BI Weekly No. 314

January 15th - January 21th, 2007

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

Inside

Border

International

UNSC failed to pass a resolution against Burma
Jose Ramos-Horta's view of failed vote
Deeply disappointed with South Africa 's vote against UNSC

* denotes BI commentary

The military is intent on wiping out Christianity in Burma according to claims in a secret document believed to have been leaked from a government ministry.

Entitled "Programme to destroy the Christian religion in Burma ", the memo contains point by point instructions on how to drive Christians out of the state. The text opens with the line "There shall be no home where the Christian religion is practiced".

Human rights groups said that the treatment meted out to Christians, who make up six

percent of the population, is part of a wider campaign by the regime, also targeted at ethnic minority tribes, to create a uniform society in which the race and language is Burmese and the only accepted religion is Buddhism.

The document, shown to The Sunday Telegraph by human rights groups, may have been produced by a state-sponsored Buddhist group, but with the tacit approval of the military junta.

" Burma orders Christians to be wiped out", Sunday Telegraph , January 21, 2007

Force to devalue the rice price

Farmers in Kengtung and Tharyawaddy have been forced to sell rice to a Burma military at below-market prices.

Farmers in Kengtung Township said that a Burmese military official from the Golden

Triangle region of Northern Burma ordered farmers to sell their products at prices established by the military.

The farmer added that the market price for rice is 200 kyat per kg, while the military demanded a price of 100 kyat per kg. In addition, military purchasers complained about the quality of the rice and asked for greater quantities at no additional charge.

Moreover farmers in Tharyawaddy Township said they have been forced to grow summer paddy, despite the lack of water in the dry season and difficulties maintaining their family's income.

The farmers who refused would face unspecified action by military authorities.

"Junta forces rice sales to military in Burma at devalued prices", Irrawaddy , January 19, 2007

The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper, accused Aung San Suu Kyi of tax evasion for spending the money she won for the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize and other foreign awards outside the country.

The accusation by the paper is the latest, and one of the more imaginative, of periodic verbal assaults against her by the military government of Burma .

The newspaper which is published in English said Suu Kyi avoided paying taxes to the state by asking her family members abroad to spend all her cash awards provided by international organizations and honorariums presented for her works she had created abroad instead of spending the money in the country.

The government regularly accuses her of collaborating with foreign governments and of undermining national unity.

"Burmese daily at odds with democracy advocate", The New York Times , January 19, 2007

Indian Army detained Activists in Indo-Burma border

In a surprise raid on the office of a Burmese opposition group on the Indo-Burma border, the Indian Army detained 22 Burmese pro-democracy activists.

About 25 Indian Army personnel, apparently from battalions stationed in Lunglei and Saiha, launched an unexpected raid on the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) office of the Chin pro-democracy group in College Quarter, Saiha town in Mizoram state, northeast India . Trainers and trainees from various ethnic groups based in western parts of Burma were locked up in the kitchen of the PAC office.

At the time of receiving the report from sources close to the activists, Indian Army soldiers were still surrounding the office. The detainees could not be contacted and the reason for the break-in and detention of were not known.

"Burmese pro-democracy activists detained in Mizoram", Khonumthung News ,January 20, 2007

Border trade with India

India 's junior minister for Commerce Mr Jairam Ramesh said India will begin border trade with Bhutan and Burma through Arunachal Pradesh within a year.

Bleting in Tawang district will be a trading point with Bhutan and Pangsupass with Burma . The border trade centers will be developed on the pattern of the centers opened in Moreh in Manipur recently.

Public sector energy undertakings would invest in Arunachal Pradesh over the next five to seven years, which would harness the vast hydro-electric potential and increase employment opportunities.

Mr Ramesh also laid the foundation stone for the proposed Bamboo Technology Park in the Niglok industrial growth centre, 35 kilometers from Pasighat on January 15.

The park, to be developed under the National Bamboo Mission, is to impart training to people for commercial application of bamboo, which is abundantly available in the Northeast.

" India to begin border trade with Burma , Bhutan " Kaladan News , January 19, 2007

Refugee health activist share World's Children's Prize

Activists from Burma , India and Zimbabwe will share this year's World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child.

Burma 's Cynthia Maung, India 's Inderjit Khurana and Betty Makoni of Zimbabwe were named the finalists for the prize, which is split into three parts the Global Friends' Award, the World's Children Prize and an honorary award. The winners of each award will be announced on April 16.

The prize, honoring those who defend youth rights, was set up in 1999 by the Swedish Children's World Association, with millions of children worldwide voting on the winners each year.

Maung fled her native country 18 years ago, and now runs a medical clinic in Thailand that provides free health care for refugee children. Khurana was honored for starting and running the organization Ruchika that runs schools and nurseries for poor children in India , while Makoni's Girl Child Network help Zimbabwean girls escape trafficking, abuse and child labor.

"Activists from Myanmar , India and Zimbabwe to share World's Children's Prize", Associated Press , January 15, 2007

UNSC failed to pass a resolution against Burma

The UN Security Council has failed to adopt a draft resolution on the situation in Burma because of the negative vote or veto of China and Russia .

The resolution would have called on the Government of Burma to release all political prisoners, cease military attacks against civilians in ethnic minority regions, and begin a political dialogue that would lead to a genuine democracy.

The representative of China Ambassador Wang Guangya said the Security Council is the wrong place to discuss Burma .

Although there are problems in Burma , but he believed that these problems do not constitute a threat to regional or international peace and security. So therefore, he is against including this issue on the agenda of the Security Council.

"Un Security Council Fails to Adopt Draft Resolution on Myanmar ", United Nations Radio News , January 15, 2007

Jose Ramos-Horta's view of failed vote

East Timorese Prime Minister and Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was disappointed that the United Nations Security Council failed to pass a resolution on criticizing Burma 's military government.

Mr. Ramos-Horta said that some Security Council members may be right when they say Burma is not a threat to regional security because it does not possess biological or nuclear weapons capability.

But Burma's human rights situation, rampant drug trafficking problem, unchecked HIV rates, and high internally displaced populations do pose a threat to regional, if not, international security.

Mr. Ramos-Horta also argued that the inability of the U.N. Human Rights Commission to address the problem should also be a wake up call to the Security Council.

"E. Timor PM regrets failed Security Council resolution on Burma ", VOA News , January 18, 2007

Deeply disappointed with South Africa 's vote against UNSC

Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu has expressed his deep disappointment at South Africa 's vote to block a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an end to human rights abuses in Burma .

Tutu said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that he was deeply disappointed by their vote. It was a betrayal of theirs own noble past. Many in the international community could hardly believe it.

In its first vote since it secured a non-permanent seat on the Security Council last year, South Africa joined China and Russia in opposing the resolution proposed by the United States and backed by Britain and France .

"Desmond Tutu deeply disappointed with South Africa 's vote against U.N Security Council resolution on Myanmar ", AP Via International Herald Tribune , January 21, 2007