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-------------------------------------------------------------- HEADLINES -------------------------------------------------------------- AFP - Myanmar issue may be referred to UN Security
Council for resolution
AFP - ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss Myanmar on
sidelines of ASEM
AFP - ASEAN must give Myanmar more time to "prove
themselves": Thai PM
AFP - UN envoy backs Malaysian PM's warning on Myanmar
AFP - Asia pushes for Myanmar's inclusion in ASEM
despite European objections
Reuters - Myanmar envoy to meet Indonesia pres on Suu
Kyi
Reuters - Southeast Asia calls special talks on
Myanmar
Reuters - Asia-Europe officials discuss Myanmar,
N.Korea
Reuters - Dealing with Myanmar focus of Asia-Europe
talks
Reuters - Myanmar to press on Suu Kyi
Reuters - Thailand urges Suu Kyi release, downplays
expulsion talk
Reuters - Asia and Europe to tackle Myanmar
junta
AP - Former Myanmar political prisoner protests in leg
chains
AP - Military rulers of Myanmar keep most citizens
offline
NSTP - Asean wants fast resolution of Suu Kyi issue to
avoid setbacks
Kyodo News - Myanmar junta releases 91 people, Suu Kyi
still in custody
The Star - Asean must agree to expulsion?
Asian Tribune - SPDC arranged its choicest prisoners
for the ICRC visits to Shwebo prison.
-------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 3:00 PM
Myanmar issue may be referred to UN Security Council for resolution NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 22 (AFP) -UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan may refer the raging Myanmar issue to the Security Council unless the country's military rulers release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi soon, diplomats said ahead of ministerial talks here between Asia and Europe. The pressure on Myanmar built up as senior officials from Europe pressed for the inclusion of the issue on the agenda of the meeting of foreign ministers from the two continents beginning Wednesday on the resort island of Bali. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned at the weekend that Myanmar might have to be expelled from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) if its military junta defies world pressure to release Aung San Suu Kyi. Annan's special envoy on Myanmar, former Malaysian diplomat Razali Ismail, "is not too optimistic" about an early release, according to a delegate to the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) here. Razali expressed his pessimism during a recent meeting in New York with permanent representatives to the UN from several key Asian and European countries and the United States, the delegate said. "Mr Razali indicated that the UN Secretary-General will consider the possibility of including Myanmar on the agenda of the Security Council if there is no immediate resolution to the problem," the delegate told AFP. The Myanmar regime announced on May 31 that Aung San Suu Kyi had been detained. She was held after a junta-backed mob attacked her supporters in violence feared to have left dozens dead. The international community has responded angrily, with the United States and European Union beefing up sanctions and ASEAN issuing an unprecedented call last month for her immediate release. Diplomats said Razali has also underlined his concern on Myanmar to ASEAN and has urged the grouping to maintain its strong advocacy and not be swayed by what one official termed Yangon's "lightning diplomacy." Myanmar's junta chief, General Than Shwe, has sent on short notice his deputy foreign minister U Khin Maung Win to several Asian countries including the ASEAN states to explain Yangon's position. During the trip to several ASEAN states the special envoy showed officials photographs to back claims that Suu Kyi was detained for her own safety, an informed source said. "They are playing the same old tune and not offering anything new to bring a quick resolution to the problem," the source said. "It is a show of desperation but it is important to note at the same time that Myanmar is beginning to respond to pressure." Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are reportedly spearheading the ASEAN pressure on Myanmar. "Mahathir's notice of Myanmar's possible expulsion is a very good sign but there should also be strong pressure from the other ASEAN states, especially Indonesia," a Southeast Asian-based European diplomat said. "Indonesia is the current chairman of ASEAN and they have the political weight to move ASEAN," the diplomat said. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda has invited Razali, the only independent person to have met Aung San Suu Kyi since her detention, to meet ASEAN ministers in Bali. They are expected to discuss sending a ministerial mission to Myanmar before the ASEAN Bali summit in October. Officials said Wirayuda had invited his Myanmar counterpart to the ASEM meeting to provide "a channel of communication" between Asia and Europe on Aung San Suu Kyi's detention. "But the Myanmar minister rejected the offer after European delegates pressed for the Myanmar issue to be included as a special agenda in the talks," a source said. "He was understandably worried he will be the target of criticism." ASEM's Asian side is made up of seven of the 10 ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- plus China, Japan and South Korea. The 15 European Union members make up the other side of the grouping. ASEAN members Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are not members of ASEM. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 1:25 PM
ASEAN foreign ministers to discuss Myanmar on sidelines of ASEM BANGKOK, July 22 (AFP) -ASEAN foreign ministers plan to discuss the deadlock in military-ruled Myanmar on the sidelines of this week's Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. He told reporters Tuesday that after consultations with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda, ministers within the grouping would hold talks on Myanmar. "We are trying to find an exit for the Myanmar government and also reduce pressure from the international community, which has imposed sanctions that will have negative repercussions against Myanmar's poor," Surakiart said. "The meeting is to allow members to exchange views but is not aimed at putting more pressure on Myanmar. ASEAN has already clearly stated its demand for Myanmar to quickly release Aung San Suu Kyi," he said. ASEM's Asian members are Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, while the 15 European Union members make up the other side of the grouping. Ministers from other ASEAN members Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have been invited to attend the Myanmar talks, to take place during the two-day ASEM meet being held from Wednesday, but only Laos has so far confirmed attendance, Surakiart said. UN special envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail will also travel to Bali to meet with ASEAN ministers at the invitation of Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, Surakiart said. Razali is the only independent person to have met Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi since her detention following violent May 30 clashes between a pro-junta mob and her supporters. Since then an unknown number of opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) members have been thrown into custody as part of a wider democracy crackdown. The international community has responded angrily, with the United States and European Union beefing up sanctions and ASEAN issuing an unprecedented call last month for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned Sunday that Myanmar may as a last resort face expulsion from the ASEAN grouping if it continues defying world pressure to free the 1991 Nobel peace prize winner. Surakiart said both he and Hassan agreed that would be too drastic. "We agree that Myanmar should present clear steps on how it plans to free Aung San Suu Kyi and we don't have any thoughts about expelling Myanmar from ASEAN. Both of us think that would be going too far," he said. Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide but has been denied taking power by the ruling military. -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 21, 2:32 PM
ASEAN must give Myanmar more time to "prove themselves": Thai PM BANGKOK, July 21 (AFP) -Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that the ASEAN grouping must give Myanmar authorities more time to "prove themselves" to the international community. Thaksin's comments on Monday come a day after his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad warned that Myanmar could face expulsion from ASEAN if its junta persisted in defying pressure to release opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. "We agree with the international community's expressions of concern over the situation in Myanmar," the Thai premier told reporters. "But we know Myanmar needs time to prove themselves and show their intentions of still wanting national reconciliation," he added. Mahathir, who played a crucial role in bringing Myanmar into the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, said Sunday expulsion would only be considered as a last resort. "We will have to examine every avenue before we can take such drastic actions," he told AFP. "In the end, it may have to be that way. I don't say that it cannot be but certainly not at this moment." Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said Mahathir's comments were private and did not reflect ASEAN's position. "It is his private comment. ASEAN has not held any meeting about it," he told reporters. Surakiart said ASEAN had made its views clear to Myanmar at the annual ASEAN ministerial meetings in Cambodia last month, when it made its unprecedent public call for the release Aung San Suu Kyi. "(Myanmar) staying in the group gives Thailand a channel to contact Myanmar to allow us to solve problems together," Surakiart said. "I believe there will be no need for its expulsion from the group," he added. Thailand has reportedly presented to Myanmar a "roadmap" towards national reconciliation, which Surakiart plans to discuss with his Myanmar counterpart Win Aung when he visits Bangkok later this month for economic talks. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 elections by a landslide but has been denied power by the military, was detained after her convoy was attacked by a junta-backed mob on May 30 in northern Myanmar. The incident triggered a broad crackdown on her National League for Democracy which has left its entire leadership in jail or under house arrest. ASEAN, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 8:46 PM
UN envoy backs Malaysian PM's warning on
Myanmar
KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (AFP) - A threat that Myanmar could be expelled from the ASEAN grouping if the military junta fails to release democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi won support from United Nations special envoy Razali Ismail Tuesday. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's comments that an expulsion of Myanmar from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) might have to be a last resort showed that the situation was "intolerable", Razali told AFP. "The UN depends a lot on ASEAN to take the necessary steps to try to get Aung San Suu Kyi to be released and to bring about democratic changes in Myanmar. "The statement of the prime minister makes clear that the situation is intolerable. "ASEAN is very embarrassed by one member and ASEAN has the right to demand standards of behaviour in terms of governance," the former Malaysian diplomat said. "What the PM said will go down well with other leaders in this area and it will help towards moving the process in freeing Aung San Suu Kyi." He said Mahathir's statement, made in an interview with AFP, made it clear that he "is worried in the way it is moving and there must be a time in which Myanmar must be accountable to its friends, the members of ASEAN." Mahathir's comments sparked widespread interest in the region, particularly as he played a key role in bringing Myanmar into ASEAN in 1997, despite strong objections by critics of the military regime. Mahathir made it clear, however, that expulsion would only be considered if all other options failed. Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won 1990 elections by a landslide but has been denied power by the military, was detained on May 30 when her convoy was attacked by a junta-backed mob while she was on a political tour of northern Myanmar. The incident triggered a wider crackdown on her National League for Democracy which has left its entire leadership in jail or under house arrest. Although the junta has insisted that Aung San Suu Kyi is being detained on a temporary basis for her own safety, it has not indicated when she could be released. The pressure on Myanmar also built up in Indonesia Tuesday as senior officials from Europe pressed for the inclusion of the issue on the agenda of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) beginning Wednesday on the resort island of Bali. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 8:02 PM
Asia pushes for Myanmar's inclusion in ASEM
despite European objections
NUSA DUA, Indonesia, July 22 (AFP) - Asian nations will push for the inclusion of Myanmar in a key Asia-Europe forum even though most of them have criticised the military-ruled nation for detaining democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, an official said Tuesday. Only seven of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- together with China, Japan and South Korea represent the region in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) forum. Aside from Myanmar, the two other ASEAN newcomers Cambodia and Laos are not ASEM members. The 15 European Union members, who make up the other side of the ASEM grouping, have objected to Myanmar's inclusion due to the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. "ASEAN's position is that we are asking to include Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia in ASEM. It should be a priority and in one package," Indonesian foreign ministry official Retno Marsudi told reporters. "Our position is fully supported by the northeast Asian countries (China, Japan and South Korea)," said Marsudi. She was speaking after chairing a meeting of senior officials from the 10 Asian nations in Indonesia's Bali island in preparation for the ASEM foreign ministers' meeting beginning Wednesday. Marsudi acknowledged Europe's opposition to Myanmar's membership but said "we are still discussing it. "We are trying to find a solution and the most important thing is Asia's position is firm on this issue," she said. Marsudi stressed that "there was no problem" among the seven ASEAN members as well as Japan, China and South Korea in backing Myanmar as well as Cambodia and Laos in their bid for membership of ASEM. Aung San Suu Kyi was detained by the military junta following violent May 30 clashes between a pro-junta mob and her supporters. The junta says it is holding here for her own safety. Since then an unknown number of members of her opposition National League for Democracy have been thrown into custody as part of a wider crackdown. The international community has responded angrily, with the United States and European Union beefing up sanctions and ASEAN issuing an unprecedented call last month for Myanmar to release Aung San Suu Kyi. Japan, Myanmar's largest donor nation, has also notified Yangon it would suspend new financial assistance to the country. But China, one of the few countries which maintains political ties with Myanmar, has remained largely silent on the issue, saying it did not want to interfere in Myanmar's "internal affairs." The European side has indicated it wanted to enlarge ASEM to include the 10 prospective new EU members. Arrizal Effendi, who chaired the ASEM senior officials meeting Tuesday, said the "enlargement" of the forum would be determined by a summit meeting in Hanoi next year. New membership is expected to be among key issues to be discussed by the ASEM foreign ministers although it might not be included in the official agenda, which comprises, among others, the Myanmar problem, the North Korean nuclear issue and the post-Iraq war situation. The Europeans have asked for a special session to debate the Myanmar issue. The Asian side objects to a special session. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 5:27 PM
Myanmar envoy to meet Indonesia pres on Suu Kyi JAKARTA, July 22 (Reuters) - A special envoy from Myanmar, probably the foreign minister, will meet Indonesia's president next week to convey a message about the regime's detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, officials said on Tuesday. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said he hoped the envoy, whom he did not name, would carry a message that Suu Kyi would be freed and respond positively to a request by Southeast Asian nations to send a ministerial delegation to Myanmar. "The government of Myanmar will send a special envoy to meet with the president to pass on a message, or Myanmar's policy, on the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi," Wirajuda told reporters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung would arrive in Jakarta on July 27 to attend a meeting of Asian and African officials in the West Java city of Bandung. It would be logical for Win Aung to be the special envoy, although this had not been confirmed, he added. Myanmar's neighbours in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been embarrassed by the junta's treatment of Suu Kyi. Indonesia, under President Megawati Sukarnoputri, currently chairs the grouping. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi was detained on May 30 after a clash between her supporters and a pro-government mob. In Bali, Southeast Asian foreign ministers will gather on the sidelines of an annual meeting on Wednesday and Thursday of Asian and European foreign ministers to discuss concerns over Myanmar. But Myanmar would not attend those talks, Thailand said. "It's admitted by Myanmar itself that the case of Aung San Suu Kyi is a setback for democratisation and reconciliation in Myanmar, and also a backward step for ASEAN," Wirajuda said before leaving for the meetings in Bali. The 10-member ASEAN broke a long tradition of not commenting on the internal affairs of its members when it called in June for the release of Suu Kyi. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 12:50 PM
Southeast Asia calls special talks on Myanmar BANGKOK, July 22 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian foreign ministers will discuss this week international concern over military-ruled Myanmar's detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand said on Tuesday. But Myanmar has not said it will attend the talks, to be held on the sidelines of a meeting between European and East Asian countries on the Indonesian island of Bali, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was quoted at the weekend as saying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) might expel Myanmar as a last resort if Suu Kyi were not freed. But Thailand, fearing an influx of migrants, does not favour isolating Myanmar. ASEAN broke a long tradition of not commenting on the internal affairs of its members when it called in June for the release of Suu Kyi. "The meeting is to help Myanmar find solutions and to help Myanmar ease international pressures, not to mount pressure on them," Surakiart told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting. International anger against Myanmar has mounted since Suu Kyi and two dozen of her followers were detained after a clash between her supporters and a pro-junta youth group on May 30. Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, ASEAN members who are not attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on Bali, had been invited to the talks on Myanmar, but only Laos had said it would attend, Surakiart said. ASEAN foreign ministers have also invited U.N. special envoy to Myanmar Razali Ismail, the only foreign diplomat to have met Suu Kyi since she was detained. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 12:02 PM
Asia-Europe officials discuss Myanmar, N.Korea By Jerry Norton BALI, Indonesia, July 22 (Reuters) - Senior officials setting the agenda for a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers held talks on Tuesday dominated by the issue of human rights in Myanmar and the crisis over North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions. The detention by Myanmar's junta of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi threatens to overshadow the annual gathering of foreign ministers on Wednesday and Thursday, diverting attention from efforts to reform the nature of future meetings with fewer ministers making the long journey from Europe. The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on this island will bring together most of East Asia's foreign ministers, including Li Zhaoxing of China and Yoon Young-kwan of South Korea, as well as six from European Union nations, and will discuss how to expand after EU enlargement next year. That expansion is set to bring demands from Asia's 10 members that Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar be admitted to ASEM next year. For the EU, the suggestion that Myanmar be included raises hackles at the idea of doing business with a junta that has -- yet again -- imprisoned pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi. Asian ministers recognise the need to address the Myanmar issue, especially after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad suggested Myanmar might have to leave the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) unless the junta relaxes its grip. "The immediate focus should be on how to bring about positive developments in Myanmar," said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangkekaeow in a hint that Asia hoped Myanmar would stay in ASEAN while impressing on its military rulers the need for change. International anger against the junta has mounted since Suu Kyi and two dozen of her followers were detained after a clash between her supporters and a pro-junta youth group on May 30. Senior officials of the grouping of 10 Asian nations and 15 European countries as well as the European Union held closed session meetings on Tuesday at a palm-fringed resort on this island -- seen as an Asian paradise until two bombs set by suspected Muslim extremists killed more than 200 people in two popular nightspots last October. Tackling terror, along with how to deal with North Korea's nuclear ambitions, will head the agenda, officials say. "The meeting is an opportunity to discuss ways to revitalise the ASEM process, shared challenges such as terror and non-proliferation, as well as the situations in Myanmar and North Korea," said an EU statement. EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten will present a keynote address on how to take the relationship forward, and ministers from Italy, Belgium and Ireland will also attend. Patten will seek to erase question marks over the low European turnout with his initiative on a new partnership with Southeast Asia and proposals to reduce the number of meetings in favour of more substantive get-togethers, officials say. They say finding ways to join forces to tackle the roots of extremist violence that encompass such problems as poverty, and not just relying on a military and intelligence response, will lead discussions in Bali. "Europe and Asia are not only major trading partners, but partners too in the fight against terrorism and organised crime," Patten was quoted as saying in the EU statement. "I am looking forward to discussing with Asian friends how to make sure our relationship reaches its full potential." -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 8:51 PM
Dealing with Myanmar focus of Asia-Europe talks By Jerry Norton BALI, Indonesia, July 22 (Reuters) - European and Asian officials tried on Tuesday to narrow differences over how sharply to criticise Myanmar for detaining democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, an issue threatening to cast a shadow over a foreign ministers' meeting. Senior officials of the regions, meeting to set the stage for the annual gathering on Wednesday and Thursday of Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) foreign ministers, struggled to find a common position on Myanmar's junta after its detention of Suu Kyi embarrassed neighbours and outraged Europe and the United States. "On the Asian side, they would like the issue to be as low key as possible," said one European diplomat. Europe was divided between those who saw Myanmar as the most important issue and others who felt that given Europe's low turnout of just two foreign ministers they should not antagonise their Asian hosts, he added. Europe had hoped for a separate condemnation of Myanmar's human rights record but officials said it might have to settle for a reference in the final statement from the chair. Any criticism of Myanmar's junta and its treatment of the Nobel laureate, detained again on May 30 after a clash between her supporters and a pro-government mob, may be toned down or even eliminated with several Asian nations closing ranks for fear strong pressure on Myanmar could backfire. "The chair should reflect what is going on in general in discussions on all issues, including Myanmar," said Foreign Ministry official Arizal Effendi, speaking for host Indonesia. He singled out Myanmar when asked about the most contentious issues in the day's talks. Southeast Asian foreign ministers will gather on the sidelines of ASEM to discuss international concern over Myanmar, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said in Bangkok. "The meeting is to help Myanmar find solutions and to help Myanmar ease international pressures, not to mount pressure on them," Surakiart told reporters. Myanmar's foreign minister is expected in Jakarta next week to brief Indonesia -- current chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- on the Suu Kyi situation that has embarrassed ASEAN on the international stage. MALAYSIA MORE OUTSPOKEN Malaysia was more outspoken -- following up on a meeting last month when ASEAN issued unprecedented criticism of a member. "The most important... is the credibility of ASEAN," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. "It is important to have an end date, a clear date when she is going to be released." He told The Star newspaper moves to expel Myanmar from ASEAN would be a last resort. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said at the weekend Myanmar eventually could be thrown out unless its generals freed Suu Kyi. The issue is pertinent for European countries, angered at what they see as human rights violations, but also preparing for the expansion of ASEM next year when EU enlargement takes effect. That expansion will bring demands from the 10 Asian members that Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar be admitted to ASEM. The ASEM meeting on Bali will bring together most of East Asia's foreign ministers, including Li Zhaoxing of China and Yoon Young-kwan of South Korea, and all are expected to agree on a strong statement condemning North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "We need to find a common wording," said a South Korean official, hinting that China may not agree fully with others who want multilateral talks. Pyongyang wants bilateral discussions with the United States. The North Korean weapons crisis was certain to find its way into a final separate statement being hammered out by its nearest neighbours -- China, South Korea and Japan. -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 5:34 PM
Myanmar to press on Suu Kyi JAKARTA (Reuters) - A special envoy from Myanmar, probably the foreign minister, will meet Indonesia's president next week to convey a message about the regime's detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, officials say. Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said on Tuesday he hoped the envoy, whom he did not name, would carry a message that Suu Kyi would be freed and respond positively to a request by Southeast Asian nations to send a ministerial delegation to Myanmar. "The government of Myanmar will send a special envoy to meet with the president to pass on a message, or Myanmar's policy, on the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi," Wirajuda told reporters. Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said Myanmar Foreign Minister Win Aung would arrive in Jakarta on July 27 to attend a meeting of Asian and African officials in the West Java city of Bandung. It would be logical for Win Aung to be the special envoy, although this had not been confirmed, he added. Myanmar's neighbours in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been embarrassed by the junta's treatment of Suu Kyi. Indonesia, under President Megawati Sukarnoputri, currently chairs the grouping. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi was detained on May 30 after a clash between her supporters and a pro-government mob. In Bali, Southeast Asian foreign ministers will gather on the sidelines of an annual meeting on Wednesday and Thursday of Asian and European foreign ministers to discuss concerns over Myanmar. But Myanmar would not attend those talks, Thailand said. "It's admitted by Myanmar itself that the case of Aung San Suu Kyi is a setback for democratisation and reconciliation in Myanmar, and also a backward step for ASEAN," Wirajuda said before leaving for the meetings in Bali. The 10-member ASEAN broke a long tradition of not commenting on the internal affairs of its members when it called in June for the release of Suu Kyi. -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 21, 3:57 PM
Thailand urges Suu Kyi release, downplays expulsion talk By Trirat Puttajanyawong BANGKOK, July 21 (Reuters) - Thailand urged Myanmar's military rulers on Monday to release detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but said talk of expelling Yangon from a Southeast Asian political grouping was premature. International anger against the military government has mounted since Suu Kyi and two dozen of her followers were detained after a clash between her supporters and a pro-junta youth group on May 30. "I've stated clearly every time that Myanmar should release her as soon as possible for Myanmar's own sake. We want to see Suu Kyi return home and gradually receive more freedom," Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters. Myanmar has so far shrugged off condemnation of the Nobel peace laureate's detention, including threats of tougher sanctions by the United States and European Union. Regional analysts say more Asian neighbours are tiring of the behaviour of Myanmar's rulers -- especially with Yangon due to take over the chairmanship of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2006. A weekend report quoted Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as saying ASEAN may expel Myanmar as a last resort if Suu Kyi was not freed. Mahathir played a big role in Myanmar's admission to ASEAN in 1997, arguing then that Asian-style engagement with the junta would be more appropriate than Western pressure. But Thailand, fearing harsher sanctions against its neighbour will unleash a flow of economic migrants over the border, has not favoured further isolating Myanmar. "Having Myanmar as a member of ASEAN will provide a channel to push for democratisation in Myanmar," Surakiart said. Indonesia, which currently chairs the grouping, said on Monday Suu Kyi's continued detention would damage ASEAN and the matter should be resolved as soon as possible. ASEAN broke with three decades of tradition in June to criticise one of its own members, issuing a statement urging Myanmar's ruling generals to free Suu Kyi. East Asian and European foreign ministers, meeting in Bali on Wednesday and Thursday, are expected to again call for Suu Kyi's release. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) swept to victory in 1990 elections but was never allowed to take power. She has spent much of the past 14 years in detention. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 21, 10:39 AM
Asia and Europe to tackle Myanmar junta By Jane Macartney, Asian Diplomatic Correspondent BALI, Indonesia (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from East Asia and Europe gather in Bali this week to discuss preventing terror strikes like the one that hit this island and to urge freedom for democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. The annual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will bring together most of East Asia's foreign ministers, including Li Zhaoxing of China and Yoon Young-kwan of South Korea, as well as six from European Union nations, and will consider the form of future gatherings and how to expand after EU enlargement next year. "It's a shame that more European ministers can't come," said Southeast Asia expert Ralf Emmers of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore. "Asia is more interested in Europe than Europe is in Asia, but then Europe has a lot of its own domestic issues to deal with at the moment." EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten will present a keynote address on how to take the relationship forward, and ministers from Italy, Belgium and Ireland will also attend. Some Asian participants are disappointed, but European officials point to the timing of the meeting -- a decision by host Indonesia -- at the start of Europe summer holidays and say given the distances the turnout is similar to Madrid last year. "We think it's a reasonable score on our part," said one diplomat, dismissing suggestions that the low turnout casts a question mark over the future of ASEM. Patten will seek to erase that question mark with his initiative on a new partnership with Southeast Asia and proposals to reduce the number of meetings in favour of more substantive get-togethers, officials say. "What we are striving to ensure is to maintain substance on the agenda, and output and that is linked to the level of participation," the diplomat said. The meeting will focus on management of the ASEM given the expansion of the EU next year and suggestions that Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar should then join. For the EU, the suggestion that Myanmar be included swiftly raises hackles at the idea of doing business with a junta that has -- yet again -- imprisoned pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi. TACKLING HUMAN RIGHTS, TERROR A statement demanding the release of Suu Kyi is almost a foregone conclusion after the talks on Wednesday and Thursday, although it will be discussed only informally. "Perhaps ASEAN countries are getting fed up with Myanmar," said Emmers, referring to the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations whose members form the bulk of Asian participation in ASEM. Diplomats echo that view, saying more Asian neighbours are getting tired of the behaviour of Myanmar's military rulers -- especially as their chairmanship of ASEAN in 2006 could turn out to be a public relations nightmare unless the junta eases back. Also on the agenda will be the crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, an issue on which Japan is said to be taking an aggressive lead behind the scenes to ensure a statement that hits as hard as diplomatic nicety permits. With the meeting taking place in Bali, where more than 200 people were killed by bombs that destroyed two popular bars on the sand-ringed tropical isle in October last year, how to tackle terror will be high on the agenda. Officials say finding ways to join forces to tackle the roots of extremist violence that encompass such problems as poverty, and not just rely on a military and intelligence response, will lead discussions in Bali. "Life entails risk. We can never hope to eradicate all threats to our security," Patten wrote in Singapore's Straits Times this month. "But we can attempt to make the world a safer and a happier place. "In Bali, let us honour the memory of those whose lives were lost to terrorism last year by taking practical steps to that end. Together, Asia and Europe can make a difference." -------------------------------------------------------------- Tuesday July 22, 2:50 PM
Former Myanmar political prisoner protests in
leg chains
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) _ A former political prisoner from Myanmar shuffled through Brisbane in leg irons Tuesday to raise awareness of a recent bloody crackdown in his homeland. Htoo Htoo Han, 33, winced in pain as he slowly made his way through the city's business district. He plans similar demonstrations in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. The shackles are a reminder of the three years he spent in prison in Myanmar _ also known as Burma _ after his arrest at a pro-democracy student uprising in 1988. Htoo Htoo Han, then 19, was subjected to daily beatings and torture and was chained for almost a year in an unsanitary cell, he said. ``The stench was unbearable in those maggot infested cells. It was a nightmare, I couldn't sleep, a very hard time for me,'' he said. Paroled after three years, Htoo Htoo Han fled to Thailand and was later accepted as a refugee by the United Nations and moved to Australia in 1996. His protest was spurred by the detention of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on May 30, after a clash between her supporters and a government-backed mob. The government says four died in the violence, but opposition sources, backed by independent evidence, have said as many as 70 people were killed in what they called an ambush. The crackdown stirred international outrage, with the European Union and the United States quickly imposing economic sanctions against Myanmar's ruling military junta and an unprecedented rebuke from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Htoo Htoo Han, who plans to present a petition to the government, called for increased pressure on the regime by Australia with an economic and tourist boycott. His campaign is supported by Amnesty International and several refugee support groups. -------------------------------------------------------------- Monday July 21, 9:04 PM
Military rulers of Myanmar keep most citizens
offline
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Visit one of Yangon's only two Internet cafes, glance over a few shoulders, and you'll see people trying to surf their way to a better future beyond the stiff borders of their military-ruled homeland. In theory, anyone can get online in Myanmar, also known as Burma. But this being one of Asia's poorest countries, access is a luxury few can afford. Only about one in 5,000 people has Internet access, and even that is restricted by firewalls and other government-imposed limitations. It was a limited cyber-thaw, then, when Myanmar's isolationist regime, which controls all media and communications in the country, allowed the two cybercafes to open earlier this year. In one, a dusty warehouse-like space called Cyberworld, a recent university graduate sat at one of the shop's 27 terminals looking for Web sites for a master's degree program in computers in the United States. He had a computer science degree from the university in this nation, though Internet access was unavailable on campus. The student, who like many others interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had been able to use the Internet in the past few years only through a private company's connection. Now he and others who can afford the cafes come to look for work opportunities or better schools. Others seek escape through video games. What you won't find _ at least not openly _ are people visiting anti-government Web sites. That can land a person in jail. The military, in power since 1962, arrested six army officers in 1999 for trying to access such a site, according to the Paris-based media freedom group Reporters Without Borders. Pornography, meanwhile, is taboo. And don't even think of trying to access a Hotmail account _ the e-mail service is blocked. ``Of countries worldwide, Burma and North Korea are together at the far end of the scale of Internet repression,'' Shanthi Kalathil, author of the book ``Open Networks, Closed Regimes,'' said in a telephone interview from Washington. Near the 48 terminals at Surf 'N Surf, the other Internet cafe, the rules are posted in fractured English: ``We don't provide any pornography, free e-mail, anti-government Web site, due to strictly prohibited by authority.'' Dissident Web sites, pornography sites and even some general news sites are all but impossible to access because of filtering software installed by the government on computers that link Myanmar with the outside world. While Western technologists have developed ways around such blocks, most of their efforts have focused on China. Myanmar's government blocks the free e-mail services of Hotmail and Yahoo, forcing people to buy accounts from tightly controlled government providers, one of which is owned by the son of military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt, the junta's third-ranking leader. Regulations issued in 2000 forbid the posting of political writings on the Internet. Also banned was anything ``detrimental'' to Myanmar or its ``current policies and secret security affairs.'' One law on the books sets a punishment of up to 15 years in prison for possessing a modem without permission. The pornography barriers, at least, have proven permeable. At one hotel, it was possible to catch a glimpse of two employees at the e-mail service center hastily clicking to shut down spicy photos on a computer screen. Even the business centers at five-star hotels do not provide Internet, only allowing guests to send and receive e-mail through hotel accounts. The staff prints out all e-mails received, smilingly handing paper copies of private messages to guests, ostensibly as a service, but making visitors feel monitored. ``I heard a year ago they were checking e-mail by e-mail, but they are not doing that now,'' says Vincent Brossel of Reporters Without Borders, which recently issued a report on world Internet freedom. Even with the two new Internet cafes, the regime can hardly claim it's allowing public access to the Internet. Most Burmese cannot get online either because they lack the required official permission to open private accounts or they simply can't afford it. The price of an hour at Cyberworld or Surf 'N Surf is US$1.50, an amount many in Myanmar can't earn in a full day. Brossel said the recent easing of restrictions was spurred by business pressures. Keeping the Internet revolution in check has allowed the junta to maintain firm control, but it has also slowed economic development, he said. ``Investor countries want to see more openness,'' he said from Paris. Brossel said the recent thaw could come of a struggle within the military, one that saw generals who seek more foreign dollars outmuscling generals who favor tighter political control. Meanwhile, the Internet has been a powerful force for opposition groups outside Myanmar. They maintain Web sites to provide uncensored news and organize opponents of the military regime all over the world. Though most people in Myanmar can't access them, the sites raise awareness worldwide. In addition, many of the developments _ rumors and fact _ following the May 30 arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi circulated first on the Internet. Kalathil, the author, said pressure from such opposition groups had led to some foreign investors pulling out of Myanmar. ``The transnational opposition movement has had a very tangible impact, and a lot of this has been from Internet organizers,'' she said. -------------------------------------------------------------- New Straits Times
Asean wants fast resolution of Suu Kyi issue to avoid setbacks JAKARTA, July 21: The continued detention of Myanmar?s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi would damage Asean and the matter should be resolved as soon as possible, Indonesia said today. "I think with time, the longer this issue is allowed to remain unresolved, the more it would constitute a setback, not only to the reconciliation process in Myanmar itself, but also a setback to Asean ... indirectly," Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said. He was responding to a report quoting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad as saying Myanmar might be expelled from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) if its generals did not free Suu Kyi. In Bangkok, Thailand also urged Myanmar's military rulers to release Suu Kyi, but said talk of expelling Yangon from Asean was premature. "I've stated clearly every time that Myanmar should release her as soon as possible for Myanmar's own sake. We want to see Suu Kyi return home and gradually receive more freedom," Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said. But Thailand, fearing harsher sanctions against its neighbour will unleash a flow of economic migrants over the border, has not favoured further isolating Myanmar. "Having Myanmar as a member of Asean will provide a channel to push for democratisation in Myanmar," Surakiart said. Last week, Thailand proposed a "road map" for democratic change in Myanmar but spoke out against US sanctions plans. Regional analysts say more Asian neighbours are tiring of the behaviour of Myanmar's rulers ? especially with Yangon due to take over the chairmanship of Asean in 2006. Natalegawa would not directly address the expulsion issue but said Indonesia, the grouping's current chairman, was expecting a meeting with a special envoy from Myanmar very soon to respond to Asean concerns. In Kuala Lumpur, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Myanmar Tan Sri Razali Ismail said Myanmar's prolonged detention of Suu Kyi was something that members of Asean would have to decide. "We (the UN) believe the principled and firm response of Asean countries will help bring about the release of Suu Kyi while putting (national reconciliation) dialogue on track. "We respect what Asean decides ... the UN will be guided by what Asean decides," Razali said today. Meanwhile, foreign ministers from East Asia and Europe meeting in Bali this week were also expected, among others, to push for Suu Kyi's freedom. A statement demanding the release of Suu Kyi is almost a foregone conclusion after the talks on Wednesday and Thursday, although it will be discussed only informally. -------------------------------------------------------------- Myanmar junta releases 91 people, Suu Kyi still
in custody
YANGON, July 22, Kyodo - Myanmar's junta has released 91 people detained following what the military government said was a clash between backers of pro-democracy movement leader Aung San Suu Kyi and pro-junta people in northern Myanmar on May 30, a Foreign Ministry press release said Tuesday. But Suu Kyi is not among them. They were released by July 18, said the press release faxed to various foreign embassies in Yangon. Suu Kyi and several key members of her National League for Democracy (NLD), including NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo, were among those who are still detained. The junta has not disclosed the number detained or their detention sites. Foreign Minister Win Aung said last month in Phnom Penh that the May 30 mayhem left four people dead and 48 injured, but he denied allegations Myanmar's ruling generals engineered the riot. The detention of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has brought international outcries against the junta, including a suggestion by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that Myanmar could be expelled from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for damaging ASEAN's reputation. ASEAN groups Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, in addition to Malaysia and Myanmar. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Star - Tuesday, July 22,
2003
Asean must agree to expulsion? BY MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR
PUTRAJAYA: Any decision to expel a member of Asean will have to be made based on consensus and Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad?s statement that Myanmar may be expelled is a reminder to the ruling military junta. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said any decision to expel Myanmar from the 10-member grouping would be a last resort and as far as Kuala Lumpur was concerned, Yangon must release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi before more pressure was exerted on it. ?Malaysia strongly supported the entry of Myanmar into Asean and we are now cautioning it to take positive action as soon as possible. ?Malaysia is a friend but there is only so much we can do to help Myanmar. It must help itself before expecting others to do it. ?The Prime Minister?s statement is a reminder and any action to expel Myanmar from Asean will be a last resort. That decision (to expel) must be made by Asean based on consensus, just like how Myanmar was admitted into the grouping,? he said when contacted here yesterday. Dr Mahathir, in an interview with AFP, had said that Myanmar may be expelled from Asean if its military rulers continued to defy world pressure to release Suu Kyi. In the news report released on Sunday, the Prime Minister made it clear, however, that this would only be as a last resort as Asean would have to examine every avenue before such a drastic action was taken. Syed Hamid said Myanmar would have to be told that if it did not act on the matter fast, Suu Kyi?s detention would continue to crop up and this would drag Asean into the picture. ?The Asean Foreign Ministers meeting (in Cambodia last month) had asked for the release of Suu Kyi. At the same time, Asean will continue with its constructive engagement with Myanmar to set things back on track. ?We need to convince the international community that Myanmar is listening to us,? he added. -------------------------------------------------------------- Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-07-22 SPDC arranged its choicest prisoners for the ICRC visits to Shwebo prison. Bangkok, July 22: International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) is to visit another Myanmar jail, where May 30 detainees believed to be held. It is learnt that hectic activities are going on in preparation for the visit by arranging the choicest interned prisoners for the ICRC representatives to meet. According to sources from the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) the Burmese Government in exile, there are many political prisoners in Shwebo prison including victims of Depayin (State sponsored) ambush massacre and many of them are transferred out and few are transferred to the prison for the ICRC?s forthcoming visit. Now it is learnt that State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) the Burmese Government controlled by the Army Generals said that the ICRC is allowed to visit the Shwebo prison. According to same NCGUB source: ?In reality, the permission was given only after proper preparation.? The source further add according to information received from inside, important and strong witness persons of Depayin massacre including the NLD MPs U Saw Hlaing (Indaw township Constituency) and U Myint Kyi (Kathar township Constituency) were already removed from Shwebo prison in preparation of the ICRC visit. The SPDC authorities kept the transfer of the, ?important and strong witness persons of Depayin massacre? secret where they were transferred. SPDC is trying to show to the international community that they are open and welcome the ICRC to visit the prisons and to meet with prisoners. At the same time SPDC has already transferred those prisoners it does not want with ICRC meet in the Shwebo prison to another prisons. The NCGUB source informs that the SPDC are very clever at cheating the people, inside and outside. In the meantime according to an Agence France Presse report with July 21 dateline states as follows: The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said Monday it will visit another Myanmar jail where people detained in relation to the military-ruled state's latest democracy crackdown may be held. An ICRC team was granted permission to visit Shwebo prison, located near the northern city of Mandalay, following a Monday meeting with home affairs minister Tin Hlaing, said ICRC delegation head in Myanmar Michel Ducraux. "It's significant because according to some information persons detained in relation to the May 30 event might be detained there, so it's a continuation of our work to find them, register them and transmit messages to their families," Ducraux told AFP. On that date, a pro-junta mob violently attacked a convoy in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) were travelling. The democracy leader was taken into "protective custody", while an unknown number of pro-democracy activists were also detained following the attacks, in which eyewitnesses say dozens were killed. Ducraux said no timeframe was yet been set for the visit. "The important thing is to know that we have access to this place now, because we have access to all jails but this one had remained a little bit out of reach during the last weeks and now it's okay," he said. Under an agreement with the Yangon regime, the ICRC routinely visits all political prisoners in Myanmar, and has been told it may meet with all those taken into custody in relation to the May 30 attacks. However, they have been denied permission to visit Aung San Suu Kyi, who is being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location despite an international outcry. The ICRC wrapped up a routine two-week visit to notorious Insein prison last week where it met with some prisoners detained in connection with May 30 detainees and has already visited several jails in the north of the country. Ducraux declined to elaborate further on the number of prisoners it met with. He said earlier this month the junta had jailed at least 30 pro-democracy activists following the nationwide democracy crackdown that has followed in the wake of the violence. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won elections in 1990 but has never been permitted to rule by the military. -------------------------------------------------------------- |