BI Weekly No. 284

June 15th - June 21st, 2006

The BI Weekly archive is available on our website: www.burmaissues.org

Inside

Border

International

The 61st birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 10 of the past 17 years in detention, was marked on June 19 with demonstrations of solidarity in Rangoon and in more than 25 countries around the world, while calls for her release from house arrest came from many international figures.

Hundreds of her supporters gathered at the Rangoon headquarters of National League for Democracy, where Buddhist ceremonies were held and doves and balloons were released into the sky as symbols of freedom. Many chanted “Free Aung San Suu Kyi.” Police detained NLD member Tun Tun who, wearing a tee shirt bearing Suu Kyi's image, held a solo demonstration near Rangoon City Hall .

In the US , members of the US Campaign for Burma staged solidarity demonstrations in more than 270 towns and cities across the country. A documentary film was screened featuring appearances by President George W Bush, former president Bill Clinton, Bono of U2 and Anthony Kiedis of the band Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

12 Nobel Peace laureates—including former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev—released a statement saying: “We, the Nobel Peace Laureates ... believe that the political and physical freedom of our colleague Madame Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma must be guaranteed.”

“Freedom for Suu Kyi demanded at birthday events”, Irrawaddy , June 19, 2006

8 deputy ministers dismissed

Burmese military government reshuffled its Cabinet by dismissing eight deputy ministers, state-run radio and television said on June 16.

A Supreme Court judge also was dismissed, but new appointments to fill the vacant positions were not announced.

Last month, the junta dismissed two Cabinet ministers and appointed four new ministers and four deputy ministers.

“Myanmar's military government dismisses 8 deputy ministers”, Associated Press, June 16, 2006.

President of the Kachin Independence Organisation the 77-year-old Lamung Tu Jai died from cancer of the liver in the morning of June 15 while traveling back from the hospital in China to Kachin State as he said he would like to die in his country.

Tu Jai later joined General Zau Seng for the founding of the KIO in 1961.He has held the position of president since taking on administrative responsibilities in the organisation shortly after its formation. Tu Jai left behind two daughters and three sons.

“KIO president dies of liver cancer”, Mizzima News, June 15, 2006

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Dam for damned people

The 1,750 mile-long Salween River is fast becoming a front line in one of the world's longest-running conflicts between Burma military regime and the ethnic Karen people, meanwhile, the Karen opposition armed group believes the SPDC' plans to dam the Salween are designed to destroy their homeland and culture, the article by Ed Cropley of Reuters said.

Moreover, the Karen and environmentalists accuse Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), who signed a deal with Rangoon government to build the dams, of turning a blind eye to the plight of Karen people in a quest for cheap hydroelectricity.

Till now on the both sides of the river, thousands of villagers were forced out of the eastern Karen State by SPDC raids. The Burmese government has told nothing to the villagers.

EGAT engineers began a feasibility study on a first proposed 1,000 MW dam at Hutgyi, Karen State , but the utility refuses to discuss details, citing a confidentiality clause in its deal with Rangoon .

However, the study was suspended at Burma 's request last month after a Thai engineer was killed in a landmine blast at the site, where ethnic minority people are victims of forced labour at the hands of SPDC – an allegation EGAT denies.

Head of EGAT's hydropower division, Nipon Pienpucta, said his concern was that the reservoir could affect the Pai river, Salween tributary that flows out of northwest Thailand .

He refused to discuss any potential impact on rivers or communities inside Burma , or compensation for displaced people.

According to the agreement, Thailand will receive a ‘certain percentage of free power' for building Hutgyi dam.

“ Myanmar minorities fear being dammed and damned”, Reuters, June 18, 2006

Canada has agreed to take in 810 refugees from Burma who have been living in border camps in Thailand , the announcement said on June 20 of World Refugee Day.

A group of 810 refugees -- most of them belonging to the Karen ethnic group -- would be welcomed to Canada in the coming months.

There are currently 140,000 refugees from Burma living in nine border camps in Thailand , many of whom have been there for up to 20 years. They represent the largest group of refugees in Southeast Asia .

Australia , Britain , Denmark , Finland , the Netherlands , New Zealand , Norway , Sweden and the United States also responded to the UNHCR's appeal by offering to accept refugees from Burma .

“Canada to take in 800 refugees from Myanmar”, Agence France Presse, June 20, 2006

Burma's pro-democracy activist refused flying to Rangoon

Thai Airways staff refused to allow well-known pro-democracy activist Dr Salai Tun Than to board a flight to Rangoon on June 19.

Salai Tun Than was heading to Burma to stage a highly publicised solo protest against the military's continued detention of National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on her 61st birthday.

"I showed my air ticket but they refused to let me on board. The official from the airline said the airline was warned by the Burmese junta they would be blacked list if the airline accept me. They are concerned that the junta will abandon their operations to Burma ," Salai Tun Than said.

Salai Tun Than, now a resident of the United States , was in Thailand when the Burmese embassy in Bangkok declared his passport to be invalid.

“Thai Airways refuse access to Salai Tun Than”, Mizzima News, June 19, 2006