BI Weekly No. 295

August 31st - September 6th, 2006

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

Inside

Border

Burma to partly retain border trade system in Myawaddy

International

Burmese female labor activist Su Su Nway has been awarded the 2006 Humphrey Freedom Award by the Montreal, Canada-based group Rights and Democracy for her courageous struggle for justice and human rights.

The group’s announcement of the award on August 31 stated that “Su Su Nway’s defiant struggle for human rights and dignity has made her a symbol of resilience and courage to the people of Burma.”

Su Su Nway, a 34-year-old youth leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, was freed from Rangoon’s Insein Prison in early June. Her release came after she had served nearly seven months of her 18 month sentence, which was handed down in October 2005 for allegedly threatening and swearing at local authorities. The sentence followed her successful lawsuit against local officials—including the headman of Htan Manaing village, Rangoon Division, where she lived—for practicing forced labor.

Su Su Nway will not travel to Canada to receive the award—which includes a cash prize of Canada $25,000, as she fears that her return may not be granted by the regime.

"Labor activist awarded freedom prize", Irrawaddy, September 1, 2006.

New law for special economic zones to finalize next year

Burma’s military government aims to finalize a new law for its planned special economic zones by the middle of next year, according to Burmese business circles. The new law, which is still being drafted, aims to promote foreign direct investment into the country, according to a source
close to the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.

It is expected to provide FDI investors with special incentives. Since the Foreign Investment Law was established in 1988, the junta has approved nearly 400 foreign enterprises from 27 countries to set up in the country, accounting for FDI of US $7.78 billion up to January this year. Asean
countries are the major investors, led by Singapore, and energy is a major sector interest.

Rangoon’s business circles believe the regime aims to establish several special economic zones. The first has been under development beside Rangoon’s Thilawa Port, in Thanlyin Township, since 2004. The Chinese company Shanghai Jingqiao was commissioned to draw up plans for the
Thilawa zone.

The junta’s Rangoon military commander, Brig-Gen Hla Htay Win, said in mid-August that the former capital Rangoon should become a business hub while the administrative capital would be Naypyidaw.

"Junta’s new law for special economic zones" The Irrawaddy, September 1, 2006

Government-run newspaper the New Light of Myanmar charged the U.S. Embassy and the British Embassy with interfering in Burmar's internal affairs through conducting courses. The newspaper considered some courses such as the English proficiency course, international relations course and the global information course conducted by the two western embassies as illegal ones.

In the two embassies' English proficiency courses conducted between 2002 and 2006, lectures were respectively given on trafficking in persons, documents on workers of the International Labor Organization, excerpts from human rights, points on the federal principle, spoken English,
assassination of General Aung San who was Burma's independence hero, corruption in various nations of the world, internet news, world trade system, human rights violation and lawlessness in weak nations, the newspaper said.

The newspaper also charged the two embassies with opening opening of illegal courses in cooperation with the NLD is a blatant interference in Myanmar's internal affairs violating the diplomatic ethics." So far, the two embassies have not made any response over the charge.

"Myanmar charges two western embassies with interfering in internal affairs", Xinhua General News Service, August 31, 2006.

Burma to partly retain border trade system in Myawaddy

Burma will partly retain border trade system in the light of the establishment of the country's second border trade zone of Myawaddy in the process of transformation of its border trade system at all trade points into normal one, the local weekly Voice reported.

The border trade system, which will be reserved at the Myawaddy trade point, deals with consumers goods, sources with the Directorate of Trade under the Ministry of Commerce was quoted as saying.

In Burma's course of transforming border trade system into normal trade one, the Muse 105th Mile Border Trade Zone bordering China's Ruili in Yunnan province stood the first and the largest of its kind established in April this year, while the Myawaddy border trade zone in southeastern Karen state bordering Thailand's Maesot is emerging as the second of its kind. More will follow suit including Tamu with India and Maungtaw with Bangladesh.

Burma stressed five objectives of undertaking the border trade which include improvement of bilateral relations with neighboring countries, progress of border trade, transformation of border to normal trade and full collection of taxes.

"Myanmar to partly retain border trade system in second border trade zone" Xinhua General News Service, September 5, 2006

Burma is a "very difficult practical problem" but isolating the military-ruled country would not lead to democracy, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

A sudden shift from military to civilian rule would also not be easy, Lee said at the Forbes CEO Conference. He think practically it is difficult for an outsider to cause Burma to change a political system.

"If you said the military gets out and the civilians take charge, I am not sure what they will be taking charge of because there is no civilian outfit and system to run the country."

He said that the Europeans and Americans' sanctions are unlikely to work because they have a few stakes involved in the country, and Burma also want to close themselves off from the world.

"If you want to influence Myanmar, then the persuasion has to come from all directions, including China and India who have their own interests and calculations," Lee said.

"Practically speaking, we can exhort, we can encourage but there's a limited amount you can do actually to cause change to happen, and I think that is a conclusion which many governments in the world have come to", he added.

"Isolation of Myanmar not the solution: Singapore PM" Agence France Presse, September 4, 2006

US formally push Burma to UNSC agenda

The United States moved to formally add Burma to the agenda of the U.N. Security Council, potentially exposing the Southeast Asian nation, which is ruled by a military junta, to international condemnation for human rights violations and other abuses.

John R. Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said he sent a letter to the council's president, Greek Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis, requesting that Burma fall under the council's scrutiny because the junta's behavior threatens regional peace and security.

Bolton and other U.S. officials said they are confident they have the necessary nine votes, among the 15 council members, to add Burma to the agenda. China in particular has opposed the move -- and could veto any potential resolution -- but U.S. diplomats, including Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, have worked relentlessly in recent months to line up the votes. Opponents of Security Council action have argued that the venue is appropriate only for threats to international peace and security, not human rights violations.

"U.S. makes a push for U.N. action on Burma", The Washington Post, September 2, 2006.

UNHCR officials meet with Arakanese urban refugees in Dhaka

Officials from the UNHCR Dhaka office met with Arakanese urban refugees residing in Dhaka at Refugee Counseling Service Unit (RCSU) office in the city, discussing several refugee related issues during the meeting, said an Arakanese refugee.

Bangladesh UNHCR Deputy Representative, Mr. Francis Ewelee Peoh, Protection officer Mr. Uttam Kumar Das, Program Officer Md Tofazzel Hossain, and Mr Taslimur Rahman, the director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Service Trust (BLAST), attended the meeting.

It is the first time in a decade that the UNHCR Dhaka high officials have met with Arakanese refugees.

In the meeting, several refugee related issues, including a resettlement program, financial assistance program, including the Lampson program, security and health, and a children's education program were top of the agenda. However, among these programs, there was a program called the self-reliance program that was more prevalent in the meeting.

UNHCR Bangladesh is now reconsidering support for some projects targeted at Arakanese urban refugees, after previous projects for the refugees have failed due to weak skills and inadequate assistance.

"Officials from UNHCR Meet with Urban Refugees in Dhaka ", Narinjara News, September 5, 2006.

Venezuelan envoy visits Burma

Vladimir Villegas, a special envoy of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, has made a rare diplomatic visit to Burma on behalf of the South American country, meeting with Prime Minister Soe Win and Foreign Minister Nyan Win in Naypyidaw, state-run The New Light of Myanmar reported.

Villegas continued on to Rangoon and was due to leave Burma on September 1. The substance of discussions between both sides is not known. The visit represents a rare diplomatic interaction between Burma and Venezuela. Neither country maintains an embassy in the other. Venezuela also has no mission in neighboring Thailand.

A well-known critic of the US, Chavez has famously met many of the leaders of countries labeled “outposts of tyranny” by Washington—including Cuba, Belarus and Iran—as part of his quest to build an alliance against what he deems imperialist actions by the US and its allies. Villegas has been similarly controversial in the eyes of Washington.

"Venezuelan envoy makes rare trip to Burma," Irrawaddy, August 31, 2006.