On 23 June Iran’s top Nuclear envoy Mr Ali Larjani warned that further UN sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme could destroy the negotiation process. The western world really fear both North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programme. But on Burma’s construction of nuclear reactor, and nuclear technology education for military technicians in Russia and North Korea, the world community does not act. So far the international community has not act on that, no talking about sanctions….. the question is why not?

Queen urges voluntary hilltribe resettlement. Her Majesty the Queen has called for hundreds of ethnic hilltribe families to be voluntarily resettled in new "border-watch" villages to try and stem the flow of drugs across the Thai-Burmese border. The Queen recently asked the Third Army and a special committee supervising royally-initiated projects to turn eight border villages in Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces, opposite the military strongholds of the Shan State Army and the United Wa State Army, into border-watch villages to help monitor cross-border drug smuggling.

In the article, “Conflicting Interests Impede Burma’s Democratisation” written by Nehginpao Kipgen, in the Asian Tribune, 2007-06-21, he wrote “In fact, with the nullification of the 1947 Panglong Agreement and the subsequent constitution, all ethnic nationalities of Burma can claim pre-independence status.” I totally agree with this statement but what I am not clear about is what came after, “claiming pre-independence status is likely to create more instability and violence in this volatile situation. Building the Union of Burma would better serve the interests of the different nationalities”.

Rangoon's 15 year narcotics elimination plan that began in the 1999-2000 poppy season has so far been yielding debatable results, despite "clapping and cheering" from the UN Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), according to SHAN's Drug Watch members inside Shan State who recently turned up at the border. For one thing, says one, the plan's Phase One (1999-2004) had targeted 22 townships in Shan State. However, findings by the group shows that cultivation is still being reported in at least 11 townships: North: Mongyai, Hsenwi, Tangyan, Kutkhai, Lashio, Namkham South: Kunhing, Faikhun (Pekhon), Mongpan, Mongkeung, Hsihseng.

In Burma the SPDC´s troops’ Human Rights Violations and War Crimes are very well documented. Particularly in the seven ethnic minority states, it seems that the junta-generals will continue with their Genocide strategy. How long will the world look on? Spurred by greed almost all neighbouring nations continue to favour the SPDC genocide regime in it´s attempts to brutalize the oppressed Burmese population into submission. While the world sleeps on these incidents of human rights violations the population of Burma await the day of deliverance.

To mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, SHAN is today launching a new publication, the Shan Drug Watch newsletter, which contains articles exposing continuing widespread poppy-growing in Shan State in areas under Burma Army control and critiquing current drug policies in Burma. One of the main articles in the newsletter paints a grim picture of the situation in the northern Wa region two years after an opium ban was imposed by Wa authorities, describing how starving ex-poppy farmers are being forced to migrate, causing growing social problems.

Following Bangkok's plan to re-survey and issue new identity cards for non-citizen residents since April, hundreds of ethnic Chinese and hilltribe people have been coming across the border to receive new identities, according to both civilian and official sources. Among them are family members of drug suspects who had taken refuge in Burmese territory since an all-out war on drugs was declared by the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on 1 February 2003.

Khun Tun Oo, elected Shan leader who was detained and sentenced to a 93 year prison term in 2005, has been marking his time at Burma's northernmost prison in Putao in peace, according to a family friend. "I have prepared myself since Day One for this eventuality when I decided to go into politics," he was quoted as saying. "So the long ordeal may break my body but not my spirits."

A five-day gathering of activists from Shan State to discuss the first draft of Shan State charter last week has called for self-ruled homelands for the state's major ethnic groups. The 11-15 June meeting, titled The Third Dissemination on Shan State Draft Constitution, held on the border opposite Chiangmai, proposed that a provision should be contained in the draft to grant self government status, apart from Shans, to Akha, Danu, Intha, Kachin, Kayan, Kokang, Lahu, Palaung, PaO and Wa.

A pro-junta militia force in southern Shan State was disarmed and dissolved on Thursday, 7 June, according to news coming to the border. The event – the disbandment of the Mongyawn militia led by Sai Kyaw in Mongkeung township, Loilem district, 109 miles northeast of the state capital Taunggyi was presided over by Brigadier General Win Myint, deputy commander of the Eastern Region Command. Arms relinquished by the group included 22 assorted automatic rifles and 3 pistols.

The Bush administration on Tuesday added seven nations, including several key U.S. allies in the Middle East, to its human trafficking blacklist for failing to halt what it called the scourge of "modern-day slavery." Countries on the list are subject to sanctions for not doing enough to stop the yearly flow of some 800,000 people, 80 percent of them female and up to half of them children, across international borders for the sex trade and other forms of forced and indentured labour. Among U.S. friends getting a failing grade were Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, which along with Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Malaysia joined for the first time perennial offenders like Myanmar (Burma), Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria in the State Department's annual "Trafficking in Persons Report."

Information given by the Shan State Army (SSA) South on 6 June during the destruction of 1.1 million speed pills had prompted investigation by the Burma Army's Triangle Region Command, according to border sources. According to the SSA, 5 Light infantry battalions (LIB): 329, 330, 571, 579 and 580 were involved in a maneuver to head off an SSA unit trying to intercept the drug convoy coming across Kengtung to the Thai border.

Armed rebel groups from around Burma today condemned the constitution- drafting National Convention after the military announced yesterday it would re-convene for its final session on July 18. Khun Okka, secretary general of the National Democratic Front, which comprises a number of ethnic minority rebel groups such as the Karen National Union and the Arakan Liberation Army, said the umbrella group did not consider the convention to be legal. “We do not recognise the Nyaunghnabin convention as legitimate. There is no way we would accept the result of the army-controlled convention,” Khun Okka said.

The Shan State Army (SSA) South held its third drug bonfire at Loi Kawwan base, opposite Chiangrai at 11:00 this morning. The ceremony was presided over by Col Yawdserk, the SSA boss, and witnessed by a number of foreign media including The Nation, Bangkok Post and TiTV. The SSA is ready to cooperate with Burma’s military junta in the field of drug suppression, he said, as he put the torch to 1.1 million methamphetamine pills, priced at Baht 28.5 million( $ 1 million) on the Thai-Burma border. The pills were reportedly seized from the pro-junta militia led by Ja Seu-bo.

The Shan States has the Nam Keio ( Irrawaddy ) as its western boundary, and the Nam Khong (Mekhong) as its eastern boundary. From the eastern part of the Tibetan plateau flows the rapid flowing Nam Khone (Salawin). Legend has it that the Nam Kieo has a great green dragon living in it and a white dragon in the Nam Khone. These two dragons dislike each other so much that evil befalls anyone just mentioning the name of the opponent dragon while traveling in either river. Seen from the air, the Namkhone snakes its tortuous course through impenetrable jungle like a silvery streak. During the rainy season, due to flash floods in its numerous tributaries, the river is swollen and dangerous. I saw a Yamaha motor-cycle and a Hino truck being carried away and disappearing downstream.

The recent crackdowns and restrictions by Chiangmai Police on migrant workers from Burma has affected their daily lifestyle, say Shan migrant workers. These days Chiangmai police are setting up frequent checkpoints, especially targeting migrant workers. “Now people (Shan) are afraid to go out and meet with their friends and family as usual, because of the news of arresting migrant workers” said a Shan shopkeeper.

Burmese monastery school students hold out collection boxes to keep their classes going As Burmese children troop back to school this month they’ll be swapping tales of what they did in the summer holidays. While most spent their few free weeks at leisure, thousands of others will be recalling hours at the roadside collecting money to ensure that their schools can continue when term resumes. These conscientious kids attend Burma’s 1,300 monastery schools, where free primary education is offered up to grade five and, in just a few establishments, grade eight. The alternative for their parents is to enroll them in state schools, where the fees and the cost of uniforms and school books are a big burden o­n average family budgets.

The Committee expressed its profound concern at the forced labour situation in Myanmar, as reflected in the observation of the Committee of Experts. It concluded that none of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry had yet been implemented, and the imposition of forced labour continued to be widespread, particularly by the army to which specific instructions should be issued. The situation in Kayin (Karen) State and northern Rakhine (Arakan) State was particularly serious. The Committee strongly urged the Government to take all the necessary measures to give effect to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry.

Rogues emulate rogues. And Burma is dreaming of emulating North Korea . Burma , carrying the stigma of being branded as a rogue nation, along with North Korea , seems to have no qualms about either western sanctions or being branded as such. It is now hell bent on acquiring nuclear technology and will be setting up a nuclear reactor with the help of big brother Russia much to the consternation of the international community. Pursuing a nuclear dream, Burma re-established diplomatic ties with North Korea in April this year. The Burmese military junta had severed diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1983 in the aftermath of a bomb attack in Rangoon by North Korean agents targeting the then South Korean President, which killed four visiting South Korean ministers. But despite this ostensible break in diplomatic ties, the junta's generals had maintained a tenuous link with the North Korean military apparatus. North Korea has been sending armaments like surface to air and ballistic missiles to Burma for quite a few years. Burma , which has rich deposits of uranium, in turn has been mining and refining the uranium and shipping it to North Korea . Technicians into nuclear technology in North Korea have assisted Burma handle radiation problems and programmes related to uranium enrichment.