From editor@burmanet.org Thu Nov 7 21:15:23 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 16:15:23 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News: November 6 2002 Message-ID: <11481.207.10.94.131.1036703723.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 6 2002 Issue #2117 INSIDE BURMA VOA: Red Cross investigates rape allegations in Burma’s Shan area Myanmar Times: UN envoy says it’s ‘absurd’ to wait before helping Myanmar DVB: Committee Representing People’s Parliament to include winning parties GUNS Reuters: Bosnian Serbs admit plans to sell arms to Burma DRUGS New Light of Myanmar: Tachilek District launches anti-drug billboards campaign REGIONAL Mizzima: Burma’s state constitutions seminar in New Delhi Xinhua: Anti-terror international conference to be held in Manila Xinhua: Myanmar requests postponement of border meeting with Thailand PRESS RELEASES Burma Campaign UK: Lonely Planet targeted over new Burma guide _____INSIDE BURMA_______ Voice of America November 5 2002 Red Cross investigates rape allegations in Burma’s Shan area By government invitation, a Red Cross delegation has gone to the northeastern Shan area in Burma to investigate reports that the Burmese army has used rape as a weapon of war against Shan rebels in the area. A government statement said the delegation left Saturday to investigate the rape allegations and the human rights situation in the area. The Burmese government denies the rape allegations. Last month while on a visit to Burma, United Nations special representative to the Secretary General, Paolo Sergio Pinheiro, urged the government to allow a Red Cross team to fully investigate conflict areas. Mr. Pinheiro decided against a visit to the Shan state saying he did not have enough time to conduct a thorough investigation. The rape allegations came to light after two Thailand-based Shan women's groups published reports in May documenting hundreds of cases of rape against Shan and Burmese women. The report drew international outrage. Aung Zaw, editor of the on-line Burma news magazine Irrawaddy, said he felt it was doubtful the Red Cross team would be able to fully investigate the human rights situation in the Shan State. "The investigators, if they go there they might be able to meet and talk to villagers, but the villagers will already be told, will be threatened by the officials not to cooperate with the ICRC or just to give the official line," he said. Burma has a dismal human rights track record and has been ruled by the military for more than four decades. The government is known to use forced labor and children in the army. It has been under international pressure to respect human rights and many Western nations have placed economic sanctions against the country. Mr. Aung Zuw said the military government is allowing the Red Cross to conduct the investigation in order to win friends within the international community. "The government wants to show that they really care (about) the international image and also to show that they comply with the UN mandate," he said. Rangoon has come under criticism recently after UNICEF released a report last month saying it was using possibly as many as 70,000 child soldiers in the national army. ___________ Myanmar Times November 4-10 2002 UN envoy says it’s ‘absurd’ to wait before helping Myanmar THE United Nations human rights envoy, Mr Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has appealed to the international community to engage with Myanmar, saying it would be "absurd" to wait until the political situation evolved. "I think it is very important that the international community and international bodies … do not wait until the end of the political transition to become engaged. This is absurd," Mr Pinheiro said in Bangkok last Wednesday. The human rights rapporteur on Myanmar said he knew of no democratic transition in history where foreign governments waited for reforms before engaging with a country’s people. "The population cannot be punished because of problems in terms of, for instance, social policy," he said. Countries in North America and Western Europe have sought the isolation of Myanmar as part of a campaign aimed at pressuring the government to introduce political reforms. Other nations such as Japan and Australia have adopted a compromise position, involving engagement with Myan-mar, which they say has a better chance of encouraging change in the country. Mr Pinheiro’s comments came two days after he completed an 11-day visit to Myanmar. He told a media briefing in Yangon on October 28 ahead of his departure that he had received full cooperation from the government during his latest mission, his fourth since he was appointed to the UN post nearly two years ago. The government had not denied access to any person he wanted to meet or any place he wanted to visit, the human rights envoy said. One of the reasons behind the government’s decision to invite Mr Pinheiro for the visit was to provide him with an opportunity to gather facts about allegations of sexual assaults on Shan women by members of the army. Mr Pinheiro said he had declined the government’s offer to travel to Shan State because of time constraints. Rather than conducting a fact-finding mission himself, Mr Pinheiro proposed that the International Committee of the Red Cross be allowed a presence in Shan State and other places where the government is fighting rebel groups. "The ICRC could then assess the humanitarian situation on an on-going basis, report confidentially to the authorities and work out with them appropriate measures to ensure the security and protection of the civilian population wherever needed," Mr Pinheiro said. "It is not that I refused to accept my responsibility," Mr Pinheiro said, adding that he would continue to liaise with the government on his proposal for the ICRC to station personnel in areas where rebel groups were active. The Brazilian academic said he expected to give the government’s response to his proposal on November 6 when he addresses the UN General Assembly on the outcome of his latest visit, which included visits to detention centers in Yangon and Bago divisions and Mon and Kayin states. The conditions in many detention centers had improved, Mr Pinheiro said. His visit also included meetings with Secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council, General Khin Nyunt, as well as senior government ministers, judicial authorities, religious leaders, senior diplomats and UN officials. He also met members of the National League for Democracy, including its secretary-general, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been involved in talks with the government on national reconciliation for the past two years. Mr Pinheiro described the lifting of travel restrictions on the NLD leader as an "outstanding" development, adding that both sides have taken steps, which have paved the way for a more substantive dialogue. Mr Pinheiro also welcomed the release of nearly 400 political detainees since January 2001. He called for the release of remaining political detainees for the benefit of the dialogue process. He said that in meetings with senior Myanmar leaders he had emphasised that his top priority was the release of the political detainees. "I received indications by the SPDC that they will continue dealing with this issue but I insisted on the need to consider their immediate release," Mr Pinheiro said. The national reconciliation talks began at the encouragement of the UN special envoy to Myanmar, Mr Razali Ismail, whom Mr Pinheiro said was due to return on November 12 for his ninth mission. ________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 4 2002 Committee Representing People's Parliament to include winning parties According to CRPP Committee Representing People's Parliament Notification No 2 issued on 30 October, the expansion of the CRPP will be carried out within three months and relevant special affairs committees will be reorganized. The notification also stated that National League for Democracy, NLD Chairman U Aung Shwe and CRPP Secretary U Aye Tha Aung have been chosen as CRPP spokespersons. In order to learn more about the expansion of the CRPP and the policy to accept new members, DVB Democratic Voice of Burma contacted CRPP Secretary U Aye Tha Aung. U Aye Tha Aung We have already drawn up rules and regulations to accept new members. The parties concerned or an independent should discuss and read them carefully and if they want to join then they can come and talk with us. According to the procedures they must first send a proposal to us. Htet Aung Kyaw So, could you explain to us in general terms what policy criteria should they meet to be accepted as new CRPP members? U Aye Tha Aung CRPP has two main objectives. The first is to work for the emergence of a parliament by implementing the result of the 1990 elections. The second is CRPP will act as a parliament in the mean time until such a parliament emerges. They must strictly adhere to these two objectives. Furthermore, they must also accept the resolutions adopted at the CRPP meetings. Any political party that wishes to join the CRPP must have won at least one seat at the 1990 elections. The elected representatives MPs from the winning parties will then become CRPP delegates. As an independent elected representative he must individually sign and send a proposal to CRPP. Htet Aung Kyaw Yes. If you belong to a party then you will be representing the party but if you are an independent then you need to join the CRPP as an individual preceding word rendered in English . Does CRPP have any tentative plans to accept only a limited quantity? U Aye Tha Aung There are no such plans. If the elected representatives that either won the elections on a party platform or as an individual, accept the rules and regulations, and also adhere to the CRPP's objectives, then any party or individual could join the CRPP. Htet Aung Kyaw Now we see only the NLD and the national races parties. If the so-called pro-government NUP National Unity Party wants to join the CRPP, do you think they could? U Aye Tha Aung Yes, we would accept them. We welcome them. Htet Aung Kyaw Now, let us talk about the reaction from the authorities on the expansion of the CRPP. We have learned from the SPDC; State Peace and Development Council press conference that they consider the expansion of CRPP as a normal and routine matter. What response did you receive from them? U Aye Tha Aung Nothing so far. We have received practically no official response and no official letter. Htet Aung Kyaw Just like before, some say that the CRPP expansion is linked to the delaying of the tripartite talks. Now that the CRPP has expanded and it has engaged in more activities, what is your opinion about the prevailing condition of the talks between NLD and the military government? U Aye Tha Aung The NLD and the national races parties are all prepared to hold talks. Moreover, we believe that the SPDC authorities should hold talks with all the democracy forces and the national races to tackle the prevailing political, economic, social, education, and ethnic situations in Burma. But, up till today the SPDC authorities has shown no sign of holding tripartite talks. Htet Aung Kyaw Yes. Another thing is the UN special human rights rapporteur Mr Pinheiro has recently departed the country. We heard that UN secretary-general's special envoy Mr Razali is coming this month. In the meantime, the UN secretary-general has urged the SPDC to hold talks and noted that the talks have lost its steam. What would be the CRPP's response about international concern, especially the UN? U Aye Tha Aung As for us, we feel the prevailing political, economic, social, education, and the ethnic situations in Burma could worsen if they take longer to hold talks and we are more concerned about that. We also worry very much about the ramifications and the consequences. That is why we have been urging the SPDC all the time to hold talks. __GUNS____ Reuters November 4, 2002 Bosnian Serbs admit plans to sell arms to Burma BANJA LUKA, Nov. 4 (Reuters) - Bosnias Republika Srpska faced fresh embarrassment over weapons trading after it admitted yesterday it was negotiating a deal with Myanmar when a scandal over illegal exports to Iraq broke out last month. There were attempts... to sell weapons, but after learning that Burma (Myanmar) was under unilateral sanctions, (although) not under UN sanctions, the agreement was put out of force, Prime Minister Mladen Ivanic told a news conference. Many Western countries, including the US and the EU, have imposed political and economic sanctions on Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, over its human rights record. _____DRUGS______ New Light of Myanmar November 6 2002 Tachilek District launches anti-drug billboards campaign Yangon, 5 November: As part of the pilot project to enable Tachilek District to become the drug-free zone under the programme of eradication of narcotic drugs in the border areas, the ceremony to open the anti-drug billboards took place in front of the People's Hospital in Tachilek yesterday afternoon, with an address by Chairman of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control CCDAC Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing. Then, Chairman of the Central Supervisory Committee Minister for Labour U Tin Winn formally opened the billboards. Next, Minister for Home Affairs made a speech. He said that in accord with the guidance of head of state Senior Gen Than Shwe priority is being given to eradication of narcotic drugs in the border areas, adding efforts will have to be made phase by phase in line with the eight characteristics to enable Tachilek District to become the drug-free zone as pilot project. Nowadays, the Tachilek District Anti-Narcotics Association has been formed and efforts are being made together with the NGOs for narcotic drugs eradication. This being so, the 10 anti-drug billboards were put up and opened in the strategic areas in Tachilek District as part of the pilot project to enable Tachilek District to become the drug-free zone. The minister called on the entire people to make relentless and sustained efforts in the drive to enable the district to become the drug-free zone. The CCDAC chairman and the Central Supervisory Committee Chairman this morning met with members of district/township Peace and Development Councils, NGOs and the local people at Aung Myat Hall in Tachilek and gave instructions on the drug eradication programme in the border areas and future tasks for enabling the Tachilek District to become drug-free zone. _____REGIONAL_______ Mizzima November 6 2002 Burma's State Constitutions Seminar in New Delhi By Zaceulian The State Constitutions seminar under the title of "the Role of State Constitutions in the Protection of Nationality and Minority Rights under Federalism" was held from November 1 to 5 in New Delhi. The seminar, which aims to help provide wide-ranging views on Arakanese and Chin nationals in drafting their respective Constitutions for the future federal Union of Burma, was organized by the Supporting Committee for State Constitutions Seminar (SCSC) of the UNLD-NDF. More than one hundred participants including 9th Chin Constitution Drafting Committee members (CCDC) from different countries, Arakan Constitution Drafting Committee members (ACDC), two representatives each from India and Bangladesh-based Burma democracy organizations and interested individuals participated in the seminar. While the first two days of the Seminar are mainly for all nationalities of Burma, the remaining three days were for the Chin participants. At the end of the five day, a third initial draft of Chin Constitution for future Chin land under Federalism with the leadership of Pu Lian Uk and Salai Ngun Cung Lian in particular and its committee members was written by the Chin Forum. The invited speakers on Federalism for the first two days of seminar includes Mr. Yogendra Yadev (Center for Studies on Developing Societies) from India, Prof. Cheryl Saunders (University of Melbourne) from Australia and Shan scholar Dr. Choa Tzang Yawngwhe. The resource person from India spoke on India's experience in managing challenges of ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity -A review of Constitutional language policies and protections for minorities and marginalized groups while Australian speaker shares on Australia's Federal experience & Review of some aspects of Federal-States relation in protecting minority rights in Australia. ________ Xinhua News Agency November 6 2002 Anti-terror international conference to be held in Manila MANILA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Representatives and officials from 17 countries will meet in Manila on Friday for a two-day conference on anti-terrorism and tourism recovery. Philippine National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, who is co- chairman of the conference dubbed "International Conference on International Terrorism and Tourism Recovery," said on Wednesday that the meeting was held in response to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's directive that the Philippines should take the lead in forging a common regional front against terrorists. "This one is a very solid initiative (of the Philippine government). This is quite comprehensive and focused on the problem at hand," Golez told reporters. He said participants will include representatives from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, China, South Korea, Canada and Australia. Also attending will be heads of the Terrorism Directorate of the International Police, and the Counter-terrorism Center of the US Department of State, ambassador for International Counter- terrorism Cooperation of Japan, and deputy chief of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Indonesian National Police, which is in charge of the Bali bombing case. Golez will be the presiding officer in the session on international terrorism at which participants will discuss the terrorism threats and measures that can be taken by the participating countries. Philippine Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon will be the presiding officer in the session on tourism at which participants will discuss the effects of terrorism on tourism. Golez said the participants of the conference will learn from the experience of countries particularly those who have been victimized by terrorist attacks, and reach a common position on the threat of terrorism. They will also forge cooperation among countries in the fight against terrorism, including the drafting of a crisis plan, and identify doable projects to fight against terrorism. ________ Xinhua News Agency November 6 2002 Myanmar requests postponement of border meeting with Thailand BANGKOK, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar side has requested that the Thai-Myanmar Regional Border Committee meeting scheduled for this month be postponed until next month or early January because it was not fully prepared, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday. The report quoted an army source as saying that Myanmar's recently appointed South East Area Commander Thura Myint Aung and Thailand's Third Army Commander Udomchai Ongkhasing would attend the meeting. The source also said Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wanted the army to do its best to nurture Thai-Myanmar ties as Myanmar had shown its sincerity in cooperating on drug suppression by destroying a large amount of drugs in La Shio, Shan state, on Oct. 25. The report said the postponement followed the protest about Myanmar accusing the Thai Army of killing two Myanmar soldiers recently. The Third Army confirmed that the two Myanmar men shot dead by Thai border patrol police in Chiang Rai, 900 kilometers from Bangkok, last week were drug traffickers who tried to smuggle 10, 000 speed pills into Thailand. ____PRESS RELEASES______ Burma Campaign UK November 6 2002 LONELY PLANET TARGETED OVER NEW BURMA GUIDE Remembrance vigil for victims of tourism in Burma to be held outside Lonely Planet HQ On Friday 8th November, 8.30-10am Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) will hold a remembrance vigil for those who have suffered as a direct result of tourism to Burma. The vigil will coincide with the publication of a new edition of Lonely Planet's guide to Burma. BCUK calls for a tourist boycott of Burma, and for the tourism industry to stop promoting the country as a holiday destination. "Tourism provides a vital source of income for the military dictatorship in Burma", says Yvette Mahon, Director of BCUK. "Lonely Planet's guide encourages people to visit Burma, going against the wishes of the democratic movement in Burma." Burma's regime has forced thousands of men, women and children to labour on roads, airports, hotels and other tourist sites under the harshest of conditions and often at gunpoint. Thousands more have been forced from their homes to make way for hotels, golf courses and other tourism related projects. The communities of Than Daung Gyi in Taungoo - forced from their homes in February 2000 to make way for a tourist hill resort, and the people of Sittwe in Rakhine state forced to labour for four years on a museum commonly called the 'museum of suffering' will be amongst those remembered on Friday morning. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of Burma's democratic movement, has called on tourists not to visit Burma: "Burma will be here for many years, so visit us later. Visiting now is tantamount to condoning the regime. If tourists really want to find out what's happening in Burma - it's better if they stay at home and read some of the many human rights reports there are." The multi-faith vigil on Friday will be conducted by U Uttara, a Buddhist monk, and Father Dominic McKenna, a Catholic Priest. "Lonely Planet likes to present itself as a responsible, socially conscious company, but by publishing this guide it has shown profit is the company's only motive, regardless of the consequences", says Yvette Mahon. "Rough Guides, controlled by Financial Times owners Pearson, has taken a principled stand not to produce a guide. Lonely Planet should do the same. Until then the company is making money out of misery." For more information and pictures of the vigil contact: Yvette Mahon on 020 7281 7377, mobile 07957 301 346 Anna Roberts on 0207 281 7377, mobile 07950 849 529 From editor@burmanet.org Thu Nov 7 21:16:37 2002 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 16:16:37 -0500 (EST) Subject: BurmaNet News November 7 2002 Message-ID: <11963.207.10.94.131.1036703797.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> November 7 2002 Issue #2118 INSIDE BURMA Network Media Group: Burmese student demonstrator sentenced for 14-year imprisonment Bangkok Post: Burma rebuffs global pressure DVB: Interview with Dr. Khin Mar Kyi Part II SHAN: State charter designers seek increased cohesion Irrawaddy: The worst of the worst: press freedoms in Burma Narinjara News Settlements of the Kachin ceasefire groups in western Burma Inter Press Service: UN report ignores worst offenders DRUGS Bangkok Post: Thailand braces for flood of 700 million “speed” pills from Myanmar PRESS RELEASE FBC: Burmese-in-exile, democracy supporters call on largest US pension fund to support human rights in Burma ____INSIDE BURMA________ Network Media Group November 7 2002 Burmese student demonstrator sentenced for 14-year imprisonment A Burmese student who conducted solo demonstration to urgently implement the national reconciliation process and to release all political prisoners in front of Rangoon City Hall last August, was sentenced for 14 years imprisonment on November 5 in two separate charges, an exiled student committee issued a news release yesterday. Thet Naung Soe, a final year student of Law in Rangoon University, was charged 14 years, 7 years each with the 1950 emergency provision act 5(d) and 5(j). "They shouldn't be imprisoned because of that action. This imprisonment violates the human rights and all other rights of a citizen," said Min Naing, the spokesperson of the foreign affair committee of All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU). Two students, Thet Naung Soe and Khin Maung Win, held solo demonstration on August 18 in front of Rangoon City Hall, and were arrested and faced trial in special court at Insein Prison Compound started on October 23. Khin Maung Win, second year student from Rangoon University is still under trial at the special court at Insein prison. The national reconciliation process in Burma seems at halt, as there is no obvious progress since release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma, there are still 1300 political prisoners in Burma though Burmese regime released around 300 political prisoners in last two years. ____ Bangkok Post November 7 2002 BURMA REBUFFS GLOBAL PRESSURE By Larry Jagan The UN special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, begins his latest mission to Rangoon next week amid fears that the junta has no intention of talking to Aung San Suu Kyi. There is no doubt that this is going to be a crucial trip and some diplomats in Rangoon believe it may even be a make or break visit for the regime. The UN rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has just told the United Nations General Assembly that though there has been very slow progress by the regime over the past two years since he took up his appointment on human rights, the international community must stay engaged with the regime as there is no other realistic strategies that will hasten political reform in the country. It is this which Mr Razali will have to determine on his forthcoming trip. The dialogue process between the opposition leader and the military government has completely stalled,'' said a Western diplomat based in Rangoon. And it will take all Ambassador Razali's skills as a diplomat and negotiator to revive them.'' UN officials say Mr Razali is very upset that Burma's top generals have still not started political talks with Ms Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) despite the fact that they promised that this would happen in a matter of weeks on his last visit to Rangoon in August. He knows that much will be riding on this forthcoming visit. When Mr Razali was last in Rangoon one of Burma's top generals, intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, told him that the talks with the opposition leader would start within weeks and that several hundred political prisoners would be released before his next visit. Mr Razali had been expecting around 600 political prisoners to be released by the end of the year. But only a handful of political prisoners have been freed and no meeting has taken place between Ms Suu Kyi and the top generals since his trip to Burma in August. UN officials say Mr Razali will be taking a tough line with the generals on this visit. He's coaxed them, prodded them and appealed to their vanity on previous trips,'' a senior diplomat in Rangoon said. But he'll have to read the riot act to them this time.'' UN officials say Mr Razali will be telling the generals that they have embarrassed him and made him lose face. Mr Razali will certainly be asking the generals to explain why they haven't kept their promises to meet Ms Suu Kyi and release a substantial number of political prisoners. Mr Pinheiro has also been pushing the regime on the issue of political prisoners. They now agree there are more than 1,300 still in jail,'' he told the Bangkok Post. This is a significant step forward, as previously they'd insisted that there was only a few hundred political prisoners.'' Mr Pinheiro was told that the military authorities review each case on a weekly basis. They also assured him that more prisoners will be freed soon but that a mass amnesty was out of the question for security reasons. This is an excuse that neither UN envoy accepts as credible. Privately Mr Pinheiro told the Bangkok Post that he did not expect any real progress in the dialogue process or on the release of political prisoners in the next few months. Mr Razali knows that he must insist on seeing Burma's top leader, General Than Shwe, on his next visit and demand reasons for why the authorities have not started constructive political negotiations with Ms Suu Kyi as they promised. UN officials say Mahathir Mohammad, Malaysian prime minister, saw Gen Than Shwe privately during the Asean summit in Phnom Penh this week and urged him to see Mr Razali and take his message on board. Diplomats in Rangoon fear that the Burmese generals are now digging in their heels as they feel the international community is distracted by the issue of terrorism and the possibility of a war against Iraq. They will certainly have been reassured by Asean's lack of interest in Burma's internal situation during this week's summit. But they should not be fooled as the West is growing increasingly impatient with the generals' failure to even meet Ms Suu Kyi, let alone start substantive political talks. Mr Razali is certain to tell the generals that their inaction has not only caused him to lose face internationally but has placed him in a very vulnerable position. The clear message Mr Razali will be taking to Rangoon is that the international community is prepared to reward the regime substantially for significant political reform but that the international community is growing impatient with its failure to start substantive political talks with the opposition leader and is seriously considering adopting tough economic sanctions. The problem is that the generals don't seem to be listening to anyone at the moment. ________ Democratic Voice of Burma November 7 2002 Interview with Dr Khin Mar Kyi Part II Htet Aung Kyaw : Inside the cell, there is no mat. No pillow. Very cold also. How did they look after your health? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : Before ICRC came to see us, if something happened to us and the doctors rarely came. They tended to give us medicines through nurses or other women prisoners. They gave us medicines such as Ox tetra, Paracetamol, Bamiton, which are no more in use these days. Whatever happened, they gave us these medicines. We had to look after our health and survive on these medicines. I also did exercises. I re-energised and recharged myself. They did nothing to care for us fully. After the ICRC came to see us things started to improve bit by bit. Htet Aung Kyaw : As a doctor, they gave you the wrong medicines. How did you feel about it? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : As they didn't treat us like a human beings they treated us with the attitude that they could give us any kind of medicine so later on I didn't inform them of my condition. I did exercise on my own. I meditate to ward off my sufferings and miseries. Htet Aung Kyaw : As a doctor political prisoner, how do you see the health care of the authority? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : I don't understand whether the government authorities have any policies or actions. I often wondered whether the people who were in charge of prisoners' health regard saw us prisoners as human beings or not. I often thought how hard their hearts would be. I often thought about it. You must understand if I say this much. Htet Aung Kyaw : The conditions in prison improved after the ICRC came. Isn't it? There are some improvements after Mr Pinheiro of UN came to meet prisoners they said. How do you see on the improvements? How far have things improved? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : When they were about to see us, [boiled] rice became whiter. The curry became more palatable. When they went away, things returned to normal. Sometimes, the rice they fed us was so stale that it smelled of pig's shit and I had to eat it with my nostrils blocked and my face averted. After the ICRC arrived, the foul-smelling rice was not fed to us anymore. Before, they cooked the whole plant of watercress with leaves, stems and roots all chopped up. I don't know how long they cooked it, the whole thing was like pig's food; mashed. It stank. It was unpalatable. After the arrival of ICRC, watercress was not cooked to the point of disintegration. If you pick carefully, you could eat it. Things improved. That's on the food front. Later we were allowed to read. I got religious books published by Religious Ministry from my family when they came to see me. When books arrived they checked them. Some books sent by my family had to wait six to seven months before they reached me. Now that I was allowed to read and compared to the previous occasions things were much better and I was very happy. About medical treatments. Before doctors didn't come to see us. Now, they came to see us sporadically. They took blood pressure. By the way, they only took your blood pressures and weigh you only if you are a member of the NLD. So a non-member like me, they didn't weigh me. Htet Aung Kyaw : What we thought was most of the people who were arrested and [imprisoned] are mostly party members. Dr Khin Mar Kyi : Among the people who were arrested, there were more non-party members than party members. But if you look at the present number of people like us who were imprisoned in Oh Pho Prison, there would be two party members out of ten prisoners. When the ICRC arrived, they also weighed us non-party members and things started to improve. When medication time came, they would give us medicines whenever the ICRC donated and left behind medicines. When they ran out of medicines, they would give us ox tetra again like before. They started to use disposable syringes. But we didn't get the permission to walk. We told ICRC that we wanted to walk. They didn't give us the permission. We were allowed to walk only during last August. Htet Aung Kyaw : Political prisoners like you were allowed to see the ICRC freely. Weren't you? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : Yes. We were allowed to. When we met them no staff were allowed to be near us. We could talk frankly. But they also told us the assessments of the ICRC. The conditions in Mandalay Prison are the worst in Burma for women prisoners. Htet Aung Kyaw : You were allowed to read books. Only religious ones? Or could you read other news like the meetings between the NLD and the SPDC? Dr Khin Mar Kyi : We were allowed to read only religious books. Even these, you could only read them only when they had checked them. If we wanted to know we had to ask our family members came to see us. They also told us not to talk about politics. If we did they would threaten us with cancellation of meetings. If we talked more than that we were also threatened with extension of punishments. So we didn't manage to ask that kind of thing. I was very angry of the facts that I could not meet people and could not read books in the cell. ____ Shan Herald Agency for News November 7 2002 State charter designers seek increased cohesion A three-day seminar of 8 state constitution think-tanks have resolved to establish closer relations among themselves, according to the outcome of get-together on the last day (6 November 2002). In addition, it was recognized by the meeting of the importance to form ties with the Federal Union Draft Constitution Committee that was set up by the National Council of the Union of Burma, the umbrella organization of most exiled dissident groups, that had already produced the first draft since 1998. The seminar, jointly organized by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the Supporting Committee for State Constitutions (SCSC), also proposed 4 guidelines on which each state constitution should be based: Federalism, Multi party democracy, Protection of fundamental rights and Ethnic equality. "It becomes clear that the ethnic nationalities are faced with two very important challenges: to establish a genuinely federal union ... where there is no Mother State (or a Pyi-Ma) and the question of ensuring ethnic equality and rights, specifically within a multi-ethnic member state...", said Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, one of the speakers and Chairman of the SCSC which was formed on 27 August this year. Nearly 40 representatives and resource persons participated in the second seminar on State Constitutions held on the Thai-Burma border, 4-6 November. "If international assistance is only for economic development but not for political improvements, it will not help a country", said Sakuntala Kadingamar-Rajasingham of IDEA, an intergovernmental organization with 17 member states, created in 1995 to assist third-world countries in dealing with their political problems. "IDEA is also considering engaging the military government of Burma directly," she informed the participants. So far, only 2 states have completed their "initial" draft: Karenni and Chin. Karen, Mon and Arakan are still in the stage of producing their first drafts. Shan, set up on 9 September 2000, is still going through intensive popular survey trips and awareness raising activities. As for Kachin and Burma, both have just come into being. According to Sao Sengsuk, Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission of Shan State, the whole exercise is aimed among others, to "building pressure for the Tripartite Dialogue." The meeting was participated by representatives from the following groups: 1. Arakan Constitution Drafting Committee; 2. Burma State Draft Constitution Study Group; 3. Kachin Constitution Drafting Committee; 4. Karen Constitution Drafting Committee; 5. Karenni Constitution Drafting Committee; 6. Mon Constitution Drafting Committee; 7. Constitution Drafting Commission of Shan State; and 8. Constitution Drafting Committee, National Council of the Union of Burma. ____________ Irrawaddy November 7 2002 The Worst of the Worst: Press Freedoms in Burma By Htet Aung Kyaw While governments debate issues of taxation and free speech concerning the Internet, and parents tackle the thorny topic of just what web sites are suitable for their children, Burma’s military government has a 15 year prison sentence awaiting those found accessing the world wide web without proper permission. The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) did open up the country’s first "Intranet" cafe earlier this year, where a selected number of entertainment and non-political sites are available. But they remain a long way away from allowing the Burmese populace to use something that most of the world takes for granted. Thirty journalists, who recently gathered in Cardiff, Wales—from countries such as Sierra Leone, Cuba and Burma—expressed their dismay, along with Burmese journalists inside and outside the country, at the continued heavy-handed censorship in Burma. A radio journalist from war torn Sierra Leone appeared almost shocked to hear about the Burmese situation. "I don't understand why your country has no public Internet," said Seneh Thoronka. "Our people are poor but our media is rich." He added that although his country is continuing to bounce back from a dirty civil war, they have free access to the Internet as well as seven independent newspapers and eight independent FM radio stations. "Even in my country, you can read every [web] page if you have enough money," said broadcast journalist Arnoldo Diaz from Cuba. Journalists in Southeast Asia say that even in a region where authoritarian rule is the prevailing style of government, the lack of access to media outlets in Burma is unparalleled. Abdul Raxak, a senior correspondent from Malaysia’s New Strait Times, said: "Most neighbors have free media. Even in my country the Internet is absolutely free''. Malaysia, which continues to be controlled by Mahathir Mohammed, does not have a reputation for being a bastion for press freedoms, but even there, where other media outlets come under semi-government controls, the Internet is widely available. One respected online newspaper is Malaysiakini, however, Mahathir has yet to issue press cards to online journalists. A journalist from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), who visits Rangoon regularly, says Burma’s Intranet is only another propaganda tool. "It's just for counter attacks to western media," said the BBC journalist, who requested anonymity. "You can check The Myanmar Times, the New Light of Myanmar and the government web page. I think it’s meaningless." However, another BBC journalist, formerly a senior staffer at the New Light of Myanmar, disagrees. "You can criticize government officials but not to our colleagues." He added that Burma has plenty of well-trained journalists who have never been given the opportunity to use their skills, due to the government’s strict controls. "They have no chance to write their own views, only what the MI (military intelligence) orders them to." The Burmese government controls the country’s only two television stations as well as one short wave and one FM radio station. The government also owns two daily newspapers. Private journalists run a multitude of weekly and monthly journals, however, all these must first pass through the country’s infamous Press Scrutiny Board (PSB). The government controlled media usually only show leaders of the military regime and their speeches, while private journals are left to run women’s photos and astrological predictions. The former New Light of Myanmar journalist said, "I think TV Myanmar and Radio are the only media in the world that just read hours of papers without having attractions or reports from correspondents." He says he blames the government for not trying "to learn what the audience wants to know" and for not being in touch with other international media styles. The only outlet Burmese residents have to news that is not controlled by the junta comes from four short wave radio programs that broadcast daily in Burmese—including the London-based BBC (Burmese Service), the Washington DC-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA) as well as the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB). The programs are beamed into Burma from relay towers based in third countries. "I spend five hours a day listening to the transmissions. Because it's not only a window to see outside but also to see inside the country," said a veteran Rangoon journalist. However, some have paid a hefty price for tuning into these illegal broadcasts. Daw San San, an elected Member of Parliament from the opposition National League for Democracy, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 1998 for giving an interview to the BBC. And U Than Chaung, a farmer from northern Burma, was sentenced to two years in prison for listening to a VOA broadcast in 1999. While Mr Leo Nichols, the former de facto consular for Norway and other Scandinavian countries as well as the godfather of Aung San Suu Kyi, died in detention under mysterious conditions after he was sentenced in 1996 to three years in prison for using a fax machine without permission. Even now, amidst calls for national reconciliation in Burma, the regime continues to arrest and detain individuals for possessing illegal literature. Two men were arrested in September for reading the New Era Journal, which is published in Bangkok by Burmese dissidents. They remain in custody, awaiting sentencing. According to the Paris-based Reporter Sans Frontiers, at least 16-journalists are being detained in Burma. "Burma is one of the countries of the world where the government has used a very large spectrum of mechanisms and policies to oppress journalists and suppress freedom of expression," says Vincent Brossel, director of the Asia-Pacific Desk at RSF. "As we usually say 'there is no freedom without press freedom'. But in the case of Burma, we might say 'there will be no press freedom without democracy," adds Mr Brossel. ______ Narinjara News November 7 2002 Settlements of the Kachin ceasefire groups in western Burma MEMBERS of a Kachin ceasefire group were brought into Rakhine State, in the western part of Burma for settlement on 22nd October, according to our correspondent. A total of thirty three ethnic Kachin families from the northern part of Burma were moved to be settled at Ngaraing-chaung model village under Maungdw Township, bordering with Bangladesh. The village formerly called as Kathay model village, where a wide scale forced labour was used, has been renamed as Ngaraing-chaung by the Burmese junta (SPDC). The group leader of the thirty Kachin families is U Akru, and the second leader is U Angki, and the third one is U Kunpa. According to local sources, the members of the Kachin ceasefire group brought for settlement carry guns and motorbikes with them, which show that they have been brought to be kept as paramilitary forces to be used for border surveillance and other military duties including guerrilla warfare against dissident insurgent groups. On 20th October, some Burmese settlers from Rangoon, the capital of Burma, were also brought into the village. A welcoming ceremony was arranged for the new settlers on 23th October. The village is situated at about 1.5 km from the Bangladeshi border, it was learnt. Before this batch of settlers, about one thousand families from Burma proper have been settled by the Burmese junta in the area close to Bangladesh. _________ Inter Press Service November 7 2002 UN Report Ignores Worst Offenders By Thalif Deen November 07, 2002—A soon-to-be released United Nations report on armies that use child soldiers fails to name the world's top three offenders, according to a coalition of groups that released its own report on the issue Wednesday. The UN report, prepared by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and scheduled to be discussed by the Security Council on November 20, focuses instead on the use of child soldiers in Africa, says a coalition member who has seen the report. Last year the Security Council adopted a resolution asking Annan to compile a first-ever list of governments and non-state armed groups that are using children in war. But some of the countries with the most severe child soldier problems, such as Burma, Colombia and Sri Lanka, are not included in Annan's report, says Casey Kelso, coordinator of the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. The coalition's own report lists 72 parties to armed conflicts that continue to use children in war and more than 25 others who have recruited children in the past. ''We welcome the Security Council's initiative to review parties recruiting and using child soldiers,'' Kelso told Inter Press Service (IPS). ''But grave situations of children being pressed into the frontlines of war may escape international scrutiny if ignored by the Security Council.'' ''This is not simply an African problem but takes place in Asia, Latin America and elsewhere,'' he added. The coalition reports that despite efforts by the United Nations to stop the abuse of children in war, scores of armed rebel groups and even UN member states in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe continue to recruit and deploy child soldiers. ''These boys and girls are being used in defiance of international standards,'' said Kelso. The ''name and shame'' list was compiled after extensive research covering more than 180 countries and territories during 1999 and September 2002, says the coalition. Last week the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that up to one-fourth of the world's 300,000 child soldiers are serving in the East Asia and Pacific region. UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said the use of children as soldiers by governments and non-state armies should be recognized ''as an illegal and morally reprehensible practice that has no place in civilized societies''. The coalition study describes Burma as the world's largest single user of child soldiers, estimated at more than 70,000. ''Children as young as eleven are forcibly recruited into Myanmar's (Burma) national army,'' Kelso said. Ranking behind Burma is Colombia, which has an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 child soldiers. Boys and girls as young as eight years old are recruited into armed groups, para-militaries and militias, the report says. In Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has been battling a separatist war in the northeast, ''has a long record of using child soldiers as well as a record of breaking commitments to end their recruitment and use''. The LTTE made the commitments to Olara Otunnu, UN special representative for children and armed conflict, during his visit to Sri Lanka two years ago. Other countries where child soldiers are deployed either by governments or armed groups include: Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories, Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda and the former Yugoslavia. The coalition, which includes Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Defense for Children International, the Quaker United Nations Office and the International Save the Children Alliance, is urging the 15-member UN Security Council to make field visits ''to the gravest situations threatening children''. It says it is disappointed that Annan's report lists fewer situations where governments or armed groups are using child soldiers. Most of them, said Kelso, involve African countries. The 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) set the legal minimum age for recruitment at 15. But an "Optional Protocol" to the CRC, which came into force in February this year, outlaws the involvement of children under 18 in any hostilities and sets strict standards for the recruitment of those under 18. Bellamy said member states ratifying the Optional Protocol ''is a crucial first step in ending the recruitment of children for armed conflict and their use as soldiers''. Under the Protocol, governments are also charged with ensuring the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers, as well as protecting, not punishing, them. Last week UNICEF also released a new study, Adult Wars, Child Soldiers: Voice of Children Involved in Armed Conflict in the East Asia and Pacific Region. It said that research ''has clearly shown that thousands of children are still being recruited—often by force—into state and non-state armies in the region''. ''It is time for all parties to acknowledge this and work together with UNICEF and other organizations to bring an end to this profound abuse of children's rights,'' UNICEF said. __DRUGS______ Bangkok Post November 7 2002 Thailand braces for flood of 700 million "speed" pills from Myanmar Clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in eastern Myanmar (Burma) have stepped up production and are expected to flood Thailand with as many as 700 million of the "speed" pills next year, according to Thai government figures published Thursday. General Pallop Pinmanee, deputy director of Thailand's Internal Security Operations Command, was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying drug-producing gangs, including ethnic Wa armed groups that control much of eastern Myanmar's Shan state, had increased their production target 30 per cent over current levels. He said about 500 million methamphetamine pills, known locally as "ya bah" or "crazy drug", had been smuggled into Thailand last year. The flow of illicit speed was expected to be about the same this year, despite the interception of about 120 million of the pills by Thai anti-drug authorities. In another development, Chartchai Suthiklom, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said Wa drug gangs had hired two Dutch chemists to assist in the production of Ecstasy along the Thai-Myanmar border. He said the so-called "rave" drug, which until recently had been imported almost exclusively from Europe, was also now entering Thailand from labs in Indonesia. About 12,000 Ecstasy pills have been seized by Thai authorities so far this year, up dramatically from previous years. ____PRESS RELEASES____- Free Burma Coalition November 7 2002 Burmese-in-Exile, Democracy Supporters Call on Largest U.S. Pension Fund to Support Human Rights in Burma Over 100 TIAA-CREF-holders Call for Unocal's Withdrawal From Burma, Dump Singapore Tech. Stock NEW YORK CITY and CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Members of New York's Burmese community plan to protest outside TIAA-CREF's New York offices today to call on the $260 billion pension fund to take action on two of its investments which support Burma's ruling military junta. Burmese democracy-advocates are calling for TIAA-CREF to use its influence to urge the oil giant Unocal to break off its business with the junta, and they also want TIAA-CREF to dump its shares in Singapore Tech-nologies, a subsidiary of which is a key arms supplier for Burma's military. Their demands are echoed by over 100 TIAA-CREF holders, who have signed an open letter to the new Chairman and CEO, Herbert M. Allison, Jr. The protest will occur simultaneous with the TIAA-CREF annual shareholder meeting, this year being held in Charlotte, North Carolina, possibly moved in an attempt to escape protests that dogged last year's meeting. Free Burma Coalition members plan to attend the meeting and challenge the TIAA-CREF board on its investments in Unocal, which is being sued for human rights violations associated with its project in Burma, and Singapore Technologies. "Most people who have money in TIAA-CREF would be shocked if they knew that their money was being used to make guns for Burma's military, or going to a company on trial for rape and murder," says Zaw Win of the New York Free Burma Coalition. The open letter to TIAA-CREF signed by over 100 shareholders suggests that Zaw Win is correct. Faculty from universities and colleges have joined with high school and elementary school teachers and NGO workers in calling on the administrators of their pension fund to end its complicity in human rights atrocities in Burma. Signers include prominent professors such as Noam Chomsky, Richard Falk, Father Robert Drinan, and Burma expert Josef Silverstein. "We recently learned that through our retirement funds invested in TIAA-CREF, we have been made inadvertent supporters of the forced labor, forced relocation, rape, torture, and murder of people living in the Southeast Asian country of Burma," the letter states. "We do not want our retirement funds, or any TIAA-CREF funds, to be generated from repression and abuse." The Free Burma Coalition will be joining other groups in the protest as part of a larger movement calling for TIAA-CREF to "Get out of the bad; get into the good" with its investments. Another of the letter's signers, University of Pittsburgh Professor Dennis Brutus, the anti-apartheid campaigner who spent time in prison on Robben Island for opposing the racist apartheid government in South Africa, says, "Not only interest, but the interests of the people must be borne in mind when making sound and moral decisions."