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HEADLINES
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AP - Myanmar 1990 election winners want junta's UN seat
AP - Diplomat says ASEAN rights court unlikely soon
AFP - US remains 'deeply concerned' about Suu Kyi welfare
AFP - Three injured in a bus explosion in Myanmar: report
AFp - Suu Kyi supporters on hunger strike in Japan
IRIN - MYANMAR: Cyclone elderly facing tough times
Reuters - Charities and their donors
CNA - Cyclone-hit village in Myanmar recovers with help from Tripartite Core Group
UNICEF (press release) - UNICEF helps to clean contaminated water supplies in cyclone-affected Myanmar
The Korea Times - Museum Shows Myanmar Embroideries
Xinhua - Myanmar to set up first international- level beans, pulses wholesale center
Xinhua - Myanmar, Russia to jointly explore oil, gas
ReliefWeb - Myanmar emergency response continues
The Economic Times - Researchers map Myanmar forests for wildlife
Asian Tribune - Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 documents Burmese ruling junta’s atrocities
Mizzima News - Student Warriors lambast junta over false accusations
Mizzima News - Trial of 88 Generation Students begin
The Irrawaddy - Crime, Murder Mounting in Rangoon
The Irrawaddy - Authorities Isolate Suu Kyi’s Companion in Hospital
DVB News - Educationalists concerned by Burmese literacy rate
DVB News - Ceasefire groups strengthen forces in Shan state

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Myanmar 1990 election winners want junta's UN seat
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
Tue Sep 9, 8:37 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The pro-democracy winners of Myanmar's 1990 elections asked the U.N. secretary-general Tuesday to recognize their own representatives in place of those of the current military rulers at the United Nations.

A letter from candidates elected to parliament in 1990 challenged the legitimacy of the military government that refused to cede power after a landslide victory by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. The junta has ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, ever since.

Daw San San, vice president of the Members of Parliament Union (Burma), said in the letter obtained by The Associated Press that the organization has set up a permanent mission to the United Nations and has appointed U Thein Oo as its permanent representative to the U.N.

"His excellency U Thein Oo is instructed to represent the people of Burma and the legitimate, democratically elected members of parliament in all organs of the United Nations," San said.

Oo was identified as an elected representative from Mandalay.

Brendan Varma, a U.N. spokesman, said the letter had been received by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office and would be studied.

Myanmar's U.N. Mission said Ambassador Kyaw Tint Swe was not in his office to comment.

The 63rd session of the General Assembly will open on Sept. 16, a week before world leaders arrive for their annual ministerial meeting, and San's letter could be referred to the assembly's credentials committee.

The military has ruled Myanmar since 1962 and has been widely criticized for suppressing basic freedoms. The current junta, which took power in 1988 after crushing pro-democracy demonstrations, held general elections in 1990 but refused to cede power to Suu Kyi's NLD. Since then, the country has been in political deadlock.

Suu Kyi has been in prison or under house arrest for more than 12 of the past 18 years. For about the last three weeks, the 63-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner has refused daily food deliveries to her home to protest her ongoing detention, her party said.

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Diplomat says ASEAN rights court unlikely soon
Wed Sep 10, 6:43 AM ET

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Rights activists must not press a bloc of Southeast Asian nations to quickly create a human rights court or drop its nonintervention policy because such pressure is doomed to fail, a Philippine diplomat said Wednesday.

Rosario Manalo reminded dozens of human rights activists, who had gathered in Manila to offer their recommendations for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations human rights body, that the 10-member bloc decides which policies to implement by consensus, meaning just one nation can scuttle a proposal.

``If you ask right now for a court, forget it,'' said Manalo, who represents the Philippines in an ASEAN panel setting up the rights body. ``Let's have it in the horizon, although it won't have any chance for the moment.''

ASEAN, founded in 1967, has promised to establish a regional human rights commission under a new charter its heads of state signed in Singapore last year. The grouping formed a high-level task force to negotiate its rights body's future makeup, role and powers, which will be presented for approval to a summit of ASEAN leaders in Thailand in December.

At the forum Wednesday, some 60 organizations petitioned for ASEAN to set up a human rights court. One activist called for the easing of the regional grouping's bedrock policy of not intervening in other member nations' domestic affairs to provide flexibility in the investigation of alleged human rights violations.

Some ASEAN members have and will continue to oppose any attempt to remove that nonintervention policy, which even United Nation members adhere to, Manalo said.

``You're asking for the moon, you won't get it,'' Manalo said. ``The fundamentals are not negotiable.' '

ASEAN is open to reforms but should be cajoled slowly considering its members' diverse political characters, she said.

The activists want the human rights body to be able to investigate the scene of alleged violations with unrestricted access to victims and witnesses and no reprisals for those who testify to the ASEAN rights body.

Manalo said the Philippines already backs those principles and urged the activists to approach other ASEAN member governments separately with their recommendations.

``There are a lot of very serious human rights violations in the region,'' Malaysian rights advocate Yap Swee Seng told The Associated Press, adding ASEAN's image would be tarnished if it would come up with a weak rights body after promising to strongly uphold human rights and democracy.

Myanmar, which has been condemned by the West and fellow ASEAN members for its dismal human rights record, has opposed any attempt to empower the human rights body to intrude into alleged violations, arguing they should be handled internally.

A Myanmar diplomat, Thaung Tun, has said his country wants any regional human rights body to serve just as a consultative mechanism and not one that would engage in too much scrutiny and ``shame and blame'' any ASEAN member state.

ASEAN is a Cold War-era bloc of fledgling democracies, authoritarian states, a military dictatorship and a monarchy. It has long been hamstrung by that diversity, along with decision-by- consensus and noninterference policies.

But the bloc takes pride in banding together such diverse countries, creating a platform to resolve conflicts. Its long-overdue charter is aimed at formally turning the 40-year-old organization _ often derided as a powerless talk shop _ into a rules-based entity.

ASEAN's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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US remains 'deeply concerned' about Suu Kyi welfare
Tue Sep 9, 5:02 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Tuesday it remains "deeply concerned" about the welfare of Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi but could not confirm reports she is on a hunger strike.

"We are aware of the reports that Aung San Suu Kyi has refused food deliveries," according to a statement from the office of State Department spokesman Sean McCormack who had been asked if he could confirm the reports.

"The regime's continued isolation and detention under house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi makes it impossible to confirm reports such as these. The United States and the international community remain deeply concerned about her welfare," read the statement.

It added that a US official last visited Aung San Suu Kyi in April 2003, a month before she was put under house arrest, but that the Myanmar, also known as Burma, "has severely limited outside contact with her" since then.

"We continue to urge the Burmese regime to release immediately and unconditionally Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as all other political prisoners and begin a genuine, time-bound dialogue on democratic transition with the democratic movement and ethnic minority leaders," the statement said.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said last week the Nobel Peace laureate had refused to accept food from the junta for three weeks, although the military government denied she was on a hunger strike.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 63, has spent most of the last 19 years under house arrest.

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Three injured in a bus explosion in Myanmar: report
AFP - Wednesday, September 10

YANGON (AFP) - Three passengers were injured when an explosion ripped through the back of a bus at a busy intersection in Myanmar's main city Yangon, state media reported Wednesday.

Two men and a woman were injured on the bus just before 11:00 am (0430 GMT) Tuesday, the official New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.

"The rear roof of the bus was blown off," the paper said, adding that there was a foot-wide hole near the seat where the explosion occured.

The paper did not mention whether a bomb caused the blast but said officials were investigating.

Myanmar's military rulers on Sunday accused two members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) of bombing pro-government offices in July.

That was the first time the junta has accused members of the pro-democracy party of being involved in a bombing. Past bomb blasts in the country have been blamed on armed exile groups.

The NLD won a landslide victory in the 1990 election but the junta never allowed them to take office and Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest almost constantly since then.

Myanmar has been ruled by the militry since 1962.

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Suu Kyi supporters on hunger strike in Japan
AFP - Wednesday, September 10

TOKYO (AFP) - Some 50 Myanmar nationals in Japan are to stage hunger strikes in solidarity with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the protesters said Tuesday.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said last week the Nobel Peace laureate had refused to accept food from the junta for three weeks, although the military government denied she was on a hunger strike.

"We demand that both the Japanese government and the United Nations check on the health of Suu Kyi," said Auny Tun Lin, 31, who started his hunger strike with four others outside the United Nations University in Tokyo late Monday.

"We don't know how long we will last but we won't stop until we know Suu Kyi's health situation or collapse ourselves," he said.

Wearing a straw hat and a headband reading, "On hunger strike," he and the others plan to sit for 72 hours in front of the UN-backed university in one of Tokyo's glitziest districts.

They will be replaced with others among the 50 Myanmar nationals who have each agreed to fast for 72 hours, he said.

"We don't have enough access to know her situation. We don't see enough news on her," said another protester, Ye Nyein, 44.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 63, who has spent most of the last 19 years under house arrest, has no source of food other than daily rations from the regime.

Her National League of Democracy, while stopping short of saying she was on a hunger strike, said she was going without food from the junta to draw attention to her"unfair" imprisonment and that of her two maids, one of whom was taken to hospital on Friday night with kidney trouble.

Myanmar nationals form the largest refugee group in Japan, which in a rare break from Western nations maintains friendly relations with the military regime.

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MYANMAR: Cyclone elderly facing tough times

YANGON, 9 September 2008 (IRIN) - Of the 2.4 million affected by Cyclone Nargis, about 700,000 people are over 55, many of whom lost everything in the storm, according to a survey by the NGO HelpAge International, with the most vulnerable highly dependent on family and wider communities.

Despite that, access to emergency relief is limited, with fewer than 10 percent saying they had received any attention directed at older people as part of the relief effort.

“There aren’t many people my age left in the village. So far I haven't received anything provided only for older people,” Kyin Hla, who lost his wife in the storm.

“Older people are often the missing element in relief and rehabilitation efforts,” confirmed Richard Blewitt, chief executive of HelpAge International.

Although the Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA), report compiled by the Myanmar government, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the UN - which details the needs of affected communities and households – makes special mention of their vulnerabilities, it fails to spell out the specific interventions needed.

“Ensuring that the particular challenges and needs of this group of persons are addressed is critical to ensuring a successful relief and recovery programme for all the affected population,” Blewitt said.

Many older survivors rely on food provided by relief organisations or relatives and community leaders such as monks.

Most are reliant on the food supplies of international NGOs (50 percent) and local NGOs (9 percent), the HelpAge report states.

Close to 80 percent of respondents lost their homes in the category four storm, while more than half report having no productive assets to sustain themselves. Many lost their partners or primary caregivers.

Before Nargis, Kyin Hla owned 15 acres of land and was largely self-sufficient. But after losing everything in the storm - including his wife, two children and 18 buffaloes - Kyin Hla moved to a monastery in Yangon so he could look after his orphaned grandson.

The monastery provides food and shelter for them, while a senior monk takes care of his grandson's education.

“This allows us to economise our living costs,” he said, one of several coping strategies many elderly survivors have now adopted.

Coping strategies

Thirty-five percent of those surveyed cited cutting down or skipping meals (32 percent), not eating at all on some days (11 percent), or going to relatives' homes (15 percent).
Though older people in Myanmar receive a considerable amount of respect in their communities, and live with their immediate family members, 7 percent reported to be living alone now.

Those elderly who had no children at all faced a particularly tough time, leaving them with a strong sense of insecurity.

“The older people that don’t have any son or daughter face difficulties,” Aung Thu, a team leader with HelpAge confirmed.

Adding to their plight is the devastating impact the cyclone has had on their overall health.

Before Nargis, 30 percent of respondents did not suffer from any significant illness, against 2 percent after the storm, the survey stated.

Aung Thu recalled meeting three women aged from 72 to 86 years on one of his mobile healthcare trips to the affected area.

“The youngest of the three women had severe lung problems, but was caring for her two older sisters,” he said.

He later learned that the woman had passed away after failing to receive the treatment she needed.

“The two old ladies are now living with a niece in the village. I wonder how long the other two will survive,” he asked.

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FACTBOX: Charities and their donors
Tue Sep 9, 2008 8:08pm EDT

(Reuters) - A weak U.S. economy is crimping donations to charities, forcing some to curtail activities.

Some facts about U.S. charities and their donors:

* Two-thirds of American households have given something to charity -- with the average household donating $2,000 a year. Slightly more than half of households give every year, while 15 percent never do.

* U.S. charitable donations tend to drop about 1 percent during recession years and rise 4 percent in years of economic growth.

* There are roughly 1.2 million charities in the United States. A period of expansion is widely expected to end, and nonprofits with similar causes may consolidate. Charitable foundations number 72,000, double the number of 15 years ago.

* In 2007, a total of $306.4 billion was donated to charity in the United States, of which one-third was given to religious institutions. Of the total, $229 billion, or 75 percent, was donated by individuals. Adding in family-run foundations, individuals accounted for 88 percent of giving. Bequests accounted for 8 percent of donations, and corporations accounted for 5 percent.

* Charitable donations in response to disasters: U.S. Gulf Coast hurricanes (2005) $5.3 billion; Pakistan earthquake (2005) $150 million; Myanmar cyclone (2008) $22 million; China earthquake (2008) $31 million; Indian Ocean tsunami (2004) $1.9 billion; September 11 (2001) terror attacks $2.8 billion.

* The world's largest charitable foundation is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which made about $2 billion in grants last year. Billionaire Warren Buffett is pouring $1.5 billion a year into the foundation, to which the pair have pledged the bulk of their combined wealth of $120 billion.

* Pharmaceutical companies were the top corporate givers, with some of the gifts in the form of drugs. Pfizer Inc gave $1.76 billion; Merck $828 million; Johnson & Johnson $497 million; Microsoft $432 million; Wal-Mart Stores Inc $301 million; Bank of America Corp $211 million; Exxon Mobil $173 million; Citigroup $146 million.

Sources: Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, Association of Corporate Contribution Professionals, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
(Compiled by Andrew Stern in Chicago)

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Cyclone-hit village in Myanmar recovers with help from Tripartite Core Group
By Channel NewsAsia's Chan Eu Imm in Myanmar
Posted: 09 September 2008 0034 hrs

KUNGYANGON TOWNSHIP, Myanmar : A village on the outskirts of Yangon city is being held up as a model for Myanmar's post-disaster recovery efforts.

It is hoped that the results from Seik Gyi village in Kungyangon township can be replicated in other communities devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May. The cyclone killed 67 people in the village.

A bird's eye view from the UN Aid Helicopter shows how floodwaters have receded in Seik Gyi village since June. From afar, it is easy to spot the problems, but on the ground, they are harder to solve.

The monsoon season brings rain, but not enough to dampen the resilience of a community coming back to life.

The pace of recovery in the village has picked up over the past few weeks, thanks to a pilot rehabilitation project led by ASEAN volunteers - called the Community-Based Early Recovery Pilot Project. The goal is to help villagers help themselves, by identifying their urgent priorities.

Thanapon Songput, Seik Gyi project manager, said: "(For) every problem, (we) should (involve) the community, village community. And the villagers also have to share their ideas, and their way of managing (and fixing) the problem."

The project kicked off at the end of July, and has been adopted by the ASEAN-UN-Myanmar Tripartite Core Group (TCG), which has just marked its 100-day establishment. It has successfully bridged trust and cooperation between Myanmar and the international community.

US$170,000 has been poured into Seik Gyi, funded by the ASEAN Cooperation Fund for Disaster Assistance. This will support the reconstruction of their damaged monastery and decontamination of some 30 community wells.

Bishow Parajuli, UN resident coordinator, said: "They need to rebuild their houses, they need to rebuild their lives, the schools have to be rebuilt, the village community needs to be rebuilt."

According to Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu, the most pressing need is to help villagers regain their livelihood as the next stage of recovery transitions from relief to rehabilitation.

Fishermen have received new nets and built new boats, while farmers have been given betel leaf saplings to revive their crops. But the project will only last about three months, as the TCG hopes to adopt more villages.

Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, said: "We are not going to be here forever. I understand that Minister Kyaw Thu has made that very clear to them too, that they should use this opportunity to gather as much goodwill and prepare themselves for the next stage. But ASEAN and the international community will be here only temporarily. "

Thanapon Songput said: "Villagers are happy now, they are willing to help us. Before we came here, they were thinking about how they can get back to (their normal lives), who will support them."

Elsewhere near the Irrawaddy Delta, places like the Toe Village are getting back on their feet with the help of the Myanmar government. But there are millions deeper inland, who need help.

Dr Surin said: "These victims, 2.4 million of them, will need to survive into the the next crop year... we have to help them to survive."

The whole aim is to replicate the Seik Gyi model in other affected areas, but it is something that is easier said than done. For instance, Seik Gyi's population of 1,000 is modest compared to other bigger villages.

Making sure funds flow in to the tune of US$1 billion over the next three years is another issue. But perhaps the biggest challenge is sustaining the relief, so that the people in such villages do not lose what they have worked so hard to regain.

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UNICEF helps to clean contaminated water supplies in cyclone-affected Myanmar
UNICEF (press release) - By Anna K. Stechert

IRRAWADDY DIVISION, Myanmar, 9 September 2008 – In Myanmar's cyclone-affected Nga Yoke Kaung village, drinking water traditionally comes only from two ponds. The recent cyclone in the Irrawaddy Delta not only destroyed homes and severely damaged the remote village's primary school, but also contaminated its primary water source.

Salt water and debris stirred up by the May cyclone have made the water unusable. The ponds need to be emptied and cleaned so that they can be filled with rainwater again.
“The villagers, the local authorities and aid agencies recognized right away that the cleaning of these ponds will be crucial to cover the drinking water needs of the affected population,” said UNICEF Myanmar’s Chief of Water and Sanitation, Waldemar Pickardt.

Providing pumps, monitoring progress

UNICEF has provided Nga Yoke Kaung village with water pumps to help drain the ponds, and is monitoring their progress. The first pond is already clean and, thanks to the constant rain, is now filled with safe water.

But the community is facing a dilemma; the ponds need to be drained quickly, because they must be refilled before the monsoon season concludes at the end of October.

However, during the monsoon season, the rain is so strong that it is very difficult to empty the ponds. If the villagers do not manage to clean the second pond very soon, there will not be enough rain to fill it again this year.

“We are not quitting until this thing is empty,” said one of the workers in Nga Yoke Kaung, standing waist-deep in water and tossing mud onto the shore. He was joined by 50 more villagers, all of whom understood the severity of the situation. Without the ponds, the community will not have water to get through the coming six months of dry season.

The village head is confident that with UNICEF’s help, his community will be able to empty and clean the second pond quickly.

Alternative solutions

UNICEF is also working on alternative solutions to help cyclone-affected communities in high-risk areas of Myanmar. The organization plans to relocate eight water-treatment plants to strategic locations, so that ponds can be refilled with treated water from the rivers. In addition, UNICEF is advocating water rationing and is distributing tanks to villages to increase their storage capacity.
 
“Even though ... significant efforts are under way to pump contaminated water out of the ponds, I am worried we won’t be able to clean all the water ponds before the dry season starts,” said Mr. Pickardt. “Therefore, it is very important to identify high-risk areas with potential drinking water shortages during the upcoming dry season.”

UNICEF, with the support of other aid agencies and the Government  of Myanmar, has cleaned a total of 1,800 ponds so far.

“By working closely with the communities, local authorities and our partner agencies, I am confident that we can make a difference and be well prepared to avoid severe water shortages,” said Mr. Pickardt.

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Museum Shows Myanmar Embroideries
The Korea Times - 09-10-2008 19:04 
By Chung Ah-young: Staff Reporter

The Museum of Korean Buddhist Art is holding a special exhibition of Myanmarese embroidery.

It is the second Southeast Asian Buddhist art exhibition since the museum hosted the ``Laotian Buddhist Sculpture Exhibit'' last year.

The exhibition presents 30 pieces of Myanmar embroidery, which are exotic and flamboyant, a rarity in Buddhist art, which mostly include paintings and sculptures.

Myanmar is called the ``nation of Buddha pagodas and Buddhist monks,'' which shows how the religion dominates the country.

As Buddhism is deeply rooted in the lives of the Myanmar people, most of the embroidered works involve Buddhist symbolism.

The traditional embroidery of Myanmar uses elaborate materials such as gold and silver thread, pearls, marbles, gem stones and metals.

The exhibition is designed to introduce the uniqueness of Buddhist culture in South East Asian countries though showing off a variety of historic relics.

On the first and the second floors, a variety of embroidered fabrics depicting the life and good deeds of Sakyamuni are on display.

Beside the embroidered fabrics, six other Buddhist artworks including sculptures and paintings from Myanmar are presented to provide a window into their lives, culture and beliefs.

South East Asian countries are known for textile artworks from the ancient times, which shows the ancestors' beliefs, religion, customs and culture.

Also, the fabric artworks were often regarded as incarnated ancestors with spirits in South East Asian countries. So the textiles were hung on the wall when people held a festival or a ritual ceremony to give thanks to their ancestors.

The museum explains why some artworks feature Buddha as a king, servant, or peasant; or as an animal such as an elephant, lion, deer, monkey, rabbit, peacock or fish.

Among others, the embroidered paintings depict the previous lives of Buddha that are divided into 547 stories, expressing Buddha as various entities such as man, elephant, deer and lion.

The museum was established in July 1993 as a private museum located near Changdeok Palace in central Seoul.

Traditional Korean Buddhist works, which display the joys and sorrows of life and express a longing for the wishes of all living beings, have historically been regarded as not only the spiritual foundation, but the precious cultural heritage of the Korean people.

The museum has collected over 6,000 Korean Buddhist works including paintings, sculptures, crafts, ritual items, folk items and ceramics.

The exhibition will continue through Sept. 28. Admission is 3,000 won for students and 5,000 won for adults.

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Myanmar to set up first international- level beans, pulses wholesale center
www.chinaview. cn  2008-09-09 21:12:28

YANGON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will set up its first international- level beans and pulses wholesale center in the country in a bid to further penetrate the international market, the local weekly journal Pyi Myanmar reported Tuesday.

The project will be implemented by the biggest business organization -- the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), the report said, adding that the UMFCCI has appealed to the domestic merchants to take part in the move.

 

Meanwhile, the Myanmar authorities have called for extended cultivation of marketable beans and pulses as a continued effort to maintain the status that such Myanmar crops have earned a good reputation for its quality in local and international market.

Noting that Myanmar beans and pulses have gained a foothold in the international market, the authorities urged boosting export of the crops as well as fetching handsome prices through extensive cultivation of quality strains of crops and use of fertilizers and pesticide.

Myanmar's five divisions and states of Ayeyawaddy, Bago, Sagaing, Mandalay and Magway are extensively growing beans an pulses that are marketable at home and abroad with the latter three divisions growing the crops on a commercial scale.

In addition, large-scale cultivation of soya bean is also being introduced as it is found in demand in the foreign markets, it added.

Merchants trading agricultural crops in Myanmar are also planning to set up special beans, pulses and sesame cultivation zones across the country to develop such crops production and boost export.

Beans and pulses are among the 10 major items of agricultural crops that Myanmar grow. Among them, gram, lablab bean, pigeon pea, butter bean and soya bean are cultivated most in the country.

The export items of beans and pulses cover green gram, pigeon pea, soya bean, cow pea and Myehtaukpe.

Myanmar has become the second largest beans and pulses exporter in the world after Canada and topped beans exporter in Asia with India standing as Myanmar's largest buyer of the crops which accounted for 72 percent of Myanmar's total beans export.

According to figures of the Central Statistical Organization, in 2007-08, Myanmar exported 1.177 million tons of various items of beans and pulses including Matpe, Pedesein, Pesingon, Gram, Sesamum seeds and Niger seeds, earning a total of 670 million U.S. dollars.

Since 1988-89, the cultivated area of beans and pulses has gradually grown year by year, reaching over 3 million hectares so far.

Beans and pulses, like other agricultural crops such as rice, stand as one of the mainstay of the country's economy.

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Myanmar, Russia to jointly explore oil, gas
www.chinaview. cn  2008-09-09 11:19:48

YANGON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Myanmar's oil company and a Russian one will jointly explore oil and gas in two onshore areas in Myanmar, the state-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Tuesday.

According to a production sharing contract signed last weekend between the state-operated Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and the Closed Joint Stock Oil Company "Nobel Oil" of the Russian Federation, the exploration will be done in Hukaung and U-ru regions.

Other three Russian oil companies have been engaged in oil and gas exploration in Myanmar under respective contracts since 2006. The first, which is JSC Zarubezhneft Iteraaws along with the Sun Group of India, has been exploring oil and gas at block M-8 lying in the Mottama offshore area.

The other two Russian companies -- Silver Wave Sputnik Petroleum Pte Ltd and the Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd of Kalmykia have been drilling Zeebyutaung test well-1 at the inland block B-2in Pinlebu township of northwestern Sagaing division under similar contract reached in March 2007.

There has been seven foreign companies operating onshore, including Essar Oil Ltd, Focus Energy Ltd, MPRL Exploration and Production Private Ltd, Goldpetrol, CNOOC, Sinopec Oil Company and Chinerry Assests, according to statistics.

There exists 19 onshore oil fields in Myanmar including Yenangyaung, Ayadaw, Chauk, Myanaung, Mann, Kyaukkhwet/Letpando , Htaukshabin, Kanni and Nyaungdon.

Besides the onshore areas, Myanmar has abundance of natural gas resources in the offshore areas. With three main large offshore oil and gas fields and 19 onshore ones, Myanmar has proven recoverable reserve of 18.012 trillion cubic-feet (TCF) or 510 billion cubic-meters (BCM) out of 89.722 TCF or 2.54 trillion cubic-meters (TCM)'s estimated reserve of offshore and onshore gas, experts said, adding that the country is also estimated to have 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude oil reserve.

Statistics show that foreign investment in Myanmar's oil and gas sector had reached 3.243 billion dollars in 85 projects as of the end of 2007 since the country opened to such investment in late 1988, standing the second in the country's foreign investment sectorally after electric power.

In 2007, foreign investment in the oil and gas sector more than tripled to 474.3 million U.S. dollars compared with 2006, accounting for 90 percent of the total during the year which stood504.8 million, according to the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development.

Currently, 13 foreign oil companies, mainly from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Russia, are involved in oil and gas projects in Myanmar, according to official sources.

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Myanmar emergency response continues
Source: Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D)
ReliefWeb - Date: 09 Sep 2008

Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) continues to provide emergency relief in Myanmar (Burma) through the Action by Churches Together (ACT) International network following the cyclone that devastated the Irrawaddy delta region in May. Relief efforts have been strategic and effective, and continue to reach an increasing number of people. While the need for food and shelter has been met in some areas, there are still many regions in need of support.

The resilience of those who have been most affected is inspiring. A surprisingly high proportion of the Delta's paddy fields have been planted despite the destruction created by Cyclone Nargis. Still, close to a million people will rely on food assistance for many months to come. In areas such as agriculture, fishing, health and education, an enormous recovery and rebuilding task lies ahead for the affected population as well as for those seeking to assist them.

With support from PWS&D and other member organizations, ACT International launched its full relief and recovery appeal for over $12 million US to provide assistance through the end of 2008. The ACT alliance has assisted approximately 400,000 people with emergency assistance and supplies, including food, water, shelter, basic household items, power tillers and seeds.

Despite widespread death and destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the focus of relief efforts continues to be on empowering victims to regain the will and strength to rebuild their lives and move on from this disaster.

Specific activities and achievements:

- Water baskets used to collect rainwater have been supplied to 1,572 communities serving an average of 150 individuals in each location with drinking water.

- Over 24,000 tarpaulins are helping more than 100,000 people create temporary shelters.

- Four water purification systems are now available for emergency use, providing safe drinking water for approximately 10,000 people.

- More than 80,000 individuals have received food items.

- Small grants to village committees are allowing residents to purchase food and other relief items, helping an estimated 120,000 people.

- Power tillers, fuel and rice seeds are helping villages ensure a rice paddy harvest.

- Small-scale assistance is helping people deal with the psychosocial consequences of the disaster. ACT has provided assistance for funerals and staff continue to visit destroyed villages to help survivors cope with losses and suffering.

- ACT continues to coordinate with other non-governmental organizations and UN agencies to maximize relief efforts wherever possible.

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Researchers map Myanmar forests for wildlife
The Economic Times - 10 Sep, 2008, 1517 hrs IST, IANS

WASHINGTON: Wildlife Conservation Society researchers have built up a bank of valuable data on Myanmar's tiger population and other smaller, lesser known carnivores.

These findings will help in the formulation of conservation strategies for the country's wildlife. The data were gathered between December 2002 and May 2004.

Using camera traps survey techniques, researchers from the Soceity's Myanmar Programme combed the 3,250-square- km core area of the Hukaung tiger reserve for evidence of the big cats.

Researchers photographed six individual tigers some 21 times in the reserve, and this has allowed the first ever scientific estimate of abundance for these big cats in northern Myanmar.

"We know there are tigers here, but previously we were not able to put some numbers to the population," said Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) researcher, U Than Myint, co-author of the study that was published in the journal Population Ecology.

"We have collected the first real data needed to determine how many tigers are here. From the analyses of this data, it is estimated that there are at least seven and potentially up to 70 tigers living in the core area.

"Estimating numbers of prey animals such as gaur and sambar may give an indication of how many tigers can be supported over this vast habitat, but any further ecological monitoring will likely need to be done at the same time as efforts are increased to protect tigers and their key prey species from illegal hunting and trade," Myint said.

Researchers have also confirmed the continued existence of 18 smaller carnivores in a variety of habitats across Myanmar, according to another study by WCS's Myanmar Programme.

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Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 documents Burmese ruling junta’s atrocities
Wed, 2008-09-10 13:50

Bangkok, 10 September, (Asiantribune. com): As the first anniversary of Burma's September 2007 Saffron Revolution approaches, the Human Rights Documentation Unit (HRDU) has released a 964 pages Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007. Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 is revealed to be the largest and most comprehensive report ever published by the HRDU, but is also quite likely the single largest report ever produced on the human rights situation in Burma.

Twenty years since the brutal suppression of the 1988 uprising, the Burmese military junta continues to exert tight control over the country's population, while executing a litany of human rights abuses against its citizens. Drawing on thousands of reports, news articles, UN statements, and other sources of information, the Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 documents the continuing and systematic perpetration of human rights violations in Burma as they occurred across the country throughout 2007.

The Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 reveals that the human rights situation confronting the people of Burma has not improved since the very first Burma Human Rights Yearbook was published fourteen years ago. On the contrary, widespread human rights violations continued to be perpetrated in Burma with near impunity throughout 2007.

Across the country, members of the civilian population have continued to be subjected to egregious abuses including, but not limited to forced labor, extortion, arbitrary arrest, summary execution, rape, forced relocation, the confiscation and/or destruction of land and property, religious persecution and ethnic discrimination.

Dr Sann Aung of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma on Tuesday said:

"Whether we look at it in terms of the time elapsed since the Saffron Revolution last year or over a longer timeframe since the uprisings in 1988, the result is the same. The root causes which gave rise to these protests have never been adequately addressed by the regime and the general grievances of the population remain. While it is difficult to say conclusively that the human rights situation in Burma is getting worse, we can say that it certainly isn't showing much improvement. "

The Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007 documents the suppression of human rights in 18 primary areas of concern, including the systematic oppression of the freedoms of expression and assembly, manifested in the brutal crackdown on the September 2007 Saffron Revolution protests. Reflecting deep discontent and impatience with military regime, the year 2007 saw a sharp increase in public dissent against the regime, which culminated in the monk-led September uprising – marking the largest public display of dissatisfaction against the regime seen in the country in almost 20 years.

The HRDU is the research and documentation department of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). The HRDU was formed in 1993 to comprehensively document the human rights situations in Burma, in order to protect and promote the internationally recognized human rights of those persons in the country.

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Student Warriors lambast junta over false accusations  
Mizzima News - Than Htike Oo  
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 19:43

Chiang Mai - An armed student rebel group – Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW) – on Wednesday slammed the ruling junta for accusing opposition members and human rights activists of a bomb blast in Rangoon in early July.

VBSW, a group claiming to operate in Rangoon, in a statement reiterated that they were behind the blast at the government-backed civilian organization, Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), office in Rangoon's suburban township of Shwepyithar on July 1.

The group also lambasted the junta for arresting members of the National League for Democracy and Human Rights Defenders and Promoters network (HRDP) for charges against the blast.

Despite claiming responsibility for the blast, the junta was unable to arrest its members, said the VBSW, adding that accusing and arresting members of the NLD and HRPD is an act intended to defame Burma's main opposition party, which maintains a policy of non-violence.

"Lying in front of the press and arresting those believed to have connection with us and torturing them in concentration camps will only prompt more blasts across the country," the VBSW said in their statement, circulated through email among the Burmese community.

Burma's Police Chief, Brigadier General Khin Yi, during a rare press conference on Sunday accused members of the NLD and HRDP leader Myint Aye of plotting bomb blasts, including the blast in Shwepyithar.

Since July, the junta has arrested several youth members of the NLD, HRDP leader Myint Aye and other activists for allegedly planting bombs.

"Arresting members of the NLD and human rights activists will not subdue the people's resistance against the military but will only increase the level of resistance," the group asserted.

The VBSW, a group which cannot be reached by either email or phone, on July 2 claimed responsibility for the blast at the Shwepyithar USDA office as well as for a previous blast near the ABC restaurant in downtown Rangoon in April.

Both of the blasts, however, did not cause any human casualties, only damaging vehicles and furniture.

Meanwhile, the junta has stepped up efforts to crackdown on opposition activists, on Monday arresting four activists from Yenan Chaung township of Magwe in Central Burma and interrogating them over the recent bomb blasts.

However, the four activists, two of which are from the NLD, were later released after hours of interrogation.

Tint Lwin, one of the activists interrogated, told Mizzima over telephone that they were mainly asked whether they possess any explosives and plan to carry out any blasts or demonstrations.

Observers say the increased arrests of activists within the past two months could be an effort by the junta to curb any form of activities that might result in a repetition of last year's September protests.

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Trial of 88 Generation Students begin  
Mizzima News - Phanida  
Wednesday, 10 September 2008 12:55

Chiang Mai – The trial of 88 Generation Students Min Ko Naing and 34 others being held in Rangoon's Insein prison started on September 9 at South Okkalapa Township court.

The student leaders have been arrested and held since last year. They were remanded consecutively and on August 27 this year they were produced in South Okkalapa Township court. The court started examination of the prosecution witnesses.

"The 27 accused were produced before the court at Rangoon East District Court and 21 others including Min Ko Naing were produced in South Okkalapa Township Court. The East District Court granted criminal power to the defence counsels to defend their clients and fixed the next hearing for September 11. The North Okkalapa court could not hear the case today," advocate Khin Maung Shein said.

The prosecutor Police Special Branch Police Lt. Col. Zaw Min Aung charged the student leaders under section 130(b) (committing depredation of foreign governments at peace with Burma) and the court heard this case today. On coming Thursday, the Rangoon East District Court will hear the case against 29 students under section 4 of 'Endangering National Convention' (SPDC Law No. 5/96).

"The prosecution charged them with committing depredation against Russia and China. But the defence pointed out a similar case where Aye Lwin had staged protests in front of the US embassy but action like this was not taken," the lawyer elaborated.

The 88 Gen students had demanded on August 27 that they be tried in accordance with international laws, to let the media witness the court proceedings and not to handcuff them during court proceedings when they were first produced in court.

But the authorities conceded to only one demand, allowing their family members to enter the court room and witness the court proceedings today.

"The family members can be present and listen to the court proceedings but they are still in handcuffs. The Police Col. allowed the family members to enter the court room and listen to the hearing. Other demands are yet to be met," advocate Khin Maung Shein said.

Nyein Thu from 'Hmukin Shudaunt Journal' raised a question in this regard at a press conference held in Naypyitaw on September 7. The Police Force Chief Police Brig. Gen. Khin Yi replied to the demands by Min Ko Naing and party not to put them in handcuffs saying:

"According to law and Police manual 1381, those who committed offences whether it can be granted bail or not are to be in handcuffs when put on trial. It is in accordance with the law. According to penal code (174) if a government servant summons someone when necessary and he refuses to be in handcuff, he violates penal code (174). He may be given six months in prison. Min Ko Naing's refusal was not in conformity with the law. Putting handcuffs on someone is according to the law," he replied.

But young lawyer Pho Phyu contested the contention of the police chief and said:  "There are no provisions in the Police manual 1381 regarding putting the accused in handcuffs. There's nothing at all. It is not in conformity with the law. The reference to the law is also wrong in this case. We have never seen such court rulings in Burma Law Reports. And also there has been no such case on the handcuff issue," he said.

The said provision applies to only non-attendance in obedience to an order (summons, notice, order or proclamation) from public servant legally competent, and there is no mention regarding refusing to be in handcuffs as violating section 174 of Penal Code.

The student leaders Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Ko Pyone Cho, Jimmy, Mya Aye, Min Zeya, Aunt Bwe Kyaw, Kyaw Kyaw Htwe, Pannait Tun, Thet Zaw, Nyan Lin Tun, Zaw Zaw Min and other students totaling 35 were arrested in connection with protest demonstrations against rising fuel and commodity prices in August last year.

Lawyer Pho Phyu will continue to act as the defence lawyer for 88 Gen Students; Saw Myo Min Hlaing a.k.a. James, Nyan Lin and Min Han.

They were first remanded under sections 17/20 of the Printers and Publishers Act at the end of January 2008. Then they were charged again with SPDC Law No. 5/96 (Endangering National Convention) and section 33(a) of the Electronic Law.

The Jail Manual paragraph 693 and Police Manual paragraph 1382 sub paragraph 1 and sub-sub paragraph 5 and paragraph 1316, clearly stipulates that the accused should not be in handcuffs while they are being brought to court and brought back from the court if there are no circumstances of escaping from custody, and while they are being put on trial.

But in the Police Manual paragraph 1382(a) and sub-paragraph 6, it stipulates that the accused who have committed murder, attempted murder, robbery, dacoity and burglary should be in handcuffs.

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Crime, Murder Mounting in Rangoon
THE IRRAWADDY - Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A 29-year-old man was stabbed to death by four assailants at a small marketplace in Hlaing Tharyar Township at 8 p.m. On Tuesday. According to an eyewitness in the Rangoon suburb, the victim was walking with a woman when he was attacked. However, the woman was left unharmed and nothing was stolen.

Local police are reportedly investigating the murder, but no one has been arrested.

The incident was just the latest in a spate of murders, assaults, robberies and burglaries in Hlaing Tharyar. A police officer told The Irrawaddy that since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma in early May, there has been an average of one serious crime per day in the western suburb.

Armed robbery has become increasingly common in Hlaing Tharyar, the policeman said, with cyclone victims being most at risk.

“Many people from cyclone-affected villages in the Irrawaddy delta, such as Dedaye, have taken refuge in Hlaing Tharyar over the last few months,” he said. “They bring all their money and possessions with them. This makes them a target for robbers who are mainly looking for gold.”

Much of Hlaing Tharyar was also affected by the cyclone and many people lost their homes and possessions.

“Housebreaking is common here,” said a resident. “I rent a house to a family who brought all their belongings with them. Now everything has been stolen.”

Last week, a 40-year-old officer from the Internal Revenue Department was murdered at his home in downtown Rangoon. Police investigating the case have said that he may have known his assailants.

Rangoon police are still looking for the culprits that executed five people in their home on Inya Road earlier this year.

And, in a case publicized by several local weekly journals, a couple from Rangoon’s Thingangyun Township were murdered in August. One suspect has been arrested.

According to journalists in Rangoon, local police are warning people who live in apartments to lock doors and gates, but at the same time telling residents that they (the police) will not be responsible for any burglaries.

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Authorities Isolate Suu Kyi’s Companion in Hospital
The Irrawaddy - By SAW YAN NAING
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A hospitalized companion of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been placed under security guard and denied visits by her family, party colleagues and friends, according to Rangoon sources.

Win Ma Ma, who has lived with her mother in Suu Kyi’s home continuously for the past five years, was admitted to Rangoon’s Muslim Dispensary and Medical Relief Society hospital on September 6 with an undisclosed illness.

She and her mother, Khin Khin Win, a member of Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy, helped with general housekeeping tasks. They lived periodically in Suu Kyi’s lakeside home since 1997, but have been permanent residents since the Nobel laureate began her current term of house arrest in September 2003. Suu Kyi has spent more than 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest.

Like Suu Kyi, Khin Khin Win is reportedly prohibited from leaving the property.

Her daughter’s isolation now in hospital increases concern over Suu Kyi, who is reported by some sources to be on a hunger strike. The NLD says she is refusing deliveries of food in protest at her continued detention and at the restrictions on visits by her doctor and on the movements of her companions.

NLD spokesman Nyan Win said Win Ma Ma had been sealed off from outside visitors and security guards had been posted at the hospital.

Nyan Win also expressed concern about Suu Kyi’s health and told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday: "Her safety and well-being are the responsibility of the authorities who detained her.”

The US State Department said on Tuesday the US and the international community were also concerned about Suu Kyi’s welfare. Her isolation by the regime made it impossible to check on reports that she is on a hunger strike, a State Department spokesman said.

The State Department renewed its call for the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners and for the start of a genuine, time-bound dialogue with the democratic movement and ethnic minority leaders.

In Japan, a group of Burmese activists began a 72-hour hunger strike on Monday in front of the UN office in Tokyo, demanding the release of Suu Kyi and for the UN and Japan to take action on Burma.

Than Swe, spokesman for the Joint Action Committee of the Burmese Community in Japan, said Suu Kyi’s wellbeing was important for the future of Burma.

“Without her role, change doesn’t come easily,” he said. “So, her health is very important for the future of Burma. The junta must officially report about her health.”

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Educationalists concerned by Burmese literacy rate

Sep 10, 2008 (DVB)–Despite the ruling State Peace and Development Council’s claims that Burma has a 94 percent literacy rate, Burmese educationalists say the reality on the ground is very different.

Dr Thein Lwin, who works on education issues with migrant workers and their children in Thailand, said some children had not had any access to education.

“In my experience, there are many people, particularly from Shan State, Karen state and some from central Burma, who have never attended school,” he said.

“They are in their teens now and they are attending our school; the rate of illiteracy is frighteningly high.”

The SPDC brought in free education last year and said decreed that all children should have access to education, but there are regular reports of parents being asked for fees and additional contributions.

A high school teacher in Rangoon said there are notices up on school walls to say that children do not have to pay to attend school, but donations are still being demanded from parents on various pretexts.

“Parents have to contribute as much as they can to the upkeep of the schools,” the teacher said.

“The state doesn’t provide anything – it is not easy to maintain a school.”

Dr Thein Lwin agreed that these costs put schooling out of reach for many parents.

“Although the schools are free, in reality, parents still have to pay for school maintenance, donations and registration fees,” Dr Thein Lwin.

“Parents can’t afford it because they also have to pay for books.”

Thein Lwin praised the around 4000 traditional monastery schools which provide free education to children throughout Burma.

“Thanks to the support of these monasteries to the communities, many children are educated,” he said.

Another teacher from Kunchangone township near Rangoon said that even in her area many children could not go to school at all and only around 5 percent received free education.

International Literacy Day is marked around the world annually on 8 September to highlight the importance of literacy and draw attention to the millions of people around the world who lack basic literacy skills.

This year’s event focused on the vital role of literacy in addressing public health issues.

Reporting by Yee May Aung

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Ceasefire groups strengthen forces in Shan state

Sep 10, 2008 (DVB)–As the SPDC expands its forces in ethnic areas, some of the main ceasefire groups are also strengthening their positions, according to a report by the Shan Herald Agency for News.

The Shan State Army-North and the United Wa State Army have been fortifying security around their bases since the 10 May referendum, according to informed sources quoted by SHAN.

In response, regional commanders in Shan state have been paying visits to border towns since August and ordering regular and militia units to strengthen their forces.

Sai Merng of SHAN told DVB regional commanders had been putting pressure on ceasefire groups to disarm.

“The commander of Triangle Command, general Kyaw Phyo, came to Mong La on 29 August and said all armed groups must lay down their arms by 2009, by order of the supreme command,” he said.

The Northeast commander also went to Man Pan, Kutkai and other areas and told local militias to beef up their forces and carry out military exercises.

Eastern Command leader Ya Pyit also told the Haha Ja group, based in Homong near the Thai-Burma border, that if they did not lay down their arms they could join Yawd Sek’s group, the SSA-South, which is still fighting the SPDC.

Representatives of the Kachin Independence Organisation and New Mon State party said the groups were unlikely to accept the order to lay down arms before the 2010 election as directed by the road map.

The KIO’s Dr Tuja said he hoped that there could be negotiations with the regime.

“We hope to find a solution through consultation, depending on how the situation unfolds as the road map progresses,” he said.

Naing Aungmangay of the NMSP said it was too early to make a firm decision on strategy.

“We still don’t how our troops will be positioned or what kind of orders and privileges our party will be given,” he said.

The National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State and the UWSA have also strengthened their forces and built trenches and bunkers surrounding their bases in Mongla and Panghsang respectively, SHAN reported.

The UWSA and SSA-North were unavailable for comment.

Reporting by Nan Kham Kaew

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