to recognise the NLD’s victory in the country’s last elections in 1990.

The junta sentenced the 64-year-old Suu Kyi to an extra 18 months in detention at her lakeside home in August after an incident in which an American man swam uninvited to her house.

The move effectively ruled the 64-year-old out of elections due in 2010 that the ruling generals have promised in Myanmar, which was previously known as Burma.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, with brutal crackdowns on anti-junta protests in 1988 and 2007.
- AFP/so http://www.channeln ewsasia.com/ stories/afp_ asiapacific/ view/1007414/ 1/.html
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PTT names lubricant supplier for Burma
By THE NATION
Published on September 26, 2009

PTT yesterday appointed Tunn Star as its lubricant distributor in Burma in a bid to boost its annual sales volume there to 5 million litres.

Athasit Pho-aphiyanvisut, PTT’s president for commercial and overseas marketing, signed a five-year distribution agreement with Tunn Star chairman Tony Chai.

“PTT has worked with Tunn Star since 2007. It has been operating in the business for more than 40 years and is dedicated to boosting sales in this fiercely competitive market in which more than 100 local and foreign companies are active,” Athasit said.

He is confident the agreement will lead to higher confidence in PTT lubricant products, which meet international standards.

PTT is already experiencing growing sales volume in Burma, from 2 million litres last year to an expected 3 million litres this year and 5 million next year. This has boosted the company to 5th place in the Burmese market, and it expects to move into the top three soon.

PTT first started exporting its lubricant products in 2005, and they are now available in the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Greece, Pakistan, Nigeria, New Zealand and China.

The oil and gas conglomerate first entered the lubricant business in 2001, supported by one of the most advanced research-and- development centres in Southeast Asia.

PTT has worked with leading producers of additives to increase product quality and cover all market segments.

It now controls the biggest share in the Thai market, 36.81 per cent as of July.
http://www.nationmu ltimedia. com/2009/ 09/26/business/ business_ 30113136. php
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Torture of U.S. Citizen is First Test for New U.S. Policy Towards Burma
Asia, Individuals at Risk | Posted by: Christoph Koettl, September 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Burma’s Insein Prision, where Kyaw Zaw Lwin is held. © 2009 Digital Globe. All Rights Reserved. Image taken from Google Earth.

Shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a shift in U.S. policy towards the oppressive military regime in Burma (Myanmar), new details emerged about a U.S. citizen who was arrested on September 3: Activist Kyaw Zaw Lwin is being held in the infamous and feared Insein Prison, where Burmese authorities tortured him during recent interrogations. The torture and ill-treatment that Kyaw Zaw Lwin suffered included beating and kicking. He has also been denied medical treatment for the injuries he sustained from the torture. He was deprived of food for seven days and moved between different interrogation centers. He was not allowed to sleep at night and was kept awake during interrogation by the authorities. Details of the charges against him are not known.

We put out the following statement today on his case in light of the U.S. administration’s shift in policy:

This is the first test for the United States’ new policy of engagement. Amnesty International hopes that this new engagement also covers protecting human rights in Burma. If Secretary Clinton fails to act, there will be many questions about the United States’ latest strategy to end the oppression of the Burmese people.

In its new approach, the U.S. administration is planning more engagement with the regime, while maintaining sanctions:

(…) we will be using a mix of policy tools. Sanctions remain important, as the Secretary said today, an important tool. By themselves, they have not produced the results we would like, but that does not mean they don’t have value. And also dialogue, as well as continuing things that help the people of Burma – humanitarian assistance, those sorts of things. So going forward, we can expect to use a mix of tools. (…) we think that going forward with a more nuanced approach that focuses on trying to achieve results and that’s based on pragmatism, it increases the chances of success over time.

Recent reports suggest that U.S. officials have protested Kyaw Zaw Lwin’s mistreatment and American officials have visited him in Insein prison last weekend. However, more urgent action is needed.
http://blog. amnestyusa. org/iar/torture- of-us-citizen- is-first- test-for- new-us-policy- towards-burma/
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21st anniversary of the military coup in Burma: 18 September
Generations of struggle
Thoughts from an anti-junta activist who marched the streets of Rangoon in 1988.
By Aye Min

Today, 18 September, marks the 21st anniversary of the bloody military coup in Burma. I was a young medical student then, and along with millions of people took to the street to fight for freedom and democracy in military-ruled Burma. I vividly remember a scene near the US embassy in downtown Rangoon on 19 September 1988, one day after the army declared a military coup. There was barbed wire on the street with a sign saying “Will be shot beyond this point”. Thousands of people were chanting slogans and peacock flags, the symbol of the student movement, were everywhere. We saw soldiers on rooftops with guns ready. We pushed the “Will be shot” sign aside and kept on marching. I heard a volley of gunfire when we reached the intersection near the US embassy. First, I thought the soldiers were just shooting in the air to scare us away. But when people around me started to fall to the ground, I realised they were shooting at us. I ran as fast as I could for a block. When I looked back, there were people lying on the street, a lot of them writhing in pain. Some were not moving at all. Some people in white coats and red-cross arm bands tried to retrieve the injured people. Then there was another volley of fire, some clearly aimed at the rescue personnel. After a while, the injured people completely stopped moving. It was a scene I cannot forget.

I left Rangoon the following day with two friends. After three weeks of walking in the jungle we finally reached the Three Pagoda Pass at the Thai-Burma border. There, we formed the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), probably the first student army in the world. We did not consider ourselves militants or extremists. We felt that the ABSDF was our last option after the month-long peaceful street demonstrations to dislodge the regime has resulted in approximately 6000 dead or disappeared. I was with the ABSDF for three years, during which time I made a lot of new friends and lost some. In my battalion, we lost 21 students. Another 17 were wounded in action. I myself got shot twice. Two small pieces of shrapnel are still inside my body, souvenirs from my days as a freedom fighter. From 1988 to 2008, the ABSDF has mourned over 1000 dead and wounded. I hope history will remember those unsung heroes.

In 1992, I left the ABSDF and moved to Bangkok, where I lived for eight months, sharing a two-room apartment with eight others. I got a job washing cars all night long for USD 4. We were recognised as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) but were occasionally considered illegal immigrants by Thai police. One time, my apartment was raided by the Thai police and all of my friends arrested. I was away grocery shopping. Fortunately, my friends were released with only a warning. The friends I still keep in touch with from those days are like family to me.

Fast-forward 21 years later, I now practice medicine in a small quiet town in the suburbs of Washington D C. I have a family with three beautiful children. I have a comfortable life but my mind is restless as ever.

Wasted money
In Burma, over two decades later, the same regime is still in power. A few of my friends are still with the ABSDF, some have resettled in the US and others are scattered around the globe. Our struggle continues in a different form. Now, former student activists from the 8.8.88 movement have advanced degrees in various fields. Many have the financial freedom to help the ongoing movement and are doing so. That support will continue to grow with time. Such assistance from individuals has kept the movement alive. For this reason, our movement will not go away and will get stronger.

Every year, US governments and NGOs spend millions of dollars on our cause. Most of the assistance goes to a handful of opposition organisations and individuals. As a US taxpayer, it really bothers me to see my tax money wasted. Even though I support the US assistance in principle, the money is usually ineffective as all of the grass-root activists I know do not receive any meaningful assistance besides moral support from NGOs or foreign governments. In 8.8.88, we were alone and 21 years later we find ourselves again alone fighting the entrenched regime, which has 400,000 soldiers.

I believe the US western governments, and international donors are gently nudging the opposition to participate in the upcoming sham 2010 election. This subtle shift in policy may be due to lack of progress despite years of support and spending of millions of dollars. It may also be due to their frustration with the lack of strong leadership and a winnable strategy for the movement from leading opposition organisations and figures. In my opinion, this is due to the flawed strategy of investment in a handful of groups and individuals (who haven’t produced any tangible results) rather than nurturing the movement as a whole. If that is truly the reason for the policy shift towards encouraging opposition participation in the 2010 election, it will be a tragic mistake for the US and international governments. The noise of support for the 2010 elections is coming only from a handful of people who clearly do not represent the Burmese majority. Supporting the 2010 sham election or legitimising sham election results will be a betrayal of the Burmese people in this struggle.

A group of intellectuals called the “Third force” have been lobbying the international community to accept the military sponsored 2010 election, hoping that this will in turn lead to a slow change toward a free and democratic country. This argument is incredibly naive. To put that idea into practice we would have to put faith in a regime that has held uncontested power for twenty years and driven the country’s living standard and political freedom into the ground. The military regime appears unstoppable: it was unscratched during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, and successfully rigged the referendum for the new constitution. Now the generals are planning to use the 2010 election to cement their hold on power. However, there are several big flaws in their plans. The regime practices neither capitalism nor socialism but nepotism. They are not nationalists but dictators. There is no rule of law – a fundamental requirement for economic prosperity and stability. Basic living standards for the average citizen have plunged. There will be another economic crisis and a subsequent uprising, solely due to economic discontent.

Furthermore, the underground network of activists continues to grow despite continued arrests and intimidation. The main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, still enjoys popular support despite harsh crackdown and despite its leader, Daw Aung San Su Kyi, being under detention. Generations of activists – from ‘74, ‘88, ‘96 and now 2007 – remain more committed than ever to the struggle for freedom. Twenty-one years later, we are more experienced, educated, better financed and most importantly, still enjoy the trust and support of the Burmese people. We toppled three successive governments in 1988 and will do it again. All we need now is the participation of patriotic soldiers or ‘Ramos of Burma’ to join this National Liberation Movement. History has shown us that no regime holds on to power forever – the Burmese military regime is no exception.

Aye Min is an 88 generation activist. He is an executive member of Free Burma Federation and also a member of Global Action for Burma. He currently practices medicine in Virginia, U S A.
http://www.himalmag .com/21st- anniversary- of-the-military- coup-in-Burma- 18-September_ dnw208.html
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US policy change puts ball in junta’s court
Published on September 26, 2009

Considering Obama’s approach, it is the right time for Asean to review its stance on Burma

After months of anticipation, the US government has decided to keep its sanctions in place, but also make an effort to engage with Burma. This is an obvious policy choice given that Washington has had long-standing sanctions against the rogue state and this would put the ball squarely in the Burmese court. This will also show whether Rangoon is really sincere in wanting to open up the country and deal with the United States directly.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her trip to Asia in February, said that neither imposing sanctions nor trying engaging Burma had worked. She admitted that it was wrong to have to choose between the two, however, this time she has decided to bring sanctions and engagement together to form a hybrid policy of sorts.

Actually this is akin to the approach the European Union had taken last year. EU has been trying to touch base with the Burmese regime with the aim of giving humanitarian aid to people in several areas, especially in terms of health and education. Over the past decades, anti-sanction proponents have argued that without sufficient aid and technical assistance, the innocent Burmese people will continue suffering, especially where healthcare is concerned.

No matter what sanctions are imposed on Burma, the junta leaders will never be affected.

After Cyclone Nargis hit the country, the Rangoon regime had the unique opportunity to deal with a great number of international organisations that were pouring in millions as financial aid.

The US reviewed its policy on Burma, which allowed Rangoon to increase diplomatic activities with Washington, especially in non-traditional areas such as anti-narcotics cooperation. Unfortunately, that came to a halt.

Apart from Afghanistan, Burma remains one of the world’s largest exporters of drugs. Future cooperation in this area could help build confidence between the two countries.

Also, whatever progress is made on US-Burma relations, it should not negate what the regime is planning to do in the next 15 months. Washington is also calling for more democratic reforms as well as dialogue with ethnic minorities.

Burma’s planned elections will be a sham if opposition groups are not allowed to participate.

Rangoon has remained quiet about this, because it says the electoral law has yet to be formulated.

Asean and the rest of the world keeps repeatedly calling for an inclusive election that is free and fair, but they have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Burma knows that this is a good time to break away from the old paradigm of isolation and dictatorship.

However, the issue now is whether the regime understands these new circumstances or not. Washington’s decision to keep the sanctions in place as well as make an effort to engage Burma comes mainly from the division among US policymakers both inside the government and Congress.

This window will not remain open forever.

Senator Jim Webb from Virginia has opened the once shut policy on Burma. If the junta is really serious about the engagement, as it told Webb during his visit, then the regime should display more eagerness. Releasing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with other political prisoners would show Burma’s positive side and goodwill. Washington would certainly respond proportionately to such undertakings.

Besides, Rangoon should realise that the Barack Obama government is different from the one run by George W Bush. Obama is ready to engage any regime in dialogue and is not afraid of overturning past policies such as the recent scrapping of US missile shield in Europe.

The US’ policy would also help Asean engage with Burma, its own member, in a much more effective manner. Obviously, the junta naively thinks that it is better to deal with the US instead of Asean because of Washington’s influence and political clout over regional issues.

Under Obama, the US is working closely with Asean on the Burma issue. One positive indicator is that there is no more bickering between the two sides, which used to be the usual diplomatic template.

Washington has been trying to show that the Asean grouping is a priority in terms of its policy towards Asia.

Burma can no longer exploit the divergent positions in the West because the gap is quickly being filled. -

The positions held by the US and the EU are currently headed for the same direction and with Washington taking active stops, China and India can sit idle. These two countries are changing their policy, albeit slowly. Other middle-of-the- road countries such as Japan might also want to take this approach.

However, Asean needs to do more to persuade Burma that it is time for change. Asean’s appeal for Suu Kyi’s release was recently aborted because of opposition from new members, as well as Brunei, which testified to the lack of consensus and unity among Asean.

It is about time that Asean reviewed its policy and treatment of Burma. After all, Burma has been part of the grouping since 1997, and quite frankly, having it as a member for 12 years has yet to produce a single positive outcome for Asean. http://www.nationmu ltimedia. com/2009/ 09/26/opinion/ opinion_30113118 .php
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US policy change puts ball in junta’s court
Published on September 26, 2009