From editor@burmanet.org Mon Jun 2 22:31:01 2003 From: editor@burmanet.org (editor@burmanet.org) Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 17:31:01 -0400 (EDT) Subject: BurmaNet News: May 31-June 2 2003 Message-ID: <59406.207.10.94.131.1054589461.squirrel@webmail.pair.com> May 31-June 2 2003 Issue #2249 INSIDE BURMA LA Times: Myanmar cracks down on opposition Nation: Suu Kyi seriously hurt: report Irrawaddy: NLD member missing AP: Myanmar officials turn away university students after Suu Kyi detention NYT: Burmese rulers close more offices of pro-democracy party MONEY SHAN: Salween dam survey goes on REGIONAL Kyodo: Japan concerned about Suu Kyi detention in Burma Kyodo: Thai premier calls for normalcy in Myanmar soonest Kaladan: 704 Rohingyas repatriated in May SHAN: Plant awaits power producer from Japan INTERNATIONAL Reuters: UN urges Myanmar to free democracy leader Suu Kyi AP: EU calls for release of Myanmar opposition leader AFP: Britain summons Myanmar ambassador over Aung San Suu Kyi detention Reuters: US urges Myanmar to release Suu Kyi Reuters: Australia calls on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi STATEMENT/EDITORIALS NCGUB: Scores killed in junta attack on NLD motorcade State Dept.: Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi Nation: Burmese hopes dashed again AI: Safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party in danger INSIDE BURMA Los Angeles Times June 2 2003 Myanmar Cracks Down on Opposition; Nation's military rulers hold pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi for a third day. Party offices and universities are shut down. By Richard C. Paddock In a major crackdown on Myanmar's democracy movement, the country's military rulers held opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for a third day Sunday, closed offices of her party and shut down universities. Suu Kyi, who had been taken into "protective custody" Friday in northern Myanmar, was transported to Yangon, the nation's capital, and detained at a guest house. Suu Kyi, 57, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, spent a total of 7 1/2 years under house arrest. Her National League for Democracy won parliamentary elections by a landslide in 1990, but she and her party were never allowed to take power. She was released a year ago after 19 months in captivity and began traveling around the country, previously known as Burma, to rebuild her party. On Friday, fighting erupted between her supporters and a crowd of about 5,000 pro-government demonstrators as she entered a town in northern Myanmar, authorities said. The government reported that four people were killed, 50 were injured and she was taken into custody. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Sunday that he was following the situation "with concern." U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail was scheduled to arrive in Yangon later this week for talks originally aimed at restarting negotiations between Suu Kyi and the government. Pro-democracy activists outside the country condemned Suu Kyi's arrest and said the riot was staged by the government, giving authorities a pretext to take her into custody. "This is the regime's most serious crackdown on democracy in years," said Aung Din, a former political prisoner who is policy director of the Washington-based Free Burma Coalition. "This latest outrage proves yet again that Burma's regime has lied to the international community and lied to the Burmese people." The Free Burma Coalition suggested that the riot might have been an attempt to assassinate her. The government denied reports that an unidentified gunman shot at her car. A Washington-based opposition group that calls itself the National Coalition Government of Burma alleged that as many as 70 people may have been killed and that Suu Kyi was struck on the head in an attack organized by the government. The coalition, citing sources in Myanmar, said soldiers and convicts recruited from Mandalay prison were among the crowd of more than 500 attackers. Government officials blamed the clash on Suu Kyi and said she had created unrest by giving speeches critical of the regime. They also accused her of opening party offices in some locations without notifying authorities. "These incidents happened because Aung San Suu Kyi had taken advantage of her party organizational trip to campaign publicly, thereby making many people resent her actions," Labor Minister Tin Win told reporters Saturday. At least 18 National League for Democracy leaders were detained with Suu Kyi. Other party officials were placed under house arrest in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon. Western diplomats who attempted to visit them were turned away by authorities. National League for Democracy offices were closed in Yangon and other major cities, and the phone lines apparently were cut. Government spokesman Than Tun said the party headquarters would remain closed "until the present problem is solved." Universities, which have been centers of anti-government opposition in the past, were ordered shut indefinitely Sunday, a day before a new semester was to begin. Student protests prompted authorities to close campuses from 1996 to 2000. Hundreds of political prisoners had been released in the last year, but human rights activists estimated that more than 1,000 remained in custody. Suu Kyi has made their release one of her top demands. Since the military brutally crushed a popular uprising in 1988, Myanmar has been increasingly isolated from the outside world. The United States and other Western countries have imposed economic sanctions and the country's economy has stagnated. Today, the export of illegal drugs is one of Myanmar's major businesses. After Friday's clash and the detention of Suu Kyi and other party leaders, democracy activists called on Congress to pass even tougher sanctions. "These killings and arrests demonstrate that increased international pressure through sanctions and isolating the regime politically and economically is the only policy option we have," Aung Din said. ___________ Nation June 3 2003 Suu Kyi seriously hurt: report Burma's Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi suffered a serious head injury in violent clashes between her supporters and a government-run organisation in a northern Burmese province over the weekend, an opposition group said. The National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) said Suu Kyi, leader of National League for Democracy (NLD) and Nobel laureate, had afterwards been taken to Rangoon and put under house arrest in a "secure location" along with 19 followers. "During the clashes, Aung San Suu Kyi was hit on the head and suffered a serious head injury," the NCGUB said. The death toll in the violence remained unclear. Burmese military officials said four had been killed and 50 injured while the NLD and other dissidents said the toll could be higher, with as many as 17 dead and dozens more hurt. Suu Kyi and NLD members are believed to have been put in Rangoon's Insein prison. The junta refused to confirm or deny this. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the government was keeping a close watch on the situation and believed the Burmese junta would act to bring the situation back to normal. Burma's ruling junta intensified its crackdown on opponents yesterday, shutting down nearly all schools and tightening its stranglehold on the NLD. The junta cited Friday night's violence in northern Burma as justification for closing all NLD offices. A statement issued by the junta yesterday said all schools under the Education Ministry and the Science and Technology Ministry were covered by the order but those under the Health and Transportation Ministries were not. The crackdown is the most severe in recent years and was accompanied by sharp criticism of Suu Kyi and the NLD in the government-controlled press. ____________ Irrawaddy June 2 2003 NLD Members Missing Dozens of Burmese opposition members are missing after Friday’s crackdown and the arrest of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sources inside the country say. Pro-democracy groups now fear that the real number of deaths is much higher than military reports of four. "Many of the opposition members who accompanied Suu Kyi haven’t come back to their homes yet," a resident of Mandalay, told The Irrawaddy. "We don’t know their whereabouts and their families are extremely worried." Most of the people missing are from cities and towns in Upper Burma, including Mandalay, Maymyo and Yenangyaung. More than 150 supporters from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in Mandalay accompanied Suu Kyi. Most are now missing. They include Win Mya Mya, a well-known female NLD figure from Mandalay, and Myo Naing, also of Mandalay. Sources close to the families of others who are missing say they disappeared after the clash in Ye-Oo, Sagaing Division, last Friday. Official reports from the military government say four people were killed and 50 injured in the clash. But people are not convinced. "The government always lies to us. If forty were killed, they will say four people died," said a Rangoon resident, who has been following the news on foreign broadcasters. A political observer in the capital said that the news from the regime is completely one-sided and that the NLD will definitely have a different story. "I am pretty sure the situation is more serious than what they told us in the newspaper," said a veteran opposition figure in Rangoon. Unconfirmed sources say that most of the casualties were students. A source in Mandalay said that a Buddhist abbot from Monywa was among the dead and that an NLD photographer was shot. According to the Washington-based the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), events on Friday were far more serious than official reports. The crackdown involved a direct attack by hundreds of military personnel and a group of organized civilians, leaving scores of people dead, the NCGUB said. Suu Kyi and her entourage reportedly faced open fire from military personnel. According to several reports, she and party vice chairman U Tin Oo were injured. A journalist in Rangoon said that residents in the capital were shocked to hear news of the clash and Suu Kyi’s arrest. People in the country believe Suu Kyi was ambushed by the military and pro-junta groups. Soe Moe, an exiled activist compared the attack to guerrilla-style warfare. After the clash, the military regime shut down universities and colleges, due to return for a new semester this morning. Witnesses in Rangoon say soldiers and police are guarding the entrances to universities in Rangoon. Last night, local authorities went around telling students in towns and villages there would be no school tomorrow. According to an Associated Press report, high schools around the country will also stay closed. Military authorities have extended the summer break until at least July 1. Universities and high schools have always been the hotbeds of dissent in Burma, and analysts say the regime’s move to close them down is an indication that the generals are worried about a snowball effect if students organize demonstrations. Others say the closure is confirmation that students were killed in the clash. ____________ Associated Press June 2 2003 Myanmar officials turn away university students after Suu Kyi detention By AYE AYE WIN Myanmar authorities turned away students from universities on Monday, the first day of a new semester, suspending classes just days after they detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and closed her party's offices. The crackdown on Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party follows a violent clash Friday in northern Myanmar between her supporters and thousands of pro-government protesters, which officials said left four people dead and 50 injured. The junta said Saturday that it had placed Suu Kyi and 19 members of her party into "protective custody" after Friday's clash. But worries were growing over Suu Kyi, whose whereabouts were unknown, as Myanmar exiled opposition groups suggested in unconfirmed reports that the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate might have been hurt in Friday's violence. Australia, Germany, and the European Union joined international calls for Suu Kyi's release. "This repressive behavior confirms the regime's lack of interest in the return to democracy," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana Solana said in a statement. The government claims Suu Kyi's supporters instigated Friday night's violence. Exiled opposition groups, however, say Suu Kyi's motorcade was ambushed by government-backed crowds and the military. The Washington, D.C.-based National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, or NCGUB, said in a news release that Suu Kyi had suffered a serious head injury in the confrontation. A spokesman for the NCGUB, a self-styled government in exile closely linked to the NLD, said its information came from multiple sources inside Myanmar which have been reliable in the past. Aung Din, the policy director for another U.S.-based group, the Free Burma Coalition, said he had heard the same information. The NCGUB and Aung Din also claimed that soldiers opened fire on Suu Kyi's supporters, an allegation the government denies. The NCGUB said it has heard reports that as many as 70 people had been killed in the confrontation and at a protest the next day. The military government exercises tights controls on the press, making it difficult to confirm these reports. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday "the whole world" is concerned about Suu Kyi's detention, and the junta would have to act to bring the situation "back to normal." "There can be no justification for the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters and I urge that they be released immediately," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement. In Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Walter Lindner said Germany expects "the leadership in Myanmar to take all necessary steps toward restoring the unimpeded political work of the NLD, and to restore freedom of movement." U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Saturday the violence underlined the "urgent need" for the government and opposition to talk. Annan's special envoy to Myanmar, Razali Ismail, still expects to visit Myanmar on Friday. In 2000, he brokered reconciliation talks between the government and Suu Kyi, raising hopes of ending the country's political impasse, which dates back to the NLD's landslide victory in a 1990 general election, never honored by the military. University sources said on condition of anonymity Sunday that authorities had decided to suspend classes at all universities and colleges under the Ministry of Education. No reason was given for the suspension, and there was no official announcement. It was not immediately known whether the closures were related to the crackdown on Suu Kyi and the NLD. Myanmar's university campuses in the past have been hotbeds of pro-democracy activism. After intermittent closures since 1988, they were shut down after 1996 student demonstrations and remained closed until mid-2000. The latest order applies to institutions under the education ministry, but classes were also suspended Monday at the Science and Technology Ministry's Yangon Technology University, known for student activism. Students at the gates of the University of Foreign Language in Yangon said no prior notice was given about the suspension of classes. "I am surprised and disappointed with the closure. I am about the get my degree in another four months," said a university student who asked not to be named. The scheduled reopening of the country's primary and high schools was also postponed by two weeks. The schools are scheduled to reopen on July 1 instead of June 16, a school teacher said on condition of anonymity. _____________ New York Times June 2 2003 Burmese Rulers Close More Offices of Pro-Democracy Party By SETH MYDANS The military rulers of Myanmar continued a crackdown today that analysts said appeared to signal a new, harsher period that would leave little room for the activities of the democratic opposition. One day after announcing that it had detained the pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and padlocked her party headquarters, the government moved to close other party offices around the country, according to reports from Myanmar, the former Burma. It also shut down universities, as it has periodically in the past in order to prevent students from protesting government actions and demanding more freedoms. Student riots led to a pro-democracy uprising in 1988 that was crushed by force and that brought the current junta to power. The government appeared today to have cut the telephone lines of members of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, and it was impossible to reach them for their account of events. Diplomats in Yangon, the former Rangoon, said they had been turned away by officials when they tried to visit the party headquarters. The government said Saturday that it had taken Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and 19 officials of her party into "protective custody" after a melee involving her supporters and a pro-government group that had caused 4 deaths and 50 injuries. An unconfirmed report from a Washington-based Myanmar pro-democracy group, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, described the incident as far more serious, involving a direct attack by the military and a military-supported civilian group that left scores of people dead. The incident took place in northern Myanmar, where Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi was on her seventh trip to visit supporters around the country since being freed from house arrest a year ago. A government spokesman declined to say where or how long they would be held or how long the party headquarters would be shut. But analysts said that the crackdown was clearly a major one and that the government appeared to be shutting off the limited political freedom it had allowed Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and her party since her release. That release appeared to be an experiment by the government aimed at reaching an accommodation with the democratic opposition. But whether it had ever intended to, the government never followed through on its promises to free political prisoners and begin discussions with Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi. It may have been that the enthusiastic receptions she received from ever larger crowds caused the government to have second thoughts. "What was happening was that more and more people kept coming from greater distances just to come and see her and give her that godlike treatment," said Josef Silverstein, a longtime expert on Myanmar at Rutgers University. "As long as she has this charismatic hold over the people, the military will never be accepting of it," he said. "Even when they were harassed, people still showed up." He said the military might have felt ready to take harsh steps now because it had been working to insulate itself against pressure from the West by strengthening relations with its large Asian neighbors, China, India and Bangladesh. "I think the Burmese have been on a long-term trajectory here on two grounds," Mr. Silverstein said. "One, of altering their international position and, two, of finally trying to eliminate Aung San Suu Kyi." In recent months, he said, government leaders have visited their three big neighbors to build up personal relationships and make large-scale business deals. Those include loans, construction agreements, highway links and an agreement on natural gas resources as a buffer against Western economic penalties and denials of loans from major lenders like the World Bank. These Asian neighbors are not as committed to democracy in Myanmar as Western nations are. Their support could free the government's hands to try to shut down Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's activities and seal her off once again in house arrest. But the government has not shown itself to be a very good judge of the public mood. It was taken by surprise and ended up annulling the results of a parliamentary election in 1990 when Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi's party won 80 percent of the seats. It has failed to turn the public against her with repeated campaigns of vilification in the press. As her year of freedom drew to an end and harassment increased, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi was already voicing growing discouragement. "Ignoring the results of the 1990 election amounts to insulting the people and disrespecting the people," she said on May 27. "We, the National League for Democracy party, stand firm for implementation of the results of the 1990 election." MONEY Shan Herald Agency for News June 1 2003 Salween dam survey goes on The latest report by Salween Watch, a group formed in 1998 to gather and disseminate information about the dam projects on the Salween, says survey and road-building at the Tasarng dam site in Shan State is still proceeding, despite approaching monsoons. The account that covers the period between 13 March-19 May claims the digging of 4 tunnels, two on each side of the river at Tang Palao dam site, and drillings of perpendicular holes that reach the water level, had already ceased a month after MDX-Thai Sawad joint team arrived there on 21 January. "The villagers said they were not involved in the tunneling chores and thus escaped sudden deaths that occurred when the tunnels caved in," reads one part of the draft report in Shan, rejecting earlier S.H.A.N. report: (Residents advised to move, 14 February). Citing poor wages, 500 kyat per day, they managed to avoid the job that involved such hazards. The company then hired workers from lowland Burma, 30 of whom perished due to the cave-ins and other causes. "We only knew how many died when the religious rites were held for them afterwards," one villager told the reporter. The locals however were not allowed to go scot-free, continues the report. Villagers from Palao and Sala were required to carry supplies, cut wood and construct shelters for the army units assigned with security duty for the Thai team. Infantry Battalion #225 was stationed at Palao and Infantry Battalion #99 at Sala further south at the time. Some 30 Thais were quartered east of the village. (An insider source reported earlier that construction of 9 huts roofed with zinc sheets had been completed on 5 March). Four of them were seen each morning and evening in Palao, where bamboo stakes, two cubits long, stood along the water-line, each within eyesight of the other, stretching 3 miles upstream. There were also three stakes that went up the steep bank, each about 6 ft high and 6 ft distant from the other. The rest of the Thais and remaining Burmese workers, using 2 tractors and 3 bulldozers, were engaged on the construction of a gravel road, 25 ft wide, from the Tasarng Bridge in the south to the dam site, about 15 km long, according to a Thai Sawad executive. "Some two kilometers south of Palao, their work was impeded by a 50-meter high rock cliff that needed to be blasted," says the report. "That would take time, but the rest would be kid-stuff." An old road used by Thai Sawad while it was still logging the area ten years ago still stands, but lying west of the new road at a low elevation, it would be unusable during the monsoons when the water level was high. The reporter rejects previous reports about a new road being in construction that would skirt along the eastern bank south of Tasarng Bridge and make a wide detour of the township's seat, Mongton, before entering Thailand. (Dam cover-up for strategic road, S.H.A.N., 23 April 2003) "I saw no loggable trees anymore," says the reporter. "The area east of the Salween from Tasarng up to Tapaw (north of Palao) was denuded of timber. The only forested area I could find was between Tapaw and the Hsim confluence further north." Kawpa, a village one mile southwest of Palao on the opposite bank and abandoned during the Kuomintang incursion more than 40 years earlier, still had its huge Sitting Buddha, 7 meters tall if the 3 meter high throne was added, on the reporter's last visit. "It was no longer there," he says. "Instead, the whole place had been leveled out to make way for two helicopter pads." A Thai dam activist, after listening to the draft report, wondered whether the Bangkok-based MDX knew that another dam project on the Salween down south, that is being planned by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, on conclusion, would create a back flood that would reach as far as Tasarng, just short of the Hsim confluence but well above the projected dam site in Shan State. "It will be interesting to see how it will react to the news," he said. A new report in Thai on the dam projects on the Salween: Sokanatakam Song Phaendin (Tragedy on two lands) is being launched tomorrow (2 June) by Southeast Asia Rivers Network. REGIONAL Kyodo News Service June 2 2003 JAPAN CONCERNED ABOUT SUU KYI DETENTION IN BURMA Japan expressed concern Monday 2 June about the detention Friday of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi by Myanmar's Burma military government. "Japan expects the Myanmar government to treat those in custody appropriately and rectify the situation immediately, including ensuring them freedom of political activities," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said in a statement. Takashima said Tokyo "has been closely following, with concern, the situation involving Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD)". The military government said Saturday that Suu Kyi and some other NLD members have been placed in "protective custody" after violent clashes between Suu Kyi's supporters and pro-junta protesters in northern Myanmar where throngs of people turned out to welcome her. ___________ Kyodo News Service June 2 2003 Thai premier calls for normalcy in Myanmar soonest By Varunee Torsricharoen Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday that Myanmar's military government has to bring normalcy back to the country as soon as possible because the international community is increasingly concerned over the internal politics in Myanmar. Thaksin was responding to questions about Myanmar's junta putting opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into 'protective custody' last week. 'I think the whole world is concerned and I think Myanmar's government understands it. The Myanmar government probably will have to try to do something to bring everything back to normal as soon as possible,' Thaksin said during a trade ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum which began Monday in Khon Kaen in northeastern Thailand. Meanwhile, another Thai parliamentarian expressed concern ongoing stalemate in Myanmar will tarnish image of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 'The re-arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi is regrettable because it delays the process of dialogue leading to national reconciliation and it could hasten a decision by the international community to take further action,' said Kobsak Chutikul, a deputy chairman of Thai lower house's committee on foreign affairs, during the Khon Kaen talks. Kobsak added the arrest should be a 'paramount' concern for the international community, and can 'only aggravate' the political and economic situation in Myanmar. 'Any unrest in Burma (Myanmar) will have a negative impact on Thailand at the same time any continued stalemate in Burma will sap vitality from ASEAN and present a continuing problem for the image of ASEAN,' said the parliamentarian and former Foreign Ministry bureaucrat. Kobsak urged the Thai government, as an important neighbor to Myanmar, for a policy review toward Yangon because Myanmar is to hold ASEAN chairmanship and host key meetings with ASEAN's trading partners, including the European Union and the United States, in the next three years. If the partners will not go to Yangon for the ASEAN meetings, 'it will affect the credibility of ASEAN and set a bad precedent,' he warned. ASEAN's annual chairmanship is rotated by alphabetical order. Cambodia is now chairman. After Cambodia, next rotations are Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Brunei. Myanmar's junta said Saturday that Suu Kyi, National League for Democracy (NLD) Vice Chairman Tin Oo and 18 NLD youths are being detained following a clash between her supporters and pro-junta protesters in northern Myanmar where throngs of people turned out to welcome her. It is not known whether Suu Kyi, who was released from 19 months of confinement to her home in Yangon in May 2002, was injured or not. Suu Kyi has led the fight for democracy within Myanmar through the NLD, which won the country's 1990 elections by a landslide but was never allowed by the generals to take up its seats in parliament. _____________ Kaladan Press June 2 2003 704 ROHINGYAS REPATRIATED IN MAY Cox’s Bazar, June 02: A total of 704 Rohingya refugees belong to 121 families were repatriated to their homes in Burma from Ukhiya and Teknaf camps in May, according to BSS of Cox’s Bazar. Sources in UNHCR and local officials said this is the largest group of refugees who went back since in August 1997. UNHCR officials said nearly 250,000 Rohingya refugees fled from Burma to Bangladesh in late 1991-1992 to escape the reported widespread human rights abuses at the hand of military and the Nasaka forces. So far, 234,007 Rohingya refugees belonging to 46,776 families have been repatriated to their motherland, while 21,197 are still remaining in the two refugee camps waiting their turn. The refugee repatriation process step up after meeting with Burma’s director general of immigration last May 18-22, the Bangladesh authorities requested Burma to set up the repatriation process. Despite of clear record of discrimination towards Rohingyas and un-congenial atmosphere in Arakan by the Government of Burma, the office of the UNHCR has stepped up repatriation efforts in an attempt to phase out its responsibilities to the 21,000refugees residing in camps in Bangladesh. “ It is clear that camp officials to coerce refugees to return to Burma. Methods of coercion such as insufficient food supply, forced relocation within the camps to poorer housing, beatings, and, most commonly, threats of and actual jail sentences,” said RI. “ I have only two choices: I go to jail, or I go back to Burma. Going to jail is better than going to Burma,” one refugee told to our correspondent. The refugees who do not want to return cannot stay in refugee camps. The Government will send them back even if they do not want to go. Bangladesh is a poor country and cannot take care of this situation. There is also the issue of the 16,000 refugees whom the government of Burma has not yet approved for repatriation. Some refugees have chosen to leave the camps and live illegally in hiding in surrounding towns. __________ Shan Herald Agency for News June 2 2003 Plant awaits power producer from Japan Sources coming to the border told S.H.A.N. work has stopped at the biggest waterfall in Shan State since the last visit made by two Japanese engineers in February. "We were told that the work would resume on the arrival of generators from Japan," said a former headman from Kengtawng, where the 975 ft high Zong-arng Falls with an estimated power capacity of 60 megawatts is located. Kengtawng, a sub township of Mongnai, is 100 miles east of Taunggyi and 31 miles northeast of the township seat. The Japanese, during their three day visit, 2-5 February, had inspected the western part of Zong-arng, which is 14 miles south of Tonhoong, the sub-township seat. The Kengtawng power plant project, abandoned in December 2001 by Chinese engineers after 62 members died through various causes, was officially underway again after Vice Senior General Maung Aye made a visit to the waterfall on 15 November last year. According to the New Light of Myanmar, there will be three turbines generating 30 metawatts at the first phase and another turbine generating 15 megawatts at the second phase. A 25-ft wide gravel road had been completed during the dry season. "Since then we saw only thousands of troops from around the area engaging in continuous military exercises," said a 50-year old native of Kengtawng who recognized IB 246, LIB 332 and LIB 524 from Kunhing, IB 99 from Langkher and IB 294, LIBs 520, 575 and 577 from Mongpan, among others. A basic military training school had also been set up at Wiang-kao, west of Tonhoong, since January 2002, that is producing 2,500 new soldiers every 4-months, under the supervision of Col Tint Lwin. Nakhaozao or Nakholiang, an abandoned field south of the school is being used as the training ground. "It was Col Tint Lwin who informed us on the Shan New Year (5 December 2002) that by the year 2004, Zong-arng would be supplying electricity not only to Kengtawng but also the whole southern Shan State," reported another who brought a video taped record of the event. There are three logging companies currently working in the area west of Kunhing-Tonhoong-Mongpan road: Asia World of Law Hsinghan, Shan State South of Maha Ja and a local firm owned by a Toon Myat. The three had been authorized to cut 3,000 tons of teakwood: AW 1,500, SSS 750 and TM 750. "Since the logging started in 2001, about 50% of our forested areas have gone," he estimated. Kengtawng, one of the most scenic areas of Shan State, used to boast a hundred villages before the 3-year massive forced relocation drive was launched in 1996. Now it has no more than 20 villages, regrouped under 4 tracts: Tonhoong, Nawnghee, Kunmong and Kunlong, which in turn report to Nyi Nyi Aung, the sub-township officer. Further details: Units stationed in Kengtawng: LIB 569 (Kunmong), LIB 576 (Pasa) and LIB 574 (Takoon) are commanded by Col Thaung Shwe who is headquartered at Nawng Ook, a village south of Tonhoong. The colonel reports in turn to Brig-Gen Nyunt Hlaing, Commander of the Military Operation Command #17, in Mongpan. INTERNATIONAL Reuters June 2 2003 UN urges Myanmar to free democracy leader Suu Kyi The military says Suu Kyi was taken into ''protective custody'' after four people were killed in clashes between her supporters and pro-government groups. Most of the party's offices around the country and all universities and colleges -- traditional hotbeds of unrest -- were closed after the Nobel peace laureate and other opposition leaders were detained on Friday while touring northern Myanmar. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling the detentions ''most regrettable,'' urged the government to ''renew its commitment to political reform and human rights, starting with the immediate and unconditional release'' of Suu Kyi. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was also worried by Suu Kyi's detention and wanted her immediate release, a spokesman said. ''Suu Kyi, as both a national leader and the leader of the NLD, must be allowed to play a role, in cooperation with the government and others, in taking steps to bring about national reconciliation, in Myanmar,'' spokesman Fred Eckhard said. The people of Myanmar ''are overwhelmingly in favor of change,'' Eckhard said. Diplomats said they feared the new detentions could deal a death blow to stalled national reconciliation talks between the generals and the opposition, which began in 2000. U.N. special envoy Razali Ismail, who brokered the talks, is due in Myanmar on Friday, and Annan has instructed Razali to press the government to start the process of national reconciliation, Eckhard said. ____________ Associated Press June 2 2003 EU calls for release of Myanmar opposition leader The European Union criticized Myanmar's military government Monday and called for the release of the country's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi - who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1991 - was detained Friday following a deadly crackdown on opposition supporters Myanmar is also known as Burma. "The EU Presidency notes with great concern the latest developments in Burma/Myanmar, in particular the acts undertaken by the regime against the democratic opposition," a statement said. "The Presidency deplores the decision of the Burmese authorities to detain (Suu Kyi) ... offices and to suspend the activities of the universities throughout the country." The statement was issued in Greece which holds the current presidency of the EU. Myanmar's junta came to power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy protests. Suu Kyi, who heads the National League for Democracy, was kept under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 after being held without trial on national security charges. A number of nations, including the European Union and the United States, have placed sanctions against Myanmar. ____________ Agence France Presse June 2 2003 Britain summons Myanmar ambassador over Aung San Suu Kyi detention Britain Monday called in Myanmar's ambassador in London, Kyaw Win, to express its "deep concern" over the detention and welfare of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detained by Myanmar's military junta. Junior Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell reiterated a call for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel peace laureate, who was taken into "protective custody" at the weekend following pro-democracy protests that turned violent Friday. "Reports from Burma that Aung San Suu Kyi may have been injured during the attacks cause us particular anxiety, and I have sought assurances from the Burmese government that they will protect (her) welfare and safety," said Rammell in a statement. "It is wholly unacceptable for the regime to detain, in this manner and circumstance, someone who clearly commands such significant political support." Rammell added: "I explained to the ambassador that we are very disturbed by reports of violence between supporters of (Aung San Suu Kyi's) National League for Democracy (NLD) and supporters of the military authorities. "Our deepest sympathies go out to those injured as well as to the families of those killed. "I asked the ambassador to convey to the regime our fundamental concerns about the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy." At the time of her arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi had been on a month-long political tour of northern Myanmar, one of a series she has made since she was released from house arrest a year ago. Another 18 members of her entourage were also put under "protective custody" after clashes between her supporters and a pro-junta mob on Friday left four dead and 50 injured, according to the military, while the entire leadership of the opposition NLD was under house arrest in the capital Yangon. _______________ Reuters June 2 2003 U.S. Urges Myanmar to Release Suu Kyi The United States has told the government of Myanmar it expects to see the quick release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained last week, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday. "We have joined with other nations in condemning the placement of Aung San Suu Kyi into protective or any other custody," he told reporters on his way to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for an Arab-American summit on Tuesday. "The Burmese authorities say they did it as a way of protecting her during a disturbance. If that is the case, therefore we expect she will be immediately or promptly released and we have conveyed this through diplomatic channels to the Burmese government," he added. The United States continues to use the old name Burma as a political gesture against the military rulers. The State Department on Monday urged the Myanmar authorities to release leading members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy and let the party headquarters reopen. Most offices of the party around the country were closed on Monday after the Nobel Peace laureate and other opposition leaders touring the north of the country were detained on Friday. The military says she was taken into "protective custody" after four people were killed in clashes between her supporters and pro-government groups. State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt said, "We hope that any detention is indeed momentary and that she and those traveling with her will be released immediately in line with the official statement that she was detained temporarily for protection." "The closing of the NLD headquarters is not consistent with the regime's interest in providing protection. We urge the regime to allow the NLD headquarters to reopen immediately," she added. The spokeswoman said the authorities had detained party spokesman U Lwin and central executive committee member U Nyunt Wei under a provision of Myanmar's public security act that covers "subversive acts." The opposition party leaders appear to be confined to their homes with their telephone lines cut. ________________ Reuters June 3 2003 Australia calls on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi SYDNEY: Australia has called on Myanmar to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after the pro-democracy leader was taken into custody in Yangon as part of a broad crackdown on dissent. "There can be no justification for the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters and I urge that they be released immediately," Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told parliament yesterday. The government called in Myanmar's ambassador in Canberra to explain its concerns abut Suu Kyi's detention. Australia's ambassador in Yangon was also to relay his country's concerns to the authorities there. Australia joined the United Nations, Japan and Thailand in expressing concern about the situation in the Southeast Asian country. Myanmar's ruling military stopped thousands of university students from attending classes yesterday. Over the weekend most of the offices of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) around the country were closed after the Nobel peace laureate and other opposition leaders were detained. Downer said he hoped the scheduled visit of UN special envoy Razali Ismail to Myanmar on Friday would help move forward talks between the military and the opposition on the country's political future. STATEMENT/EDITORIAL NCGUB Information Unit June 1 2003 Scores Killed in Junta Attack on NLD Motorcade NewsDesk has been informed by its sources from Burma that up to 70 people may have been killed in the attack by junta Army and supporters on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Upper Burma. On Friday, 30 May, after leaving Monywa, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and on arrival at Zidawgon village just passed the Northwest Military Command headquarters, a convoy of military trucks suddenly appeared and tried to block the road. About 20 cars including the one which Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was riding in together with about 25 motorcycles succeeded in avoiding the blockade and continued the journey. About midnight, after the motorcade had passed through Tabayin, it came to a halt at Kyi Ywa or Phaya Htwet Gon village just before it entered Ye-u because the road was blocked by huge logs. The NLD members decided to use an alternate route and drove through the forested area just beside the road. As the motorcade of about 250 people drove through, about 500 armed soldiers, members of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association, and unknown number of convicts recruited from Mandalay Prison with a promise of reward and freedom, rushed and attacked it. In the ensuing melee which lasted for about an hour, the attackers beat up NLD members, shot them with catapults, and soldiers also opened fire killing and wounding a large number of NLD members. NLD Vice Chairman U Tin U who also came under fire fell into a ditch but he did not suffer any serious injury. But Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was hit on the head and suffered a serious head injury. The number of NLD members killed cannot yet be confirmed but more than 200 of them were arrested and taken to the Monywa-based Northwest Military Command headquarters. Hearing the news, people of Monywa marched on the USDA Office the following day (31 May) where they were brutally beaten by the Army, USDA, police, and members of other services. Gunfire was also reported during the attack. Reverend U Pañña Thiri, abbot of Okkan Tawya Monastery, who was trying to mediate the two sides to stop the violence, and a student were killed on the spot. Another student was who was seriously injured later succumbed to his injuries. The residents of Monywa who had gotten hold of the reverend's corpse are now planning to hold a grand funeral. The bodies of the students, however, were taken away by the SPDC (ruling State Peace and Development Council) and USDA officials. Up to the time of this NewsDesk release, all telephone lines to Monywa have been cut. There were three deaths in Monywa alone. In addition, sources in the Northwest Military Command said more than 65 bodies were secretly cremated inside compound on 31 May. The over 200 NLD members are also still being detained in that compound. Maj Gen Soe Win, SPDC Secretary-2, is reported to have been commanding the whole operation against the NLD. He was using the Northwest Military Command as his command center. The closure of NLD offices and the arrest of NLD senior executives and township level officials by the SPDC are all aimed at covering up the massacre and brutal crackdown which got out of hand. ___________ U.S. Department of State Press Statement Philip T. Reeker Washington, DC June 2, 2003 Burma - Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi The United States condemns placing National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in any sort of custody. The recent detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior leaders of her party marks a significant step back for the military regime in Rangoon and for the people of Burma. The closing of the offices of the National League for Democracy across the country hinders national reconciliation and a peaceful transition to democracy and is inconsistent with the will and rights of the Burmese people. We call on the regime for the immediate release of these officials and the reopening of their offices. A government that does not allow peaceful political expression or an atmosphere in which citizens can peacefully express their views cannot be counted as a responsible member of the international community. The United States, in coordination with other concerned members of the international community, including members of the United Nations Security Council, is considering all measures available in our efforts to foster this transition to democracy. We also continue to support the efforts of United Nations Special Envoy Tan Sri Razali Ismail to meet with all parties in Burma to encourage national reconciliation. We urge the regime to provide the conditions that will allow for a successful visit this week. Officials at the highest levels of the military regime should meet with him and take advantage of this visit to reverse this recent setback and make substantial progress on the road to a better future for the people of Burma. _____________ Nation June 3 2003 Burmese hopes dashed again The junta’s latest effort to destroy any chance of dialogue means a policy rethink for the international community Developments over the weekend in Burma have sounded the death knell for the peace process between the military junta and the opposition. Obviously, the Burmese regime's leaders have lied to the international community that by releasing Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest two years ago, they could engage in serious political dialogue with her that would lead to reconciliation. Now Suu Kyi has been detained yet again along with party associates in the notorious Insein prison after her supporters clashed with pro-junta crowds in north Burma. Four people were reportedly killed and 50 injured during the melee and several vehicles and motorcycles burned. A Rangoon spokesman was reluctant to reveal the whereabouts of Suu Kyi or the charges that had been laid to detain her. But it seems clear that without her as the opposition's figurehead the government can further disarm and split its opponents. It is apparent that nothing is going to stop the generals from clinging to power. Coincidentally, Ismail Razali, the UN envoy for Burma, was scheduled to visit Burma on Friday. But it would be sensible if he were to delay his visit until the junta gives a valid explanation for what happened on the weekend. As long as it keeps Suu Kyi in custody, the UN must make it accountable for its actions. For months Suu Kyi has been travelling the Burmese countryside to shore up support for the opposition and to open NLD branch offices. Wherever she went, thousands of people showed up to listen to her speeches. But obviously her rising popularity worried the junta, and they plotted against her by organising thugs to disrupt her appearances and wreck the opposition movement. For its part, Thailand must share some of the blame for the latest events because of its strong support for the junta. The Thaksin government has repeatedly taken a soft line on assistance for reconciliation and democratisation for Burma. But after more than two years of this approach things have become worse rather than better, making a joke of Bangkok's policy towards Rangoon. As the weekend's events show, reconciliation is back to square one. In 1997 Burma was admitted to Asean, giving legitimacy to the junta. The hope was that peer pressure, however subtle, by member countries might work some changes, especially in respect of listening to the people. Nothing of the sort has happened, as might have been expected. Meanwhile recent global events have dimmed whatever small spotlight was focussed on Burma. Not surprisingly, the junta has taken advantage of international attention being diverted to the Middle East. Whether the weekend's events will create even so much as a ripple on international waters remains to be seen, but if there ever was a case for sanctions, now is it. The junta has no intention whatsoever of engaging the opposition party, a thing Suu Kyi has been waiting patiently for since her release two years ago. As events continue to unfold, many observers see something more sinister in Suu Kyi's rearrest, and that is a conflict among the ruling military leaders. The number-one strongman, General Than Shwe, seems poised to muster all power under his leadership to ensure that nobody can open a dialogue with Suu Kyi without his permission. For 15 years the Burmese people have suffered under the regime. The time has come for the international community to rethink its ineffectual policies toward the junta. _______________ Amnesty International June 2 2003 Safety of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Her Party in Danger Amnesty International is strongly concerned by an escalation in political violence and repression in Myanmar, following a reported confrontation between authorities and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) on Friday 30 May 2003. There is concern for the safety of more than 100 NLD members and students, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who have reportedly been held incommunicado since Friday's incident, during which between four and 70 people are believed to have been killed. According to the reports, the whereabouts of 150 members of the NLD who were travelling with fellow party members remain unknown. "The authorities must institute a full and independent investigation into alleged grave human rights violations that occurred on 30 May 2003 and bring suspected perpetrators to justice. The whereabouts and fate of members of the political opposition who are reportedly missing must be made publicly immediately," Amnesty International said. "The organization is deeply concerned by this serious development. This is a completely unwarranted and harsh crackdown on political party members and others carrying out their legitimate activities," the organization said. Amnesty International called on the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to release those who are being held on account of their peaceful dissent. They should immediately make public a complete list of those who have been detained, including their whereabouts and the legal basis for their detention, and grant them access to relatives, lawyers and medical care. "The SPDC must take immediate steps to uphold the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly in Myanmar. The harassment, arrest and detention of those acting peacefully to exercise these rights is a step in the wrong direction". Background On 30 May 2003 250 NLD party members accompanying party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on a tour of Upper Myanmar were reportedly attacked by members of the police and military, when travelling on a road at night in a remote area. Officials have stated that four persons were killed and 50 injured after members of the NLD clashed with a crowd of 5,000 people demonstrating against the political party at Yawayoo, on the road from Budalin to Dapayin, and that local military authorities subsequently intervened. According to unconfirmed opposition reports, 250 NLD members travelling in a convoy, were attacked by a group of 500 soldiers, police, and prisoners from Mandalay Prison, who reportedly shot at them with catapults and beat them after they drove round the side of a road block. Soldiers also reportedly opened fire on the group, killing members of the NLD. Opposition sources state that 70 people were killed and up to 200 injured. Amnesty International calls on authorities to fully and independently investigate further unconfirmed reports by opposition sources of the possibly excessive use of force against protestors the following day, and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice. According to opposition sources, a demonstration by students on 31 May 2003 in Monywa, Sagaing Division, in protest against the attack on 30 May 2003 was suppressed with violence by the military, who reportedly fired on and assaulted demonstrators, leading to the death of an abbot and two students. More than 100 members of the main opposition party, including the entire senior leadership of the party, are believed to be in detention or under house arrest and have reportedly had no access to lawyers or relatives. Authorities have stated that they have put Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 18 other senior leaders into "protective custody" and are giving them "proper care and protection." Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is reportedly being held in a military guest-house. NLD offices and Shan National League for Democracy offices across the country have been reportedly closed down, and authorities today have indefinitely closed high schools and universities. Amnesty International is further concerned by official statements accusing members of the NLD touring the country of "inciting unrest" by making speeches critical of authorities, and calls on authorities not to penalize the peaceful exercise of freedom of expression. The organization further calls on authorities to investigate reports that the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), and other groups organized or supported by authorities have reportedly been inciting protests against the NLD and threatening violence against the political party on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's recent visits outside the capital city, and to bring those responsible to justice. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, which won the majority of votes in the 1990 elections in Myanmar, was released from de facto house arrest in May 2002, after being held since September 2000. Since her release from detention, she has been able to travel to meet party members outside the capital. In recent weeks NLD members have been arrested and sentenced to prison terms, reportedly for their political activities.