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HEADLINES
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Reuters - ASEAN urged to rethink December summit in Thailand
VOA News - Netherlands' FM Condemns Burma Prison Sentences
NST Online - Myanmar trader gets 10 years jail, whipping for robbing, stabbing man
IRIN - MYANMAR: Thousands dying for lack of treatment
Xinhua - Indian puppet show launched in Myanmar former capital
Xinhua - Nargis-related tripartite core group holds roundtable in Myanmar
Wizbang, DC - The Knuckleheads of the Day award
OpedNews - Burma and a Task Unfinished: Considering the Options
ReliefWeb - Myanmar: House of memories
Asian Tribune - A New Approach: Incorporating civilian resistance strategies within aid to Burma
Mizzima News - Mine casualties in Burma nearly double
Mizzima News - Offensive by separatist rebels kills two soldiers
The Irrawaddy - Trials and Prison Transfers Continue in Rangoon
DVB News - MWAF member says women lack protection
DVB News - Betancourt urges more action to free Daw Suu

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ASEAN urged to rethink December summit in Thailand
Reuters - Thursday, November 27

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam questioned on Wednesday Thailand's ability to host a regional summit next month because of the deepening political crisis in Bangkok, a Cambodian official said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the prime ministers of the three countries, meeting in Vientiane, had formally asked the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) whether the meeting should be postponed.

"Laos Foreign Minister has sent an official letter to the ASEAN Secretariat today upon the three Prime Ministers' request to ASEAN to talk with Thailand if they should suspend the summit," Koy Kuong said.

"The letter also requests ASEAN's Secretariat to talk with members of ASEAN countries whether the summit should be delayed to a later date amid Thailand's political crisis," he said.

The Dec. 14-17 ASEAN meeting also includes the leaders of China, Japan, Australia, South Korea and India, and is expected to address regional measures to bolster the financial system and boost flagging economic growth.

The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place in Bangkok, but was switched to Chiang Mai because of trouble in the capital.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

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Netherlands' FM Condemns Burma Prison Sentences
VOA News - 26 November 2008

The foreign minister of the Netherlands says he is outraged that Burma has sentenced a well-known comedian to 45 years in prison.

In a statement Wednesday, Maxime Verhagen said the sentences that Burma's military rulers have handed down for Zarganar and others defy belief.

Verhagen urged authorities in Burma to stop intimidating and arresting its people for exercising their human rights.

Zarganar was arrested six months ago while running an aid campaign for survivors of Burma's devastating Cyclone Nargis. He was sentenced last week for violating the Electronics Act, which regulates all forms of electronic communication. He still faces additional charges.

Over the past month, Burmese authorities have sentenced more than 100 political dissidents to prison terms ranging from less than a year to 68 years.

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Myanmar trader gets 10 years jail, whipping for robbing, stabbing man
The New Straits Times Online - 2008/11/26
Bernama

KLANG, WED: A vegetable seller from Myanmar was sentenced to 10 years in jail and three strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court here today after he pleaded guilty to robbing and stabbing a local man.

Guna Samy, 26, who was unrepresented was ordered by Judge Aslam Zainuddin to serve the term from the day of arrest on July 7.

He had earlier admitted to robbing Fazilan Abdullah, 34, of a waist pouch, a handphone and RM96 with compatriot Sunjey Krisnan, 26. During the roadside robbery near RHB Bank Port Klang branch at about 2.30pm on July 7, he also injured the victim.

Guna and Sunjey had claimed trial when they were taken to court on July 21 but Guna changed his plea to guilty on Nov 21 while Sunjey will face trial in April next year.

According to the facts of the case presented by Assistant Public Prosecutor Aimi Syazwani Sarmin, Fazilan and a friend Lau Heng Lai had withdrawn RM13,775 from the bank and as they were walking to a car, Guna and Sunjey chased them wielding parangs.

Lau ran into the bank but the two suspects managed to get hold of Fazilan.

They then forced him to hand over his waist pouch but Fazilan put up a fight and was stabbed and slashed several times.

Police apprehended the two suspects not long afterwards.

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MYANMAR: Thousands dying for lack of treatment
26 Nov 2008 10:23:41 GMT

JOHANNESBURG, 26 November 2008 (IRIN) - Thousands of people living with HIV in Myanmar (Burma) are dying because the government and international donors are not funding life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, says international humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

In a report released today, MSF said it could not continue shouldering the main burden of responding to Myanmar's HIV crisis, in which around 240,000 people are infected.
Of the 76,000 people in Myanmar estimated to be in need of ARVs, only about 20 percent are getting the drugs, the majority of them (about 11,000) through MSF.

According to both the MSF report and UNAIDS, the government has allocated only US$200,000 to HIV/AIDS in 2008 and is providing ARVs to around 2,000 patients. MSF is still awaiting permission to start providing ARVs in parts of the country where treatment is only available in the private sector.

Most of Myanmar's population live on an average of the equivalent of US$1.20 per day, putting the cost of buying ARVs in the private sector far beyond their means. MSF notes in its report that in 2007 around 25,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

"A similar number of people could suffer the same fate in 2008 unless there is a significant increase in accessible ART [antiretroviral treatment]," said MSF operations manager Joe Belliveau.

According the United Nations Development Programme, the government spends just 0.3 percent of its gross domestic product on health - the lowest in the world - and the country is also the second lowest per capita recipient of international development aid.

MSF's Country Director in Myanmar, Frank Smithuis, pointed out that most developing countries received significant donor support for their national HIV programmes, but few of the major AIDS donors have given money to Myanmar.

"I don't want to take away the responsibility of the government, but if you look at Laos, they only spent US$30,000 [of government money] on ART, but they have 95 percent coverage because they get a lot of international donor money," Smithuis told IRIN/PlusNews. "You can talk about politics for days but in the meantime there are people dying."
Sun Gang, UNAIDS country director for Myanmar, acknowledged donor concerns about the government's lack of transparency and accountability, but said there had been improvements on these fronts in the past year.

Gang confirmed that although a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Myanmar are doing HIV prevention work and providing care to people living with HIV, MSF is among only a handful providing treatment.

"We are reaching our limit," said Smithuis. "We cannot put all the resources we have in the world into Myanmar alone, so we'd really like other organisations to help shoulder the burden and, of course, the Department of Health."

The report says MSF has been forced to make the decision to limit the number of new patients it accepts for treatment, and urges other international NGOs to step in.

"We are supportive of the call to expand international support," said Gang, "but not only for treatment, but also for prevention."

Gang pointed out that men who have sex with men are among the most high risk groups for HIV infection in Myanmar but that only around 10 percent were being reached with prevention interventions.

"In this country, although we see a burning need to get more people on treatment, there's also a burning need to do more prevention."

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Indian puppet show launched in Myanmar former capital
www.chinaview. cn  2008-11-26 21:15:51

YANGON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- An Indian puppet show was launched at the National Theater here Wednesday evening under the program of cultural exchange between Myanmar and India.

The show was performed by puppet group led by Suresh Dutta, a popular Indian puppet artist, who received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution towards the enrichment of Indian Pupptery.

Suresh Dutta has organized an international puppet festival of India, and has represented India at various international festivals abroad, including Japan, Poland, Yugoslavia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Canada and the United States.

In February and March this year, Indian film festival was held in Myanmar's two largest cities of Yangon and Mandalay, aimed at promoting the cultural exchange between the two countries.

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Nargis-related tripartite core group holds roundtable in Myanmar
www.chinaview. cn  2008-11-26 15:11:11

YANGON, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- A high-level roundtable of the Tripartite Core Group (TCG) involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Myanmar and the United Nations (U.N.) opened here Wednesday to review the post-Nargis relief and recovery efforts in the country.

The two-day roundtable at the Chatrium Hotel was attended by Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu, who is also TCG Chairman, Bishow Parajuli, United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, representatives of TCG members and donor countries as well as foreign diplomats.

Cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on last May 2 and 3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon suffered the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to official death toll.

At the meeting, U Kyaw Thu, Bishow Parajuli and Thai Ambassador Bansarn Bunnag, who represented Surin, made speeches.

The roundtable, which is the second of its kind, will report the progress of activities that the TCG has embarked on immediately after the assessment phase.

The TCG, along with Surin and the ASEAN humanitarian task force, met for the first time in Yangon on June 24 ASEAN roundtable on Post-Nargis Joint Assessment (PONJA) for response, recovery and reconstruction. The PONJA Report was finalized and officially launched in July 2008 and the first periodic review was launched in September this year.

The TCG, based in Yangon, was established at the ASEAN-UN International Pledging Conference in Yangon in late May as a working mechanism for coordination, facilitating and monitoring the flow of international assistance into Myanmar's cyclone-hit areas.

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The Knuckleheads of the Day award
Wizbang, DC - Posted by Bill Jempty
Published: November 22, 2008 - 10:02 AM

Today's winner is Senior General Than Shwe and the rest of Myanmar's ruling junta. They get the award for the following-

Myanmar's most famous comedian was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison, in the latest and most high-profile case of citizens given long jail terms by the internationally- reviled military regime.

Zarganar was arrested with sports writer Zaw Thet Htwe in June after organising deliveries of aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis, which left 138,000 people dead or missing when it pulverised the country the previous month.

"(Zarganar) was sentenced to 45 years imprisonment on three charges... There are another four charges he has to stand trial for," Ma Nyein, Zarganar's sister told AFP. She said Zaw Thet Htwe was handed a 15-year jail term on Friday.

The pair join more than 100 people jailed by the military-ruled courts over the past month, with more than 20 student activists handed maximum terms of 65 years for their part in Buddhist monk-led protests last year.

I don't think there will be any disagreement with my saying that someone being placed in jail for humanitarian relief efforts is just outrageous. That's a understatement.

The sheer outlandishness of these criminal sentences come at the same time General Than Shwe wrote a column saying it was every Myanmar citizen's duty to support the political process.

The head of Myanmar's military junta made a rare call Saturday for all citizens to back a controversial "road map" to democracy.

Writing in an article on the front page of the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper, Senior General Than Shwe said it was every citizen's national duty to support the political process.

"The state's seven-step road map is being implemented to build a peaceful, modern and developed new democratic nation with flourishing discipline," he wrote on the eve of the country's national day.

"The entire population are duty-bound to actively participate with united spirit and national fervour in the drive to see the seven-step road map," the paper quoted him as saying.

How is sentencing journalists and relief workers consistent with democracy? It isn't, and I name Senior General Than Shwe and the rest of Myanmar's ruling junta today's Knuckleheads of the Day.

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Burma and a Task Unfinished: Considering the Options
November 26, 2008 at 11:52:27
Headlined on 11/26/08:
by Saberi Roy Page 1 of 1 page(s)
www.opednews. com

Burma and its political conditions are documented frequently in newspapers, websites and blogs across the world and the democratic movements in Burma are supported worldwide, yet despite all the social support, nothing concrete seems to be happening on the political front. An effective political and social agenda would be necessary for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the transfer of power to her political party. There are two possible options that could now be considered for the successful democratic transition in Burma. One is a political and international option of possible military action against the junta and the other is a social and regional option, a movement led by the Burmese people and these options don't have to be mutually exclusive either.

The Democratic Voice of Burma has reported on monk leaders and student activists being continually imprisoned and given long term prison sentences. The junta has been cracking down on all forms of freedom of speech and human rights initiatives by monks, students, support groups and local people for allegedly 'inciting public unrest'.

Ironically though the Burmese junta itself is the greatest and only source of public unrest in the nation and has been holding on to power illegally and it is high time that the world leaders, the United Nations and other organizations take action against such a criminal government. There has been no definite and concrete action on the part of world leaders to free Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters and China and Russia have consistently downplayed the Burma issue as regional rather than an international problem.

China and Russia seem to have their own political and diplomatic interests in maintaining a military government in Burma but this is against the interests of Burmese people and all supporters of democracy.

Among the recent resolutions passed by the UN on the situation in Burma, the 28 February 2008 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, reports on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar. The Report mentions that the UN General Assembly:

1. Strongly Condemns the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators in Myanmar; and

2. Expresses Concern on the systematic violation of human rights and fundamental freedom of the people of Myanmar.

The Report also calls upon the military government of Myanmar to:

Participate in a dialogue with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;

Put an end to military operations on civilian targets; and

Participate in a political transition process engaging in discussions with ethnic minorities, and other political groups including Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy.

As of now it seems highly unlikely that the military government of Burma would engage in any form of dialogue with the UN or suddenly stop its abuse on Burmese people unless a very strong and strict joint statement is released by the UN and the world leaders to either free Aung San Suu Kyi and all other pro-democracy activists or face dire consequences.  Since the Burmese junta understands only the language of violence, maybe world leaders and the US should consider a military operation as a last option to free Aung San Suu Kyi and the other prisoners. Aung San Suu Kyi herself is a follower of Gandhian principles and has opposed all forms of violence in her political struggle.
Yet the military junta does not seem to understand her language of non-violence, so there could be only two possible solutions:

1. A Mass Uprising in Burma – by the people of Burma and this has to be considerably large and consistent until the junta is left unable to control the situation any further. The uprising by the people would need the support of human rights groups, religious groups and activists all around the world and there has to be a systematic call to this kind of revolutionary change. Strong regional participation by the Burmese people should be complemented by international support. This of course requires effective leadership inside and outside Burma and proper coordination of all Burmese democracy support groups and activists, so that there is a force of 'collective action'. Violent resistance on the part of the junta is inevitable but this could be defeated if the collective action of the supporters of democracy is strong enough.

2. The Military Option – This seems to be the only effective political and international option that could be considered as a last option if dialogues are no longer possible with the Burmese junta and if a social uprising also fails. US and other world leaders could use military force to oust the Burmese military government and hand over power to the pro- democracy movement of Aung San Suu Kyi. This again has its pitfalls as military action results in civilian deaths as well and this is one option that many supporters of democracy wouldn't want.  Considering the need for peace and stability in the region, the first 'social' path to democracy seems to be a better option and the Burmese people and international activist groups, are almost working towards it, yet the strong condemnation and action by world leaders and the UN are long overdue.

It is hoped that the hushed and directionless speeches on Burma by world leaders and organizations including the UN, the US and EU governments will be replaced by stronger and clearer statements with promise of concrete actions for democracy in the region.

Saberi Roy is a writer and independent analyst and publishes articles on a wide range of subjects including psychology, politics, social issues, religion and philosophy. Her blog address is www.saberiroy. blogspot. Com

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Myanmar: House of memories
Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
ReliefWeb - Date: 25 Nov 2008

With 120 mile-per-hour winds lashing the village of Chit Tea Kone in Baing Daunt Chaung village tract outside of Labutta township, a small glimmer of hope remained for many distraught villagers unwittingly caught up in the devastation of Cyclone Nargis on 2-3 May this year.

Labutta township was one the most severely affected areas in Myanmar's hardest-hit Ayeyarwady delta region, with massive destruction across most of the surrounding villages. Almost every single house in Chit Tea Kone was destroyed during the vicious storm… every house, that is, except one.

Rice farmer U Aye Ngwe built his home eight years ago to house himself, his wife Tint Win and four children. During the cyclone, U Aye Ngwe's house also provided a safe haven for a further 80 desperate villagers with nowhere else to go.

"My house was the biggest and strongest in the village", U Aye Ngwe said.

"(Palm) trees fell onto part of my house during the storm, but we still had room, so we let as many people in as we could," he added.

Chit Tea Kone village had a pre-cyclone population of 250 and following the utter devastation caused by Nargis, most villagers were moved to temporary camps in Labutta township.

During assessments undertaken post-cyclone, UNDP Myanmar identified Chit Tea Kone as one of the most vulnerable villages in need of urgent assistance. In July, it was one of 250 villages to receive support through the UNDP's Livelihoods Support and Community Infrastructure (Basic Services Package (BSP)), the first installment of UNDP's dedicated Integrated Community-based Early Recovery Framework (ICERF).

UNDP Early Recovery Manager from Labutta Township, Koorosh Raffii said that UNDP assistance continues in Labutta and the surrounding villages and to date has included support for community works and towards the necessities needed to rebuild the lives of the people of Chit Tea Kone.

"Grants have been provided to the people of Chit Tea Kone for shelter, as well as support to the most vulnerable households and to small farmers, and to families who earn their livelihoods through fishing," Mr Raffii explained.

"UNDP also provided 'in-kind' support to farmers in the form of one power tiller, fertilizers and sprayers with pesticide.

"We have also assisted with aid toward village clean-up, pond cleaning, fishing boats and nets, as well as farm tools and local and high yield seed to help farmers crop during the brief window ahead of the monsoon season that occurred not long after the cyclone hit," he said.

In Chit Tea Kone alone, UNDP has helped to deliver assistance towards fishing boats and nets to aid 36 villagers, with the same number benefiting from the delivery of farming tools and sprayers. Funding was also delivered to assist towards fuel (diesel) to help run their tillers and UNDP also facilitated the delivery of complementary Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) assistance, in the form of various fertilizers and insecticides.

In Labutta township, UNDP identified 70 priority villages to deliver immediate assistance during Phase I of the BSP, with more than 100 further villages now identified for most vulnerable household, shelter and community works assistance in the upcoming Phase II.

Forty-six households have been reconstructed in Chit Tea Kone village, using UNDP delivered nails and shelter materials, helping to house a population of 151. Rice farming and fishing remain the major sources of income to the village.

Chit Tea Kone has now been almost completely rebuilt, with ongoing assistance from UNDP Myanmar. Still, U Aye Ngwe's house stands, tilted and scarred, as a constant reminder, not only of the destruction that occurred, but also of the solace it provided to so many.

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A New Approach: Incorporating civilian resistance strategies within aid to Burma
Wed, 2008-11-26 02:51

Bangkok, 26 November, (Asiantribune. com): With the publication of the report Village Agency, the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) helps introduce important new voices into the debate over engagement with Burma – the voices of rural villagers themselves. Citing the personal testimonies of over 110 villagers in rural Karen State, the 181-page report seeks to challenge portrayals of villagers as helpless victims and instead highlights how these villagers can help strengthen international efforts to aid Burma.

 

Responses to the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 have served to further polarize international actors on Burma into two camps. While one group has called for a clear separation of politics from humanitarian and developmental concerns, the other has been more narrowly focused on the formal transfer of State power away from the military. Both of these approaches, however, neglect the strategies that villagers already employ to resist abuse and address their humanitarian concerns.

According to Naw September Paw, a Karen spokeswoman for the report "Karen villagers have been active in resisting the many human rights abuses committed against them. They have developed strategies to resist exploitation, reduce the demands placed upon them, escape attacks and evade attempts to bring them under military control."

In areas under the control of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), villagers have employed negotiation, bribery, refusal, false compliance and confrontation in order to evade abuses such as forced labor and arbitrary taxation. And when the burden of military demands has become too great, villagers have fled to hiding sites in the forest and used a wealth of other strategies designed to support their efforts to evade the SPDC's ongoing campaign of forced relocation, while at the same time addressing their humanitarian needs.

Village Agency demonstrates how villagers’ strategies necessitate a new approach to international aid, one that is accountable to the local population and mindful of on-the-ground human rights implications. By recognizing that effective and politically conscious intervention need not focus on regime change, international approaches to Burma's political and humanitarian challenges can hopefully progress beyond the contentious debates in which they have been caught. Ultimately, the report asserts that the voices of villagers themselves must be included in the political processes which affect them.

Reiterating the above argument, September Paw stated "In trying to address the problems in Burma, the international community should listen to the voices of the villagers and work together with them to strengthen the tried and tested strategies that they are already using to resist abuse and claim their rights."

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Mine casualties in Burma nearly double  
Mizzima News - Wednesday, 26 November 2008 18:25

Reported cases of landmine casualties in Burma skyrocketed during the course of 2007, with civilians accounting for the vast majority of those injured or killed, says a report by an international landmine watchdog.

According to the Landmine Monitor Report 2008: Toward a Mine-Free World, 2007 witnessed at least 409 landmine related casualties in Burma, resulting in a confirmed 47 fatalities. In contrast, the previous year saw only 232 casualties and 20 deaths.

The contested district of Taungoo, in Pegu Division, accounted for nearly 60 percent of casualty figures for 2007, in cases where geographic specific data was available.

Recorded numbers are almost assuredly below actual figures, as no reliable system for data collection exists in the country.

For the year, Burma and Russia are singled out as the only two countries in the world to have employed new anti-personnel mines. All but nine of the known victims for 2007 were civilians.

Civilian casualties, for cases in which details are known, most frequently occurred while: foraging for forest and jungle produce or collecting wood (46), traveling (22), engaged in agriculture (19), portering (18), and during instances of forced labor (16).

The International Labor Organization, active in Burma, received a number of allegations from civilians regarding the Burmese Army's employment of civilians for forced landmine clearing operations; allegations consistent with information that Landmine Monitor independently collected.

Burma's Army has been chronicled to use mines to both dissuade villagers from returning to their homes and to prevent villagers from wandering beyond their isolated hamlets, given the situation at hand, according to rights groups active along Burma's borders in neighboring countries.

As for non-state armed groups, mines are often reputed to be one of the few weapons they have at their disposal to oppose the superior firepower of the Burmese Army – with the detonation of a mine sometimes serving no purpose other than to alert villagers to abandon their homes.

If unable to gain assistance from a nongovernmental organization, mine victims are often left to fend for themselves.

"The high cost of healthcare was the biggest obstacle to receiving treatment; ongoing conflict and travel limitations further hampered access to services," according to the report.  Inadequate state facilities and investment into the healthcare industry are also said to blame.

Domestically, Myanmar Defense Products Industries, a state enterprise in Pegu Division, is known to produce non-detectable antipersonnel landmines. Landmine Monitor, however, also calls attention to the foreign supply of landmines in Burma, of Chinese, Indian, Italian, Russian and American make.

Among the non-state armed groups named by Landmine Monitor as using landmines during 2007, are the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the Karenni Army, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S), the Monland Restoration Party and United Wa State Army (UWSA).

Landmines littering Burma's rural areas are concentrated along the country's borders with Thailand, India and Bangladesh.

Since independence in 1947, Burma's central authorities have intermittently come up against dozens of non-state armed groups, most of whom operate in border regions.

Burma is not a signatory to the 1998 Ottawa Convention, or Mine Ban Treaty as it is commonly known. China, India, Russia and the United States are also among those countries not party to the Convention.

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Offensive by separatist rebels kills two soldiers
Mizzima News - by Than Htike Oo
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 17:37

Chiang Mai – Two soldiers were killed and three grievously injured when a separatist rebel group attacked a government outpost in Chin State, rebel sources said.

The rebel group led by Sgt. Khai Lin of the 'Arakan Liberation Army' (ALA) comprising 15 soldiers launched a surprise attack on the outpost of the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 550 stationed at Dochaungwa in Paletwa Township on November 18 at 3 p.m.

The outpost is three-days-walk from Paletwa.

A press release issued by ALA yesterday said that they were satisfied with the outcome of the attack. There was no casualty on their side during the gunfight despite the enemy having the same strength.

Mizzima could not till the time of writing this report, independently verify the rebel claim.

"The Burmese Army lost two soldiers and three were grievously injured in the attack," Second In-Charge of the 'Arakan Liberation Party' (ALP) Information Department told Mizzima.

ALA is the armed wing of the ALP.

"We sent our man to collect information about the gunfight. People were fleeing from the zone of conflict and nearby areas. We got accurate information from these sources," Khai Tun Lin said.

ALP was founded in 1967 and is waging a war of independence.

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Trials and Prison Transfers Continue in Rangoon
The Irrawaddy - By SAW YAN NAING
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Burmese regime continued on Wednesday with its program of sending newly convicted political dissidents to prisons in remote parts of the country.

They included two Buddhist monks, Sandar Thiri and Kawvida, of Maggin monastery in Rangoon’s Thingangyun Township, who were transferred from Insein Prison to Buthidaung prison in Arakan State, according to reliable sources.

A youth member of the opposition National League for Democracy, Thein Swe, and Sithu Maung, a member of the All Burma Federation Students Union (ABFSU), were transferred from Insein Prison to Sittwe prison in Arakan State, while a third detainee, Htar Htar Thet, was transferred to Pegu prison in central Burma.
The five had been given sentences of up to 19 years imprisonment.

More than 30 activists sentenced in the recent series of trials were transferred on Monday and Tuesday from Insein Prison to isolated prisons around Burma.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) says that more than 100 of the 143 dissidents convicted so far have been sent to remote prisons.  By transferring the convicted dissidents to prisons far from Rangoon, the regime is making it difficult for family members and friends to visit them, isolating them still further from the outside world.

Court proceedings continued this week against 13 members of the 88 Generation Students group, who have already been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from three to five years.

An ABFSU member, Dee Nyein Lin, who has already been sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment, also appeared again in court in Htantapin Township in Pegu Division on Wednesday. No additional sentence was pronounced, sources said.

Court proceedings against 13 members of the 88 Generation Students group are due to continue on Friday. Sources say about 40 dissidents, including volunteers who distributed aid to Cyclone Nargis victims, are still awaiting trial.

Burma’s best-known comedian Zarganar, who has received a sentence of 45 years imprisonment, will reappear in court in Insein Prison on Thursday, sources said. Court proceedings against two who helped him in his relief work, Zaw Thet Htwe and video journalist Thant Zin Aung, who both received 15 years prison terms, will also reappear in court on Thursday. 

On Monday, Kyaw Oo and Saw Maung, two members of the dissident group known as Generation Wave, were sentenced to eight year prison terms for offences under Section 13/1 of the Immigration Act and Section 17/1 of the Illegal Organization Act. 

The severest punishment handed out by the Insein Court in the current series of trials was 68 years imprisonment, imposed on the prominent Buddhist monk Ashin Gambira, who led the nationwide uprising in September 2007. Fourteen members of the 88 Generation Students group were sentenced to terms of 65 years imprisonment.

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MWAF member says women lack protection

Nov 26, 2008 (DVB)–A senior member of the Kaytumadi township branch of the Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation who recently fled Burma has said the organisation is unable to protect women in the country.

Thadar Soe was the head of women’s protection and the finance sub-department of the MWAF in Kaytumadi township, Bago division before she left the country for Thailand.
She told DVB she was frustrated by the way the organisation failed to give effective help to women.

"In my personal opinion, I don't really think the MWAF was doing effective work to protect women from violence – in fact, the organisation barely took responsibility for most cases," she said.

"The organisation was collecting a lot of taxes and there was no right of free speech," she went on.

"One of the reasons I fled to the Thai-Burma border is because we were giving children a kind of education which is not very good for them and I couldn't bear being suppressed anymore."

Thadar Soe gave an example of one case that the organisation was unable to pursue because of obstruction by the military.

"There was one incident in our town where a 30-year-old woman was gang-raped by four soldiers who were guarding the 903rd Support and Transportation Battalion,” Thadar Soe explained.

“She came to us in tears and told us what happened,” she said.

“We wanted to seek justice for her but the army wouldn’t let us."

The MWAF is nominally a non-governmental organisation, but in reality it has little independence from the regime and its branches are closely linked to local officials.

Reporting by Htet Yazar

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Betancourt urges more action to free Daw Suu

Nov 26, 2008 (DVB)–Former hostage Ingrid Betancourt has said the international community needs to do more to bring about the release of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Speaking at the Norwegian foreign ministry last week, Betancourt said the international community should not let economic interests prevent them from doing all they can for Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

“If the international community had done enough, she would be free, so the answer is we have not done enough and we need to do more,” she said.

“I think it’s very important that economic interests do not get in the way of the struggle of the people of Burma.”

Betancourt was kidnapped while campaigning for the Colombian presidency in 2002 by rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and was held for six and a half years.

Since her rescue in July this year, she has travelled the world campaigning for an end to kidnappings in Colombia and violence against women.

She has regularly spoken in support of Aung San Suu Kyi and called for her release.

Betancourt said she had a deep admiration for Aung San Suu Kyi and hoped to do more for her cause.

“I think that she is the soul of Burma, she is the hope of Burma,” she said.

“She needs to stay alive because it doesn’t matter how dark the night can be; she is that light in Burma and we need that light to continue shining until it becomes a very big sun.”

Drawing on her own experience in captivity, Betancourt said that Aung San Suu Kyi should remain positive and look to the future.

“The only thing that I can tell her – and she knows – is that she has to live it day by day, knowing that the day of freedom and of victory will come for her, and that we will be there with her to rejoice,” she said.

“She needs to know that this will happen and that we are just waiting for that moment to come.”

Reporting by Than Win Htut

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